How do I view GMOD models and export them to .OBJ?

[RabidOrange]

[TL:DR] I want to view GMOD models and export them to .OBJ format but i don't know how. I have tried with Crafty but i get strange results. So im asking either for help with Crafty or recommendations for another program
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Hi there everybody. I have a few .gma model addons for custom characters for GMOD and i want to get a .obj file from them in order to use it in other programs like Blender.

I've already investigated it, and i have found a way to extract these .gma files to produce two folders: materials and models. In the models folder there are .mdl files, and i found that you can open these files with a program called Nem's Tools Crafty, in order to export these models to .obj.

However, when i load the .mdl files to Crafty (i must confess that i have no idea how to use Crafty so maybe im doing something wrong) it shows part of the 3D model, but some other parts are missing. I also opened the program console trying to understand why does this happen and it seems that some files are missing:

[QUOTE][IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/83762702/example.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I've checked out the material folders, and there are in fact those files that Crafty claims to be not found. The only difference i found are some uppercase letters in the names ([B]murabito_helmetA[/B] appears in my folders as [B]murabito_helmeta[/B])
What am i doing wrong? Is there another better viewer/editor of gma models that i can use to export them to .obj?

Thanks in advance (and sorry for my english)

Edit: This may be irrelevant to the topic, but in the end what i want to do is to make a 3D textured model in Blender of these addons and, after that, export that textured model to PLY format for printing the 3D model in full color (yep with a 3D printer).

[episoder]

use crowbar to decompile it. then import that smd. it should be very handy to have that model rigged already. ;)

[PolytizeMeCPT]

OBJ files contain geometry detail only, so it wouldn't save your rig, bones, animations etc.

You should use a different model type like FBX or something after you import the SMD itself into Blender or the like. :smile:

[QUOTE=RabidOrange;49096635]
Edit: This may be irrelevant to the topic, but in the end what i want to do is to make a 3D textured model in Blender of these addons and, after that, export that textured model to PLY format for printing the 3D model in full color (yep with a 3D printer).[/QUOTE]

Oh sorry, I didn't see that. So in order to do that, you can import it as an OBJ, but you'd have to pose it yourself with your own rig unless you wanted to just print him in the T-pose. The reason it's untextured is because you need to decompile the VTFs as well back into TGA format, which is a format Blender and basically every 2D and 3D program can understand.

[RabidOrange]

Hey guys! Thanks for your replies. I've been researching more and i find a program that allows me to open and export 3D models, even from .mdl extension files. It is called [B]Noesis[/B], and with it I've been able to view the 3D models from the .mdl:

[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/li9I7/a09a843ec3.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I can even see the rigs of the 3D model and export to other format files

[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/liaE5/e645481b81.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I also managed to visualize the textures:

[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/lib5T/9bd6b02df1.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I think this is the tool i was searching for. Now the doubts that i have are:

[QUOTE=PolytizeMeCPT;49097672]OBJ files contain geometry detail only, so it wouldn't save your rig, bones, animations etc.

You should use a different model type like FBX or something after you import the SMD itself into Blender or the like. :smile: [/QUOTE]

With this tool, i think i can export it directly to FBX, so that's what i need, do i? I can import it directly to blender?

[QUOTE]The reason it's untextured is because you need to decompile the VTFs as well back into TGA format, which is a format Blender and basically every 2D and 3D program can understand.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm so i need a tool/program to decompile the VTFs to TGA format and then in Blender apply that texture to the model. I will investigate more that, though i've seen that Noise can export to PLY format (format that i think i need to properly print with full colour these models) so i wonder if i can modify the models or apply textures. I don't know. I will search more tomorrow.

Thanks in advance again for your replies! You guys are helping me a lot :) I swear i will post the results of this if i can make it!

EDIT1: One more thing! The 3D model that you can see in the picture above is wearing a helmet (which i guess is an accesory fo this model). Can it be removed later?

EDIT2: Yep, i made a mistake, the program is called [B]Noesis[/B]

[glarkon]

[QUOTE=RabidOrange;49098755] stuff [/QUOTE]

I believe it's called Noesis, and yes, Blender can import FBX files. Unless the hat is an entirely different mesh, you can't right click and delete it, but you can delete it with the help of this tutorial:[url]http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/14248/how-to-delete-part-of-an-fbx-model[/url]

[Deunan]

[QUOTE=RabidOrange;49098755]Hey guys! Thanks for your replies. I've been researching more and i find a program that allows me to open and export 3D models, even from .mdl extension files. It is called [B]Noesis[/B], and with it I've been able to view the 3D models from the .mdl:

I can even see the rigs of the 3D model and export to other format files

I also managed to visualize the textures:

I think this is the tool i was searching for. Now the doubts that i have are:

With this tool, i think i can export it directly to FBX, so that's what i need, do i? I can import it directly to blender?

Hmmm so i need a tool/program to decompile the VTFs to TGA format and then in Blender apply that texture to the model. I will investigate more that, though i've seen that Noise can export to PLY format (format that i think i need to properly print with full colour these models) so i wonder if i can modify the models or apply textures. I don't know. I will search more tomorrow.

Thanks in advance again for your replies! You guys are helping me a lot :) I swear i will post the results of this if i can make it!

