The file is not an MDX model! error

[StonemaulMidget]

Hello Hive Workshop, this is StonemaulMidget,

There are some models (including ones inside the BETA MPQ) that won't open in either the Model Editor or the Retera Model Studio. Despite the file name ending with .mdx, it will give me the following error...
The file is not an MDX model!
Either what it's saying is true, and the person simply named it .mdx at the end, or something else is going on, like a corrupt file (which shouldn't be the case).

Suggestions?

 

[tillinghast]

in the folder where your Retera Model Studio is, there's a "mdlx" folder, inside is a converter.exe
try converting to .mdl with this

 

[StonemaulMidget]

in the folder where your Retera Model Studio is, there's a "mdlx" folder, inside is a converter.exe
try converting to .mdl with this

I will look into that. Thank you!

 

[StonemaulMidget]

in the folder where your Retera Model Studio is, there's a "mdlx" folder, inside is a converter.exe
try converting to .mdl with this

I have converted the file to .mdl, but nothing shows.

It's okay if you don't know what to do next. This is for everyone to read.

 

[BogdanW3]

The file just not being a MDX model is probably the correct diagnosis, but what it actually is is more interesting, send one of those files as an example.

 

[Retera]

inside the BETA MPQ

which beta MPQ?

 

[StonemaulMidget]

The file just not being a MDX model is probably the correct diagnosis, but what it actually is is more interesting, send one of those files as an example.

Here's one: a Guardian of Lordaeron model I downloaded from xgm,guru.

 

[StonemaulMidget]

which beta MPQ?

War3beta.mpq

I stand corrected. Most of the .mdx files do work, but not one .BLP file does.
The file is not a BLP texture!

 

[GhostWolf]

That is in fact a valid BLP file, however it's not a valid texture.
You can throw it in the sanity tester to see why.
Some versions of WC3 will load it correctly, some not.
In the sanity test, you can right-click the main image and save it as PNG from the browser, then go to BLPLab and convert that back to BLP to make a valid BLP (you can also use BLPLab directly to convert it to PNG).

 

[Retera]

War3beta.mpq

If you're referring to the really old 2001-2002 beta thing from Hallfiry's unofficial archive online, I downloaded that a while back and tried opening its contents for fun. The BLPs inside of that archive are in a different format -- they are BLP0 instead of BLP1. All other versions of Warcraft III use BLP1 although Reforged changed a few details on how the BLPs are parsed so that certain fanmade BLPs will not open.

you can also use BLPLab directly to convert it to PNG

Does BLPlab open BLP0? I know it opens BLP1 and BLP2 but I was not sure if it opened BLP0. Last time that I wanted to open BLP0 files, I opened those with DrSuperGood's BLP plugin for java.

Most of the .mdx files do work

The ones that do not work, as I recall, confuse our modern tools because they declare themselves as version number 800 -- the same number we use on Reign of Chaos -- but the files actually contain a RIBB chunk which is structurally different from what our modern Warcraft III games can handle. And as a result, I have never seen nor encountered a fan tool that actually understood these beta RIBB chunks, because they are totally not relevant. I don't think anyone would bother to want to read them. At this point when I try to use those old beta models in modern Warcraft III versions, what I did is to load the model and have my parser skip the RIBB chunk (because it's an easy code change to skip this) and then save back a new version of the model in the Warcraft III mdx release format that does not contain the RIBB chunk. So, part of the model data is lost, but I don't care because then all of my modern programs are able to open the model, and if I really wanted a ribbon I could just edit the model and add in a ribbon myself.

But, again I am assuming you are refering to the "War3beta.mpq" from the old days from before Reign of Chaos released in 2002

 

[StonemaulMidget]

If you're referring to the really old 2001-2002 beta thing from Hallfiry's unofficial archive online, I downloaded that a while back and tried opening its contents for fun. The BLPs inside of that archive are in a different format -- they are BLP0 instead of BLP1. All other versions of Warcraft III use BLP1 although Reforged changed a few details on how the BLPs are parsed so that certain fanmade BLPs will not open.


Does BLPlab open BLP0? I know it opens BLP1 and BLP2 but I was not sure if it opened BLP0. Last time that I wanted to open BLP0 files, I opened those with DrSuperGood's BLP plugin for java.



The ones that do not work, as I recall, confuse our modern tools because they declare themselves as version number 800 -- the same number we use on Reign of Chaos -- but the files actually contain a RIBB chunk which is structurally different from what our modern Warcraft III games can handle. And as a result, I have never seen nor encountered a fan tool that actually understood these beta RIBB chunks, because they are totally not relevant. I don't think anyone would bother to want to read them. At this point when I try to use those old beta models in modern Warcraft III versions, what I did is to load the model and have my parser skip the RIBB chunk (because it's an easy code change to skip this) and then save back a new version of the model in the Warcraft III mdx release format that does not contain the RIBB chunk. So, part of the model data is lost, but I don't care because then all of my modern programs are able to open the model, and if I really wanted a ribbon I could just edit the model and add in a ribbon myself.

