WoW Ripping Tutorial - Creature/

[Power]

World of Warcraft Creature Ripping.

By Warcraft Underground Staff Team.

Difficulty: Easy to Medium.

Tools Required :
BLP Lab : BLP Lab v0.5.0
Mdlvis : Mdlvis: model edition/creation, animation and UV Mapping
Magos : War3 Model Editor
Casc Explorer : WoW-Tools/CASCExplorer
jm2converter : jm2converter.jar
010 Edtor : 010 Editor 7.0.2 x64.rar

This tutorial is going to teach you how to rip World of Warcraft creatures,attachments like swords ,shoulders , helmets and some doodads that are in m2 format.Also with this tutorial you wont be able to rip Character Models or WMO Buildings for those we will prepare another tutorial.

Note :
If you have basic knowledge about warcraft 3 model edit this tutorial is going to be pretty easy for you.

First you need to find the creature you want to rip by using Casc Explorer.
Open the app > File > Open Online Storage > Open WOW PTR.
After that a window is going to pop up, so you can select the latest patch. Just press it and wait to load.

After Casc Explorer is open is going to look like this :

Just open the creature folder so you can select your model.
I selected the Naga Brute Boss, just select all the files and hit extract to your desired destination

After you finish your extracting open the folder of your model and there you're going to see 4 different file types.
M2 , Skin, BLP and Anim File .

First you have to open the M2 file by right click and open with Notepad or Notepad++

Don't panic it's easy , just delete these lines so the file need to start start with MD20 ALWAYS!

After that just click save and you're done!


Now we are going to the ANIM Files
Select them all and open them with 010 Editor!

When you open them , you have to delete the first 7 Bytes of the Anim , just select them and hit the DEL button. Save it and do it for every Anim File of the model you want to rip.

Warning , Please Do not skip these steps, because if you do , your model wont be able to get convereted.

After you finish all these steps we can start converting the model!

Open Command Prompt and start typing java jar and drag the jm2converter.rar to it, is going to look like this :

You should write the following :
java -jar (drag the jm2converter here) -in (drag the m2 file of the model you want) -out (drag the same m2 file again) -bc

EXAMPLE :
java -jar C:\Users\henri_000\Desktop\jm2converter.jar -in C:\Users\henri_000\Desktop\creature\nagabruteboss\nagabruteboss.m2 -out C:\Users\henri_000\Desktop\creature\nagabruteboss\nagabruteboss.m2 -bc

And Just hit ENTER.
After the convert is finished youre going to see the results.

Done you have successfully ripped a WoW Creature!

Now we need to convert the blp files for Warcraft Use!
Open BLP lab, Tools > Batch Converter or just hit F7.
Select the folder of your model and hit CONVERT!

Now we have to optimize the model for Warcraft 3 Use!

Open the m2 model with mdlvis, after that hit Optimization > Optimize and save it as MDX.

Now open the model with Magos Model Editor, and go directly to Texture Manager and start deleting all the texture files the model has.

After that start adding the textures of the model and start applying them via Material Editor on every material file until you find the right blp file for the right material file.

And the model is going to look like this :

Now go to Node Manager and start deleting all the attachments of the model so we can add our own later.

After you finish save the model and open it with MDLVIS.
In Vortex editor of Mdlvis youre going to see that the model has too many duplicated Geosets.

Start Deleting them until you have your original working ones.

After that go to Optimization - Optimize and hit Optimize

Save it!

Now your model is ready WC3 use , fully optimized, you just have to add attachments to the model,
The default attachemts that i add on every wow rip is - Overhead, Origin, Chest, Head , Hand Right/Left.


This is the easiest way for us to explain this tutorial, If you want i can make a video too!

Hope you like it !

 

[deepstrasz]

Not sure if this helps or not but I'm gonna link this post from another threadt here: click.

Not sure about external sites for links. Wouldn't uploading those programs in your pastebin (of Hiveworkshop) and linking them be better?

Don't panic it's easy , just delete these lines so the file need to start start with MD20 ALWAYS!

Why?

When you open them , you have to delete the first 7 Bytes of the Anim , just select them and hit the DEL button. Save it and do it for every Anim File of the model you want to rip.

What do these things actually do? Why are they required?

 

[YourArthas]

Another note: After converting model be sure to export textures AGAIN otherwise alpha channels will be messed up. And sometimes models have wrong normals cause of mdlvis , you can select right ones with mdlvis and if it has none , try importing it with neodex and export again with option fix normals checked (it mostly works).