EDIT1: One more thing! The 3D model that you can see in the picture above is wearing a helmet (which i guess is an accesory fo this model). Can it be removed later?

EDIT2: Yep, i made a mistake, the program is called [B]Noesis[/B][/QUOTE]

You don't want to use noesis, you instead want to use an mdl decompiler like crowbar to get the raw SMD file, which you can then feed into noesis if you so wish (or keep them as SMDs as most modelling programs have plugins for it including blender)

The reason you don't want to use noesis is because it's a very imperfect convert - in particular when bodygroups are involved, as it takes everything in the mdl and dumps it into one OBJ.

[RabidOrange]

[QUOTE=wraithcat;49100066]You don't want to use noesis, you instead want to use an mdl decompiler like crowbar to get the raw SMD file, which you can then feed into noesis if you so wish (or keep them as SMDs as most modelling programs have plugins for it including blender)

The reason you don't want to use noesis is because it's a very imperfect convert - in particular when bodygroups are involved, as it takes everything in the mdl and dumps it into one OBJ.[/QUOTE]

I guess the plugin you're talking about is this? -> [URL="https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Blender_Source_Tools"]https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Blender_Source_Tools[/URL]

Looks like the addon i need, i will install it later in my free time.

[RabidOrange]

Hi there again guys! I've made it! I finally have in Blender the 3D model from that Gmod pack, look:

[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/liKJG/1b21785637.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

It perfectly fits and it does have the rigs too! As you can see I have modified its pose too while i learnt how to use Blender (with a fantastic series of videos of how to use Blender for absolute beginners x'D).

The only thing i don't know how to do yet is how to put on the textures on this model. As i've seen in the materials folder, I have VTF and VMT files, but i'm afraid i don't know how to combine them.

I've been talking to a friend who knows about 3D models (though he uses Maya so he can't help me with Blender) and he has told me that maybe i need a TGA file which is more universally known for texture files. He also says that he is not sure if these gmod models have the UVs somewhere inside these files, which he says i need to know for where each texture fits in the 3D model. Any ideas on this?

Thanks again for all the replies. I almost got it!

[B]========== Offtopic question about Blender ==========[/B]
Do you guys know how to "move" the view along an axis? I dont mean the movement made by pressing the middle mouse button (or wheel button in some cases), that is more a rotation around the center of the scene. The problem i have is that the model is way too big and sometimes i find it difficult to press on a rigs' point.

Putting it simply, in this picture:
[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/liLz2/23c3a4bc62.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
How do i move upside the view so i can fully see the villager's face? (Without rotating the view with middle mouse button i mean)
Thanks in advance also for this :)
[B]========== End of offtopic question ==========[/B]

[Gamefreak2205]

The UVs come with the model. If you decompiled it, you should have the UVs.
As for the textures: vtf are the textures and vmt the texture settings. Google VTFEdit, open the vtfs with it, export them as tga.

[RabidOrange]

Hi there again. Im having some trouble with Blender and the textures. I've been all day watching videos and tutorials about texturing but i couldn't fit the textures correctly. So this is what i did and what i got:

I've exported the .vtf files into .tga files as you said. And then i tried to add the texture files to the 3D model. I right clicked on the 3D model part that i wanted to add the texture and on the right "menu" (i dont know how to call that part of Blender xD) i set the tga image as a texture, though i don't know if i did it correctly:
[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/ljoUT/87d7f0f10c.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
As you can see, the Lucario textures on the right are something like "repeated" and i don't know if that should appear that way. Ignoring that, i tried to render the model (as [B]i don't know how to see the textures without rendering)[/B] and, after adding some lamps, this is what i got:
[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/ljrDZ/27e1a3635e.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
(I also tried to add both eyes though only one was added, don't know why. Maybe i need to add left and right eye instead of trying to add both at the same time)
I really don't know if this is the proper way a model is textured but it looks like a bit "shiny" for me. I don't know how to define it, but it has like [B]"specular shine"[/B] or something that doesn't match the original model (ignore the purple colour, i picked that skin because i want a purple Lucario):
[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/ljrXq/385e46d962.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Also the chest hair is like something got bugged during the process xD

I don't know, i feel like im missing something. If it helps for answering me, this is how the folder containing the decompiled files and the textures looks like:
[QUOTE][IMG]http://puu.sh/ljs8l/007a1b8296.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]
[I](Ignore the fact that some textures are in bmp format. I tried that after using tga format just to make sure that the format does not matter.)[/I]

My theory is that i need to add [B]extra textures[/B]. There is a texture file in that folder called [I]lucario_bodya_n.bmp[/I] which i suspect that must [B]"add"[/B] with the standard [I]lucario_bodya2.bmp[/I], though i don't know if my theory is right. I say this because with the right eye (that you can see a few pictures above) i had to put two textures on it, one of it was the pupil, and the other one the "eyeball" itself, so with both of them it produced the eye.

I hope you guys can help me. I'm sorry if these doubts and problems are more Blender-related than modelling-related... but i'm asking just in case they are modelling-related and you can/want to help me.

Thanks in advance.

[glarkon]

[QUOTE=RabidOrange;49105345]more stuff[/QUOTE]
You can view textures in blender by dragging and dropping them on to the selected model. I don't think this will add them as a material or texture though. Also, the repeated texture on the right is normal. As for the other questions, I'm not too experienced with editing models, but good luck.