[Rhythmic]

Noob here with a noob question.
 I was wondering if it was possible to take a model out of freespace2 and use it for a different mod. specifically for The Babylon project.

For the campaign I am making[my very first try at one] I need something and the knossoses[sp?] portal would be 100 percent perfect for what I want to do.

If it is possible to use models from different games, How would I go about doing that? Also, How do I actually get the model itself out of freespace2?. The only thing in the model folder is the vidar so I am assuming it is somewhere packed up?
better yet, how would I grab the shivan one out of the derelict campaign?

[Turey]

99% o' th' models &  stuff are packed into th' .vp files.  ye can open them usin' VPVIEW.  Models are stored in a .pof file, while textures use all sorts o' files.  ye'll need modelview, from th' link above, t' open .pof files.  PCS will also open .pof's, an' will allow ye t' convert them t' .cob files.  3d exploration will convert from .cob to whatever format you want.

[Rhythmic]

Sounds complicated.............



More complicated than I thought it would be :/ Maybe I'll find another way or just change the story a bit.

[Prophet]

Turey might have misunderstood you. Or something...

If you mean that to combine models from Freespace and TBP (The Babylon Project conversion for Freespace), it is not quite that complicated.
As Turey said, the models are stored in a .vp file. There are number of programs for opening those files. Look them in the SCP website.
You can place the models and textures from different vps in their respective folders in the data directory. Then you must combine the table files. The table files are what hold the info about the ship (sybsystems, capabilities weapons, etc.). There are files called ships.tbl and weapons.tbl, they can be opened by notepad, for example.
Check the wiki. And search the forums. You should be able to find plenty of information about tables and running modifications as "mod", from the launcher. I made it sound complicated, but it really isn't.

[Rhythmic]

Turey might have misunderstood you. Or something...

If you mean that to combine models from Freespace and TBP (The Babylon Project conversion for Freespace), it is not quite that complicated.
As Turey said, the models are stored in a .vp file. There are number of programs for opening those files. Look them in the SCP website.
You can place the models and textures from different vps in their respective folders in the data directory. Then you must combine the table files. The table files are what hold the info about the ship (sybsystems, capabilities weapons, etc.). There are files called ships.tbl and weapons.tbl, they can be opened by notepad, for example.
Check the wiki. And search the forums. You should be able to find plenty of information about tables and running modifications as "mod", from the launcher. I made it sound complicated, but it really isn't.

Ok
I got the knossos model from this link here
http://www.sectorgame.com/f2s/files/mods.php

I got the vpviewer and edited the ship.tbl and copy and pasted the info for the knossos into the b5 shipstbl, I put the pof and texture files in the correct folder. I think.

Now, how do I get it to show in fred2? So I can make a b5 mission with the knossos in it?

[Prophet]

Quick leaner.

Though the Knossos would have also been in the FS2 vps. No need to get it from online.
But if you pasted the tbl info correctly, the model should show up on the ship list in FRED, just like any other ship. And you can place it just like any other ship. If the pof and/or texuters are not where they should be FRED will complain about this when you try to place it in mission. But if FRED stays quiet, and the model looks ok, then you did it right.

[Rhythmic]

Quick leaner.

Though the Knossos would have also been in the FS2 vps. No need to get it from online.
But if you pasted the tbl info correctly, the model should show up on the ship list in FRED, just like any other ship. And you can place it just like any other ship. If the pof and/or texuters are not where they should be FRED will complain about this when you try to place it in mission. But if FRED stays quiet, and the model looks ok, then you did it right.

Then I did it right.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/972/screen0002wx8.jpg

 

Thank you SO MUCH you are awesome dude!

[karajorma]

Do not alter the table file to do this. Instead take the knossos entry out and turn it into a modular table.

If you alter the tables when TBP 3.4 is released your mission will break it and you'll have to deal with lots of support requests. Modular tables will remain current with the mod and you won't have problems.

[Rhythmic]

um.....

What is a modular table? Also, how do I make one?

[Flipside]

Basically, they are a way of adding/altering a .tbl entry without having to muck around with the .tbl file itself....

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Modular_Tables

Once you get used to them, they are pretty simple to use

[Rhythmic]

so It should be titled something like "knossos-ships.tbm?

[Flipside]

The name of the file can be anything-shp.tbm, long as the -shp.tbm is in place. If you take a look at the weapon Mod given on there, you'll notice that the name is given before the +nocreate. Freespace reads the name, sees the Nocreate and looks for a ship/weapon with the same name and updates any variables you supply on that ship.

Just remember to use the right header and name to the file, I forget what those are right now, but on the example, it's the part that says #Primary Weapons, there should be something similar at the start of the Ships.tbl file that you need to include at the start of your table, as well as #End at the end

[Rhythmic]

$Name:                          Knossos
   +nocreate
$Short name:            JumpGate
$Species:                       Terran
+Tech Description:
XSTR("The subspace portal was discovered in the Gamma

Draconis system in 2367. The interlocking circular motions

of its components apparently create a subspace vortex that

connects the Gamma Draconis system to another part of our

universe.  Dr. Hargrove's team continues to study the

device, though their findings are highly classified.", -1)
$end_multi_text
$POF file:                      terangate.pof
$Detail distance:       (0, 2000, 6500, 18000)
$ND:         13 238 238
$ND:         250 252 252
$Show damage:           NO
$Density:                       1
$Damp:                          0.2
$Rotdamp:                       0.2
$Max Velocity:          0.0, 0.0, 0.0
$Rotation time:         200.0, 200.0, 200.0
$Rear Velocity:         0.0
$Forward accel:         0.0
$Forward decel:         0.0
$Slide accel:           0.0
$Slide decel:           0.0
$Expl inner rad:        100.0
$Expl outer rad:        2400.0
$Expl damage:           400.0
$Expl blast:            6500.0
$Expl Propagates:       YES                               

                     ;; If set to Yes, then when the ship

dies, the explosion propagates through it.
$Shockwave Speed:       600.0                             

             ;; speed shockwave expands at, 0 means no

shockwave
$Shockwave Count:   1
$Default PBanks:        ()
$Default SBanks:        ()
$SBank Capacity:        ()
$Shields:                       0
$Power Output:          1.0
$Max Oclk Speed:        0.0
$Max Weapon Eng:        100.0
$Hitpoints:                     1000000
$Flags:                         (  "dont collide

invisible" "big damage" "knossos")
$AI Class:                      Captain
$Afterburner:           NO
$Countermeasures:       0
$Scan time:                     2000
$EngineSnd:       190                   ;; Engine sound of

ship
$Closeup_pos:           0.0, 0.0, -6800
$Closeup_zoom:          0.5
$Score:             0
$Subsystem:                     jump2A,  49, 35
$Subsystem:                     jump1A,  49, 80

#end




I made the knossos-ship.tbm and stuck it in thetables folder and tried playing the test mission with it and it didn't work.
Can you see where I goofed up at?

[Flipside]

I think you need to add #Ship Classes to the very top of it.

[Rhythmic]

I just added that in at the top and it still doesn't work.

It doesn't error out or anything. It replaces the portal with a starfury.

[Flipside]

Hmmmm... I'll see what I can find out when I'm a wee bit more awake, or someone else will see this and point out the problem before then

[Wanderer]

Remove the +nocreate

[Flipside]

Good point, you're creating a new ship there, so it's not needed. 3am posting pays off again...

[Rhythmic]

Remove the +nocreate

Still replaces the portal with a starfury



I think I am just gonna stuff that arc I had planned out or save it for a second campiagn[when I have this all figured out in the future]. Without the portal segment it still runs an easy 20-25 missions which is good enough for a first try at campiagn work.....


Thanks for all the help and stuff guys

[Wanderer]

Hmmm... If you are running TBP as standalone... Did you copy the respective model (terrangate.pof) and its textures from FS2 to TBP? To data/models and data/maps respectively