Why Did My Updates Stop?

For the sake of completeness, I figured I'd make this post just to explain why I stopped using this blog. The simple reason is that at some point the site had problems allowing me to post. Perhaps if this post shows up correctly, I'll start posting updates again.

Crowbar

"Crowbar" seems a fitting name for a source engine model decompiler, and I am considering using this for the one I am working on. Using survivor_producer.mdl for most of my testing, my program extracts ~97% of the file's info.

It currently also does the following:

• Creates a QC file, which has the following info:
• $modelname
• $model
• flexfile
• flex
• flexcontroller
• %flex
• mouth
• $lod
• replacemodel
• $poseparameter
• $cdmaterials
• $texturegroup
• $attachment
• $includemodel
• $surfaceprop
• $eyeposition
• $illumposition
• $sequence
• $ikchain
• $collisionjoints {}
• $jigglebone
• Creates the reference SMD file.
• Creates the LOD SMD files.
• Creates two log files for helping with testing.

I plan to figure out how to decompile animations ($animation and $sequence info to be placed into SMD files) and face animations ($model {flexfile} info to be placed into VTA files).

Feel free to contact me (via Steam chat message or my gmail) to discuss, help, question, or comment.

:)

My Recent Activities

1. Playing L4D2, after about a year hiatus.
2. Refreshing my memory on L4D2 survivor modding.
3. Working on a program for decompiling MDL and related files, i.e. a "MDL Decompiler" replacement that is intended to include decompiling animation SMD files correctly.
4. Helping fix some issues for someone else's Zoey-replacement model.
5. Learning how to use the latest Blender for modeling and animating.
6. Testing a method for replacing any of the 8 survivors with any character model so that it keeps its own animations working in an online Campaign game. (Successful results, so far!)