pakrat vs. propper

[McFool]

I made models in hammer and compiled with propper. They have several skins. In hammer, and in game, all is well. I used pakrat to add the files I assumed belonged in the map, but the textures are missing. I tried to manually add files from the models but still to no avail.

What I'd like to know is how exactly you would go from having a model ready to compile with propper to having a map with said files added to the bsp ready for distribution. What files are required to be pak'd in the bsp, what directory structure should be used, and so on. I have to assume my models and skins are correct as they work in my game when I play, SDK model viewer, and hammer, but since no one else sees the textures those files must be packed wrong or not even present in the BSP. Thanks in advance.

[Dr. Spud]

Quote:

I tried to manually add files from the models but still to no avail.

You must be paking the wrong files.

Pakrat automatically detects everything you need in your map except for sound files and model textures. Since propper asks you to give it an output directory for the textures, they should be easy to find.

[McFool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Spud

You must be paking the wrong files.

Aye.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McFool

What I'd like to know is how exactly you would go from having a model ready to compile with propper to having a map with said files added to the bsp ready for distribution. What files are required to be pak'd in the bsp, what directory structure should be used, and so on. I have to assume my models and skins are correct as they work in my game when I play, SDK model viewer, and hammer, but since no one else sees the textures those files must be packed wrong or not even present in the BSP. Thanks in advance.

The answers to these questions should allow me to understand what files need packing and why I currently fail. I really don't know much about models so its likely that something painfully obvious could have been over looked.

As far as texture directory noted in propper, I had packed those files in my first attempt. They were all vmt files with valve texture names like woodstair001.vmt.

[alecom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerdboy

Check to make sure that the materials are actually packed by opening the BSP with GCFScape. http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/index.php?p=26

Don't forget to right click -> validate the files

materials/models, whatever

[McFool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Spud

You must be paking the wrong files.

Pakrat automatically detects everything you need in your map except for sound files and model textures. Since propper asks you to give it an output directory for the textures, they should be easy to find.

according to this, after using pakrat on auto, everything i need should be added except for textures. If this is true, I should be able to open the texture directory defined in the propper options, and pakrat the files in that folder.

quote="
As far as texture directory noted in propper, I had packed those files in my first attempt. They were all vmt files with valve texture names like woodstair001.vmt. "

So from this thread I understand that pakrat adds everything I need except the files in my texture output directory. From experience i added the files in the texture output directory to the bsp and it still sucks. I thought vtf was texture files anyway, however this texture output directory only contains vmt files.

Again i ask

What files are required to be pak'd in the bsp?

If i knew what belonged, I could use gcfscape to view the contents and confirm or deny a file's existence.

[xzzy]

You want the vtf and vmt files in the bsp.

That is, the stuff that shows up in steamapps/user/team fortress 2/tf/materials directory.

[McFool]

Any idea why the texture directory would be missing all vtf files, but has all the vmt files, and I can see the textures of all models and skins fine when I play, view in model viewer, or use in hammer?

I found PackBSP and it added a load of files and some of the models began to work. I opened the bsp in gcfscape and observed which files were present for the working models. I then mimic'd what i saw for the remaining models and it seems they all work. it looks like the following files were necessary:

in models/props

modelname.dx80.vtx
modelname.dx90.vtx
modelname.mdl
modelname.phy
modelname.sw.vtx
modelname.vvd

in materials/models/props

valvetexturename.vmt
valvetexturename2.vmt
valvetexturename3.vmt
valvetexturename4.vmt

For the sake of understanding, am I correct in assuming this is all that is required? What about vtf files? The file has been tested by someone not involved and they now see everything fine so I did manage to pack the right files. Now I'd like to ensure I know what I did so I can do it again in the future. Thanks again.

[Terr]

You also want modelname.dx80.vtx and modelname.dx90.vtx, if they were created in the model-making process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by McFool

or the sake of understanding, am I correct in assuming this is all that is required? What about vtf files?

You need the VTF (texture) files as well. While they are often found named the same as some VMT (material) file, this is really just a convention for a lot of common material/texture pairs. Since your VTFs aren't showing, open up the material file(s) with a text editor you can see what texture names it's looking for.

Now, since you used propper, there is a very good chance that the textures/VTFs may be ones which already exist inside the default TF2 installation. In that case you do not need to pack them into your map, since anyone running it will already have them. (By comparison, anyone making a custom non-propper model will almost always be making custom textures for it as well.)