Team Fortress File Factory
News  Essentials  Utilities  Customizations  Maps  FAQ  Search  Contact
   TF  [ TFC ]
FILE  INFO
TFC > Utilities > Model viewers
File: Otis' Half-life Modelviewer v2.0
Filename: mdlv2.zip
Author: Otis
Downloads: 2225
Description: A model viewer that can open any HL model and view animations, zoom, etc.
Size: 126KB
Date: 10/04/2002

Click to Download
Additional Info:
Half-life Modelviewer v2.0.0316. Released on 16th of March 1999
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Credits:
Frans 'Otis' Bouma Rendercode and MFC code
Greg 'Ascent' Dunn MFC code
Valve Software Core modelcode
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This modelviewer uses the MFC4.2 library, which is a dll that is used in many
applications. If you don't have it, you can download it from Microsoft's ftp site.

This modelviewer can't read straight from a pakfile. You need a pakexplorer to extract
the models.

This modelviewer uses OpenGL as render API. Therefore, if you don't have an OpenGL ICD installed
on your system, you won't see a thing and the viewer will probably crash. Look below to install
a software OpenGL library if you don't have it.

This is the first 2.0 release. If you find bugs, please let us know. You can email a bugreport to:

[email protected]

Please be specific what went wrong and how to reproduce the problem. Please read this document
totally, because a lot of 'so called bugs' can be avoided if you do the right things :)

This modelviewer works on Windows 95/98 and NT 4.0. It's not tested on windows2000 beta.
(But note, it runs much better on NT than it does on Win9x)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INFO
====
Everything is shown in an MDI window, which looks familliar if you work with Word or similar
programs. You can open as much models at once as you like, but it will be CPU intensive.

This version does not have optimized rendercode in it yet. Therefore, we recommend not to load more
than 2 or 3 models if you are on a slow system. (again, it works better under NT or in wireframe mode)

The main controlling center is the Model Control Center (MCC). In there you can control
the current selected model. The current selected model is the model in the view that has
the focus. People that like keyboards more than mice can select the model in it's view
and use the following keys to control it.

- LMB for positioning of model in front of camera
- RMB for rotating the camera around the model
- z for zooming IN
- x for zooming OUT
- n for next sequence
- p for previous sequence
- b for next body
- f for toggle fog on/off
- r for toggling rendermode (wireframe/textured/lightshademap)
- '-' on numpad to decrease fog distance (if fog enabled)
- '+' on numpad to increase fog distance (if fog enabled)

===============
IMPORTANT NOTE:
===============
You can't view files like hgrunt02.mdl, scientist02.mdl or files like scientistt.mdl. In
general, don't load files like name0x.mdl and namet.mdl. These files are already loaded when you
view name.mdl. The files like scientist0x.mdl are sequencegroup files and scientistt.mdl are
texturefiles needed to view the model. So if you try to load these into the viewer, it will
probably crash or won't view anything at all. So to view everything about the scientist, just
load scientist.mdl. You won't miss any info. So don't email us about this, it's NOT a bug!

One tip about how you look at the model: if you pan or rotate inside the viewer, you are NOT
moving or rotating the model itself, but the camera that you use to look at the model. This is
essential different, and explaines why the chrome won't behave as expected when you pan or
rotate a model.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO GET STARTED
==================
- You'll need OpenGL libraries to run this, which can be downloaded here, if you don't already
have them:

windows95, windows98:
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/opengl95.exe

NT 4:
Install service pack 3 or 4 for the latest OpenGL libraries. NT4 has native
OpenGL support so it should run on native NT4 systems.

- You'll also need to unpack .mdl files from the half-life\valve\pak0.pak file. These two pak
utilities work, as well as others:

http://asp.planetquake.com/dl/dl.asp?qped/qped211.exe
ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/quake/planetquake/chopshop/utilities/quake/pak_utils/pakexplr.zip

- With one of the 2 tools mentioned above, go to the half-life\valve dir on your harddisk
and open pak0.pak. Go into the models dir in the pakfile (a pakfile is just a compressed
directory structure). Extract all the files in that dir (except the 'player' dir) into
a directory on your harddisk, for example c:\half-life\valve\models. Now you can
view every model.mdl file in that dir (except for the special ones model0x.mdl and
modelt.mdl as mentioned above).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHTS.
==========================
This mdlviewer is not supported by Valve. It's based on the original code from Valve Software
for their own mdlviewer. Also that mdlviewer isn't supported by Valve. This complete new tool
is programmed by the people mentioned in the 'credits' part.
Because the original sourcecode is licensed to valve and iD software no-one may make money
from this tool. It's given to the public for the purpose where it's made for: viewing
halflife models.

If you want to include the sourcecode of this modelviewer in your commercial program, please
contact Valve software. If you want to include the sourcecode of this modelviewer in your NON
commercial program, contact us and we can discuss the co-operation, on the
condition that you won't make money from the non-commercial program after you've included the
sourcecode.

Use this tool as-is. There is no warranty and there will also be no warranty. It's truely tested
on Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT. As with all free software: use it at your own risk. :)

The zipfile containing the modelviewer may not be modified in a way that the modelviewer is
separated from this textfile. No-one may alter this textfile. If you want to publish
Mdlviewer on a website or other distribution medium, you are free to do so, unless you
won't charge money for the modelviewer or the ziparchive.

Mdlviewer is (c)1998-1999 Otis & Ascent
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KNOWN PROBLEMS AND MALFUNTIONS.
===============================
- Sometimes a sequence is reported to have a length > 0 milliseconds but nothing happens. Some
gibmodels have this 'problem'. The sequence length is calculated from the number of frames
that are reported in the modelfile. It's ok to use this length as a length for the sequence
in a multimanager. The length is only mentioned as a key to have correct values for your
multimanager to handle more than 1 scripted sequence, without having you tweak and tune
the map by trial and error.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONTACT
===============================
If you're willing to contribute info or share your bugreports with us, please email to

[email protected]

Please keep your questions related to the tool. We're willing to help everyone with certain
mapping problems, but there are other resources on the net that will help you even more,
and probably faster :)

Have fun and stay tuned!

Otis & Ascent, 16th of March 1999
---------------------------------
Half-life Workshop: http://www.halflife.net/workshop