Download link and main info! [latest ver 0.0.82e -- 19 Jun 2016]

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mtarini

Sergeant Knight
OpenBRF_banner.png


Here is a tool I'm building with The Last Day module in mind (you know, the Lord of the Ring based one). I was developing it inside that community, but why not share here. It is meant to be used to preview and edit BRF files (Binary Resource Files), i.e. most content of the game (e.g. meshes and animations).

Download:
ico48.png
latest ver: 0.0.82e [update notes] -- (19 Jun 2016)
[exe in mb-repository] (just unzip in any folder and run -- if upgrading over 0.0.81 or earlier: overwrite DLLs !)
[source code] -- given under GNU General Public License


Feature list:

Basic Features:
  • Loading & saving:
    • Loads and saves all contents of BRF files:
      • Meshes (including vertex-animated & rigged)
      • Collision objects (including spheres capsules manifold & faces...)
      • Textures, Materials, Shaders
      • Skeletons, Skeletal-animations.
    • Compatibility:
      • M&B ver 1.011 complaint.
      • Back compatibility with M&B .808 BRF files (load only).
      • "Forward" compatibility with Warband BRF files (save/load).

  • Viewing:
    • Meshes, Collision objects, Skeletons, Skel-animations, Texture, Material and Hit-boxes:
      shown in 3D view (using, as appropriate, textures, wireframe, per-vertex color, animations, customizable skins, alpha channel, xrays -- for collision objects, etc)
    • All attributes for all objects (e.g. flags, numbers and strings) are shown in the GUI.
    • navigation mode (WASD) for interiors; custom view orientation for helmets.
    • "side-to-side", "combined", "auto" modes for viewing multiple selections.

  • Importing & exporting:
    • Meshes exported/imported in: obj (including multi-material), ply, dxf (autocad), dae (collada), off.
      (not all formats allow to export vertex colors or normals. Normals are recomputed if missing).
    • Rigged meshes, Skeletal-Animations: export/import as SMD (or maya .ma, experimental)
    • Skeletons: export/import as SMD -- also, export/import as a control (static) mesh
    • Vertex-animated meshes: export/import as MD3, or as separate frames,
    • Collision bodies: export/import as multiple-object obj (notes on usage: see this info)
    • Hit-boxes: save/load in/from data.xml file, or as turn into Collision Bodies (notes on usage: see this info)

