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SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:33 pm (61276)

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Given the age of these games, I plan on one day rebuilding them from the ground up in Unity. That being said, I'd like to keep as many original assets as I can which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for these otherwise unassuming mdl model files. Maya, Blender, Unity, and 3DS Max don't recognize them. The game series in question uses a custom-built engine with no chance of ever getting any official documentation, so I'm guessing this is a completely custom format.

An example file is attatched, it should look like a house when opened. It should not have a texture. A converter that allows converting from this format to Unity-compatible model formats would be appreciated, I'm in contact with someone who would also greatly appreciate a converter like that.

Karpati, posted Fri Dec 25, 2020 4:16 pm (61279)

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Can you tell me how to did you extract the files from the pak0.apk, pak1.apk, pak2.apk files?

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Fri Dec 25, 2020 8:02 pm (61282)

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There's a Total Commander plugin called Games Archive Unpacker that added AirStrike support before it eventually ceased development. It turns out the game can read files from outside the APKs as long as the folder structure is correct, so a repacker isn't needed. I still need a way to convert these models.

DJ Normality, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 5:11 am (61287)

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I looked at the sample. Its so small i cant really seem to find anything useful. Do you have a bigger example file ?

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 6:27 am (61288)

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This one should be a bit larger.

DJ Normality, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 7:13 am (61289)

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Well i saw the heli but for some reason faces arent loading due to this one vertex here.. not really sure.


The data is pretty clear though.

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 3:48 pm (61290)

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From those yellow points alone, that looks like the model. Any chance of a mdl-to-obj and an obj-to-mdl converter? I could get a lot of use out of that, especially since my videos relating to modding these games are attracting an audience surprisingly, also wanting more modding capabilities.

Karpati, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 5:03 pm (61296)

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I see the helicopter really.

Karpati, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 6:55 pm (61299)

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Comanche impala model:

DJ Normality, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 8:13 pm (61301)

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Nice work!! You making a 3Dobj plug-in ?

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Sat Dec 26, 2020 8:20 pm (61302)

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I hope someone is. Something that would also be nice is a tool that converts TO this game's format. Custom models ingame would be a dream.

DJ Normality, posted Sun Dec 27, 2020 10:48 am (61311)

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3Dobj Converter is 50$ but does so many formats. He also updates the tool often for new formats.

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:39 pm (61323)

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Well, I'm on its website, and AirStrike 3D support hasn't been added yet. Will this allow me to just convert FROM mdl or also TO mdl. I need both.

Karpati, posted Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:42 pm (61349)

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I have finished my AirStrike 3D: Operation W.A.T.; AirStrike II: Gulf Thunder .mdl loader module and I have released the following programs as web updates:

- 3D Object Converter v7.041 (Windows)
- i3DConverter v3.902 (macOS)
- i3DConverter v1.902 (Linux)

How to get the 3D Object Converter v7.041:
Download the 3D Object Converter from http://3doc.i3dconverter.com and install it or download and use the portable version.
After it just use the Help/Check for updates... function to get the v7.041.

How to get the i3DConverter macOS v3.902:
Download the i3DConverter from http://www.i3dconverter.com and install it.
After it just use the Help/Check for updates... function to get the v3.902.

How to get the i3DConverter Linux v1.902:
Download the i3DConverter from http://www.i3dconverter.com and install it.
After it just use the Help/Check for updates... function to get the v1.902.

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:31 pm (61353)

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Can that convert back into MDL from other formats? I need a way to convert to this game's model format so I can add custom models.

Karpati, posted Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:52 am (61361)

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SlyCooperReloadCoded wrote:

Can that convert back into MDL from other formats? I need a way to convert to this game's model format so I can add custom models.

I wrote about the loader module.

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:21 am (61409)

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So, can it? I don't see where you gave a definite answer about converting both to and from.

Karpati, posted Thu Dec 31, 2020 2:12 pm (61412)

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SlyCooperReloadCoded wrote:

So, can it? I don't see where you gave a definite answer about converting both to and from.

It has not an AirStrike 3D .mdl export module as its web pages show it:
http://3doc.i3dconverter.com/formats.html
http://3doc.i3dconverter.com/history.html

SlyCooperReloadCoded, posted Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:31 am (61425)

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Will there be one? Loading them is only half the battle.

nitroconsumer67, posted Sat Feb 18, 2023 1:26 am (75461)

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SlyCooperReloadCoded wrote:

Will there be one? Loading them is only half the battle.

if you're still interested, there's a javascript converter for both obj to mdl and mdl to obj
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yj-kZS ... sp=sharing