Universal addon setup in XSI

How to create models in XSI and other 3D applications and make them work in Battlefront 1 & 2. Post models, tips for application usage and share anything XSI, 3DMax, SketchUp, etc.

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AceMastermind
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Universal addon setup in XSI

Post by AceMastermind »

I should've done this years ago but i'm just separating my guide from MandeRek's thread so it can be linked to directly.



This guide explains how to set up any kind of addon (e.g. hat, backpack, leg or arm accessory, etc) in XSI that you can attach to any bone. This means you won't have to figure out how to rotate or position your addon for it to appear properly attached to the unit in-game, because the software tools do most of the work for you.
  • 1. Import Unit_Template_Beta into your scene (for position reference)

    2. Create or import your addon mesh (a single object preferably, merge parts if needed)

    3. Position the addon mesh on the Unit where you want it

    4. Freeze the Transforms of your addon mesh (Transform > Freeze All Transforms)

    5. Create a Null and name it dummyroot

    6. With dummyroot selected go Transform > Match All Transforms
    then select the bone that you want the addon attached to in-game
    (e.g. for a hat, select bone_head and this will be your AddonAttachJoint in the ODF code)

    7. Press the 8 key to open the Explorer and make your addon mesh child of the new dummyroot

    8. In the Explorer middle click the new dummyroot and export to your side's MSH folder.
and you're done.
All that is left to do is set up your unit's ODF with these 3 lines of code.

Example

Code: Select all

AnimatedAddon = "HAT" //this name can be whatever you want it to be
GeometryAddon = "fedora" //name of your addon msh (do not append ".msh")
AddonAttachJoint = "bone_head" //this is the bone the addon will attach to

Notes:
1. You can only have 1 addon mesh defined in the ODF.
2. In SWBF2 geometry addons disappear when jet jumping, there is no known fix!

You have 3 choices if you want your unit with an addon to jet jump:
  • Hex edit the MODL chunk from the addon mesh file to the unit, or use MshEdit.
  • Envelope the addon mesh geometry to the unit skeleton in XSI and export them as one.
    This effectively removes the geometry from any hard coded addon restrictions.
  • Create the illusion of the addon still being there by creating an effect that looks identical to the addon.
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