First 7 bytes thing is because converter was not updated to Legion 7.3 and the new 'headers' are added to those bytes in patch 7.3

Also note that this is for fully ripping a model with all it's animations you can preview all of them and then delete unneeded ones and rename animations as you wish when you make the model ready for your map

 

[Power]

Not sure if this helps or not but I'm gonna link this post from another threadt here: click.

Not sure about external sites for links. Wouldn't uploading those programs in your pastebin (of Hiveworkshop) and linking them be better?


Why?

What do these things actually do? Why are they required?

The link you provided with tutorials is outdated, they won't work anymore.

Second , i will move the downloads into pastebin as soon is possible.

And Last , if you don't delete them, when you convert the model and open it in MDLVIS the animations are going to be bugged and the model is going to be out of use. The converter was programmed to convert models with MD20 at start, but blizzard updated their m2 models and now you have to delete the first 7 bytes.

 

[deepstrasz]

The link you provided with tutorials is outdated, they won't work anymore.

And Last , if you don't delete them, when you convert the model and open it in MDLVIS the animations are going to be bugged and the model is going to be out of use. The converter was programmed to convert models with MD20 at start, but blizzard updated their m2 models and now you have to delete the first 7 bytes.

So, that doesn't affect the models at all? That's awesome, that they still work.

 

[YourArthas]

So, that doesn't affect the models at all? That's awesome, that they still work.

Yes it is just a recently added header to .anim files just think like model's are not called as 'Warcraft III' model but as 'Warcraft III Reforged' model, if you keep the added 'reforged' converter could not understand it well and messes up animations but if you delete it they are all fine

 

[Archian]

Great work! I'll invite more people here so they can leave feedback.

My suggestions so far:

• Use the word "export" instead of "ripping".
• Don't link to other sites for downloads. The images and tools used should be on the Hive. Simply upload it to our pastebin (and make them last 'forever') and link to it. We don't want broken links in the future etc.
  
  These 3 link to other sites:
  • Casc Explorer : WoW-Tools/CASCExplorer
  • jm2converter : jm2converter.jar
  • 010 Edtor : 010 Editor 7.0.2 x64.rar

• Use SPOILER tags for the images.
  
  
  Spoiler: EXAMPLE TITLE

  EXAMPLE
  
  
• The formatting could be improved a bit e.g. use headlines.
  
• You should also explain how to add attachment points

@PurgeandFire @FerSZ @General Frank

If you want i can make a video too!

Please do

Another note: After converting model be sure to export textures AGAIN otherwise alpha channels will be messed up.

This should probably be in the tutorial

 

[Power]

Archian , i didnt added the jm2 converter and casc explorer because these programs are always updated by their creators , so i believe is going to be better if i let them like this , also today i'm traveling all day so i won't be able to update the tutorial , But after i reach my destination i will update it the best i can , but please i need feedback , i want peoples to try it .

 

[PurgeandFire]

images are broken/not loading for me, i'll take a closer look when they're available. Looks promising, just needs some formatting and spelling/grammar fixes

 

[deepstrasz]

images are broken/not loading for me, i'll take a closer look when they're available. Looks promising, just needs some formatting and spelling/grammar fixes

@Power just needs to take a look at the BB codes to get the idea how writing works on Hiveworkshop: BB Codes | HIVE

 

[Ether]

@Power
Hello, I just read the tutorial and it looks very good. Anyways, I followed this and an error when 40-50% of CDN index building loads...

Any troubleshooting advice here? Maybe someone else might experience this problem.

 

[YourArthas]

Any troubleshooting advice here? Maybe someone else might experience this problem.

Online feature is like this sadly try again and again till it works, or use your installed WoW

 

[Daffa]

Image attachments are broken.

 

[Chaosy]

Images are indeed broken.

But, more importantly I think there are too many of them.
For example, I do not think we need a picture how to right click somewhere.
But if you insist, put it in a hidden tag.

Because I feel like the format of:

1 line of text > image > 1 line of text

is a bit annoying to read to be honest

 

[Power]

Guys i'm for vacation in Germany , i will fix it when i get back , for the moment i don't have time. Sorry you have to wait a little . Also i need some feedback from you guys , i need you to try the tutorial.

 

[Zordrak]

Is it also necessary to have WoW for ripping? Or can the WoW model files also be downloaded somewhere?

 

[YourArthas]

Is it also necessary to have WoW for ripping? Or can the WoW model files also be downloaded somewhere?

