Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 - The Modding Dungeon Divinity - Original Sin 2 - Modding Guides Tutorial: Importing assets from other games

This is brief introduction how to import textured models from other games into the editor as placeable scenery.

If there is interest, I might write up a Wiki entry with some images to make it even easier to follow.

General tools needed:
* Nordbyte's tool https://docs.larian.game/Pak_Extractor_Guide
* FBX 2013.3 Converter http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=22694909

Neverwinter Nights 2 / The Witcher:
* NWN2MDK https://github.com/Arbos/nwn2mdk/releases
* The Witcher models https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/4795155-witcher-placeable-conversion-project/

Skyrim / Fallout 4:
* Noesis 3D http://richwhitehouse.com/index.php?content=inc_projects.php&showproject=91
* B.A.E. https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/78/?


[b]Step 1[/b]:
Extract native models

For NWN2 you can directly extract MDB meshes from Data/NWN2_Models.zip and DDS textures from Data/NWN2_Materials.zip

The Witcher models are available in the same format at https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/4795155-witcher-placeable-conversion-project/

For Skyrim and Fallout 4 use the B.A.E. tool to extract NIF models from "Data/Fallout4 - Meshes.ba2" or "Data/Skyrim - Meshes.bsa"
Extract corresponding DDS textures from "Data/Fallout4 - Textures.ba2" or "Data/Skyrim - Textures.bsa"

[b]Step 2[/b]:
Convert models to FBX

For NWN2 and The Witcher use the nwn2mdk tool. Simply drag and drop the MDB file you want to convert onto the "nw2fbx-dragdrop.cmd" file. This should give a .fbx file of the same name.

For Skyrim and Fallout open Noesis 3D and open the NIF model you want to convert. Click "export" and save it as FBX anywhere (DON'T save it as DAE directly, does not work).

[b]Step 3[/b]:
Convert models to DAE

[b]a[/b]) Use FBX 2013.3 Converter, drag the FBX model in the left panel, convert it to .OBJ (yes .OBJ, not .DAE!)
[b]b[/b]) now drag the OBJ model in the left panel and convert it back to "FBX 2013"
[b]c[/b]) now drag the new FBX model in the left panel and convert it to .DAE

[b]Step 4[/b]:
Convert models to GR2

Finally we can convert the models into GR2, thus making them useable in the divinity os 2 editor.

Open Nordbyte's ConverterApp and go to the first tab "GR2 Tools".
Select the .DAE model in the first row under "input file path"
Select any path to a .GR2 file name in the second row under "output file path"
Hit "Import"... if all goes well you should not see any errors and the "Export" button will become available.
Hit "Export"

[b]Step 5[/b]: Import into the editor
Follow the steps listed in this guide to get your item into the editor:
[url=https://docs.larian.game/My_first:_Item]https://docs.larian.game/My_first:_Item[/url]


Here is an example of a woodpile from The Witcher:
[img:center]https://i.imgur.com/GyNwSlt.png[/img]

Thank you for this tutorial and the links to the helpful wiki articles! I was just looking into importing models and textures today.

This is quite amazing. How to ensure however that the imported stuff is recognised by the game as such?

What do you mean with "recognised by the game as such"? Ultimatey it's a .GR2 mesh with a DDS texture / normal. You import it into the game as "scenery" by adding the mesh, the texture and then creating a new material combing the mesh and the texture. So far I haven't had any problems (like UV mapping, etc...) with any model.

If you want to use character models with animations, you need to edit / add a rigged skeleton, such that it maps to Larians animation system. I don't have gathered infortmation on that yet though, but I guess someone from Larian might provide input about that soon.

To make it more readable (seems like BBCode is not activeated retroactively):

This is incredible.

Very useful, you should submit this to the wiki even without images.

Thumbs up. A huge research step for the community.

This is the kind of guide that's really going to spur the modding community. Great stuff. Probably some copyright issues with taking stuff from other games though.

I believe CDPR said that the Witcher assets could be used in other community made content. Definitely want to be cognizant of copyright issues, but keep in mind that there is also community made content for these games that are not copyrighted, so importing community made content from NWN2 is a significant help.

I'm taking my hat off for that :o
Amazing stuff!

