Extracting model meshes (Question)

[stkarnivor]

I am working with my own simple custom game engine (render 3ds models) and I would like to extract model meshes from .z64 files (star fox 64 in particular) for conversion to 3ds. Is this possible?

[Reaper man]

Possible? Yes. Easy? I doubt it.

[stkarnivor]

Great , what tools would i need to learn and download

[Reaper man]

well basically, you would need to learn how the game stores the model data, and if it's compressed (which it mroe than likely is, I'm sure). if it is compresed, you'll need to find out what the decompression routine is in order to decompress it. From there you'd need to make a program that converts the model data the game engine understands to whatever the 3ds format is. All this requires very intimate knowledge of the N64 hardware as well as debugging experience on the machine code level. If you think you have what it takes, then by all means go for it.

[stkarnivor]

Is there a hex editor that could show me what is being accessed by the rom during runtime, and has anyone before attempted this (I know i have seen some level editors for goldeneye)

[Reaper man]

a hex editor wouldn't be what you were looking for. You would need an N64 emulator with a debuggger. Given you mistaken the 2, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have the technical know how to pull it off. ;/

[InVerse]

A video entitled .

A forum post entitled Guide to Extracting N64 Models

A YouTube video entitled How to Export Models From N64 Games

Here's a less detailed blog post entitled How to rip models "legally" from N64 Games

Here's a forum thread entitled This will allow you to export geometry WITH textures

You have inspired me to work on a video of me doing the You Suck At Google Dance. I'll post the results when they're available!

[stkarnivor]

A video entitled How To Rip N64 Models.

A forum post entitled Guide to Extracting N64 Models

A YouTube video entitled How to Export Models From N64 Games

Here's a less detailed blog post entitled How to rip models "legally" from N64 Games

Here's a forum thread entitled This will allow you to export geometry WITH textures

You have inspired me to work on a video of me doing the You Suck At Google Dance. I'll post the results when they're available!

I am now ashamed of both my post and my google searching skills. I am truly sorry...

Also I want to thank you Reaper for your patience in answering my stupid questions.

[Reaper man]

Originally Posted by stkarnivor

Also I want to thank you Reaper for your patience in answering my stupid questions.

don't thank me(my way was the hard way.... really really hard), thank ungodly for doing all the google work for you.

[Iconoclast]

Maybe not all of it...there's a version of icepir8's TR64OGL plug-in that also dumps geometry and textures. It's old, though, so Google for that would be hard.

I would personally prefer to derive myself though and learn what I can to go through what reaper man described.