  • Basic editing:
    • Direct editing of any attribute of any object (e.g. flags).
    • Group edits: multiple-select objects to view or edit them all in one go (e.g. renaming a group will edit prefixes)
    • Cut (ctrl+X), copy (ctrl+C) and paste (ctrl+V) objects to easily move them from a brf file to another.
    • Remove, rename, duplicate, sort objects: move them up and down in the list. Group rename works also for groups of objects (you change, add, or remove common prefixes). Sort objects alphabetically (command under "Tools"). Etc.
    • With [ctrl+R] you repeat last command!
    • Undo/redo with [ctrl+Z], [ctrl+Y]
Tools for skeletons/rigging/skeletal-animation
  • Autobreak-up of animations into sub-sequences:
    (useful for for long sequence of animations listed as a single one). Animation can be either auto-split, by dividing chunks separated by large gaps in frame numeration, or split by following an action.txt file (in this case, a new action.txt is also produced, which refers the new split animations. The original action.txt file is kept intact -- just for safety).
    How-to: Just right click on an animation in the list.
  • Customizable skinning to view animations: rigged meshes can be enlisted to compose "skins". Skins are sets of user-selected rigged meshes which are used by OpenBrf to display skeletal-animations. Similarly, animations can be set as "reference animations" so that you can see your rigged meshes under that animation. Skins can also be used to export animations/rigged meshes/skeletons.
    How-to: Right click on the mesh to add it to a skin, or on an animation to use it as a "reference" animation. Reference objects (skeletons, animations, models) are auto-saved but you can also edit them directly (tools=>edit reference models).
  • Simplified skeleton retouching through meshes: this is to allow edits of the skeleton w/o using an animation program (small thing, mostly for myself). First, export a "skeleton modification mesh", which is just a static mesh (e.g. obj) featuring the bones. Then, edit the resulting mesh using any 3D editor; don't change bone size, number or shape: only their orientation and positions. Then, you use that mesh to modify the skeleton, and openBRF will modify just bone positions/orientation, keeping all else, like bone names, bone connections etc.
  • Reskeletonize tool for rigged meshes: This can be used to go from a mesh rigged for skeleton A to make a new mesh rigged for skeleton B. (if the two skeletons are similar enough). The mesh will deform to adapt to the new skeleton. This is not supposed to be perfect, but can be a start for further editing. Optionally, the deformed mesh can be placed as a frame to the original body mesh (you know, just how natives hides feminine version of armor shapes in subsequent frames).
  • Transfer rigging from a mesh to another: to transfer rigging from a rigged "exemplar" mesh to one or more target (usually non rigged) mesh (Similar to "obj2smd" program.).
    How to: (1)select one or more exemplar meshes, (2)copy [ctrl+C], (3)select one or more target mesh, (4)"edit" -> "paste rigging"
  • Transfer timings: to transfer timings (times per frame). How to: as above, but use "paste timings"
  • Copy lower part of an animation: to transfer the lower part of an animation (legs and abdomen position) into another animation. Useful for example to turn an animation for standing charter on the counterpart for mounted characters. How to: as above, but use "paste lower part of animation"
  • Mirror (animations): that's what you'd expect: left half of the body will do what the right half did (but mirrorred).
  • Mount/unmount things on bones: to attach a given item over a bone of a skeleton of choice: it will be moved in position and rigged to that bone. Also, the reverse. Also useful to make skins. Also includes special predefined carry-positions (e.g. scabbards tied on belts or shields carried on back), as used by M&B/WB (but customizable). Inverse funcitons also available (see under [discard]=>[rigging])
  • Freeze skeletal animation frames: to make a static "statue" out of a rigged object (in a given position) (see under [discard]=>[rigging])
  • Make small sub-pieces of rigged mesh rigid: an small autofix tool for rigged objects. Its use is to make small pieces of a rigged mesh, like plates of an armour, move rigidly during skeletal animations, i.e. without deforming. The pieces are identified as connected components of the mesh. How to: right click on the mesh and select corresponding option.
  • Hit-box manipulation: see more info in this [tutorial]
Tools for 3D meshes:
  • Combine meshes tools: [combine] makes one mesh from many (works with static, vertex-animated, rigged meshes alike). Similarly, you can select and copy (ctrl+C) one or more meshes, then select one or several target meshes, and use [edit]=>[paste into mesh] to copy the former into the letter, merging them. In this case, LODs are mantained, meaning that meshes of a given lod will be only merged with target meshes of the same lod.
  • Split meshes tool: Command [Split into connected sub-components] separate selected mesh(es) into one mesh for each topologically separated piece (note: after working on each piece separately, you can assemble them back, see above)