Be sure to let us know if you are willing to submit a wiki page for that. I'd have to double check the mentioned possibility of copyright issues if we as moderators allow such information on our wiki. But it is also a guide I could pin to this community forum.

Gonna warn you(the OP) about importing Skyrim assets into another game.. Bethesda will come after you if they find out. They have strict rules about that. You can't even redistribute their own assets in a mod for Skyrim, and you can't import assets from their other games into their other games @_@.

Thank you for the guide. I want to add my models into the game soon and this guide is really helpful.

Btw, i'm not familiar with creating new content for the game and i require adding icons for my new items and recipes.

If i be more specific, i want to create bags for items. And i want to give them new icons in inventory ui. Where should i put my pictures and how can i locate them in editor?

Thanks.

Thanks for the positive feedback.

@Larian_KVN: If I get your go ahead I can create a wiki article about this.

Is this one now in the wiki? Can't find it. Maybe I'm blind. Just dont want this to get lost. I'd appreciate thidnone to get pinned too .

would you happen to know how to add the new resource to character visual indices selection? I edited a Human Male Head GR2 file and want to be able to use it on a character

Hmmm... Getting a weird error here. It says:

Failed to add -NameHere-.gr2 to package, the path is not inside the game data path: -Lists Steamapps\common\Divinity Original Sin 2 Data folder-

No clue what's up with that, any ideas?

.:Edit:.
Sooo.... I can't import gr2 models if they're not under the Data folder specified by that error I just mentioned. As soon as it's in there, boom! Works.

I'm not ok with that o_o

Am I just missing something incredibly obvious here?

I had the same behaviour / error.... I'm starting to think it's best to just accept a few things about the editor to keep one's sanity

I suppose it could be worse, eh? Shame!

Thanks for the tutorial, it's been a great help

Maybe a mod can move this topic to the new "Guides" sub-forum?

Nothing is happening when I attempt to drag a MDB file onto the "nw2fbx-dragdrop.cmd" file. Any ideas / suggestions as to why?

https://i.imgur.com/dmSyYsK.jpg

When i tried using the DAE to GR2 converter, i had to turn on generate normals other wise the model would come out super dark, and now even then the model is coming out really shiny for some reason. Both models are using the same texture so its a issue with the GR2 file not the material being used for me. also when I tried to import a animation file for it, only some of the joints are being animated?

https://i.imgur.com/dmSyYsK.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CKV2AS2.jpg

(FYI this is what happens if i dont make the converter recalculate normals.)

Normally the per-vertex normals are stored in the GR2 file, and when you export/import the model to/from DAE it'll automatically import the normals from the DAE. If normals were not exported to the DAE, they will be recalculated. (Please note that these automatically calculated normals are generally less precise than those specified manually and may contain errors, therefore it is recommended that you export the normals from whatever modeling program you're using.)

There is a normal map texture (called something like Chest_NM) which contains the per-texel normals encoded into the texture. If you didn't assign a normal map to the material after importing the mesh into the editor, it'll only use the per-vertex normals.

In addition, there is a physical map (Chest_PM ?) which contains the physical properties (anisotropy, metalness, roughness) of the material; this also needs to be assigned to make sure that the mesh will look fine ingame.

It seems that in your first two pics there was no normal map assigned at all, and the normals all pointed in one direction (hence the "2d" look and the grayness/blackness when looked at from specific angles). I'd say that in your third shot the physical map is missing, since the reflectance parameters seem to be the same on all parts of the mesh.

how to use Cloths tab? wiki says The properties will only be applied to models that are exported with Vertex Painting. but i import some gr2 file with cloth properties in blender, and there is no color in the Vertex Paint mode.
is something i missed?

Which GR2 file are you looking at?

Humans_Female_Armor_Platemail_A_Garment_A
Humans_Female_Armor_Paladin_Priest_A_Upperbody_A
Creatures_Gheist_A_Cloth_A

and paladins cape.

Ah, support for exporting vertex color was not yet available in the exporter.
I've added import/export for colors in the beta version:
https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/nb-stor/dos/ExportTool/ExportTool-v1.8.7-beta.zip

its worked well,i can see the swing part is red in blender.
but ,i think i really need a help. how to handle it in the divinity engine.i can't do anything on Edit visual panel.

and thank for your powful tools:p

I was wondering, could you do some research about Baldurs gate models and doing this process again?