I wanted an All-In-One-solution (AiO), so I compiled what I had. In brief, these are the most important and useful modder-tools for SH3. I tried to get more, but most of this "super-community" left me hanging and did not even bother to respond. Many did not in YEARS time! Some took even half a decade to tell me they do not help! Incredible!
Another problem: Many of these old, but brilliant tools required an entry in the registry and nobody who has ever gotten a basic install right and zipped it, used the Ubi-installer, so they all had no such entry. That is why I wrote the tool "SH3REG". It asks you which installation (I got 24 installations installed here as of today) you want to work with and puts that into Windows' registry, so these old tools work again.
Understandably, not all credit goes to me, I surely wrote some of them, but of course not all, so here are the authors in A-Z order:
BL!TZKR!EG, Fader_Berg, H.sie, HebeMaus, LGN1, REF, Richie, Rosomaha, Sansal, Skwasjer, Stiebler, TheDarkWraith (x-Racerboy), Timetraveller, Wolfie.
And here comes a list of what is in this package:
CREDiTS: TimeTraveller
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CREDiTS: TimeTraveller
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"Dat Texture Extractor by ?": show CREDiTS: ?
Dat Texture Extractor is a tool allowing users to change the appearance of any .DAT set. Its primary use is to extract the textures from a .DAT file to a directory and, after these textures have been modified using a graphic editor, to import them back into the .DAT file.
"Duplicate File Eraser": show CREDiTS: Fatih Kodak
DFE easily finds and removes duplicate files, walking recursively through the directories you assign and providing MD5Sums.
CREDiTS: TimeTraveller
File-Analyzer is a GUI program interface for changing general hex game variables for Silent Hunter III.
It is script driven and operates by writing "rules" to define file structure and where game
variables are located in the file. This makes dissecting files a whole lot easier (if you know how to write the
rules of course). Most variables are contained in the .dat, .sim, and .zon files. ANY game file can be modified by writing a
descriptive rule for the file. In \Rules folder you get sample basic rules for various game files. Plus extra rules by STIEBLER.
There is even a rule for extracting TGA graphics out of a single DAT file. The file 'writing_rules.zip' are the instructions.
"IDDuplicateFinder": show CREDiTS: REF
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CREDiTS: TimeTraveller
Inspector is a game hacker's program for changing hex game variables for Silent Hunter III units like
ships, subs, aircraft, torps, DCs, etc. Most variables are contained in the .sim and .zon files.
Be careful changing any unit's MASS value, it has particular effect on subs and causes an almost immediate collision!
Unzip UnitImages.zip to \UnitImages folder if you want to have ship images display when selecting a ship for modification.
"GR2 Editor/Viewer/Extractor/Importer": show CREDiTS: TheDarkWraith
text coming... I have never tried to utilize this tool, is it not only for SH5?
CREDiTS: TheDarkWraith
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CREDiTS: H.sie
Caution! There is a bug! If entry #1 is duplicated (two of them exist in the group), H.sie forgot to catch that case and his tool creates nonsense.
"MenuIni-Renumberer": show CREDiTS: BL!TZKR!EG
Originally by Prozedurmeister/x-TBT, but my code is significantly shorter, my code of the main routine is only 9 lines of code!
CREDiTS: TimeTraveller
Mini-Tweaker assumes that all the data can be found in their original (from stock SH3) offset positions in the data files, even in modded variants of the original data files. For much more flexibilily look at File-Analyzer. File Analyzer does not assume that the values will be in the same positions in the data file. File Analyzer searches for the same data in the same files.
CREDiTS: TimeTraveller
Mission-Analyzer is a GUI program interface for looking at mission files, the RND layer, and the SCR
layer of Silent Hunter III. Values cannot be changed, but some interesting information is presented. All in-game waypoint distances are calculated in units of your choice. Convoy makeup by nationality is presented.
"Overview on Ingame Flotillas": show CREDiTS: Sansal
DESCRiPTi0N: may be used to open and analyse *.dat files and import/export objects and textures to/from *.dat files
"Perl-Scripts for Campaign Files": show CREDiTS: LGN1
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CREDiTS: Skwasjer
Features:
DAT/SIM/ZON/VAL/CAM/DSD/ANM/SDL file support.
OFF file support (font character files)
Integrated 3D model viewer, for entire DAT-file.
Integrated 3D zones editor for editting and viewing the damage and collision model.
Animation preview of 3D mesh animations.
Damage/collision model editor.
Import/export of models with the OBJ-format (WaveFront).
Import/export of TGAs, DDSs.
Import/export of a raw chunk. Can be used to move chunks over to other files.
Import/export of mesh animations.
Import/export of texture animations.
Export of models to COLLADA format (v1.4.1).
UV map preview function, and export option. The exported UV map can be used as an overlay in your favorite paint software, to aid in modifying textures.
Rich GUI, which allows you to edit all the data that is known to me or anyone else.
Property editor for all object controllers/properties, with a full edit mode.
Preview function for TGAs, DDSs.
Full cut/copy/paste support.
Add array items to arrays in property controller data.
Support for keyframe animations
Import of a DAT-file into another. Very useful to load a group of chunks, instead of exporting/importing each chunk seperately.
Multiple files can be opened (it will open in a new window). This is to support copy/paste and drag & drop in the future.
Two types of views for chunks: List, Tree.
Options for editing id's, offsets in decimal/hex, rotations in radians/degrees, etc.
Explorer style navigable links for id's. Click an id, if the id exists in the file, it will navigate to it.
Explorer style history of visited nodes. Back/forward buttons allow you to track back to previously selected nodes.
Rebuild the index chunk with all id's in the file.
List of all id's in the file (by selecting the index chunk). Id's and offsets can be copied to clipboard. Later, maybe even in all the game folders.
Support for placement chunk (cities/harbors)
Move chunk up/down in list. Only one chunk at a time.
Revert changes option (entire reload, not undo/redo)
Recent file list
Remap function (cloning)
Global file search function (search for an id in any file)
Drag and drop support for opening files directly from Windows Explorer.
Undo/redo support to undo changes made to a file.
Automatic check for updates.
Find/Goto dialog to quickly find a node by text, id or index.
Integrated analysis tool for analyzing unknown data using a hex editor.
Ability to add known chunks, including all the controller property chunks.
Assign a new random id to a chunk.
And much more...
CREDiTS: rosomaha
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CREDiTS: TheDarkWraith
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CREDiTS: Fader_Berg
Text File included.
"Terrain-Extractor": show CREDiTS: REF
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CREDiTS: BL!TZKR!EG
Fully documented in
TiNYMD5CREDiTS: Hebemaus
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CREDiTS: Richie
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CREDiTS: Wolfie & BL!TZKR!EG
Fully documented in
TweekPakCREDiTS: TimeTraveller
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CREDiTS: TheDarkWraith
MD5=86D6863920D13D6C8E0F161D7A1491A1
Size= 91648
Version= 2.0.6.0
File= SHValidator.exe
plus a number of informative documents in the sub-folder 'documentation'. Enjoy and be creative!
When I find the time, I will add more descriptions. Feel free to WRITE YOUR DESCRIPTION and pass it to me.
