FAQ and Troubleshooting

[Mr_Fun_Times]

I'm having trouble with what appears to be a texturless seam being created in openbrf. You can see it on the handle of the model.

When in openbrf the texture appears perfectly fine (as it does in wings3d), but in game it looks like this,

It's a bit hard to see, but the entire texture is being used on a seam rather than the texture it was mapped too.

 

[Andre__]

I'm trying to get into modding and I've wanted to play with openbrf for sometime now but every time I try to download it and run I can never get it to work. I really don't have any experience with stuff so I'm just doing something wrong but I need someone to tell me what it is. I download the openbrf, extract it into some folder but then I just have a bunch of files in a folder and I don't know what to do from there

.exe means executable file. Just double click on openBrf.exe in windows explorer.

When I do that I get a system error message - "The code execution cannot proceed because MSVCP120.dll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem" - but as many times as I delete everything and redownload openBrf the same thing happens.

One time I downloaded openBrf and got a much larger list of files and when I tried to open openBrf.exe, it did open, but it was openBrf painting and was not at all the modding tool. This has all left me pretty confused but I really want to do this. How do I fix this?

 

[NPC99]

I'm trying to get into modding and I've wanted to play with openbrf for sometime now but every time I try to download it and run I can never get it to work. I really don't have any experience with stuff so I'm just doing something wrong but I need someone to tell me what it is. I download the openbrf, extract it into some folder but then I just have a bunch of files in a folder and I don't know what to do from there

.exe means executable file. Just double click on openBrf.exe in windows explorer.

When I do that I get a system error message - "The code execution cannot proceed because MSVCP120.dll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem" - but as many times as I delete everything and redownload openBrf the same thing happens.

One time I downloaded openBrf and got a much larger list of files and when I tried to open openBrf.exe, it did open, but it was openBrf painting and was not at all the modding tool. This has all left me pretty confused but I really want to do this. How do I fix this?

https://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,324693.0.html

 

[Bisoso1893]

FAQ & troubleshooting:
Your question is not answered here? Post it!

BASIC USAGE:
to access most functions you must select the object you want to act on (e.g. a mesh), clicking it on the list at the left, and then: either right click on it; or, use the "selected" menu option. Then select the command from the menu.

You can also multiple select objects, by Shift- / Ctrl-clicking on them.
That way you can perform an action on all of them at once (via the context menu, as normal).


BASICS:

What is OpenBRF and what are BRF files?

Spoiler

It is a tool to edit and preview the content of BRF files.
BRF files are a file format used by Mount and Blade game series to hold most game graphical content: meshes, materials, animations, collision boxes, skeletons for animations, etc.
With OpenBRF, you can preview them, import/export them in an array of formats (so that you can edit them in external applications), as well as edit them.
This whould be useful to build game MODs (game modules).

What is the OpenBRF icon supposed to represent?

Spoiler

The icon was kindly (and skillfully) made by [amade], following a request of mine. Its concept refers to old paper dolls toys (usually for little ladies), where you had to cut out dresses from a sheet of paper, and tie them to cut-out human figurines, by folding flaps. This is intended to jokingly represent one typical activity of a MODder: to design and model outfits.

DOING STUFF:

How do I do stuff?

Spoiler

Many things are in context menus. Select one or more items from the list on the left, then either right-click on them or open the [Selected] menu, then pick your option.

How do I export a mesh/an animation/a skeleton/etc?

Spoiler

Read the answer above.

How to paint vertex-colors on the mesh?

Spoiler

[background: meshes in M&B can have a color specified in each vertex, which is typically modulated with the color specified in the texture]

OpenBRF does not have an embedded interactive vertex painter (at least, not yet). It can paint the mesh for you with an uniform color of your choice, and it can also compute "ambient occlusion" on a mesh (i.e. make the parts that are hidden to light progressively darker, and store it as per-vertex color), or tune Hue, Saturation and Brightness, or other things like that.

For any other use of vertex color, as well as to retouch the results, you'll have to paint the mesh in an external application, and then import it on OpenBRF. Doing that, you need use a file format that encompasses color per vertex, like ".ply".

For example, 3D Studio Max can be used as an external vertex painter. You can use [this] plugin, developed by [Yoshiboy] for this very purpose, to make Blender export ply smoothly. Another vertex painter you can consider to use is the one embedded in MeshLab.

Can I add new animations and skeletons in my mod?

Spoiler

Yes, within certain limits. For animations, see this tutorial, (by [cdvader]), or this one, (by [dreamterror]). For skeletons, this one, (by [cdvader]).

How do I move meshes/materials/etc into one BRF file from another BRF file?

Spoiler

Way 1: open the first BRF file, select and copy (ctrl-C) the object(s), open the other BRF file and paste (ctrl-V). Way 2: you can also "import" a brf file into the currently open file, if you want to take in all of its content (with [import]=>[everything from a BRF]).

I see a tool to "recompute tangent directions". What are they used for?