  • Rescale-rotote-translate, Mirror etc: just as the name says. Also, in the [roto-transalte-tool] there are buttons to center the object around (or above, or below) the zero (in any axis separately). For convenience, you can also roto-translate-scale an object while seeing other reference objects fixed, e.g. to align them accurately to each other.
  • Vertex optimization tool: merges together positions and vertices, clean redundant, dangling, repeated vertices, and so on, so that the data is more compact and rendering efficient. You can see the number of vertices and positions go down in the "data" box. There is also an option to automatically perform these operations after import ([setting]=>[on import meshes]).
  • Redefine hard-edges: hard edges (normal discontinuities) can also be redefined using a custom crease-angle parameter, with the above tool. Texture seams can be preserved or ignored.
  • Normal computations: recomputes normals, allowing for selectable amount of crease angles (aka hard edges)
  • Tangent direction computations: tang. dirs, which are needed for bumpmapping and some shaders, can be computed (from UV-mapping) over your meshes (they can be saved only as WarBand BRF).
  • LoDs computation: OpenBRF can build lod's (level of details) for your meshes, progressively simplifying them by automatic polygonal reduction. Under "settings", you can customize which lod are produced, and how much polygonal reduction should take place.
  • Ruler and "floating probe" measuring tools: the first is designed to pinpoint the precise reach of weapons. The second to identify locations over a mesh (results also copied to clipboard, for convenience).
  • Back-faces: add them (creates x2 faces), or remove them. Useful for flat impostors that must be seen from both sides.
  • "Feminization" of outfits: you can pick an armor/outfit of your mod and make OpenBRF build the feminine version of it (it will be added as another frame of that mesh, just like the game wants).
  • Transfer of attribute between meshes: you can Copy one (or more) mesh(es), then paste their attributes into one or more target mesh(es) (see under [edit] menu). Attribute you can transfer include: per vertex color, UV mapping, vertex animation, rigging,...
  • VERTEX COLOR HANDLING
  • Recoloring: (i.e. per vertex colors support). Assign a uniform color, or tune hue-saturation-brightness-contrast of existing colors.
  • Ambient occlusion: computes ambient occlusions and stores it as per vertex color. Adds a lot of realism cheap and fast to your meshes. Also works on meshes grouped together (depending on the current "view mode" settings). A few parameters (darkness, and light dispositions) can be tuned under "settings".
  • Transfer color from another mesh: How-to: copy exemplar mesh(-es), select target mesh(-es), [edit]=>[paste vertex colors].
  • Transfer color from texture: gets the color from a texture and saves it as per-vertex colors.
  • [Multiply colors] (!keep Shift pressed when applying any of the above four options, and the current mesh colors will be multiplied, instead of substituted, with the new ones!)
  • Tune hue saturation brightness: of vertex colors.
Tools for Collision Objects:
  • Smart Import/exports of subparts: to make collision objects using the efficient "sphere" and "capsules" primitive. See more info [here]
  • Auto-quadrangolization: to turn a triangle-based Collision Object to a more efficient Quad-dominant one (because, in game, it is better to use fewer quads than more triangles).
  • Smart visualization: "X-rays" style. Also, real meshes can be visualized together with the collision mesh, to see how much it matches (it must reside in the same BRF file, and be called the same name, at most with a "bo_" added at the beginning).
  • Scale/translate/rotate/mirror/merge: of Collision objects
  • Build from mesh: turn a mesh (or a group of meshes) into a collision object (note: it better be closed, and appropriately low res).
Tools for Materials/Textures:
  • Direct flag editing: of material, textures. Meaning of each flag reported.
  • Editing of multiple materials/meshes: just make a multiple selection and edit flags, texture names, etc.
  • Texture data: openBRF will tell you everything about resolution, mipmap level, compression mode, disk size, location (module or common folder) etc of your textures. You can open them in explorer by the press of a button.
  • Mini-"can't find texture" diagnostics: if openBRF is not able to show textures, for whatever reason, it shows a checkboard replacement and offer a mini-diagnostic under settings
  • Material rendering: openBRF will try to guess rendering of a material (shininess, transparency, cutouts...) when rendering a material over a mesh. Normalmap and specular maps too.
Tools for vertex animations:
Info: a vertex animation consists in one mesh where per-vertex XYZ positions and normals are repeated for each frame.
UV coords, triangle structure, per vertex colors, etc, are shared among all frames. They are used for animated icons (e.g. on the map), animated weapons (like bows), animated hands, face-morphs (one frame for each customizable features), animated quivers (each frame a different number of arrows), and even auto-refitting outfits (e.g. one armour with the male version in one frame, the feminine version in another).