Well, you don't need it but it is better if you have WoW cause Cascexplorer's online feature is abit fucked up

 

[Zordrak]

Well, you don't need it but it is better if you have WoW cause Cascexplorer's online feature is abit fucked up

Ok thanks. But i think there are already all good WoW models ripped and available. So i have decided to import all already useable WoW models. I can highly recommend the map 'Human Error' (here on Hive) for that matter. You can export the models from that map.

 

[Hermit]

open the folder of your model and there you're going to see 4 different file types.
M2 , Skin, BLP and Anim File

What if there are no Anim files in the folder?

 

[YourArthas]

What if there are no Anim files in the folder?

No problem at all, m2's have animations but if you add .anim files this is kinda saying 'hey we added more animations in a later patch and m2's limitations were not enough to handle 100 animations so we added a .anim file'

 

[Hermit]

No problem at all, m2's have animations but if you add .anim files this is kinda saying 'hey we added more animations in a later patch and m2's limitations were not enough to handle 100 animations so we added a .anim file'

Thanks for the info, but now I have another problem.

And Just hit ENTER.
After the convert is finished youre going to see the results.

What results am I supposed to see?

Open the m2 model with mdlvis

I tried two different versions of MdlVis, but neither can open m2 files.

 

[YourArthas]

Thanks for the info, but now I have another problem.

What results am I supposed to see?

I tried two different versions of MdlVis, but neither can open m2 files.

Dıd you 'rip' the model first?

 

[Hermit]

Dıd you 'rip' the model first?

You mean the Command Prompt thing? I did that, but I don't know if it even did anything.

 

[YourArthas]

You mean the Command Prompt thing? I did that, but I don't know if it even did anything.

Probably you did something wrong, you must convert it to '-bc' then mdlvis would open it, also which model is it?

 

[Hermit]

Probably you did something wrong

I don't think so; maybe the jm2converter.jar doesn't work.

you must convert it to '-bc'

?

also which model is it?

The crab mob. I know it's already ripped and uploaded on Warcraft Underground; I just wanted to try this out myself.

 

[YourArthas]

I don't think so; maybe the jm2converter.jar doesn't work.

?

The crab mob. I know it's already ripped and uploaded on Warcraft Underground; I just wanted to try this out myself.

Erm this one you tried is a really old model it might be cause of it, I'll try myself now to find out what is wrong

Edit: It worked to me did the model have everything exported, .skin and .m2 and .blps?

 

[Hermit]

did the model have everything exported, .skin and .m2 and .blps?

Yes, I exported all files from the Crab folder.

 

[YourArthas]

Yes, I exported all files from the Crab folder.

can you try this one, it worked for me if it is not working it is probably because of jmconverter(corrupted or something)

edit: also do not delete m2 header of this, this one is an old model it has the right header

 

[Hermit]

can you try this one

I get this error when I try to open it in Mdlvis:

also do not delete m2 header of this, this one is an old model it has the right header

How do I know if it's an old model? This should probably be mentioned in the tutorial.

 

[YourArthas]

I get this error when I try to open it in Mdlvis:

How do I know if it's an old model? This should probably be mentioned in the tutorial.

So weird... also header if model has md20 header it does not need a deletion

 

[Archian]

Any updates for this?

 

[YourArthas]

Any updates for this?

Henry is abit busy with his real life, but I'm kinda always here to help out/explain stuff

 

[Archian]

Any plans to update this?

Images are broken (attach them to the post) and it would seem there are issues that needs fixing with this tutorial.

 

[Ether]

CascExplorer look for Net Frameworks and Net Frameworks says my op system is not compatible. 64-bit I am why?

 

[Duke]

Hey, I got trouble with extracting a model I would really like to have, in case there was anyone knowledgeable about the subject and willing to help, please let me know

 

[YourArthas]

Hey, I got trouble with extracting a model I would really like to have, in case there was anyone knowledgeable about the subject and willing to help, please let me know

Which model was it?

 

[Duke]

Which model was it?

It is a wicker golem model. The strange thing is that it works in Retera's model studio with animations and everything, but nowhere else. I have attached the file, would be really glad if you could tell me how to fix it so I can deal with if it happens next time.

Retera's studio:

Spoiler

Magos (error message with mdl, with mdx it jsut shuts off):

Spoiler

 

[deepstrasz]

@Retera, could you make your software work for WoW too as seen above?