Spoiler

Tangent directions are defined all over the mesh (pretty much as normals) and are needed (at game execution time) to render most kinds of bumpmaps. If you import a mesh, it won't have them defined over the game will have to compute them. In openBRF, you can compute and store them instead, for the game to use. Keep in mind that tangent directions cannot be saved in M&B 1.x mesh format (only in WB or WFaS). If a mesh does not use bumpmapping, it does not require tangent dirs (there is a tool to discard them if they are there)

TROUBLESHOOTING:

My bumpmapped objects are shown black (if I activate bumbmapping)

Spoiler

If all bumbmapped objects are shown black (including native one), then it must be a problem with OpenGL. Try updating the graphic card drivers.

If only a few custom object do that, it could be that you saved the bumpmap in the wrong format. "Blue" bumpmaps must be saved with DXT1 compression, as they do not need the alpha channel. "Green" bumpmaps must be saved with DXT3 or DXT5.
That way, your mod will be optimized (in term of texture space and memory), plus OpenBRF will be able to tell which bumpmap is which kind and will display them correctly.

[background: Green and Blue bumpmaps are two different kinds of bumpmaps M&B uses. I'm calling them by the general color they appear when you look at them as color images. Green is more expensive in term of memory usage (and even GPU computations) but are also more accurate].

Why does it show a white-blue checkerboard instead of my texture?

Spoiler

The checkerboard is a replacement for when, due to problem of any nature, OpenBrf could not load the texture.

(does it happen in native mod too? If so, the solution for you is probably in the last paragraph of this "Spolier").

There are two ways to identify what the problem was:

1- Ask OpenBRF itself:
under "settings", a "Why the checkerboard pattern?" option appears when the checkerboard is on.
That helps you diagnose what the problem is.

OR

2- Manually track the error:
- Start from a mesh giving you a problem.
- Click on the link to the "material" (inside the Data panel, in the middle). That brings you to the material.
- Click on the link to the "texture". That brings you to the texture object.
- Click on the "open it" button. That brings you to the texture .dds file, in file explorer.
- Can you open that file with any other application?

If a passage is broken, you'll find out where the problem is.

For example, if when you click in the material it doesn't take you to the material , it means that the problem is that your mesh is using a material which is not present anywhere in the mod (for example, due to spelling errors, or you forgot to add the brf file with the material inside "module.ini").

If the problem is nowhere else, then it could be that your system is lacking full API support for OpenGL. Usually (in all cases I've seen) updating the drivers of the graphic card helps. Go to the card vendor site (e.g. NVidia or ATI) and look for a driver update there.

My OBJ files appear flipped when I import them!

Spoiler

Like, weapons in left hands? Import is correct, but your OBJ files contains a flipped mesh. Happens when it was exported either by pre-0.0.18 versions of OpenBRF or by BBRedit. Whatever the reason, you can use the "mirror" tool to flip it back (a nuisance, but from now on you should see the same orientation: in the game, in OpenBRF, and in the external applications like blender which read exported OBJs).

VIEWING STUFF:

How can I see several meshes combined, like all the parts of a castle together?

Spoiler

You can MULTIPLE SELECT stuff, just as you do in the file system: by Shift+clicking or Ctrl+clicking on the object list. Multiple selections can be visualized is three different modes: side-to-side (for display and comparison), combined into one, or [auto] (the default). Switch this with the small buttons at the bottom. In [Auto] mode, the selected meshes are grouped according to names: the ones with a matching name (up to the "dot") are displayed together. Note that you can double click on the 3D window to select the meshes in the corresponding box.

ALSO NOTE: commands operating on multiple items (like "combine meshes", "concatenate animations", or "group rename") are available (by right-clicking on the selection) when multiple things are selected!

What do all those flags and numbers in Material, Shader and Texture tab mean, exactly?

Spoiler

This is guesswork, but I've put in OpenBRF all the info available. If you have more info or corrections, it would be great if you posted them at the OpenBRF [flag thread]. See also this tutorial (by [xenoargh]) about this.

What do the bold/colors mean, in the left-most list of names?

Spoiler

Bold blue means that that mesh/texture/shader/skeleton/etc is being used by your module, judging from its txt files.
Either directly or indirectly (right click on it and see "used by" to find out).
Gray means that that thing it is not used (or is only used by other objects, e.g. a material by a mesh, which are, in turn, not used). Lighter gray means that does not seem to be used at all (and can be removed).

Colors? What colors?

Spoiler

Just press F3 to make OpenBrf scan the txt file and color-code the object lists (or [Module]->[Scan module for usages]). Naturally, this only applies if the current BRF file is part of the current module, i.e. if it is listed in module.ini.

SYSTEM RELATED:

How to install?

Spoiler

no installer required. Just unzip in any folder and run!

How can I make OpenBRF the predefined application for my BRF files?

Spoiler

in window explorer, right click on any brf file, "open with...", select "custom application...", "browse" for where openBrf.exe is, select it, check "always use this program to open this kind of file". Now OpenBRF should open when you double click a BRF file.
However, there seems to be occasional, erratic problems with Window's file association. This is a window issue rather than an OpenBRF one. If your Windows refuses to comply, it was reported (by [Mandible]) that renaming the openbrf ".exe" file to something else can help.