  • Frame stacking: vertex animation are build stacking each frame separately.
    You can import them separately, or use the cut-frame, copy-frame, paste-frame operations (under "edit"). Either way, you can choose one of two algorithms in order to actually assemble the animation (make your choice under "settings" menu): either you trust the vertex order of your mesh, or you distinguish vertices by their vertex coordinates. More info in this post.
  • Direct import/export: as MD2 files
  • Copy timings: to transfer per-frame timings from an ani to another (selecting the first animation, copy it (ctrl+C), select second ani, "edit"->"paste timings".
  • Split frames / merge frames: separate the vertex animation in separate meshes -- one per frame, and recombine them into a vertex animation (possibly after editing them, or changing their order).
  • Construct from rigged: a rigged mesh, or a skinned animation, can be converted into the equivalent vertex animation.
  • "Quiver" mode: a mode to help making animations where first frame is the most complete object (e.g. quiver and all arrows), and subsequent frames remove sub-parts by shringking them to a point (e.g. a quiver with fewer or no arrows). Start with most complete object, every staked frame will produce a copy of first frame with any missing polygon shrunk to a point. Activate under [settings]=>[on assemble vertex animations].
Module management:
  • Fast ini loading: to make a quick auto-scan of the entire dataset as described in the ini- file (i.e.\ read all the included brf files for further references).
  • Module navigation: to jump from a mesh to its material and from a material to its textures/shader (and back). Use Ctrl-arrows (left/right), or click on labels (e.g. "Material") in the panel. A links is provided go back from when you came.
  • "Used-by" submenu: (the opposite of the above): you can see all other objects using an object (and load them if you want). E.g. given a material, all meshes in the mod which use that material. The same menu shows all txt files making any use of that object, directly or indirectly (txt files are the one the games loads when it loads your module) .
  • Autocompletion: of texture names, etc. Also, after you copy an object (ctrl-C), you can paste its name (ctrl-V) in a text box (you can still paste the object itself in the object list, to move it from a brf file to another).
  • Verify-module tool: to scan the entire module for errors and inconsistencies: missing texture, doubled item, meshes using unknown material,wrong brf order in ini file. It's in the "module" menu. [HokieBT and Dain Ironfoot suggestion]
  • Search: to look for objects with a certain string in the name [HokieBT and Darwin suggestion]
  • Scanning of txt: so that OpenBRF knows what Meshes, Matrerials, Skeletons... etc your module is using. Objects are color coded accordingly. More info [here]
  • Show unreferenced DDS tool: to see what texture files (DDS and TIFs) are sitting on the hard drive unused, and, optionally, confine them in a "unused" folder.
  • Dump module content from prompt: if you run it from the command line (or a batch file) like this:
    Code:
    OpenBRF.exe --dump <module_path> <file.txt>
    then OpenBRF will not open the GUI, but instead it will dump an easy-to-parse text file with the names of all the meshes, materials, animations... etc found in the BRF files which are listed in the ini of the module. This is intended to be used by other mod tools, e.g. to add auto-completion or error checking.
general usability hints:
- most tools can be applied over multiple objects in one go: just make a multiple selection first
- most tools are accessed by right-clicking on over selected item(s) in the list, or though the [selected] menu.
- you can repeat last command with [ctrl+R], and undo redo with [ctrl+Z] and [ctrl+Y]



