[Tabidzukare]

Alright, well~ Got a big step in the right direction as far as having the assembled models. However there's complications.. I'm just going to throw out everything I've learned from the various programs I've been using and if someone sees something I could change or try let me know.. but right now it's about 3AM and I've been working on solutions since I got home from work at 4:30

• • EQZoneConverter
  • I found it easily enough (the old HackersQuest release) however it doesn't work. Importing a .wld file doesn't yield anything. It just goes back to the beginning screen so I'm not sure what you were referring to Secrets as far as using that to export to POV-ray. However...

• • EQModelViewer
  • Another tool bundled with the EQZC, this is a fantastically laid out program, I can browse all the .s3d's, (freportn.s3d) select the appropriate .wld file within it (<zone> or _chr.wld (from freportn_chr.s3d)) and it shows the same list I was using to generate my renders from the above update.
    
    
    I noted that with some finangaling as you mentioned secrets I could get the objects by themselves which was as easy as selecting only a single sprite from the list and exporting that. I found out later however that EQMV only shows the static model components .. not the fused animated models the game actually uses, these are just references.
    
    I also noted that these static models are actually crushed in on each other by nature, ex: torsos are filled with legs and arms / hands etc in one big crunch box. It's native to the static model itself, so it's not an issue with exporting, if anything it's an issue with reading the base .wld file which I'm not even remotely capable of altering (not to mention EQMV is closed source)
    
    THIS PROGRAM offers exporting to .pov, however they don't compile right in pov-ray, and despite hours of searching I can find NO import scripts for getting .pov into 3DS, just export scripts. If you have a reference for an import script let me know!

• • DZoneConverter
  • An absolutely brilliant tool created by WindCatcher.... Now that I'm more familiar with it, I'm able to load up a given .wld file, browse the static models export them individually, JUST like EQMV, the only exception is that exporting to .OBJ from DZC doesn't import with textures into 3ds even if I select a material library path for rendering AND even when I hand made a proprietary .mat file from the extracted .bmps from the .s3d.
    
    The beautiful feature here is that WC is able to show us actor definitions, not just static models, so we can see animations and even export (sadly only the first frame of each animation sequence) to individual .obj files and open them up. Once again, this feature is incredible because it gives me a fused whole model to add a skeleton to or animate or do whatever with, it's just lacking the skin -__-
    
    I'm not sure what to do, I'm starting to read up on OpenGL to figure out what's going on, from what I've learned already about the content of a .OBJ file it stores the texture locations and their path (in addition of course to things like geometric points etc..).. I checked the outputs from WC's program and it IS showing the right paths for the textures.. however the import script doesn't recognize or use them (even though they're in the freaking file) it just imports geometry.
    
    The only tool capable of assigning textures is Kaiyodo's .ms export that's a part of the EQMV program. If there were someway to plug this .ms export option into WC's program that would be a HUGE step in the right direction.

I know these tools are unsupported but if WindCatcher or anyone with the knowledge passes by this, let me know if it's possible to export the full animations (not just the first frame) from DZC. Also how to also import textures WITH the .OBJ file .. traditionally this data is stored in a .MTL file that accompanies the .OBJ file.

It's frustrating because of my ignorance of OpenGL or 3d Modelling in general I can't answer more of this myself. But I see the darn texture references in the .obj file yet nothing's utilizing them.

I'm going to start devouring the source for that DZC program as I learn about OpenGL because if it comes down to it, I'll just have to known what there is to know and solve the blasted needs myself. The pieces to the puzzle ARE there, I'm just incapable of putting them together (for the moment). If I have to design my own solution to this problem then so be it, I'll see you all in a year lol!! However, if I don't have to reinvent the wheel, please don't make me

Any help from this point out is appreciated..

Kindest Regards~~