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Matrix Eater 3D Model Editor

[NOTE: Before downloading this program, consider downloading Reteras Model Studio instead. It is a better graphical model editor combined with a model viewer that shares code with this project but is 5 years ahead in terms of updates. This version is here only for people who want the old UIs and stuff for my code libraries, but to be honest Retera Model Studio is really greatly improved and I use it in all cases instead of this program.]

The Matrix Eater

With support from the community, I've been working on this tool for years. More so, I became a user of it, much to the dismay of the people who asked for the best and brightest features, because I have hardly added any features in favor of just using the program how it is.

What does the Matrix Eater do?

You can think of the Matrix Eater as an alternative to Magos's Model Editor or MdlVis, but I usually use all three of them in conjunction.

The Matrix Eater is visually like a multi-geoset version of Oinkerwinkle's Vertex Modifier from years ago, but it has the purple icon on the View Controller window which lets you move and edit Pivot Points also.

In addition, if you do Tools > Mirror and mirror a selection that includes pivot points, it will mirror the animation data. So you can make a Portrait model that faces the opposite way, or something, and still animates correctly.

The program understands the MDL format in its entirely, and has support for MDX that is newer and slightly less tested. If it spits out a broken MDX, then save as MDL and convert to MDX using other software. It can do this for you, if you go to View -> Use Native MDX Parser and turn it off, then it uses MDLX converter instead of its own code to convert to and from MDX ( so it's less likely to have any bugs ).

If you use File -> Import it can be like magic and do what you need, or break things. This new version includes pictures along with names to try to show you what part of the model you're looking at. The general idea is that it takes literally everything from a new model, dumps that into the interface alongside the model you already have open, and gives you choices of how to combine them and which new components to include. You can mash "leave all" a bunch and only include an attachment point, or you can import a grunt onto a dragon complete with animations and have an animated orc dragon rider. You just have to micromanage the little buttons and tell the pelvis of the grunt, and everything below it, to attach to the dragon's main body root.

Which version is this?

This is the official upload of the latest version of the Matrix Eater.

If there is anyone using an older version of the Matrix Eater, please stop using it and use this one. Until now, the program was only shared on forums here and there from links which were often broken and pointing to outdated versions.

If this one cannot do what an old version does, please comment on this upload and tell me why so I can fix it.

I really wanted to revamp this program and add new features and write a tutorial before I uploaded it onto the Hive, but I just haven't had time recently, and I want to stop sitting on this updated version because it has several internal fixes that should make it less likely to save buggy MDX models and so I feel the community deserves this new version in case anybody is using the program -- regardless of whether I end up getting the time to improve it to match up with my dreams or not.


I didn't check the box for Linux because I haven't tested it on there for a while, but if you're a Linux user and you want to run it on Linux, just run the JAR. Theoretically it should work, if you have a Warcraft install folder on the linux machine. I've tested that before and it seemed to work.

The real source code the program on Github is this Eclipse workspace:
GitHub - Retera/JWC3: Retera's Java WC3 libraries.

There is a similar one but it is way older and out of date.
Contents

Matrix Eater 3D Model Editor (Binary)

Reviews
eejin
A great tool for editing meshes and animations. There is a lot of functionality there and this tool surely makes editing models a lot easier! Having an undo option in the UV editor would be nice. The program also gives an error that it is missing...
Not knowing a thing that I invented is not stupid at all. In fact, most of the people in the world -- in fact even some of the best and brightest -- probably don't know stuff that I invented.

Edit: You should ask Elon Musk what the "Re-assign Matrix" button does, you know? Or maybe ask Albert Einstein what "Favor component's original visibility when combining" does.
 
I got a 1.30 build running recently. It's a bit hacky. I think it might be loading the entire game into RAM all at once, so it might use 2GB of RAM. DrSuperGood made a really good 1.30 data library for Java and I hacked it into my code in a single evening.
But that test build DOES appear to work, and if I'm not mistaken it can run in parallel with the game since it loads the files in read-only mode (I have more testing to do with that to verify).