Screenshots:
a skeletal animation displayed with a customizable skinning:
shot2.png
shot2b.png
multiple selection (meshes):
shot1.png
shot3.png
a vertex animation:
shot4.png
a rigged mesh, seen animated:
shot9.png
skeletons:
shot7.png
composite collision objects:
shot8.png
materials panel: textures with transparency, and flags dialog:
shot6.png
shot5.png
with "multi-view mode" set to "aside" you can see any number of models side to side:
shot11.png
with "view mode" set to "scene" you can navigate with WASD keys just like in game:
shot10.png
"search in module" window:
shot12.png
Hit-boxes associated to skeletons:
hitbox_human.png

hitbox_horse.png

hitbox_wb.png



Thanks to:
[amade] for the nice icon!
[cmpxchg8b] for the many info on the M&B/WB engine, including flags, carry-positions and more!
[Swyter] for the nice banner above!
[Foxyman] for completing the translation support!
[Vornne] for the Unix compilation fixes!
the translators: [Foxyman] (again), [Roemerboy], [Swyter] (again), [Vlejundo]!
all the many testers, suggestion givers, bug reportes...: a probably incomplete list is found in the "About" screen!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Clarification on textures (for now):

Open-BRF, just for now, is not very smart at locating textures...

It only scans materials inside "core_materials.brf" and "materials.brf" (same dir of the file that you open), and the ones included the BRF file that you open. Objects using materials other than those will not have textures.

The texture-files themselves (.dds) will be only searched in the "../texture" directory (relative to the file you open).

It will be made smarter in the future (I just wanted to see textures now)


 
Clarification on "reference models"...

OpenBrf keeps a set of skeletons/rigged-meshes/animations for the purpose of displaying (and later exporting) skeletal animations and rigged mesh.

Here is how it works:

- you can right-click on a mesh to assign it to a "skin", i.e. a set of rigged meshes used to display an animation. If the mesh is not rigged (an head, for examle) you will be asked to assign it to a bone. There is skin A, skin B, etc.

- you can right-click on a skeletal animation to enlist it as a "reference animation".

Those objects are saved for further sessions... You can edit them directly (thus remove them, rename them etc), using "tool=>edit reference objects" (screen becomes orange).

Once these objects are set: when visualizing an animation you can select a skin and you will see how that animation works on that skin (instead of just looking at bones). Similarly, when seeing a rigged mesh, you can select a reference animation and see how that mesh behaves with that animation (or pose).
 
Example of use: get Ambient Occlusion on your meshes for interiors and buildings.

Care has been taken to make Open-Brf export/import meshes with Color-per-Vertex.
For example, the PLY format does that (and other formats too, I cannot remember).

Do you know meshlab?
It is a free, open-source mesh processing tool that understands PLY meshes very well and has a big deal of algorithms (I collabotate with its developement).

One of them computes Ambient Occlusion (AO). AO does a great job at simulating global lighting in a way M&B can exploit.

Detailed instruction:

1-in OpnBrf export a static mesh featuring an interior, a building or such in PLY format (right click, export).

2- load the .ply mesh in Meshlab

3- In meshlab: [Filters] => [Color creation and processing] => [Vertex Ambient Occlusion]

(note: since AO is computed per vertex, you might want to create a bit more vertices first in order to compute a more detialed AO, by subdividing the mesh a little (Meshlab can do it for you). Not always necessary.)

4- Save on MeshLab as ply, re-imported in OpenBrf, save.

Example of results:

before:
openBrfAObefore.png


after:
openBrfAOafter.png


(in this case, no geometry complexity increase was necessary)
 
holy @#*!#(    nice work!

one request, could you add a BRF search type of function?  trying to find what BRF file contains a certain mesh/material/texture can sometimes be quite annoying and I usually have to end up using the notepad++ search all files type of command.  Heck, even a separate program to do this would be fine with me, I looked into it once but couldn't make sense of the BRF file.  :???:
 
captain lust said:
This is really cool. It wouldn't open my mod's brf file at all, though.

@Capitan Lust:

Thanks for the bug report... unfortunately, I won't be able to check-it out until Monday. (I'm leaving tonight for a short computer-less vacation). Pity becasue that one looks like an inviting bug.

(((hmmm... does it do that on every file? then, just guessing, it could be that it doesn't like "materials.brf" or "material_core.brf", the files it always loads at startup -- can you try on commorRes folder, as a test? If instead it does that on a specific file only, then I really would like to have a look at it. PM it?)))


