Character Model Import Tutorial - 1

Author: Michael Frost

Getting Started

To begin with, here is what you will require in order to create character models for Jedi Knight 2:

Lets start, shall we?

Make sure you have Jedi Knight 2 installed on your computer system, as well as 3D Studio Max. I have used the basic install settings for each, as well as standard folder setups for each.

Jedi Knight 2: C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars JK II Jedi Outcast\

3D Studio Max 4: C:\3DSMAX4\

Download the first Jedi Knight 2 Editing Tools pack, by Raven Software LTD. It is a file approximately 4mb in size. Just save the file anywhere on your hard drive, but remember where you stored it, you will need to access it next.

The first file I listed above is the only Editing Pack necessary for this tutorial, although you may wish to download the second pack, since it contains Spacemonkey's tutorial for JK2 modeling, and the base 3D models for several other characters such as Jan, MonMothma, and JediTrainer.

This file will be a .ZIP file -- in order to view or open it, you will need WinZip ( www.winzip.com ) or WinRAR ( www.rarsoft.com ). If you are running Windows XP, you will already have ZIP support. Now, go to the directory where you saved the File Pack, and open the .ZIP file.

Within this ZIP you will find two files -- a readme.txt and the file, JK2EditingTools.EXE. First, extract or copy this JK2EditingTools.EXE file to another directory on your computer --I use C:\Temp. I will assume you know how to follow basic extraction through whichever program you use, WinZip or Winrar.

Once finished, find where you have extracted the file (ie. C:\Temp) -- and run/double click this file (JK2EditingTools.EXE)

Extract the files to C:\Base

You should now see two folders within C:\Base\ called "Base" and "Tools".

Open the Tools directory.

"Tools" contains one folder, called Max4Tools, as well as some other programs and text files. Max4Tools is important because we will need the one file within it XSIImporter.dli for 3D Studio Max 4, in order to Import and Export XSI files, SoftImage 3D format files, containing the model and skeleton information for a character model.

You want to take the XSI Importer.dli File within the Max4tools folder, and place that within the Plugins directory in your 3d studio max 4 folder on your computer - this will allow you to import and export jedi knight 2 model files!

KEY NOTES:

Take all the files from C:\base\base\, and simply put them into C:\Base\ to save on redundancy.

Also, put the Tools directory contents into C:\Base\ as this is how I have mine setup.

Okay. That was the first stage of setting the files up for the game.

Next step: We will extract the file _humanoid.gla from the file Assets0.PK3 which is located within the folder

C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars JK II Jedi Outcast\Gamedata\Base\.