Mod Tool

general information

Various modders of the community use "Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool". Usually we just call it "Mod Tool".

Beside the free version, there's also the retail and student version "Autodesk Softimage [year]"

Those versions are also available as 64-bit versions.

If you are a student you can get Autodesk Software for free if your school is a partner of Autodesk.

In that case you can register with your email address given by your school.

But in the very most cases "Mod Tool" isn't really in disadvantage towards the retail version when it comes to modding Oni.

There's also the possibility to get files that extent Mod Tool's range of functions.

Those are scripts (*.vbs, js), toolbars (*.xsitb) and addons (*.xsiaddon).

They can be create on one's own and even shared with other users.

extensions

links

• OBJ exporter
• OBJ + OFGA exporter for Oni
  • might need the regular OBJ exporter to be installed first
• put more links here

how to bind scripts to buttons (embedded code or .vbs / .js)

• You can enable/disable the Main Shelf over "View" > "Optional Panels" > "Main Shelf". Then click the "Custom" tab.
• A) Right-click the free gray space, click on "Customize Toolbar...". Select "Toolbar Widgets" > "Script Button".

• Enter your code and make sure you selected the correct Scripting Language. Click okay when you are done.

• B) You can also drag'n'drop your script file directly onto the free gray space.

• A new window pops up, check the settings and click okay when done.

• Right-click the Main Shelf and use the "Save" option. ("Save As" let you save the Main Shelf as toolbar file.)

how to install toolbars (.xsitb)

• creation: goto "View" > "New custom toolbar"

• Now you can add buttons like in Main Shelf. Remember to save your changes. (Right-click, "Save As".)

• installation: drag'n'drop the xsitb file onto the viewport (it's simply the window where you can see 3D objects).
• access: goto "View" > "Toolbars"
• deletion: goto "View" > "Manage..." Check a toolbar and click Delete button.

• The file will remain with a new file suffix ".bak" You can restore this backup if you remove the ".bak" from the name.

how to install addons (.xsiaddon)

• drag'n'drop the file into the so-called viewport (it's simply the window where you can see 3D objects), then restart Mod Tool

selected wisdom

We've also a tutorial thread on OCF.

view port navigation

move camera: [S]+[LClick]+[Moving_Mouse] rotate camera: [S]+[RClick]+[Moving_Mouse] zoom camera: [S]+[Scrolling] reset view: [R]

mesh

• copying a edges from an object: select the edges, right-click, "Extract Edge as Curve", to preserve the shape use "Mesh Subdivision Level: 0" as option
• extracting a polygon from an object: select polygon, right-click, "Extract Polygons (Delete)"
• copying an polygon from an object: select polygon, right-click, "Extract Polygons (Keep)"
• merging two objects: select one of them, goto Model>Modify>Poly.Mesh>Boolean>Union, select second object

(this makes a copy of the second object and attaches it to the first one, the merged objects must be freezed before the original second object can be removed)

• filling a hole: select all edges surrounding the hole and choose one of the following methods
  • A) goto Model > Modify > Poly.Mesh > Weld Boundary Points/Edges
  • B) goto Model > Modify > Poly.Mesh > Bridge Boundary Points/Edges (if blue lines appear try to disable the checkbox "Angle > 90")
• merging two objects at blue lines: merge the objects at first, then proceed with the point above "filling a hole"
• hiding a single polygon: select polygon and hit [H], use [Control]+[H] to unhide
• mirroring an object: select object, Edit > Duplicate/Instantiate > Duplicate Symmetry (center rotation might need to be changed afterwards)
• working with symmetry mode
  • select object, Property > Symmetry Map (YZ/XZ/XY) (press [W] to preview symmetry plane)
  • click on Sym buttom (in Transform area) to enable/disable symmetry mode
  • changing the Symmetry plane: Explorer [8] > unfold object > Polygon Mesh > Cluster > delete SymmetryMapCls; then add a new symmetry plane

material and texture

• objects use the scene material by default, objects need their own material if they should have individual textures
• selecting a material and surface: Model>Material>Phong (simply close the windows that pops up)
• connecting the texture with the material:
  • [7] to open Render Tree
  • in first column: "Texture"
  • in second column: drag'n'drop "Image" into the free space
  • click and hold the red point of "Image", then move it to "Phong" and release the mouse click
  • choose "diffuse" as illumination mode (for instance "ambient" won't work - the texture would be visible in Mod Tool but Onisplit can't use it)
• now "Image" can be double-clicked (the Texture Editor will pop up), in the section "Image" click on "New" to choose an image

projection and UV

getting started

• in section "Texture Projection" click on "New", choose a projection similar to the mesh shape (planar / cylindrical / cubic / spherical)
• select the object
• Texture editor: [Alt]+[7] (open it while being in selection mode "Object" or "Polygon", otherwise the UVs aren't shown)

modify single/all UVs

• rotate 90°: [R]
• rotate: [C]
• scale: [X]
• move: [V]
• tearing single UV parts: [Control]+[T], then move [V]
• heal (re-connect) selected UV parts: click on the plus symbol (the parts should be very near to each other, best if the points are on same spot)
• snap function for move tool: Snap > Enable Snapping; check "Points" (if not already active)
• relax (smooth warped UVs): [Control]+[R] (usually pressing several times that combination)
• a new projection can also be applied to currently selected UV parts
• freeze object to bake projections (green lines in the 3D view will disappear)
• getting a picture of the UV: apply first a black texture then enter the Texture Editor [Alt]+[7], Edit > Stamp UV Mesh [Shift]+[S], save the texture

scripting

• open the Script Editor: [Alt]+[4]
• run the current code in the Script Editor window: [F5]
• clear the log: Edit > Clear History Log
• actions from button embedded code will be logged
• actions from code files that are linked in a button won't be logged (results in a performance boost)
• you can save your code to a file via "File" > "Save As..." or "Save Selection"

links

• using external scripts
• progress bar and open file dialog
• xsi wiki page about scripting
• many vbscript examples

notes about polygon extraction

• a grid of 9 polygons (ID 0 to 8)
• you extract the middle polygon (ID 4)
• grid's polygon of ID 8 will change to ID 4
• if you now extract 5th, the 7th gets the ID
• now the ID order is: 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 5, 4
• this means that an automatic extraction of several polygons requires two changes in the code
• 1) the ID array of selected polygons must be sorted
• 2) the extraction must start with the last ID to avoid ID shift during the process (see code pieces)

some basics of VBScript

• Logged stuff will be rewritten if you change the script language. (File > Preferences...)
• You can also change the language by right-click the white script box and click on "Set to JScript" or "Set to VBScript".
• Same way you can load a few code piece, e.g. "Syntax Help" > "If..Else" or "Catch Error".
• Mark code you want to disable ("Comment Out") with single apostrophes or enable ("Comment Remove").
• In VBS you declare variables only as a variant e.g. "dim PolygonCount". Mod Tool decides what type it becomes when it uses the variable the first time.

some VBS commands that might interesting for Oni related stuff

LogMessage [string|var]	A command to log information. It requires a string or a variable. Example: LogMessage "The object's name is: " & selection(0).Name
logmessage selection(0).Name	Logs the object name.
logmessage selection(0).Material.Name	Logs the material name.
logmessage selection(0).Material.CurrentImageClip.Name	Logs the texture name. "." before the file suffix is replaced by "_". Also a number might follow after the file suffix. Output example: INFO : grid_part_8_tga4
logmessage selection(0).sclx.value	Logs object's X scaling.
logmessage selection(0).scly.value	Logs object's Y scaling.
logmessage selection(0).sclz.value	Logs object's Z scaling.
logmessage selection(0).rotx.value	Logs object's X rotation.
logmessage selection(0).roty.value	Logs object's Y rotation.
logmessage selection(0).rotz.value	Logs object's Z rotation.
logmessage selection(0).posx.value	Logs object's X position.
logmessage selection(0).posy.value	Logs object's Y position.
logmessage selection(0).posz.value	Logs object's Z position.
logmessage selection(0).rotorder.value	Logs object's rotation order. 0 = XYZ 1 = XZY 2 = YXZ 3 = YZX 4 = ZXY 5 = ZYX
SelectObj [string|var]	select one or more objects. Comma serves as separator. Example: SelectObj "grid,grid1"
ToggleSelection [string|var]	Adds one or more objects from current selection. If the objects are already selected then they become subtracted from the selection. Example: ToggleSelection "grid2,grid3"
SelectAllUsingFilter [SelFilter], [CheckComponentVisibility], [AffectSelectionList], [CheckObjectSelectability]	Selects everything that matches the filter and other options. Example: SelectAllUsingFilter "object", siCheckComponentVisibility selects all roots, lights, cameras, and geometry (meshes) SelectAllUsingFilter "geometry", siCheckComponentVisibility selects all geometry (meshes)
DeselectAll	deselects everything
DeleteObj [string|var]	Deletes one or more objects. Comma used as separator. Example: DeleteObj "grid" DeleteObj "grid,grid1"
FreezeObj	Makes all changes final. But saving those changes is still necessary. (Click on key symbol so it gets red.)
Translate [InputObjs], [X], [Y], [Z], [Delta], [RefMode], [Center], [AxesFilter], [Snap], [SnapReference], [SnapFilter], [SplitLocalComponents], [PropTagOnly], [Pivot], [PivotX], [PivotY], [PivotZ], [ConstructionMode], [SlideComponents]	see link
Rotate [InputObjs], [X], [Y], [Z], [Delta], [RefMode], [Center], [AxesFilter], [Reference], [SplitLocalComponents], [PropTagOnly], [Pivot], [PivotX], [PivotY], [PivotZ], [ConstructionMode], [SlideComponents]	see link

code pieces (VB Script)

' making an array
' make some object, select them and run the code

dim y
y = selection.count

redim x (y - 1)
	' redim is needed for arrays
	' () sets the number of array items
 
for i = 0 to y - 1
	x(i) = selection(i).fullname
	logmessage x(i)
next

logmessage "counted objects: " & y

' check selection mode 

checkfilter
'use sub to make use of the exit command

sub checkfilter
	Select Case Selection.Filter.Name
	'caution: case-sensitive

	Case "object"
		logmessage "object mode"
	Case "Edge"
		logmessage "edge mode"
	Case "Vertex"
		logmessage "point mode"
	Case "Polygon"
		logmessage "polygon mode"
		polymode
	Case Else
		logmessage "Choose Object or Polygon selection mode."
		exit sub
	End Select
end sub

' getting the IDs of selected polygons plus sorting them

poly_count = Selection(0).SubComponent.ComponentCollection.count
logmessage "poly_count: " & poly_count
redim selected (poly_count)
logmessage "Show ID as it is."
for i=0 to poly_count - 1
	' build ID array
	selected(i) = Selection(0).SubComponent.ComponentCollection(i).index
	logmessage selected(i)
next

' change sort order by replacing ">" with "<"
For i = 0 To poly_count - 1
	For j = 0 To poly_count - 1
		If selected(i) > selected(j) Then
			tmp = selected(i)
			selected(i) = selected(j)
			selected(j) = tmp
		End If
	Next
Next
logmessage "Show sorted ID."

for i=0 to poly_count - 1
	logmessage selected(i)
next

script ideas

• making an import/export for some trigger volume data (semi-transparent cubes, the level geometry itself would just serve as reference)
• hierarchy builder for characters

maybe null objects could stand for the centers of body parts Then one click and the centers gets positioned, rotations are known and the names lead to the correct hierarchy

• autoheal discontinuities (blue lines) of overlaying edges (for repairing google sketchup objects that weren't yet textured)
• making loops from parts of animations
• copying animation data from one character to another
• creating new door animations

' VBScript code
set oRotation = XSIMath.CreateRotation( XSIMath.DegreesToRadians( 40 ), XSIMath.DegreesToRadians (0), XSIMath.DegreesToRadians (0) ) 
set oQuaternion = XSIMath.CreateQuaternion() 
oRotation.GetQuaternion( oQuaternion ) 
Application.LogMessage "Quaternion rotation is " _
				& oQuaternion.W & "," _
				& oQuaternion.X & "," _
				& oQuaternion.Y & "," _
				& oQuaternion.Z

After a few experiments onisplit v0.9.54.0 seems to output XYZ-W instead of WXYZ.

Example:

				X	Y	Z
Rotation in Mod Tool		40	0	0
------------------------------------------------------
			W	X	Y	Z
Q.Rotation in Mod Tool	0,939	0,342	0	0
------------------------------------------------------
			X	Y	Z	-W
Q.Rotation onispl. v54	0,334	0	0	-0,94

Also, OBAN flag "ZAxisUp" needs some more investigation.