[panadar]

I have recently decided to get into game modding.  Maybe it is somewhere out there and I have missed it somehow.  But I am interested in extracting models from Freespace 2.  Does anybody out there know the tool I can download where the link actually works to extract the models or have the Freespace 2 models already extracted?  At this point, I would probably prefer the models already extracted.   Thank you very much in advance.

[Kopachris]

You'll need to download a VP viewer/extractor to open FreeSpace's VP files, which are archives that contain all the game's assets.  The model files use the file extension ".pof".  If you use Blender, you can import them directly into Blender using this plugin (drop the "io_scene_pof" folder into your <Blender install directory>/<Blender version>/scripts/addons directory).  The plugin is fully functional for importing POF files into Blender, but exporting from Blender to POF isn't complete yet (it does the geometry and textures and that's about it right now, none of POF's special features such as engines, subsystems, or weapons).

If you use a different 3D modeler, you'll need to download PCS2 to open the POF file and then export the POF file to a DAE (Collada) file, which you can then open in most 3D modeling programs.

[panadar]

First!  I want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!  I want you to know I downloaded the programs you told me me (VP viewer/extractor &PCS2).  I was able to extract the ships from FS2 that I wanted to mod!!  I am really excited about that! I use Modo to model my ships and after using PCS to translate my program to *.cob format, I then imported it into another program and translated it to *.obj format so I could import it into Modo for editing.  Again, I cannot thank you enough!!!  However, I do have one other question.  After my success in extracting the FS2 ships I wanted to mod, I saw some Freespace 1 ships I liked and wanted to extract them so I could mod them.  However, after extracting them, I ran into a problem.  The tool to view and convert the FS1 ships didn't work like it did for the FS2 ship.  After some research, I discovered that the *.pof format for FS1 ships is slightly different that the *.pof format for FS2 ships.  So, it looks like I need a tool to read the FS1 *.pof format.  Does anybody have the original Modelview program (the link doesn't work), or can send me the following models converted to FS2 *.pof format?  Or, a link wher eI can download them? 

bomber01.POF
fighter01.POF
fighter04.POF

Thanks again!!!!

[Shivan Hunter]

looks like you can get it from this wiki page - you'll need to install the first link, then copy the file from the second one into the install folder. (I'm not sure whether that's actually necessary for just FS1 models - it just bumps certain limits to handle newer models. So you may just need to install the program from the first link.)

lol the "not-so-reliable host" is geocities, someone should really just get rid of that so there aren't some useless links on that page. I'd do it but I'm lazy

[Kopachris]

PCS2 doesn't do FS1 POF files?

[headdie]

should do

[Shivan Hunter]

yeah I was curious about that too so I just tested it. They don't open. PCS2 is pretty finicky about format (detail0 lol) so I'm not too surprised.

[Mongoose]

In the worst case, what you can do is download the FreeSpace Port, which includes all of the retail FS1 models; I'd assume that those would be recognized as proper FS2 models by PCS2.

[Kopachris]

yeah I was curious about that too so I just tested it. They don't open. PCS2 is pretty finicky about format (detail0 lol) so I'm not too surprised.

Weird.  When I wrote the POF library I used for my Blender plugin, I kept it pretty feature-agnostic.  It should open FS1 files just fine (and automatically convert if you change the version of the file to 2117 after reading it) and has no requirements on submodel names.  Maybe I'll finish that export plugin someday...

[Colonol Dekker]

For FS1 models, FS port has everything you need.

[panadar]

Again, my sincerest thanks!!!!  I downloaded the tool Modeview.  I was happy to finally be able to get this tool!!  I have a;ready converted the models I wanted to convert from Freespace 1.  Now, I can concentrate on editing the meshes and creating nice textures for them.  Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!  You guys are the best here!!!