Format: Numeric list
Font: Font Face
Colors: limegreen, teal, navy, orange
Language: AE
Foreword
This is an old part of the script I wrote in the closed section in the modding forums and therefore might contain informations regarding not any more needed stuff.
Don’t let you get confused through that.
Index
1.0 Resource Files
1.1 File Types
[INDENT]1.1.1 Textures (.tex)
1.1.2 Mesh (.msh)
1.1.3 Bumb Texture (.tex)
1.1.4 Particle File (.pfx)
1.1.5 Conversation (.cnv)
1.1.6 Animation (.anm)
1.1.7 Font (.fnt)
1.1.8 Map (.map)
1.1.9 Level (.lvl)
1.1.10 Quest (.qst)
1.1.11 Lua (.lua)
1.1.12 Shader (.ssh)
1.1.13 Sound/Music (.wav|.mp3)
1.1.14 Text/Localization (.txt)[/INDENT]
1.2 Storage (.arc files)
1.0 Resource Files
What are resource files? Resource files are files that the game needs to display objects/uis/items/monster etc. The resource files usually contain the visual and acoustic appearance of all objects in the game. This can be textures, meshes, fonts, skill effects, sound effects, music etc. They also hold additional information files like lua scripts, quest informations and conversations
1.1 File Types
1.1.1 Textures (.tex)
Texture files contain the visual color style of an object. They can be identified by their file specification (.tex). They’re sort of (a) compressed .dds file(s).
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
- Crate’s .tex Files Viewer which allows opening .tex files and converting them to more common image types like Psd, Bmp, Jpg, Tga and Png. It’s the only official tool that was released by crate (yet).
- Tamschi’s Texture Tools which was originally made for Titan Quest, but mostly work for the resource files of Grim Dawn, too. They can be used to convert .tex files to .dds files and the other way round which enables us to run image modding already by now.
1.1.2 Mesh (.msh)(.tex)
Mesh files (.msh) contain the visual shape appearance of all object in the game. They can be imagined as wireframes with a lot surfaces that can be painted by using textures (.tex files). Both work together to display the full appearance of an static object (no animation). They’re sort of compressed .max files.
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
- MSH Tools v1.0.6 which is a macro script for 3ds max that allows importing/exporting mesh and animation files (.msh | .anm)
- Various mesh editors, mainly 3ds max
1.1.3 Bumb Texture (.tex)
Bump textures are part of a special mechanic called Bumpmapping. It improves the image quality of shadows and reflexions of objects in the game without decreasing the speed that is required for rendering. In Grim Dawn they have the same file specification as textures (.tex) but are often signed by “bmp”; before their file specification: “Filename01bmp.tex”.
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
- Crate’s .tex Files Viewer which allows opening .tex files and converting them to more common image types like Psd, Bmp, Jpg, Tga and Png. It’s the only official tool that was released by crate (yet).
- Tamschi’s Texture Tools which was originally made for Titan Quest, but mostly work for the resource files of Grim Dawn, too. They can be used to convert .tex files to .dds files and the other way round which enables us to run image modding already by now.
1.1.4 Particle File (.pfx)
Particle Files (.pfx) are files that contain all informations for effects in Grim Dawn. Effects are displayed throught a particle system and consist of single particles whose texture, size, rotation, gravity and other behaviour properties are stored in .pfx files. They also support different Shaders (see 1.1.12) which enables them to be transparent/blurred to grant a huger varity of effects.
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
- Crate’s effect editor which will be delivered with the rest of the game’s toolset after Grim Dawn got released.
1.1.5 Conversation (.cnv)
Conversation files (.cnv) hold all informations that are relevant for the conversations with npcs (non player characters). They’re build like a skilltree just that you usually only choose one tree and this one will disable you from picking other ones, except the .cnv file allows it.
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
- Crate’s Conversation Editor (early version here) which allows creating and linking .cnv files to other required files like lua scripts and quest files. The conversation editor also shares the action/condition system of the quest editor, which makes it more handy and easier to understand.
1.1.6 Animations (.anm)
Animation files (.anm) are files that contain all informations for movements of objects, enemies, the player *etc. I’m not to much common to these files so I can’t tell much about their build.
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
- 3DS MAX which is a modelling/animation and rendering editor.
- Crate’s Viewer tool
1.1.7 Fonts (.fnt)
Font files (.fnt) are files that contain the visual appearance of letters. They are used to display anything you can read, from letters to numbers and special symbols.
Available Tools (stand: 20. Aug. 2015):
There are a lot of font editors out there. You can find them by searching for “font editor” in google or other search machines.
1.1.8 Map (.map)
Map files (.map) contain all informations of how the world map is build, consisting of different parts, such called levels (see 1.1.9 Level (lvl)). Map files store the visuals of the map, which object is set where, lights, fogs, water, a quest list etc.
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
- Crate’s world editor from which we got to see a few pictures in former misadventures which will be released along the rest of the official toolset once the game got released.
1.1.9 Level (lvl)
Level files (.lvl) are parts of the map files (.map) set in quaders and rectangle of different sizes that contain the above mentioned map visual appearance + objects.
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
- Crate’s world editor from which we got to see a few pictures in former misadventures which will be released along the rest of the official toolset once the game got released.
1.1.10 Quest (.qst)
Quest files (.qst) are set into triggers and actions. Triggers determine when something will happen and actions determine what will happen when a certain trigger was triggered. For example when the player enters a certain location which is marked by an object in the world editor, something specific happens like executing a lua script (see 1.1.11 Lua (.lua)).
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
- Crate’s quest editor which will be delivered along the rest of the official toolset after the game’s release.
1.1.11 Lua (.lua)
Lua files (.lua) files are script files that contain the source code of scripts that are related to quests/world actions.
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
None that would be specific for gd to my knowledge. The closests would be the conversation / quest editor.
1.1.12 Shader (.ssh)
Shader files (.ssh) are part of the rendering process of the game. I’m also not common to these so I won’t be able to tell much about them.
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
None that would be specific for gd to my knowledge. There are probably general ones out there but I didn’t check for that.
1.1.13 Sound/music (.wav|.mp3)
Sound/Music files (.wav|.mp3) are files that contain the sounds/musics of the game.
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
There are a hundreds of editors for this but none specific for gd. You could choose any of them.
1.1.14 Text/Localization (.txt)
Text/Localization files (.txt) are files that contain text tags that get a text that is displayed in the game related to them. For example tagskillname1 = Test skill would display “Test skill” ingame while “tagskillname1” would be inside the database dbr file that is related to the specific ingame object.
Available Tools (stand: 25. Dec. 2015):
Any text editor. Even notepad could be used for this.
1.2 Storage (.arc files)
All resources are stored in such called Arc files (.arc) as archives to reduce the amount of disc space the resources would otherwise take. The decrypting algorithm (lz4) is pretty fast, too.
See [Guide] How to use custom resource files to find out how to activate changed resource files already by now.
There is another, easier way to use custom resource files. I’ll add a guide for that later.