- Joined
- Apr 1, 2020
- Messages
- 2
Greetings!
I am lurking around and has been a big, unregistered fan of the forums for years. Today I decided to finally join because I just can't find a clear enough solution for my problem. I am trying to get into modding without any deep understanding or knowledge of the required softwares. I am simply trying to follow all the tutorials step by step.
However it looks like there is something I am overlooking. When I import my textures to the editor, the models are always white. Doesn't matter if it's dds or blp file, classic or reforged mode.
What I don't really get and it feels like that's exactly the problem itself is that when you convert a texture file to dds/blp format, how does the mdl file "know" that it should find the path to the newly created dds/blp file instead of the jpg/png/bmp/etc that was directly exported from blender/whatever modeling software?
I know it must be a ridiculously basic and ignorant question but please understand, I don't have any "real" understanding of these processes, I am only a noob following the steps of people who know what they are doing.
Edit:
Meanwhile I could manage to replace custom textures on reforged models using ReterasModelStudio with 50% success. Meaning one of them worked out perfect, I modified the normal maps as well to match my new texture BUT the other one just made the whole texture a single "owner player color", so the model's whole body is the color of the player. Which is quite cool looking but wasn't my puspose.
I realized Reteras creates a "white.blp" every time I export it, so it could be the problem in that case. Maybe I accidentally deleted something and Reteras is trying to correct it?
Anyway, my original question is still valid because I would like to use models I made outside of Warcraft, so I would have to manually manage what is as easy as "replace texture" in Reteras.
Is there a plugin for Blender/Gmax to import and export blp or dds texture files?
Edit 2: Just an update, I realized that since an mdl file contains "humanly readable" code when you open it as a text file, I tried it out and saw that the texture path is set to "white.blp". I simply changed it to my diffuse blp that is in the same folder as the mdl file itself. However, of course, it's not that simple. But still, I feel like I am getting further and starting to vaguely figure out what's going on.
Edit 3: SOLVED
I figured it out meanwhile. So I just write it down here if anyone else has this problem in the future.
The key is to open your mdx in Retera Model Studio and replace the white.blp with your main diffuse texture.
If you create a custom texture (for Reforged), make sure to export it in DXT5 compression (dds file format) and generate mipmaps. Not just the diffuse texture but the normal and the other ones too. I used Gimp for this.
If you want to use a model that you created outside of Warcraft III with its own, custom animations, I found a way that works for me for this purpose. You can make fbx object files with an animation, you can import it to Blender and export it to mdl with a plugin. From there you can use MdlxConv to export the mdl into an mdx file. Now you can open it in Retera Model Studio (assuming that your model worked fine in Blender, correct polycount etc., all the other details). You will have a white.blp as the diffuse texture. You can replace that with your main diffuse texture and add the others. I would advise to use a single merged texture for the whole model (at least that's what works for me currently). Repeat this whole process with each animation containing fbx files you have, and then you can import into one of them all the others in Retera. Import -> from file -> Leave all geosets -> animation change name to (and choose the correct name that Warcraft III uses, for example "Attack 1" for a common attack animation) -> select all bones and import motion to pre-existing -> the matrices part I don't modify anything -> Leave all obejcts -> Finish. Now you have a model with multiple animations. Now you can overwrite or save it as a new mdx and put it in the world editor with the texture files.
I am lurking around and has been a big, unregistered fan of the forums for years. Today I decided to finally join because I just can't find a clear enough solution for my problem. I am trying to get into modding without any deep understanding or knowledge of the required softwares. I am simply trying to follow all the tutorials step by step.
However it looks like there is something I am overlooking. When I import my textures to the editor, the models are always white. Doesn't matter if it's dds or blp file, classic or reforged mode.
What I don't really get and it feels like that's exactly the problem itself is that when you convert a texture file to dds/blp format, how does the mdl file "know" that it should find the path to the newly created dds/blp file instead of the jpg/png/bmp/etc that was directly exported from blender/whatever modeling software?
I know it must be a ridiculously basic and ignorant question but please understand, I don't have any "real" understanding of these processes, I am only a noob following the steps of people who know what they are doing.
Edit:
Meanwhile I could manage to replace custom textures on reforged models using ReterasModelStudio with 50% success. Meaning one of them worked out perfect, I modified the normal maps as well to match my new texture BUT the other one just made the whole texture a single "owner player color", so the model's whole body is the color of the player. Which is quite cool looking but wasn't my puspose.
I realized Reteras creates a "white.blp" every time I export it, so it could be the problem in that case. Maybe I accidentally deleted something and Reteras is trying to correct it?Anyway, my original question is still valid because I would like to use models I made outside of Warcraft, so I would have to manually manage what is as easy as "replace texture" in Reteras.
Is there a plugin for Blender/Gmax to import and export blp or dds texture files?
Edit 2: Just an update, I realized that since an mdl file contains "humanly readable" code when you open it as a text file, I tried it out and saw that the texture path is set to "white.blp". I simply changed it to my diffuse blp that is in the same folder as the mdl file itself. However, of course, it's not that simple. But still, I feel like I am getting further and starting to vaguely figure out what's going on.
Edit 3: SOLVED
I figured it out meanwhile. So I just write it down here if anyone else has this problem in the future.
The key is to open your mdx in Retera Model Studio and replace the white.blp with your main diffuse texture.
If you create a custom texture (for Reforged), make sure to export it in DXT5 compression (dds file format) and generate mipmaps. Not just the diffuse texture but the normal and the other ones too. I used Gimp for this.
If you want to use a model that you created outside of Warcraft III with its own, custom animations, I found a way that works for me for this purpose. You can make fbx object files with an animation, you can import it to Blender and export it to mdl with a plugin. From there you can use MdlxConv to export the mdl into an mdx file. Now you can open it in Retera Model Studio (assuming that your model worked fine in Blender, correct polycount etc., all the other details). You will have a white.blp as the diffuse texture. You can replace that with your main diffuse texture and add the others. I would advise to use a single merged texture for the whole model (at least that's what works for me currently). Repeat this whole process with each animation containing fbx files you have, and then you can import into one of them all the others in Retera. Import -> from file -> Leave all geosets -> animation change name to (and choose the correct name that Warcraft III uses, for example "Attack 1" for a common attack animation) -> select all bones and import motion to pre-existing -> the matrices part I don't modify anything -> Leave all obejcts -> Finish. Now you have a model with multiple animations. Now you can overwrite or save it as a new mdx and put it in the world editor with the texture files.
Last edited:
