Posts from Guide on adding a new model, animation, and creature to HoMMV

I’ve already forgotten about that export; you extract it from the game at the beginning using Archangel, right? And you use 3D Max?

Maya doesn't recognize the "|" symbol and turns it into some kind of mess. But that's just the beginning; the worst part is that you can't even rename the bone correctly. Because Maya simply replaces the "|" symbol with "_".

Consequently, the model is imported into the game with a different bone name, and the old animations no longer work correctly.

Try the technique without using Maya that I described; then everything should work out.

Try the technique without using Maya that I described; then everything should work out.

Ugh, I'll have to install another version of Max. All my licenses will be messed up again.

I seem to recall installing versions 4 of Max all at once (21 copies), and I don't remember having any major license issues (especially when you have the right keygen) 🤪

No, every time I install some additional version, it breaks all my old licenses, and I have to regenerate them.

I reduced and rotated the model in Maya 6.0.
Praise the method of trial and error! And also, thanks to Zakhar and the Estonian.But I really don't know how to work with materials on models, and my gnome somehow has only one material instead of two... I need to redo it.

I uploaded the model into the game, not under Global, but under group1, and stretched it using Geom_skeleton.

I rotated group1, but the model rotated more, so I rotated it back using group2 – the first group initially contained the skeleton and the model, but I added a second group containing only the model.

I figured out the texture issue; I was loading the same textures into different materials in Archangel, so during the conversion, the materials merged into one. Also, here's a funny detail: judging by the skeleton, when loading, both groups and the thing I was resizing became new bones... I didn't even think it would turn out this way... If I were a D&D character, I'd have low intelligence but high wisdom 🤣. I don't understand how to work with the skeleton, but I'm changing it the way I need to.

Hi everyone, lately there's been increased activity in Heroes 5, both online and here on the forum, so I decided to create a few videos for all of you (unfortunately, without voiceover, as the microphone on my video camera is broken): 1) **Converting a model from 3DsMax to GR2** - NewModel.mp4 + I'm also slightly changing the skeleton's appearance for a more convenient workflow in 3DsMax. I also show **how to add attributes to animations and process the resulting GR2 files to add them to the game.** 2) I show **how to convert a GR2 geometry file for the game** from the previous video **using the map editor**. - MapEdit_Archangel.mp4 **+ I immediately show how to extract a model from the game using Archangel.v0.5.beta with everything (skeleton, "skin") and how to avoid some problems that arise when importing the skeleton and after exporting the model to SMD format.** 3) I show **what defects animations may have after exporting a model from Archangel, and how to fix them** - Fix_ForAnim.mp4 Null.rar - an empty file for use when working in the map editor Gr2_Tools_For_Homm5.rar - Contains the programs and plugins that I used in the videos (with the exception of the HEX editor). In **Gr2_Tools_For_Homm5.rar\Gr2_3DsMax\Tools\Gr2ToFbx\Compiled** there is a program that **very well** converts **GR2 to FBX** (animations and statics).

Briefly about working with Archangel

**Don't forget that you need to specify different file names for textures when loading the model, so that everything doesn't merge into one mesh.** Archangel renames "complex bone names" ('Global|Hip' -> 'Hip01'), and sometimes even displays an error message (about a mismatch of bones in the model and skeleton) when loading the skeleton. To prevent these possible errors, there are small programs: 1) - [Tools\Gr2ToSMD\Best_for_Skel\grnreader98.exe] is needed to convert the **skeleton.gr2** to an **SMD** file with correct bone names (as in the original), and their positions if there were errors when loading the skeleton into Archangel. 2) - [Tools\Gr2ToFbx\Compiled\GrannyExporter.exe] is needed to convert the **skeleton.gr2 and any** animation.gr2 (from this model) to **FBX** files.
The process is as follows: - Combine the necessary data in a notepad **from two SMD files** obtained from Archangel and grnreader98.exe **into one SMD file**. - Load the **skeleton.fbx** file into 3DsMax, unchecking the animation box when loading, select the bones, and set the initial pose - **Set as Skin Pose**, then load the **animation.fbx** file into the same scene, also unchecking the animation box when loading, select the bones, and set **Skin Pose Mode**. Then import the prepared **SMD** file with the correct bone names that we assembled from the other two smd files into the same scene. It is important not to forget after loading the **SMD** file, select all vertices and press Break, then select the vertices again and press Weld Vertices with a value of 0.001 (shown in the video). - Load the **animation.fbx** file into the same scene again, but this time check the animation box. Now you need to select the bones to which you set the initial pose and uncheck **Skin Pose Mode**. In the end, you will have a skeleton in a T-pose, to which all animations from this model are applied without any deviations.

