The Model Project (Currently GU: Redemption CCS files...)

[Satoh]

Ok, this will serve as my home base for analyzing and eventually ripping the models from any of various games...

Currently I am focusing on Final Fantasies 8 and 9.


Previous Formats Explored:

Chrono Cross Battle Models
Chrono Cross Field Models
Chrono Cross Modified TIM Images.


Previous Formats with outstanding research:

Chrono Cross Weapon Data
Chrono Cross Skeletal Animation Data


To be Explored:

Chrono Cross Walkmesh
Chrono Cross Engine Data
Final Fantasy VIII Model Data
Final Fantasy IX Model Data


Planned Explorations

Megaman Legends 2 General Data
Valkyrie Profile Sprite Data


Future Project Possibilities:

Ragnarok Online 3D Model Data
FlyFF Models
Dream of Mirror Online Models
Fiesta Online Models
Metal Gear Solid 3 Data
Xenosaga III Data
.hack//Quarantine Data
.hack//G.U. Vol. 3 Data



Information on Formats:

Chrono Cross Data:
Resource Pages(Bottom)

Final Fantasy VIII Data:
Basic Model Discoveries

Final Fantasy IX Data:
FF9 Format Wiki~Thanks to Vehek
Info about directory structure in the FF9.IMG

Crisis Core Data:
Koral's Crisis Core investigation threat.


Current Team Members:

X-Dina Current Focus: GU: Redemption CCS files...

FaustWolf Current Focus: Chrono Cross Skeletal Animation Data


Ok, so, if anyone has links to previously discovered information please post them here.
I know there is some information on FFVIII and FFIX data, but it is spread everywhere throughout this forum and others, and I'd rather spend time actually researching, than scouring the forum for all of the previous threads... If I come across any I'll link them here. Hopefully this can become a large resource-book of model and data structure information.

If anyone has information on any of the formats I mentioned as possible future explorations, please post that as well. Any and all help is welcome, and in fact, requested.

[Satoh]

Ok, I have found what I believe to be a battle model for FF9, Faustwolf and I are examining it soon...

I remember reading somewhere that Zande or Zidane had previously cracked one of the model formats... it was scenery right?

It would be great if they might show up and say a thing or two...*hint*hint*

However I won't count on it...

[Lucleonhart]

WTF?!
I am writing here once a year if there is anything new about ff8 models.. and finally THERE IS!

My Progress of the last year was:
Opening the mch field models with Biturn and extract to milkshape 3d. Result: http://www.ff12maps.com/tmp/squall.swf
For everything else there was just the russian CharEdit by KVaks, which can display battle models with twisted body parts... Missing file?
http://www.ff12maps.com/tmp/CharEdit.rar <- Program
http://www.ff12maps.com/tmp/models.rar <- All model files

And thats it.. Hope things go on now...

[Satoh]

I have already discovered that Biturn by Mirex opens MCH's near perfectly... Occasionally there is some bone rotation corrections to make, but it works.

The Battle .DATs are the big issue... CharEdit seems to rotate all of the model bones BACKWARDS =O! So it isn't that their bodies are twisted, so much as their entire skeletons are in backwards...

Aside from that, it can't load main character DATs or weapons very well... AND it has no export function.... (and the animation is REALLLLY slow at least for me...)

Right now I have found some promising info on the FF9 models... No new progress in FF8 just yet... but soon I plan to have both files cracked and at the least, be able to steal geometry and UV's...

I saw in your thread that you had some algorithms for importing stuff... if you by any chance have any ability to write import/export plugins, then once we decipher the vertex pool and uv data, your help would be appreciated...

EDIT: sorry I misread, it was JWP that had the formulas... oh well... damn, and here I thought I had a programmer =P... Don't worry too much, I'm sure now that I have some people working with me, the files will finally be cracked... by someone who speaks english =D!


EDIT2: Ok, FFIX model data seems more complex, so for now I'm focusing on FFVIII again... I thought because the model I had chosen was a simple shape with few verts it would be easy to find a correlation... however... the header is complex...

There seem to be similarities in the FF8 models and CC models so hopefully it should be easier to crack those... (Note that my optimism does not mean it will be a FAST process... it is still a lot of work and only secondary to college work... so I won't tease you with estimated timelines...)

