Zone Converter

[dhgbrown]

Hi All,

I have been searching the forums a bit today but have not found what I am looking for mostly finding just some dead links etc.

I am looking for a way to extract/import zones from EQ into 3dmax and edit modify them. Is there such a tool still around?

I saw VB Zone Converter but no links to it.

Thanks

Dave

[Derision]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for:

http://www.georgestools.eqemulator.net/EQModel_Viewer_ZoneConverter.zip

EDIT: Maybe not, it seems to want a .wld as input, so you need something else to extract the .wld from the .s3d

[GeorgeS]

I think that's the right one, and also you may need S3Dspy - also should be on my page.

When you create (export) the zone .obj, and import into max, the zone may not be textured. UV maps are there but, it's a bit of work to add the materials in max to get the zone looking right. Some one here on these forums is doing this currently.
I use max extensively, so if you have questions, be free to ask.

GeorgeS

[dhgbrown]

WoW,

Thanks a bunch. Looks like what I am looking for. s3dspy works great even on x64.

Dave

[Peener]

Just FYI exporting the OBJ with this version of ZoneConverter does not preserve UVs...

EDIT: Desperately looking for the DB Zone Converter that was originally hosted at SBC Global. If anyone has it, I'd REALLY appreciate it.

[Robregen]

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://hackersquest.org/downloads/zoneconverter/ZoneConverter.zip

Not sure if this is what you are looking for.

[provocating]

I have always had interest in creating zones, I have a lot of ideas in my head on how I would want them done. I am guessing since people never seem to get really far into creating zones the entire process must be very difficult or broken. Is creating a custom zone even feasible?

[GeorgeS]

Yes, it is possible, but windcatcher (back in 2003) (not active here anymore) figured it out. I'm afraid he is the only one who knows how to make zones and told us due to copyright issues, we can only read and not write zones. No one debated it.

GeorgeS

[Speedz]

This is the closest thread I found to an idea I had.
As far as copyright issues if we were to rip out (read remove) all SOE textures and "fix" some obviously broke or misaligned geometry and also fix the poly count in some areas would this not be our own creation and not something SOE could cry "copyright" on?

My idea is to extract all zone files, edit out textures, fix the bad/old geometry and save back to the s3d format the client knows how to use.

Eventually I would like to have our own format so any opensource client project that ever does get somewhere can utilize it and be 100% opensource and no copyright but still hold the real EQ feel.

What I need is a sane way to extract current content. A sane way to edit it, I do have 3dsmax and maya but I am not well versed in their operation yet. Tho its things like this that self teach me. Then finally I need a way to pack the final result back to a s3d.

If anyone can help please PM me with details and don't post here. We don't need a ready made tool for unsavory folk to hack a community server with geometry exploits.

[knowom]

I defiantly like the idea of freely distributable EQemu community created custom zones. I don't know if either of these two links will be useful or not, but they might be.

http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28639

http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2885

[Speedz]

Thx for those. Tho sadly one has no links to available downloads. It looks like it could have helped. I did more searching and stumbled on WC's views on what is "safe". So I may just use the zone geometry, edit them and whatnot. Then name them something completely different without making them officially compatable with the SOE client. Tho I would like a nondistributed method of "testing" my work and be able to use them myself in the client.

[knowom]

This link might also have some useful information.
http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?p=167880

You can find the EQModelViewer here if that's what you were looking for. You can find S3DSpy and some other stuff as well.
http://www.georgestools.chrsschb.com/