How to port Arkham/Unreal Models into SFM (SDWAN's way)

So this guide will be basically coveing how to port out models from Arkham games (Mostly from Arkham Knight). This guide can work for porting any type of unreal 3 mesh NOT JUST ARKHAM GAMES. This is not me being narcisstic at all. Anyone could've made this, but im just trying to help the workshop community in one way.

Please do not just follow my way, but if needs be, then ok then. You can ask other people aswell :/

Tools Of The Trade

You'll need all dem programs I list here:

• Umodel/UE Viewer[www.gildor.org]
  
• ActorX importer for 3DSMax[www.gildor.ohttp]
  
• Batch Expoerter for Umodel[www.gildor.org] (May or may not need this)
  
• 3DSMax (student licenses are free :D)
  
• Blender (depending on your experiance with whatever program. You won't really need Blender
  Blender Source Tools[steamreview.org]
  
• Any Arkham game in the series I guess

Step 1. Using Umodel

Once you download Umodel. I recommend giving it a file of it's own. Open Umodel and this will pop up



On the file path area. Copy and paste the file path to any Arkham Game/ Unreal 3 game you got


Press Ok. and give it a few seconds to load up the files and you'll have a layout similar to this

At this point. You're going to look through files for a specifci model, animations, textures, etc. DO NOT CLICK EXPORT TILL YOU FIND THE FILE YOU NEED. Let us use Johnny Charisma for example (Showcase_Characters_JohnnyCharisma.upk). Most of the textures that he uses are included in the file (Except teeth, iris, normal maps for eyes) Finding those textures will be inlcuded near the end of this guide.


Most Arkham Knight meshes have certain material incompatibilaty issues with umodel so they will most likey show up this way

At this point you may go to Tools>Export current object or Ctrl+X, but the way I do it mostly just cause not everything really exports is I just go back to the package selector screen and export the selected file. Umodel will create a file called "UmodelExport". The file .upk that you have extracted will be in there and it will contatin where the skeletal meshes(psk/pskx), static meshes, textures, and most likley animations are located

Step 2. Using 3DSMax for batch exporting models

This part will probably be controversial, but I already mentioned that this guide is focuse on the way I do this porting stuff. I have little to no experience in 3DXMax so that's why I added Blender to this list.

Open up 3DSMax and start a new scene. Drag and drop the ActorX importer into one of the viewports (It doesn't matter), Then drag and drop the fbx_export plugin the same way.Both should be open and should almost look like this based on your arragement on the windows. DISCLAIMER: There is a Batch Export option in the ActorX importor's window below the materials tab. At the time of writing this. I have never really noticed this. And below that is where you can set the model scale if needed ( I scaled the model in this guide)

You most likely want to only export the meshes first (my recomendation) DO NOT USE FBX TURBOSMOOTH. It increases the polygons. You won't need smoothing groups either. Blender will do it automatically. Now,

Copy the file path to the psk's which will most likely look like this depending on the file location ofcourse

"C:\Users\NAME\Desktop\Desktop folders\Umodel\UmodelExport\Showcase_Characters_JohnnyCharisma\SkeletalMesh3"

Just an example. Do no literally copy this

Once You're done inputing your file path. Press the Export meshes button, and the exporting process takes awhile, so go make a sandwhich or somethin.

Once Done. There will be an fbx file in the SkeletalMesh3 file

Step 2.5. Exporting Animations

This is almost the smae process, but basically you'll need to import the psk/pskx model in 3DXMax. I recommend importing the main mesh/ the mesh that has facial bones (Harley Quinn's animation use her facial bones so it's just my preference) Should look like this (Model was scaled. Yours will probably be different)

Now to Import the PSA animation file(s) located in the Animset folder. Once you have done so. You may click the Export Animations button on the FBX batch exporter. If you have an animset folder with multiple animations .PSAs then you'll have to load them up seperately. You cannot join multiple PSA files. You'll have an FBX folder in the AnimSet folder once done exporting BTW

Step 3. Importing the model in Blender

Blender will already have the latest FBX importer by default so nothing to worry about.

Once you start up Blender. click on a random area in the viewport away from the menu and you'll be in a blank project. now press the "A" key on your keyboard ot select eveything and press the Delete key to remove everything in the scene.

File>>Import>>FBX(.fbx) Locate the FBX folder for your exported model and click on one of the meshes you want to load first. DO NOT IMPORT NORMALS. Let Blender recalculate the normals as there are certain areas with the normals that appear wrong.

You can import the secondary mesh, but I recommend importing only one mesh and fix/ create materials, etc To ease down on the amount of objects in the view, and for performance reasons.
Should look like this (Once again. I exported the mesh with a scale applied)

Step 4. Fixing up the materials

Now by default the model isn't loaded with seperate parts so it would make adding/editing materials very tedious.