The current issue is that the Patch 1.30 build is for the "new" Matrix Eater that is unreleased, and I have not tried integrating it with the build available publicly here for download (which is about a year and a half behind the unstable new version).

Edit: Possible solution: time for me to release a "New Matrix Eater Public Beta"?

Edit 2: If you're interested in my thought process, I published an hour long video ironically titled "Vexorian Says Quit Modding" where I open the Matrix Eater code and updated it to use CASC for Patch 1.30. The video is uncut and therefore often not very entertaining or interesting to watch, so only watch it at your own peril.
 
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Level 1
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
1
This is very good but if I complete,save and add to map editor, it start play all animations equally.
How to fix it please?
 
Okay here's how @carcanosc
Install this Matrix Eater that I wrote.
  1. Create a backup copy of the model that needs birth animation
  2. Open the model that needs birth animation with this Matrix Eater 1.20.4 program
  3. Click File -> Import and then choose the model you want to copy birth animation from (A human Building, undead building, whatever, that already has Birth)
  4. Click the tab named Animations
  5. Click the special button in this tab near the top that says "Leave All" to leave all the animations
  6. Click on the left side where you see an orange box icon next to the tab called Birth
  7. Now there is a checkbox that you must check that says Import this animation. Click it so that now we will import birth!
  8. Click on tab Visibility
  9. In this tab click the button that says All Invisible in Exotic Animations this means you do not see the other building in your Stand, Stand Work, or any other animation of your building.
  10. Click on Finish and you will see both buildings together but now save the model and put it into WarCraft III and the building you imported should not be there, it should just have birth animation like you want!
  11. If your model won't show in World Editor like it doesn't work, repeat this process from Step 2. But on Step 9, add a step before Step 10. For this part, do Steps 12-13 that are only for fixing the broken model
  12. Before you click Finish on your redo of the steps, now click on the special tab called Objects with the red icon.
  13. Scroll through the list you see and find every item on the list labelled EventObject with a name after it. For each of these, click the EventObject. Then click the checkbox you will see that says "Import this object" so the checkbox is NOT checked. This will make your birth animation import *not* import EventObject. This will fix the bugged model 99% of the time
  14. Now click Finish and you will get the result. It looks the same as before but this time it will work for sure when you put it in the game
Please note, this is NOT the best way to make a Birth animation, this is just the easy way that will probably work if you follow the steps.

If it does not work, let me know, and we can change or update the steps. I didn't test this, I just wrote the steps from memory (I'm on vacation right now).
 
Level 3
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
76
Okay here's how @carcanosc
...
program dont work. error. Warcraft installation archive reading error ocurred. check your MPQs war3.mpq etc etc

Edit: I have seen other .exe (anim transfer) ?? Could I transfer anim from this? how?

Edit 2: I believe the problem is my file is mdx and the program ask me mdl

Edit 2: animtransfer doesn't work in windows 10? i have windows 10: how to transfer ONE animation without oinkerwinker(?) animtransfer

could send me a video about how you do this? thanks... or succession of images step to step
 
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I believe the problem is my file is mdx and the program ask me mdl

Yes, you can go in the drop-down of the popup at the bottom where it says MDL and you can change this drop-down to instead open MDX. It doesn't do MDX by default but you should be able to change it on that File Type drop-down.

As far as the MPQ reading error, this is because Blizzard changed the format of Warcraft III so the modeling software tools all only work on old versions.

I have an update of mine for the new version. I will see if I can finish and post the update tonight.
 
Level 3
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
76
Yes, you can go in the drop-down of the popup at the bottom where it says MDL and you can change this drop-down to instead open MDX. It doesn't do MDX by default but you should be able to change it on that File Type drop-down.