But, again I am assuming you are refering to the "War3beta.mpq" from the old days from before Reign of Chaos released in 2002

(I opened those with DrSuperGood's BLP plugin for java.)

Java's gone, so DrSuperGood's BLP plugin may not work.
Might there be an alternative?

 

[StonemaulMidget]

If you're referring to the really old 2001-2002 beta thing from Hallfiry's unofficial archive online, I downloaded that a while back and tried opening its contents for fun. The BLPs inside of that archive are in a different format -- they are BLP0 instead of BLP1. All other versions of Warcraft III use BLP1 although Reforged changed a few details on how the BLPs are parsed so that certain fanmade BLPs will not open.


Does BLPlab open BLP0? I know it opens BLP1 and BLP2 but I was not sure if it opened BLP0. Last time that I wanted to open BLP0 files, I opened those with DrSuperGood's BLP plugin for java.



The ones that do not work, as I recall, confuse our modern tools because they declare themselves as version number 800 -- the same number we use on Reign of Chaos -- but the files actually contain a RIBB chunk which is structurally different from what our modern Warcraft III games can handle. And as a result, I have never seen nor encountered a fan tool that actually understood these beta RIBB chunks, because they are totally not relevant. I don't think anyone would bother to want to read them. At this point when I try to use those old beta models in modern Warcraft III versions, what I did is to load the model and have my parser skip the RIBB chunk (because it's an easy code change to skip this) and then save back a new version of the model in the Warcraft III mdx release format that does not contain the RIBB chunk. So, part of the model data is lost, but I don't care because then all of my modern programs are able to open the model, and if I really wanted a ribbon I could just edit the model and add in a ribbon myself.

But, again I am assuming you are refering to the "War3beta.mpq" from the old days from before Reign of Chaos released in 2002

The Beta mpq is literally the closest thing I could find for RoC. I don't think Blizzard has posted anything else like Alpha since.

 

[StonemaulMidget]

If you're referring to the really old 2001-2002 beta thing from Hallfiry's unofficial archive online, I downloaded that a while back and tried opening its contents for fun. The BLPs inside of that archive are in a different format -- they are BLP0 instead of BLP1. All other versions of Warcraft III use BLP1 although Reforged changed a few details on how the BLPs are parsed so that certain fanmade BLPs will not open.


Does BLPlab open BLP0? I know it opens BLP1 and BLP2 but I was not sure if it opened BLP0. Last time that I wanted to open BLP0 files, I opened those with DrSuperGood's BLP plugin for java.



The ones that do not work, as I recall, confuse our modern tools because they declare themselves as version number 800 -- the same number we use on Reign of Chaos -- but the files actually contain a RIBB chunk which is structurally different from what our modern Warcraft III games can handle. And as a result, I have never seen nor encountered a fan tool that actually understood these beta RIBB chunks, because they are totally not relevant. I don't think anyone would bother to want to read them. At this point when I try to use those old beta models in modern Warcraft III versions, what I did is to load the model and have my parser skip the RIBB chunk (because it's an easy code change to skip this) and then save back a new version of the model in the Warcraft III mdx release format that does not contain the RIBB chunk. So, part of the model data is lost, but I don't care because then all of my modern programs are able to open the model, and if I really wanted a ribbon I could just edit the model and add in a ribbon myself.

But, again I am assuming you are refering to the "War3beta.mpq" from the old days from before Reign of Chaos released in 2002

Pray tell, what are "RIBB Chunks?"

 

[StonemaulMidget]

That is in fact a valid BLP file, however it's not a valid texture.
You can throw it in the sanity tester to see why.
Some versions of WC3 will load it correctly, some not.
In the sanity test, you can right-click the main image and save it as PNG from the browser, then go to BLPLab and convert that back to BLP to make a valid BLP (you can also use BLPLab directly to convert it to PNG).

Where can I find this "BLPLab?"

 

[GhostWolf]

First result when searching "blplab" in a search engine

BLP Lab v0.5.0

This tool originates from here BLP Laboratory (short name is BLP Lab) is the application for viewing and converting image files. Current version is 0.5.0 build 500 Features: - Supports following file formats: BMP, JPG, TGA, PNG, BLP (supports BLP2 textures), DDS (supports non-complex...

www.hiveworkshop.com

 

[StonemaulMidget]

The file just not being a MDX model is probably the correct diagnosis, but what it actually is is more interesting, send one of those files as an example.

BUMP
I sent you the Guardian of Lordaeron folder.