[PS2] Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater .mdl

[mrmaller1905]

The character models I exported to Wavefront OBJ using the Noesis plugin have broken polygon normals. Are there ways to fix these?

https://github.com/Jayveer/MGS-MDL-Noesis

mgs3snakeeater_mdl.zip

[DreamingOxxy]

You should use FBX instead, it exports it into pieces which could help with that, and it has an armature, but even then I don't think it'll fix the normals, they've never exported right for me either. I just recalculate the normals on the meshes and fix any errors afterwards.

[mrmaller1905]

10 hours ago, DreamingOxxy said:

You should use FBX instead, it exports it into pieces which could help with that, and it has an armature, but even then I don't think it'll fix the normals, they've never exported right for me either. I just recalculate the normals on the meshes and fix any errors afterwards.

I tried exporting to FBX or SMD or GLTF files but I still get bad polygon normals. Are there fixed alternatives?

[shak-otay]

7 hours ago, mrmaller1905 said:

I tried exporting to FBX or SMD or GLTF files but I still get bad polygon normals.

You'll need to specify what you mean by "bad polygon normals". From the picture in the opener I'd guess there's a problem with the meshes face winding. (Then it would be clear, that the normals of the wrong orientated faces point to the wrong direction by 180 degrees.)

edit: some sub meshes don't have normals. And when I flip them manually for those which have they only flip for some faces, markekd in this example:

edit2:  not sure whether the flipping is handled correctly.

I think there is an "else flip = 1;" missing here:

if (fvf[3] & 0x8000) flip = 0;

On the other hand, in bindFace(...);

there's 
if (fvf[3] & 0x8000) return;

That seems to indicate an unsolved flipping problem in the code. (And result shown in the above pic where some normal vectors point into the mesh.)

edit 3: changed it but it led to superfluous faces inside the body...

 

 

 

Edited January 23 by shak-otay

[mrmaller1905]

On 1/23/2026 at 8:28 AM, shak-otay said:

You'll need to specify what you mean by "bad polygon normals". From the picture in the opener I'd guess there's a problem with the meshes face winding. (Then it would be clear, that the normals of the wrong orientated faces point to the wrong direction by 180 degrees.)

edit: some sub meshes don't have normals. And when I flip them manually for those which have they only flip for some faces, markekd in this example:

edit2:  not sure whether the flipping is handled correctly.

I think there is an "else flip = 1;" missing here:

if (fvf[3] & 0x8000) flip = 0;

On the other hand, in bindFace(...);

there's 
if (fvf[3] & 0x8000) return;

That seems to indicate an unsolved flipping problem in the code. (And result shown in the above pic where some normal vectors point into the mesh.)

edit 3: changed it but it led to superfluous faces inside the body...

 

 

 

Is there a way to fix broken face windings?

[shak-otay]

By fixing the code, I guess.

Whatever I do in blender, one random half of faces has inverted normals:

 

[mrmaller1905]

According to the official developers of Metal Gear Solid 3 and Softimage press room, they used Softimage XSI (rest in peace) to create 3D character models:

Quote

 

Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Selects SOFTIMAGE|XSI
as Main Tool for Creating “Metal Gear Solid 3”

--Konami Japan once again chooses Softimage software for creating the latest entry to its worldwide mega-hit franchise--

 

Montreal, Quebec – July 21 2003 – Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID), today announced that Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (JASDAQ:4338) has chosen the SOFTIMAGE®|XSI® software, Softimage’s leading nonlinear 3-D production environment as its main tool for creating “Metal Gear Solid 3”. Directed by Mr. Hideo Kojima, the new title has already grabbed the attention of E3 2003 attendees, earning the rank of “most impressive game title at E3 2003” by a leading Japanese game magazine, and its trailer was ranked number one in the “must see” rankings of E3 by the GameSpot.com website.

“Metal Gear Solid 3” is the latest entry to the company’s leading game franchise with over 13 million copies sold.  In an extremely competitive environment, where the lines between games and film have become increasingly blurred, Konami Japan wanted to further extend their brand with an increased level of realism, in-game art and character capability.  In creating this title, Konami Japanturned to the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, which designers could easily use, and to Softimage Co., a company focused and responsive to the in-production needs of the professional market. 

“Our company goal is to lead the future of entertainment by establishing a corporate brand and expanding it to generate the most expectation. To create and deliver “Metal Gear Solid 3, we evaluated the tools available and chose the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, whose animation and polygonal modeling tools and SDK environment are of the highest quality,” comments the general manager at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan’s Design Unit.  “In addition to this, we chose to partner with Softimage for the company’s strong support and the quick responsiveness of the Softimage Japan office; very important criteria when creating such a significant project.”

Like other leading Japanese game companies that have been using Softimage products for the past decade, Konami has a large and valuable database of assets created in SOFTIMAGE|3D, some of which they wanted to use in the new title.  Fast and efficient conversion of the data was therefore an important first step in keeping overall costs down and thus allowing the development teams to focus on creative work.

One of the first questions for Konami Japan was whether or not to convert the old SOFTIMAGE|3D data to the new environment and character structure in the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software. Using the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, Konami Japan solved this question simply and efficiently by creating a script for transplanting motion and generating SOFTIMAGE|XSI scenes automatically using the Batch process. Scripting was also used for repetitive work, allowing Konami Japan to decrease production time and reduce the errors that are associated with routine work.

The general manager at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan’s Design Unit adds: “Another feature that we found beneficial was the ability to distribute new tools via add-ons to each person in charge when changes are made. And as for the rigging in the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, it was useful having expressions automatically generated by dragging and dropping from one parameter to another, as well as having the ability to offset constraints and blend their relative weights. Previously, these functions were achieved only through complex numerical formulas.  With the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, we can now concentrate on the quality of modeling and animation.”

Konami Japan also chose the SOFTIMAGE|XSI environment for its animation mixer, which is able to connect and composite seamlessly the motion data done by different divisions all at the same time. This made it possible to create a variety of work quickly and allow for easy editing. Konami Japan also praised the ease of use of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software and said: “Even designers who are not familiar with the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software can easily create compelling content by using the synoptic view for character control. The customisability extends to the entire interface, making any work more efficient, freeing designers from non-productive, repetitive tasks and letting them focus on the creative aspects of development.”

“We are proud to announce that Konami Computer Entertainment Japan has chosen the SOFTIMAGE|XSI environment as its main tool for production. It builds upon the strong relationship we have shared since 1990 through which we developed and delivered many important advances to the game development community,” says Michael Stojda, managing director at Softimage. “We look forward to playing “Metal Gear Solid 3” when it’s released.”

 

 

 

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20030811080834/http://www.softimage.com/home/press/pressreleases/030721_konami_xsi.htm