As far as the MPQ reading error, this is because Blizzard changed the format of Warcraft III so the modeling software tools all only work on old versions.

I have an update of mine for the new version. I will see if I can finish and post the update tonight.
ok thanks, but my game is old. I dont understand
 
Sure. Here is a video where I cover how to put a Decay animation on a hero model (if you scroll to around 9:23 when I'm playing the game, you can see the result of what this tutorial is making):

Here's a 6-year old video where I used an older version of this Matrix Eater program to add a geoset (but this tutorial should still be a working/relevant way to do it):

If you have two geosets that use the same texture/material information, and you want to truly merge them into one geoset object in your result model, there is a feature for this in "File -> Merge Geoset" but it's a really old button that is irritating to use. I need to code up a better solution for that case.
 
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Level 11
Joined
Jul 4, 2016
Messages
626
While rare with the latest version, import manager doesn't open when importing one model into another but works in reverse for some models. Is there any specific reason for this?
 
I think it might be based on the textures. Some of the code was crashing when the file being imported used custom textures, and it tried to load them to display onscreen, but they were in a different folder than the model that was currently open. I really need to post the newer one soon
 
Hi, I have the following problem with some models, what can I do to solve it?
XJtjSM0.jpg

WtuRB9o.jpg


V0V3anI.jpg


Thanks!!!

Okay, @Sacryel , honestly reading your post made me go watch this video:

And as I watched this man bash his head on computer over and over, over and over, I felt like how I feel for not giving you Reteras Model Studio, which fixes the problem you are seeing.
So, because of you, Sacryel, and for you, I have uploaded a new tool:

Retera's Model Studio

Edit: You are probably seeing that issue because you are not using Patch 1.26. Since Patch 1.26, the data format has changed, so the modding tools dont work.
Retera Model Studio works anyway, and works on Patch 1.31. Matrix Eater is open source, so if you download the Matrix Eater application from source from before it became Reteras Model Studio, you could hack into it the Cascket class and make it load Patch 1.31 data, if you really wanted the old GUI with new data loading.
 
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Level 7
Joined
Jul 17, 2020
Messages
156
hey this editor needs java i went to they're site it seems to be shut down or something could any one tell me where to download it
 
Hey man actually I wrote this editor then I went on to make another one based on the same code called Retera's Model Studio that is made by taking the ideas of this program and even some of its code and taking it all to the next level.

What I do in that newer version is basically to include needed stuff inside the program itself so you shouldn't need to worry about java as long as you're on a Windows 10 x86_64 standard PC computer. In that version the EXE "ReterasModelStudio.exe" will basically just launch the bundled java stuff with the program.

If you have some feature you really, really need from this Matrix Eater instead, you might be able to use the java stuff included with that newer tool of mine as a way to power this one? I can't guarantee it but you could tinker with that. Or you could download the OpenJDK version of Java which unlike the Oracle one that's been moving around and changed to ask you to "sign up" in recent years -- as far as I know the OpenJDK version doesn't need anything like that and you can just download it.
 
Level 4
Joined
Jul 23, 2019
Messages
102
Boss I tried this to my father's pc. My father can't uninstall it. I can't uninstall this too because it's not showing on control panel. How to uninstall this? I'll just reinstall it on my laptop
 
How to uninstall this?
Hey demonpuppet! This program is not meant to require an installation, so when you no longer wish to use it, you can simply delete it. (Specifically, delete the unzipped contents of the ZIP downloaded to use the program.)

The only settings file it should leave behind, as far as I recall, is located in "%AppData%\Roaming\JWC3" typically. If you want to delete that directory, you can do so as well.
 
Level 7
Joined
Sep 27, 2016
Messages
68
Could you elaborate on specifically which feature you have in mind? There is already a toggle for what is shown while editing. Do you need a timeline visibility track editor?

Something like that.. like you can make a geoset/particle invisible when you doing a particular animation then make it visible again after the animation is end.
 
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