<font size="1">Welcome to the Galaxy Noobs series post. This article was updated on 3/13/2011 Editor Version: 1.2.2 (17811). Please feel free to ask questions in this thread. </font>
<font color="#e4a222">
Thanks to the wonderful work of the community, we are moving forward with how easy it is to import models, now with the recent update to the wow model viewer, adding wow models to starcraft 2 is easier than making a new ability! With this tutorial you will see just how easy it is to add almost any model you can find right into the editor, giving your game that little extra kick above the others.
Tutorial look kinda long?
Once you know what your doing, exporting/importing a model will take you about 30 seconds, however I try to cover every possible thing there is in this tutorial (from installing the viewer, to things that can go wrong). If you are in a hurry (or a skilled user already) simply check out the <font color="#f85b15">TL;DR</font> section at the bottom its a 20 second read and has everything you need.
The Limitations
With all good things come limitations. Luckily for us, the model viewer is getting updated left and right, and these limitations are becoming fewer and fewer. However heres a quick look at where we stand.
You are not able to export characters (ex: things you add weapons/armor to)
Particles are still very iffy, some work, some dont. (updated)
Models can be big, remember your map size is about 10 mgs.
First things firsts, lets download the Model viewer. The viewer is updated many times a week, for this reason I will be linking to the download site, and not to the file itself.
<font color="#a92424" size=1> NOTE: You must download the DEVWORK edition, this is VERY important.
NOTE 2: Download the 32bit even if your on a 64bit OS (it will work, the 64b client is out of date) </font>
<center> Download site</center>
"installing" and setup
Luckily for us, there is no installing needed, simply unzip the folder to a location of your choice. Once done, simply double click on " <font color="#f85b15">wowmodelview32.exe</font>" to open the viewer.
The first time you start up, you will be greeted with this dialog box. Simply select the location of your CURRENT World of Warcraft (note: current version does support ptr 4.1)
<font color="#a92424" size=1> NOTE: some people need to right click and "run as administrator"</font>
<center></center>
<font size="5" color="White"><center><Bold>Exporting your model</Bold></center></font>
get ready
Now the real fun begins. Here we will be picking a model to bring over to our sc2 editor. For those of you who cant get WMV (for any reason, such as not having wow) Here is a model pack so you can follow along in the next section. Download here For this tutorial we will be exporting the lich king model
Picking your model
You should notice at the top left of the screen a search bar. This is where the magic happens in finding your models. We want the model of Arthas as the lich king, so for this, we will enter into the box "<font color="#f85b15">arthas</font>"
Now we should see a bunch of models pop up in the list below (on the left side of the screen). We will find our model in "<font color="#f85b15">Creature - > Arthaslichking - > arthaslichking.m2 </font>" click that.
The lich king should now be front and center on your screen looking awesome. Now at the bottom of the screen you should see some "animation" options, there are two things we need to look at.
<center></center>
<center>
Here we can view all the animations our model has. Its important to look through them all and see which ones you like, as when we go to export it, you must choose which animations you want to take with the model. Remember, the more animations you export, the bigger your file.
</center>
<center>
This "hidden" field is a rather important one (just not in the case of this model). Models that have more than one texture, for example some elementals, will have their texture sets shown in this drop-down menu, make sure you select from that menu the one you want to export.
</center>
Export Options
Now its almost time to export the model, but first, we need to pick our animations and name them.
Go to "<font color="#f85b15">File - > Export Model - > Export Options </font>"
Click the "<font color="#f85b15">m3</font>" tab.
<center></center>
<center>
This is simply the scale of the model, Some models are MASSIVE when imported into sc2, while others are super tiny. Ill be honest, just keep it at .5 and you can scale the unit inside sc2!
</center>
<center>
Heres the goodies, the animations that you looked at, are now listed here. Select the ones you want by putting a check in the box. Once you have select an animation, you need to rename it (in the light blue box). Once edited, make sure to click the "<font color="#f85b15">RENAME</font>" button. Followed by "<font color="#f85b15">apply</font>" when done. <font color="#a92424" size=1>Note: for a list of usable animation names, look in the data editor, or the wiki (Click for link)</font>
</center>
Export Model
Now that your animations are picked and renamed, we can now export the model.
Go to "<font color="#f85b15"> File - > Export Model - > m3 </font>".
Save this model to a folder where you can keep it (moving it later will hurt you).
And there you go, your model is now exported, time to import that model!
<font size="5" color="White"><center><Bold>Importing your model</Bold></center></font>
Import Textures First
You read this right, we are going to import the textures ONLY first (that means the .tga files, and not the .m3 file).
<center></center>
Open up your editor, hit f9 to open the import window
Right click, and hit import, browse to the folder that has your model
Import ONLY the textures (like the pic above)
Make sure you do not put them in folder (NO FOLDERS!) If it is in any kind of folder, right click and move to {root}
Now save, and FULLY close out of the editor.
Yes, im dead serious close out of the editor
so have you closed out yet?
No really...close out of it, 100%, to the desktop
Ok gj! now its time to open the editor and import the model [if you do not close the editor 100% before you import the model, the model will not be able to find the textures for some reason, this is a glitch on the editor itself. Hopefully it will be fixed.
Import the model
Now repeat the same steps above (you dont have to close out this time) but this time, only import the .m3 file. (make sure its in {root} with the other textures). You may also need to save before the model picks up the textures. And there you have it, You now have a wow model in your sc2 editor!. If you dont know how to switch unit models out, read the next section for a VERY quick example on how.
<font size="5" color="White"><center><Bold>Adding your model to a unit.</Bold></center></font>
Switching your model out with another units.
This is a VERY quick example of how to do this, so I wont include pictures for this part.
Open the data editor, and go to models
Find the model for the zealot (using the search bar)
Right click and duplicate this model
In your duplicated version, go to the data field "model" and change its .m3 to the .m3 we justed added (it will be outside the assist folder)
Quickly save, and then go to the actors tab, and find the zealot unit.
Now in the actor, switch the zealots model to our new duplicated "model" the is using our new .m3, and your good to go!
Do note: that I also show this in the video below (the outdated one). However in it, I dont duplicate the model, I simply change the .m3 in the original model to the new one, which also works.
This video was made with the original version of this tutorial, as you can tell, the WMV was updated, and thus I updated this tutorial, the video will need updating as well, it does not cover how to rename your animations, or how to change textures, keep that in mind. Also sound does not match up at end.
<center> </center>
Find the model you want, select its texture type at bottom of screen.
Go to "<font color="#f85b15">File - > Export Model - > Export Options </font>"
Select the animations you want, make sure to rename them (and click "rename" after each)
Hit apply
Go to "<font color="#f85b15">File - > Export Model - > m3 </font>"
Import the model
Open up your map and hit f9
Right click in the box and click "import"
Import ONLY the textures (.tga files) and DO NOT PLACE IN FOLDERS, if in folders right click and move to {root}
Save, and close out of the editor fully (to prevent texture/model glitch)
Re-open editor and this time only import the .m3 file (make sure its in {root} with textures, save
<font size="5" color="White"><center><Bold>User made projects</Bold></center></font>
If you have made a map, and used this tutorial to help you do it, please let me know so I can post your video here for a little bit of inspiration for all.
This is something I made awhile ago, as you may be able to tell I use some wow models for the world itself, to give it a nice look that sc2 couldn't do on its own.
<center></center>
By Glomby
This just looks amazing, and was even posted on blizzards facebook, it speaks for itself (I wish I could find the updated video with the inside of the cave, thats just wonderful looking.
<center> </center>
Love writing tutorials? Not very good at formating but can at least write the information and take screen shots? Then we may need you for Galaxy Noobs. If you would like to be a writer for a tutorial for Galaxy Noobs please send me a PM with the subject "Galaxy Noobs - writer" -Currently full-
Yes, indeed, that would be the answer to my prayers! An asset for say "Orc Grunt" that contains the orc grunt model in just his loincloth, in his default orgrimmar armor, in the royal guard armor, in the northrend guard armor, a couple of matching lowbie armors and a couple of tier armors. If there were many assets like this "orc grunt" asset, but for different units, this could provide alot of great flexability to RPG maps and warcraft themed maps. Add in some of the game's demons and bosses and you have a set of assets great for any map!
really nice tutorial, but i have a problem.
i tried the normal arthas model (as an example, problem occurs with every model i tried) and it is visible in the model preview. but if i assign the model to for example a copy of a marine, i don't see the unit when i place it on my map...
i guess i just did something wrong but i have no idea what it could be xO
hope anyone can help me there what to do when you imported everything, thanks
i dont have wow and never tried it, but i would sure love to have thier models, can anybody make a model mappack or something? so we can all check them out and export from there
Im uploading a video tutorial as well, that will also quickly attach the model to a unit.. im just having problems with the video and the sound matching --
also: I know this isnt ideal, but wow IS free to download from the website =)
Im uploading a video tutorial as well, that will also quickly attach the model to a unit.. im just having problems with the video and the sound matching
also: I know this isnt ideal, but wow IS free to download from the website =)
Pretty sure this is true. It's like starcraft 2. As in, you need an account to play, but the actual software is freeware (more or less anyway)
Edit: Also, the textures on my model don't seem to apply in the previewer. Not checked ingame yet.
Edit2: Nope, not ingame either :/
I have yet to get a reply about the issue, it could go both ways, they are copyrighted but they are copyrighted to blizzard...who owns sc2.... so who knows
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Random Information
Tutorials - Map Development - Galaxy wiki
|Issues? PM me|
I have yet to get a reply about the issue, it could go both ways, they are copyrighted but they are copyrighted to blizzard...who owns sc2.... so who knows
Personally I think it would be fine. Models are WoW advertisements in a way, plus they increase the quality of a map. And it's not like they would be sold. (although premium maps with WoW models may be a different story). Things like Cataclysm beta models wouldn't be allowed though. Also, when Diablo 3 comes out, D3 models ftw :D
How to fix the texture issue people are experiencing:
1. Import your texture, move it to {root}. 2. Save and restart the editor. 3. Import your model, move it to {root}. 4. Save and restart the editor. 5.Profit!
Thank you for that toddii,
I kept saying " make sure its in the same folder" but saying "move it to {root} is 100% more understandable, im going to word it as such up top,.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Random Information
Tutorials - Map Development - Galaxy wiki
|Issues? PM me|
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</font> <font color="#e4a222">
Understand what this tutorial will do for you.
Thanks to the wonderful work of the community, we are moving forward with how easy it is to import models, now with the recent update to the wow model viewer, adding wow models to starcraft 2 is easier than making a new ability! With this tutorial you will see just how easy it is to add almost any model you can find right into the editor, giving your game that little extra kick above the others.Tutorial look kinda long?
Once you know what your doing, exporting/importing a model will take you about 30 seconds, however I try to cover every possible thing there is in this tutorial (from installing the viewer, to things that can go wrong). If you are in a hurry (or a skilled user already) simply check out the <font color="#f85b15">TL;DR</font> section at the bottom its a 20 second read and has everything you need.The Limitations
With all good things come limitations. Luckily for us, the model viewer is getting updated left and right, and these limitations are becoming fewer and fewer. However heres a quick look at where we stand.Downloading WoW Model Viewer
First things firsts, lets download the Model viewer. The viewer is updated many times a week, for this reason I will be linking to the download site, and not to the file itself.<font color="#a92424" size=1> NOTE: You must download the DEVWORK edition, this is VERY important.
NOTE 2: Download the 32bit even if your on a 64bit OS (it will work, the 64b client is out of date) </font>
<center> Download site</center>
"installing" and setup
Luckily for us, there is no installing needed, simply unzip the folder to a location of your choice. Once done, simply double click on " <font color="#f85b15">wowmodelview32.exe</font>" to open the viewer.The first time you start up, you will be greeted with this dialog box. Simply select the location of your CURRENT World of Warcraft (note: current version does support ptr 4.1)
<font color="#a92424" size=1> NOTE: some people need to right click and "run as administrator"</font>
<center></center>
get ready
Now the real fun begins. Here we will be picking a model to bring over to our sc2 editor. For those of you who cant get WMV (for any reason, such as not having wow) Here is a model pack so you can follow along in the next section. Download hereFor this tutorial we will be exporting the lich king model
Picking your model
Here we can view all the animations our model has. Its important to look through them all and see which ones you like, as when we go to export it, you must choose which animations you want to take with the model. Remember, the more animations you export, the bigger your file.
This "hidden" field is a rather important one (just not in the case of this model). Models that have more than one texture, for example some elementals, will have their texture sets shown in this drop-down menu, make sure you select from that menu the one you want to export.
Export Options
Now its almost time to export the model, but first, we need to pick our animations and name them.This is simply the scale of the model, Some models are MASSIVE when imported into sc2, while others are super tiny. Ill be honest, just keep it at .5 and you can scale the unit inside sc2!
Heres the goodies, the animations that you looked at, are now listed here. Select the ones you want by putting a check in the box. Once you have select an animation, you need to rename it (in the light blue box). Once edited, make sure to click the "<font color="#f85b15">RENAME</font>" button. Followed by "<font color="#f85b15">apply</font>" when done.
<font color="#a92424" size=1>Note: for a list of usable animation names, look in the data editor, or the wiki (Click for link)</font>
Export Model
Now that your animations are picked and renamed, we can now export the model.Import Textures First
You read this right, we are going to import the textures ONLY first (that means the .tga files, and not the .m3 file). <center></center>Import the model
Now repeat the same steps above (you dont have to close out this time) but this time, only import the .m3 file. (make sure its in {root} with the other textures). You may also need to save before the model picks up the textures. And there you have it, You now have a wow model in your sc2 editor!. If you dont know how to switch unit models out, read the next section for a VERY quick example on how.Switching your model out with another units.
This is a VERY quick example of how to do this, so I wont include pictures for this part.Outdated Video Tutorial.
This video was made with the original version of this tutorial, as you can tell, the WMV was updated, and thus I updated this tutorial, the video will need updating as well, it does not cover how to rename your animations, or how to change textures, keep that in mind. Also sound does not match up at end. <center> </center>Download WMV
Export the model
Import the model
By Molsterr
This is something I made awhile ago, as you may be able to tell I use some wow models for the world itself, to give it a nice look that sc2 couldn't do on its own. <center></center>By Glomby
This just looks amazing, and was even posted on blizzards facebook, it speaks for itself (I wish I could find the updated video with the inside of the cave, thats just wonderful looking. <center> </center></font> <center>
-Currently full-
</font>
I wonder for us that don't play WOW would anyone be willing to put some of the models in an asset for others to use?
@sherardt: Go
I could see that being possible.
@sherardt: Go
Yes, indeed, that would be the answer to my prayers! An asset for say "Orc Grunt" that contains the orc grunt model in just his loincloth, in his default orgrimmar armor, in the royal guard armor, in the northrend guard armor, a couple of matching lowbie armors and a couple of tier armors. If there were many assets like this "orc grunt" asset, but for different units, this could provide alot of great flexability to RPG maps and warcraft themed maps. Add in some of the game's demons and bosses and you have a set of assets great for any map!
The Most Epic Tutorial eva!
one thing... how do i put the model in a custom unit of mine?
really nice tutorial, but i have a problem. i tried the normal arthas model (as an example, problem occurs with every model i tried) and it is visible in the model preview. but if i assign the model to for example a copy of a marine, i don't see the unit when i place it on my map... i guess i just did something wrong but i have no idea what it could be xO hope anyone can help me there what to do when you imported everything, thanks
i dont have wow and never tried it, but i would sure love to have thier models, can anybody make a model mappack or something? so we can all check them out and export from there
btw how big are one of these models on average?
Just as a brain teaser for the possibilites - export to m3, import to 3ds max, rename the anims to standard SC2, export with custom anims.
...No I did not just make a flying Valkyrie. I deny these allegations.
Im uploading a video tutorial as well, that will also quickly attach the model to a unit.. im just having problems with the video and the sound matching --
also: I know this isnt ideal, but wow IS free to download from the website =)
Pretty sure this is true. It's like starcraft 2. As in, you need an account to play, but the actual software is freeware (more or less anyway)
Edit: Also, the textures on my model don't seem to apply in the previewer. Not checked ingame yet.
Edit2: Nope, not ingame either :/
You could just get the 10 day trial.
ok cuz i really want to know how and a video would also be more simple :P
Video is up, HD is also working, just loads very slow atm, wil speed up as youtube finishes it.
Question does Blizzard approve to WoW models being used in sc2 ? thought it is something you can put here :)
@khazr: Go
I have yet to get a reply about the issue, it could go both ways, they are copyrighted but they are copyrighted to blizzard...who owns sc2.... so who knows
Personally I think it would be fine. Models are WoW advertisements in a way, plus they increase the quality of a map. And it's not like they would be sold. (although premium maps with WoW models may be a different story). Things like Cataclysm beta models wouldn't be allowed though. Also, when Diablo 3 comes out, D3 models ftw :D
Hmm... Still can't get textures working and i did what you did in the vid :/
@wOlfLisK: Go
also, which are you exporting? if no luck, try using the model pack I uploaded and test.
How to fix the texture issue people are experiencing:
1. Import your texture, move it to {root}.
2. Save and restart the editor.
3. Import your model, move it to {root}.
4. Save and restart the editor.
5. Profit!
@toddii: Go
Thank you for that toddii, I kept saying " make sure its in the same folder" but saying "move it to {root} is 100% more understandable, im going to word it as such up top,.