I'm almost crying because such a stupid thing happened – I imported an animation from an MB file into Blitzkrieg 2, using the plugins described in this tutorial, and Heroes just messed it up... The model ended up on the character's back, which happens sometimes... It's so stupid that I don't know what to say... The interface in the Blitzkrieg map editor is similar to Heroes, so it's easy to figure out. You just need to specify the root bone and the number of frames in the animation, and that's it.

found a program called Autodesk FBX Converter 2013, it's only 100MB, but it allows you to convert FBX files exported from Blender into FBX 2009 format without installing 3ds Max. There's also an FBX 2006 version, but the import plugin in Maya 6.0 is not very good; it breaks the bone bindings, so it's better to use the 2009 version. I think someone already mentioned this, but I don't remember who.

I think it's time to stop using Maya, which doesn't handle special characters in bone names very well, and not just bone names. It's a real hassle when you can't do everything needed for a complete model export from a single 3D editor.

I think it's time to abandon Maya, which really doesn't like special characters in bone names, and not just bone names. It's a real pain when you can't do everything needed for a complete model export from one 3D editor.

Well, you're generally right, but I don't know who would actually do it.

Added 5 minutes later
Ah, I don't think I mentioned this before, but I recently figured out how bones like Global|Hip are created.

There needs to be something with the same name.

The horse has a Hip, the rider has a Hip - when exporting, the bone names will be added to them until the name becomes unique.

Added 50 minutes later
In general, communicating with the neural network, I realized that there is no way out - skipping the export from Maya 2009 is not an option, because 6.0 loads FBX poorly, and 3ds Max doesn't save MA files, and saving from Blender to FBX 2009 or MA is also not possible. And wanting to export everything directly to the Heroes format is like growing bread on a tree - it's fantasy (unless you're a highly skilled bioengineer)

wanting to export everything at once into the Heroes format is like growing bread on a tree - it's pure fantasy.

But this is no longer fantasy, it's a harsh reality - from 3Ds Max to GR2, then replace the first 16 bits at the beginning of the resulting file using a regular Hex editor, and do a Drag&Drop on a mini program weighing 996kb, and voila, animations and a skeleton for Heroes 5 are ready. Of course, it would be nice to do it with one movement, but in my opinion, this is much more convenient than using three different 3D editors and transferring files from one to another.

This is no longer science fiction but a harsh reality – from 3Ds Max to GR2, then replace the first 16 bits at the beginning of the resulting file using a regular Hex editor, and drag and drop it onto a small program weighing 996KB, and voilà, animations and a skeleton for Heroes 5 are ready. Of course, it would be nice to do it with a single click, but in my opinion, this is much more convenient than using three different 3D editors and transferring files from one to another.

It sounds simple... but I guess I'm a rare weirdo, lol. I import animations using Blitzkrieg.

Interestingly, I haven't been following the progress of animation exports because I couldn't handle the exporter from Maya, and the result in Max was strange – the animation became detached from the model... and nothing worked with Noesis... basically, I have no talent, so I'm doing it the way I can. I'll continue to convert using Blitzkrieg; what attracts me to it is that I save all animations in one file, so I don't need to change 2009 to 6.0 many times, and I don't need to configure export parameters; I just need to know the frames of the desired segment