 

[YourArthas]

It is a wicker golem model. The strange thing is that it works in Retera's model studio with animations and everything, but nowhere else. I have attached the file, would be really glad if you could tell me how to fix it so I can deal with if it happens next time.

Retera's studio:

Spoiler

View attachment 334341

Magos (error message with mdl, with mdx it jsut shuts off):

Spoiler

View attachment 334342

I got this thing already but I'll fix it for you now, it is probably about animated textures and paths that's why it gives that error,

here you go but you need to export and convert fresh textures because they were broken also the fixing this issue is pretty simple, open the model with mdlvis optimize it save it as mdl, open and optimize it again after that magos will be able to open it you'll need to change the particles, they use replaceable ID 0 because of something Blizzard changed recently, I used a dust texture instead of it, edit them as you wish change colors sizes etc.

@deepstrasz Your suggestion would be a pretty cool addition and lifesaver to be honest since nearly each patch m2 format gets changes by Blizzard, Retera can actively update the tool too.

 

[Duke]

I got this thing already but I'll fix it for you now, it is probably about animated textures and paths that's why it gives that error,

here you go but you need to export and convert fresh textures because they were broken also the fixing this issue is pretty simple, open the model with mdlvis optimize it save it as mdl, open and optimize it again after that magos will be able to open it you'll need to change the particles, they use replaceable ID 0 because of something Blizzard changed recently, I used a dust texture instead of it, edit them as you wish change colors sizes etc.

@deepstrasz Your suggestion would be a pretty cool addition and lifesaver to be honest since nearly each patch m2 format gets changes by Blizzard, Retera can actively update the tool too.

Thanks a lot for fixing the model!

"open the model with mdlvis optimize it save it as mdl, open and optimize it again after that magos will be able to open it"

I have just tried to do that (open mdx in Mdlvis -> optimize -> save as mdl -> optimize -> save) but magos still gives the same error. Is there any other step?

 

[YourArthas]

Thanks a lot for fixing the model!

"open the model with mdlvis optimize it save it as mdl, open and optimize it again after that magos will be able to open it"

I have just tried to do that (open mdx in Mdlvis -> optimize -> save as mdl -> optimize -> save) but magos still gives the same error. Is there any other step?

After saving as mdl close it, open it again and optimzie again that did it for me also check the linearize animations option too when optimizing.

 

[Duke]

After saving as mdl close it, open it again and optimzie again that did it for me also check the linearize animations option too when optimizing.

That helped, thanks again!

 

[KyraDragoness]

Greetings,

First, thanks a lot for the tutorial, it works wonders.
Yet I have a question : as the pictures are missing, I can't properly go through this step :

Select them all and open them with 010 Editor!
When you open them , you have to delete the first 7 Bytes of the Anim

I can't figure how a byte is actually depicted i.e. is a byte here a whole line, or just one doublet, or whatever ?
For now I can rip all models that don't have .anim files nevertheless it would be awesome to be able to rip the others.

Thank you in advance

 

[Ether]

Greetings,

First, thanks a lot for the tutorial, it works wonders.
Yet I have a question : as the pictures are missing, I can't properly go through this step :



I can't figure how a byte is actually depicted i.e. is a byte here a whole line, or just one doublet, or whatever ?
For now I can rip all models that don't have .anim files nevertheless it would be awesome to be able to rip the others.

Thank you in advance

Use powerful text editor and open the .m2 model file and delete the first 7 characters/space. The file should start with something like MD20 instead of MD21.

 

[Azsure]

I don't know if the OP is still active here, but I'd appreciate if the attached pictures were re-uploaded/fixed.

 

[Chaosy]

Graveyarded until updated.

Primarily the broken images, the other issues are minor in comparison.

 

[RanchBurner]

Hey does anyone know if this can be done with Matrix Eater 3D? And does it matter if I extract the .m2 file from CASCExplorer or CASCView?

 

[Razorclaw_X]

CASC Explorer and CASC View are functionally no different from each other when it comes to extracting files.

 

[RanchBurner]

CASC Explorer and CASC View are functionally no different from each other when it comes to extracting files.

I didn't think so either.

Next, what if we did not want all those animations per model? We'd probably only need on average ten, eleven, or twelve out of 300+ animations.

 

[RanchBurner]

Guys i'm for vacation in Germany , i will fix it when i get back , for the moment i don't have time. Sorry you have to wait a little . Also i need some feedback from you guys , i need you to try the tutorial.

Yeah, looks like you then forgot about it for over two years. You really should fix those tutorial images so people can follow along better. Or is there a video tutorial on YouTube?