This is why you must select just the mesh > go to edit mode > Select everything via pressing the "A" key. Should look like this

Now press "P" Then a little section should pop up in the viewpoert called "seperate" select "By material"













Now your object will not be a single object anymore. Any object that have their own material applied to them will now be seperate. They will have the same duplicate names as the original mesh though












At this point I recommend to use the UV/image viewer in conjunction with the 3d View, and the properties window. I also recommend for WIP reasons to name the objects by thier materials/ texture name so they're easy to figure out like here



Once done. You may import the other object(s) and do the same with them till you think you are completely done

At this point in the guide. I recommend you start paying attention VERY CLOSELY TO THE NEXT SECTION

Step 5. Switching the secondary mesh's Armature to the Primary Mesh's Armature

This is sort off hard to explain via text so this section will probably be the most image heavy or not

So for every secondary Mesh. They have their own armatures. They are meant to work with the primary mesh's armature. Here's how this is going to go down.

1.SELECT THE OBJECT FROM THE OTHER ARMATURE










2. GO TO THE OBJECT TAB














3.GO TO THE RELATIONS DOCK AND FIND THE PARENT. IT WILL MOST LIKEY BE CALLED ARMATURE.XXX (x's are numbers)




4. CHANGE THE PARENT TO THE PRIMARY ARMATURE

5. WE ARE NOT DONE YET! NEXT GO TO THE MODIFIERS TAB













6.SAME DEAL. CHANGE THE OBJECT TO THE PRIMARY ARMATURE














7.

You should see if the model is now completely weighted correctly and attached to the arature by rotating the bones around in pose mode. Good Idea to start saving here too

Step 6. Optimizing the model

Optimizing the model is relatively easy. Most of what you are doing is cleaning up all the clutter of duplicated vertices, reanimng and joing model parts to ease on the space in the model outliner dock

1. Removing double vertices
To remove double vertices on a model. Select the model part and go into edit mode with "TAB". On the left should be a window./ scroll down till you seea tab that says "Remove doubles". Click on that .
Rinse and repeat for every object till blender stops reporting of any removed doubles

Change the names to much more obvious names( Don't need to do this if its already done)

You should probably join the models too, to clean up the outliner window, and for every object you join. Remove the doubles again

Step 7. Adding animations

So for this part. I recomend starting up another new project. (Make sure your main project is saved)

We are going to once again load an fbx, but from the AnimSet File. It is the same process, but a different model path.

All we want here is the animation. We do not need to care much about the model other than comparision ande compatibility purposes. When the model is loaded into Blender. It will already be in its posed mode. Leave it that way.

Because it is quite a hassle to type down the exact name of the animation when compiling the model. I recommend changing the name. Go to the Dope sheet on the left hand corner of the timeline

















Go to the action editor







Select the entire name of the animation and well... change it





After all of that. You might want to save the file different from the main file

Now you want to go back to your main file and do this
File>>Append>> The .blend file with the animations(Charisma_Sitting_Idle)>> Action>> Select the animation sequence. NOW GO BACK TO THE DOPE SHEET AND GO TO THE ACTION EDITOR AND SELECT THE ANIMATION
Now this is the outcome

Final step. how to Export as smd correctly

This part is kinda useless but its more or less just to clear confusion

When you are exporting your model. Make sure the armature is in it's rest position, remove the check on the animation file (The animation fill be in a t-pose if exported with the models) SO it should be like this

Now after you are done exporting the models. You uncheck all of the models and just leave a single check on the animation sequence. Make sure the armature is set to pose position instead

I wont show how to compile everything because it is reletivly simple and its not hard as it sounds, but if needs be. I will include a download to one of my example qc's

Additional info

Certain textures like teeth, eyes, irises are scattered in certain packages since they are shared throughout.

Conclusion/credits

Im sorry guys if this is hard to understnad, but I tried my absolute best as it is my first guide ever posted here. I may have left out some info, or a mistake or 2, but I am atleast trying. Hopefully this has helped a few people. Sadly. Idon't really think too many people are interested in this kind of stuff.

I worked on this guide for about 5 hours so hopefully all this time doesn't go to waste

Hopefully this guide serves its purpose ;-;

If a video is needed instead of a guide i'll make one if that's needed too.

[Declan]

I appreciate the help. Helped me a ton with porting! Keep up the great work and I love your work :)

[WARBORN]

Quick question, for the _R textures it's clear they're channel packed but I'm not sure if I have the contents right. As far as I can tell it's R = Metallic, G = Roughness, and B = Specular. Would that be correct or do I have it mixed up? Thanks in advance!

[SD]

That's UE4. This outdated guide is based on UE3

[cfowler7]

I only get a box with a texture on it trying to get Ark: Survival Evolved models

[SD]

Yeah. There may be small differences here and there, but it should be the same

[koreanswede]

Hey IK its after a while but would this work on Fortnite models? They use unreal engine right?

[SD]

Probably your antivirus mistaking it for a virus. Trust me. it's not a virus

[KeyKey]

it says its an virus on exporter for umodel