[Vehek]

Have you seen this?
http://wiki.qhimm.com/FF9/File/0x02

[Satoh]

No I hadn't seen that, I knew there was a wiki around, but I had never seen it myself. Thanks for the link, I already upped it...

I didn't realize there was so much info on the models already though... I must see what I can glean from this...

Hahaha XD;; I don't know how to interpret the offsets listed compared to the raw data offsets... I'm guessing 0x00 is the very first byte in the file, but some of the other offsets aren't quite as simple to me... for instance where it says 0x24, that would be  00000024 right? but does that mean...

*Suddenly realizes its relative to the beginning of each section of the file*

Well... now all I really need is someone with import export coding experience to magically appear...

Though I suppose if I wanted to go the "I really hate being alive" method, I could read the file and translate each vertex into its literal 3D location and build it one at a time in Maya.... *coughs up blood unexpectedly*

[Micky]

Though I suppose if I wanted to go the "I really hate being alive" method, I could read the file and translate each vertex into its literal 3D location and build it one at a time in Maya.... *coughs up blood unexpectedly*

This isn't actually that hard to do... it's a bit more difficult than writing a wavefront obj file, but not much different to what an importer/exporter would do. You can even write Maya-ascii files directly yourself. Write out a simple cube as a .ma and have a look.

[Satoh]

Though I suppose if I wanted to go the "I really hate being alive" method, I could read the file and translate each vertex into its literal 3D location and build it one at a time in Maya.... *coughs up blood unexpectedly*

This isn't actually that hard to do... it's a bit more difficult than writing a wavefront obj file, but not much different to what an importer/exporter would do. You can even write Maya-ascii files directly yourself. Write out a simple cube as a .ma and have a look.

Lol you say its the same as an importer would do... But I don't know how to make one of those. Even still... it defeats the purpose of me making this project--
"To allow anyone with a copy of blender or something similar to import models from _________ and use them."

Is essentially my purpose... A less Samaritan style response would be "To allow ME to do that without much effort per model..."

either way, this project still needs an import writer....

[FaustWolf]

Oh my lord, that's beautiful. That's what I get for not checking the qhimm wiki first.

Has investigation of the FF8 model format been wikified anywhere? I didn't see it in the qhimm wiki when I checked last, but I could be wrong, maybe...

X-Dina, let's wait a bit and see if Zidane or Zande pop up. I know they had model viewing programs for FF9.

[Vehek]

According to the edit history, the FF9 model wiki entry was modified by Zande on the 15th.

There's still no information on FF8 in QhimmWiki.

[Zidane_2]

Program for view models, hmmm... no, i haven`t, becouse i was unable to accept animation to bones. Bones without animation haven`t any pose.

[Zande]

Weapons doesn't have any bones, so it's easiest to start with them. For the other models, yes you need to read atleast 1 frame of one of the characters animation in order to display it properly.

[Satoh]

so the characters don't have a 0 bone rotation frame?

I remember the Chrono Cross models all had a basic 0 rotation pose... (and really for my purposes, not having animations would be better... but I'm probably in the minority there...)

So, if they have 'no pose' does that mean they're just floating in space all crumpled up in a ball?

Wouldn't it make more sense if the bones are a set length and there's no animation data that they be standing straight? Or are the bones NOT a set length?

Also, is that 'Model Viewer' the same as the world map viewer? If it's different is there a link to it?


Anyway, thanks for stopping by, it would be great if we could count on your help, but from what I've seen you only appear once in a while... like Magic Pots...

Unless somehow we could just manually set each bone to rot 0...

[Zande]

So, if they have 'no pose' does that mean they're just floating in space all crumpled up in a ball?

Pretty much.

Wouldn't it make more sense if the bones are a set length and there's no animation data that they be standing straight? Or are the bones NOT a set length?

In the 3D Model chunk/file the bones have set magnitude, but the bone vectors have no angles assigned.

Also, is that 'Model Viewer' the same as the world map viewer? If it's different is there a link to it?

No, and no.

but from what I've seen you only appear once in a while... like Magic Pots...

Haha