Mate I downloaded the 0.0.82e version but it doesn't show me any models, the tool bars is there and the names of the models too but the screen wwhere are you supposed to see he model is blank.

 

[Tasak]

Mate I downloaded the 0.0.82e version but it doesn't show me any models, the tool bars is there and the names of the models too but the screen wwhere are you supposed to see he model is blank.

Provide more information such as your operating system and other specification mentioned in the thread.

 

[Bisoso1893]

Provide more information such as your operating system and other specification mentioned in the thread.

It's Microsoft Windows 10 mate, odd because I recently installed an older version an I can see the models but when dividing them in submodels I can't see none and I used to merge different parts of models to create "new" ones but I can't see, man.

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

Are it just specific models at which you can't see or can you also not see at models at which you could see before? Asking because sometimes models behave strange and you can only see a single vertice and also only if you look at it in a specific angle. You should see then hundreds of submeshes though.

 

[Bisoso1893]

Are it just specific models at which you can't see or can you also not see at models at which you could see before? Asking because sometimes models behave strange and you can only see a single vertice and also only if you look at it in a specific angle. You should see then hundreds of submeshes though.

I can't see the sub-meshes of the models I used to split and that's really weird, the sub-meshes doesn't show me any vertice also, hmmm should I put them .dll files of OpenBRF into system32 ?

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

Is it giving you some error message too, telling about some missing dll files? Or just not working?

 

[Bisoso1893]

Is it giving you some error message too, telling about some missing dll files? Or just not working?

Doesn't show me any error tho, it just doesn't show me sub models, are you able to split your models ?

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

Can you make a screenshot of what you are actually seeing at OpenBRF? It might help us at finding a solution for your problem.

 

[Bisoso1893]

Can you make a screenshot of what you are actually seeing at OpenBRF? It might help us at finding a solution for your problem.

Of course mate, here's a video of the problem:

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

And the same is happening with each mesh or only some specific categories of meshes? That's really strange, haven't seen this issue before.

hmmm should I put them .dll files of OpenBRF into system32 ?

Do you have your OpenBRF inside a specific folder or at a folder at the desktop?

I can't see the sub-meshes of the models I used to split

Did you do some specific software updates since it seemed to have worked before?

Please click on 'Clean redundant vert/pos' after the rightclick on the mesh, it is right above the splitting option. Keep an eye on the numbers of faces, vertices and positions and if they are changing or not. If they are changing, check on split mesh again if the result is a different one.

And just to make things sure: At the newest version you can't see anything at all while at an older version you can at least see the base mesh although you can appearantly not split it. Is that correct? Only asking that many questions to figure out a potential solution for you. I am using Windows 7 and Linux, so the problem is not present there.

 

[Bisoso1893]

And the same is happening with each mesh or only some specific categories of meshes? That's really strange, haven't seen this issue before.

Do you have your OpenBRF inside a specific folder or at a folder at the desktop?

Did you do some specific software updates since it seemed to have worked before?

Please click on 'Clean redundant vert/pos' after the rightclick on the mesh, it is right above the splitting option. Keep an eye on the numbers of faces, vertices and positions and if they are changing or not. If they are changing, check on split mesh again if the result is a different one.

And just to make things sure: At the newest version you can't see anything at all while at an older version you can at least see the base mesh although you can appearantly not split it. Is that correct? Only asking that many questions to figure out a potential solution for you. I am using Windows 7 and Linux, so the problem is not present there.

Well mate, this happens not only to weapons, but also to head armor and body armor, I have OpenBRF stored just with the main game folder, about software, it's windows 10 and installed 360 total security but I dont think it is an issue since I have it deactivated, I clicked on 'Clean redundant vert/pos' but nothing happened or changed

"And just to make things sure: At the newest version you can't see anything at all while at an older version you can at least see the base mesh although you can appearantly not split it. Is that correct? Only asking that many questions to figure out a potential solution for you. I am using Windows 7 and Linux, so the problem is not present there." - About this mate I'm starting to being suspicious towards windows 10, in my past PC I hardly remember but I also had windos 10, should I change my windows ?, what version of OpenBRF are you using, mate ?

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

I am using the versions 0.0.79 and 0.0.82e at my Windows 7 laptop. Perhaps OpenBRF doesn't work well anymore with Windows 11 (or the Windows 10 equivalent).

 

[Bisoso1893]

Hmmmmmm I'm Windows 11 Pro, just checked it :c

 

[NightCall]

Hello. Did anyone encounter this problem? How can I get rid of this green stripes?

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

dstn wrote that it looks like your graphic card doesn't support GLSL. He guesses that you might need to update your drivers.

 

[NightCall]

dstn wrote that it looks like your graphic card doesn't support GLSL. He guesses that you might need to update your drivers.

Thanks for suggestion, updated graphic card drivers. Didn't help)

 

[KnightofHam]

Thanks for suggestion, updated graphic card drivers. Didn't help)

Hi, I'm new to the forum. Saw the original post and the link for downloading no longer works? How did you guys find the latest version?