[FIXED][BUG] GoldSrc Model Distortion on Decompile/Recompile

[Ring-A-Ding Rampage / ParaBolt]

Hello, the recreation of SMDs from the original MDL is not totally accurate. Whenever a model is decompiled, some slight changes in the geometry of the model are introduced, possibly due to rounding the vertex positions up/down during the decompilation process.

To better understand what I mean, please view the screenshots which compare the original model, 1st recompile using Kratisto's MDLDec 1.2 and 1st recompile using Crowbar 0.51. If you decompile and recompile this 1st recompiled version, it will stray even further away from the original.

https://i.imgur.com/ojNzpnx.gif
https://i.imgur.com/VnKxLpO.png

Maybe it can't be helped but I wanted to report this in case something can be done about this.

Even if it cannot be completely eliminated, can the process be made more accurate? Kratisto's decompiler seems to recreate the original model much better than Crowbar does. The model in question is a pre CS 1.6 model.

For recompilation, I have used DoomMusic's StudioMDL.

[ZeqMacaw]

I will look into it.

[ZeqMacaw]

I figured out that the texture UV values for DoomMusic's StudioMDL are calculated slightly differently than the HL SDK StudioMDL. Changing Crowbar to use the different texture UV calculation for decompiling produces values that exactly match what Kratisto's MDL Dec 1.2 produces.

The vertex values are still very slightly different between the decompilers, but I think that is due to floating point error and will not likely be fixable. When comparing recompiles between the decompilers, neither recompile matches the original model exactly, but they both seem to be "off" in different areas. You'll have to decide which you like better, I guess.

[Pte Jack]

The other thing as well is just what program are you using to work with the SMDs after decompile? Are you just decompiling and recompiling for it to be used in another game engine or are you brining it into a 3d editor and working with it, re exporting and then recompiling?

Not all verts or there positions come out of a model exactly. And bringing a model into a 3d editor, wll you end up with rounding errors from the decompile then rounding errors from the import and if the program auto-smooths, even more verts get shuffled around. We see this when we overlay a VTA file on top of model in Blender. Theres a lot of orphaned dots. You never get an exact duplicate of the actual game model.

Think of the process as a photocopy machine, you photocopy an original, there is going to be some degradation of the quality, if you photocopy a photocopy of an orginal, there's going to be more. Keep photocoping photocopies of photocopies, you end up with characters faded to the point of being no visible or blobbing out.

[ZeqMacaw]

Forgot to mention that the UV fix will be in next release.

[Ring-A-Ding Rampage / ParaBolt]

Thanks to both of you :). I really appreciate the tools.

@Pte Jack : The example posted above was just decompile and then recompile without changing anything. Whenever I do work with these models, I just import them to MilkShape 3D, usually only to change arms/anims and the final output is meant for CS 1.6/CZ.

I'll make sure to save either the source files or the original models so if I want to use them later, I won't be reusing the photocopies :).

[ZeqMacaw]

Fixed in Crowbar 0.55.