@HokieBT:

Search function: a really good idea. I will do that.


@everybody:

thanks for the support. This started less than a week ago and should go pretty fast. But I'll be computer-less starting more or less now until next monday -- catch you soon!
 
Everyone, bring out the sacrifice goats. :razz: Btw. You should make a Wiki / Documentation on all this stuff you're currently posting. :smile:
 
I'm glad you made it open source, at least there's a very high chance that development of this tool will continue even if you can't continue someday (Lord forbid).

Great job!

edit: I got a question, I know this ain't BRFedit so there's no append feature... does that mean that vertex animating must be done within the modeling program? I can probably find a way to do this in Blender for icons and such but not sure what the results would be for female armor...

Or will there be an append feature in the future for those who can't animate e.g. wings3D users?

edit again: blast! I need a newer collada import script it seems!

Yet another edit: I imported one of my BRFs with an armor which had a female version appended to it, but in openBRF I can only see the female version and not the male version. I can't confirm with native models but it does look like the view is defaulted to the female version of the armor. If I select the man_cheer animation it shows the male version instead. Is there a way to select the frame you want in vertex animated models yet?
 
amade said:
I'm glad you made it open source, at least there's a very high chance that development of this tool will continue

that's the idea!  :grin:


amade said:
edit: I got a question, I know this ain't BRFedit so there's no append feature... does that mean that vertex animating must be done within the modeling program?

"append"? like, taking two (or n) meshes and making them the first two (or n) frames of vertex animation sequence...
Ok, can do.

(but I would also like to find a way to export vertex animations too)

In my experience, the problem is often that the two meshes, if they have been exported-edited-reimported, can end up having different vertex or pos ordering (or even different vertex/positions number), which would break the animation. I'll try ways arount that.


amade said:
edit again: blast! I need a newer collada import script it seems!

Why so? For which system? Which file format would you prefer? For what (animated meshes, skeletons...)
I'm looking for file formats that would be useful for stuff.
(next thing I want to do is a SMD exporter).
 
mtarini said:
amade said:
edit: I got a question, I know this ain't BRFedit so there's no append feature... does that mean that vertex animating must be done within the modeling program?

"append"? like, taking two (or n) meshes and making them the first two (or n) frames of vertex animation sequence...
Ok, can do.

(but I would also like to find a way to export vertex animations too)

In my experience, the problem is often that the two meshes, if they have been exported-edited-reimported, can end up having different vertex or pos ordering (or even different vertex/positions number), which would break the animation. I'll try ways arount that.

Yeah, that's what was bugging me with the ol' BRFedit. I hope to see an improved version of that feature in openBRF though if I can import vertex animated stuff directly (which BRFedit can't and had to use append instead) that'd be cool too.

mtarini said:
amade said:
edit again: blast! I need a newer collada import script it seems!

Why so? For which system? Which file format would you prefer? For what (animated meshes, skeletons...)
I'm looking for file formats that would be useful for stuff.
(next thing I want to do is a SMD exporter).

Apparently openBRF exports the into collada 1.4.1 while scripts available for it for Blender is only up to 1.4 (last updated 2007, doesn't seem like anyone's doing 'em anymore). The import script tells me that the file is newer than the script and gives me errors when it tries to import. What about md3 format though? I've no idea the pros and cons for using it but BRFedit used that, and I had no problems importing it into Blender (I found it odd that BRFedit couldn't import md3 files even though it exports it). edit: was trying to export a vertex animated icon, but I think SMD can do that too right?

Keep up with the great work!
 
I see,
clarification: for now openBrf import/exports static meshes only (no rigging and no vertex animation).
When you ask it to export a vertex animation, it only exports the first frame so don't lose time on that collada importer thing just yet.
(and there're plenty of other formats that can be used to export static meshes, I trust blender understands at least one of them)
 
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