[EN] Porting SCM models in Blender

About porting models format .scm from Supreme Commander 2 (SC1+FA count) to Blender-type editors

Beginning

Russian version
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2879092115
Welcome to a fascinating guide on porting units from Supreme Commander 2.

To find the model you want, you need to look in gamedata, we will be porting a unit, so go to the file Units.scd (Any archiver(WinRAR, 7-zip?) will do)

IDs of all units: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2870519945
Next, we move the entire unit folder (with the model and textures) to a convenient place from where we can work comfortably. Among the .scm models will be lod0, lod1, lod2, lod3. This is simply speaking rendering on the range, in a good way, it is necessary to leave only lod0, or lod1, the rest can be deleted.

Adding plugins to the editor

Download Blender if you haven't yet
https://store.steampowered.com/app/365670/Blender/
https://www.blender.org/download/

Download Importer-Exporter:
https://github.com/Exotic-Ret()ard/SupCom_Import_Export_Blender
^remove ()
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1042526461195718686/1048306034231496825/SupCom_Import_Export_Blender-master.zip
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IkZcoIy1kU4BV_6ffBNUg_DF38flSQ6v/view?usp=share_link

Supcom Importer 0.5.3; Supcom Exporter 0.5.9

Next, unzip them into any place you want to install them in Blender.
(WARNING! You can't rename files, otherwise nothing will work!).

Go to Preferences


Go to Add-ons, and click Install.... Then select the files you unpacked earlier:
supcom-importer.py; supcom-exporter.py









Congratulations, you can now import models and do whatever you want with them. There are nuances below:

1. Exporting has not yet succeeded on any version of blender, just rushes errors, I will have to ask the modders, see what they advise.
   
2. Importing animations is only possible from SupCom1 and FA; SupCom2 is out.
   

For 3DS Max (May be only for 9 version)
https://github.com/Exotic-Re()tard/Supcom_Import_Export_Max
Remove () in the link

Editing

So, you were able to import the model, now it's time to have some fun. Choose a model and press Tab (on the keyboard).

The first thing you should know is that here the vertices are not connected, simply put, all planes on the meshes are plates that are not connected, and for example trying to edit one part - you touch the point of another plate. Here is an example of this: (Here the selected points should make the plane change color)


So to make it easier to select the parts you want, click on Face select (or below in the screenshot)


Also, if you need to change the size of the model itself (not the scale), then switch to Wireframe mode (Viewport shading type)


Set Select Mode -> Vertex select, and start selecting the necessary parts by holding down the left mouse button.


Next, I think you'll figure it out, there's a panel on the left for moving, rotating, scaling, transforming, and a bunch of other things. Have fun.

Working with materials

At the top of the panel select Shading. Since our model is blank for the blender, we need to create a material.


Blender can work with the .dds texture format (if you want to edit a texture - Paint.net is your help), then drag the Diffuse and Normal textures from the folder -> to the bottom of the panel.


Our textures are now in place, but they are not involved, now don't get confused:
Diffuse texture - Click on Color and bring it to the Base Color section.
Normal texture - Click on Color and bring it to the Normal section.

Not bad, is it? But that's not enough, and we can't change the color of the team, and that's where the fun part comes in.

Since it would be difficult to explain in text form how to do this, I will show and even provide a finished model with textures, so that later we can copy it and use it in your model.


Messy, isn't it? However, all the textures are respected, and the model is practically original, as in the game.

A link to a ready-made example.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IebFRLCnit6che01PXEqoEgalJ_kA984/view?usp=sharing

UV Editing

UV map - that is what is responsible for which part of the model - which part of the texture to render. This is necessary, for example, to reduce the size of files for models like Escape Pod, which exploits the same texture as the ACU.

In the top panel, go to UV Editing, we have two windows, in the right model, in the left - the texture. Since we already have a material with textures made, on the left side it is enough to drop the Diffuse texture. In the right window, you need to scroll the panel to select the rendering type - Viewport Shading (Method to display/shade objects in the 3D view)


Select our model with the left mouse button, press Tab and press A to select all vertex, and in the left part of the screen you can move the vertices as you want, select a group of vertices, scale and change the position.

By the way, here too the vertexes are duplicated (There are several vertexes in one point)

Here is your imagination, have fun.

[Legacy] Blender 2.49

FORGET ABOUT THIS SECTION UNTIL THE OPTION FROM ABOVE STOPS WORKING FOR EVERYONE!

Download Blender 2.49 (with the plugin installed) from the link below
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15n3f8vDP9KV8uGMKnbtXJoptAvoRR0re/view?usp=sharing

Open and remove everything unnecessary. (Cube, camera, lighting)

Next, at the bottom, change Window type: - to Scripts Window


Next, just to the right of the same button, click on Scripts -> Import -> SupCom model (.scm) 3.5

Click on the two points, and then go back, and so on until you find your file, which you want to import. I have for example this UX0116 (Drone of Wilfindja) (Choose always option lod0, or the model closest to 0), click on it.

Next, click on the Select SCM File button on the right;

In the lower left corner, click on Import, and there's our model:


Next, we can export the model to the format we want (don't worry, the textures on it will fall into place, the UV sweep will stay on it), click again on Scripts -> Export;
And here already as you wish, but remember the main thing, this is an old blender, and in the new it may not work. Below is a little bit about formats:
(Blender) .blend - In 3.11 can be imported, but with the exception that the same windows that were in this blender are also imported.
(Wavefront (Legacy)) .obj - works perfectly, the best option. (along with .obj creates .mtl, do not delete this file)
(Autodesk FBX) .fbx - uses the old version of something there, and in general, it is not imported into the new one.
(3D Studio) .3ds - did not test.

For export to .obj leave these parameters.

Credits

kolzar - Wrote a guide, suffered
Stronk Soviet - Comrade, helped with the installation of plugins, answered a lot of my questions.
maksing - provided the material and explained how to work with it.
Oygron - For creating a plugin for porting meshes into blender.

If you still have any questions, write in the comments, and see if I can help.

[kolzar]

Uggh, I think it's better to ask about it in the biggest Supreme Commander 2 Community, but if we talk about shields, it's not modeling, it's blueprints.

https://discord.gg/3xf6cRn

[Alsinir]

Can we make models with shields and treads work, or has that not been figured out yet?

[kolzar]

???

[Deathnoks]

sauce?

[kolzar]

Yes

[Deathnoks]

Is it possible to do something similar for forged alliance?