Howdy, Need help opening / edit model file, its file extension is .txt and texture file extension is .tga. I have no idea on how this 3d model file is edited or how to create 3d model files such as this. If anyone would like to help do please email me at psychophat@msn.com and I will forward you both the 3d model file and texture. I do hope someone could tell me how to make 3d model files such as this. Thank you Regards, Patrick Grey

Additional notes regarding unknown 3d format when viewed using HEXADECIMAL editor it shows the following:

#!BIN#MODEL#.MODEL.paralyze_D . . . . #lgwsave# . . . .<path to texture> . . . then binary content


Hope this helps.

We can only replace textures of this 3d model file but with no hope in understanding what type 3rd party app can edit these. Anyways we open them in binary format but with texture path editing only no 3d editing can be done for the code is not understandable.

Additional information: we gotten a hold of an mesh converter for the .txt file format it converts .txt to .bin

Okay now its a .bin file what now? From what we understand .bin is a SGI file when it comes to 3D but we are still not sure.

Can anyone help in opening this file?

I've never heard of text 3d files. Try converting it to XML, if that is at all a possibility. Telling us where you got the model would probably help immensely though.

From game, UFO Aftershock in the previous game UFO Aftermath, Altar (developer) gave out modding tools to games to develop new game types for their game. From 3D import/export, coding tools, extrator and etc..

This time they only gave the extractor though their've promised to give out others, its been nearing a year only excuses, but we the fans already have developed mods for the game but this time since we are short of 3D gurus (someone with extensive knowledge of 3D) we can't develop apps to cover their shortcomings of wanting to create/add custom 3D models to the game.

I'll send you the file if you would like (email me at psychophat@msn.com), I've also managed to convert it to .bin but still un-openable, am trying to get information on the web on how to open SGI, but I don't think we can get an SGI machine/app for some of the modding fans only got Milk, Light, Maya or Max. And mostly little to average experience.

Sincere thanks for answering post, pray you could shine some light to our problem.

My expectation would be that the game uses .txt as a sort of compressed format. In file formats like .obj, the data is viewable, and to some extend, editable in Notepad. If your txt file contains binary data (0's and 1's?), then this becomes impossible. Its also strange that a game would use a binary text file as its model format... in my estimation, and I am no programmer, this is the most uncompressed a file can get. So I see two reasons that cause your problem:
-.txt isn't a text file at all, but a proprietary compressed format with a coincidental file extension. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a proprietary format with the same extension as another extension, though nothing near as common as .txt.
-The game reads the .txt as binary data, then somehow converts or saves it to another (compressed) format, that may never manifest itself to be editable on the HDD. I can't say off hand why a company would do this, and not just store the file as compressed. There could be reasons, such as being able to modify the binary data before it is loaded by the engine. But I am wading deep into unknown territory for my realm of knowledge.
Again, I could be way off on the above.
But one thing I am almost sure of is that you won't be able to read the text file in any major 3d application. Someone (a talented programmer in whatever APi the game uses) is going to have to write an importer, but first he'll need to delve into the engine to understand how the .txt model files are read.

Note: I just checked Deep Exploration, and you can import a txt file, but so far it looks as if its only for normal text editing. I can try opening it if you send it to professor420@thefourthage.net , though.

Sending:

1 - .txt = original format (ingame model file)
1 - .bin = converted format (unknown to us, but maybe this is the key)
1 - .tga = texture in-game for this model

Also attached notes other modders who've managed to make a meshconverter though they've discontinued in the project api they left us a modelviewer and meshconverter. Still most of us can't understand how the said file can be edited in 3D app. And also old notes by other who tried exporting/importing to game format.

Thank you

Regards,

Patrick Grey

I don't know how to reverse engineer an application. But I try to find the source code if it was left. Who do I send it for viewing or something?

I emailed to Professor420 everything, there were no documentations left behind only the chat notes I've included in the email. It was a lost interest from the developer of the viewer/converter to polish his work. Those of us who hold behind the files can only use it to view the texture on the mesh.

I hope somebody can help make ends meet for our fan based mod project. We are all players none from the group can develop api's.