[akcaliberg]

Hi people,

I was wondering if there is a way to know what files does a model file require. I mean every .mdl file comes with series of files with extensions .vmt .dx90.vtx .vtf .vvd .phy etc.

Is there some kind of manifest information in .mdl files to know exactly what extra files does it require and which folder they should be placed in?

I think they also can require sound files too. When I used a zombie claws model, the server printed out some error messages about missing zombie sounds.

I used Source SDK's model viewer tool to look for such information but couldn't find any.

[ambn]

According to this: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil.../?id=436454108

QC Script: A text document containing a very simple script specifying where the Source Engine can find the necessary prop files.

I haven't been into modeling but i guess you may need to decompile the model to get such info, correct me uf I'm wrong

[akcaliberg]

Thanks for the link, it helped clarify some things.

I couldn't get the decompiler working but I've found a quicker solution for retrieving the data from .mdl files. I used "strings" command in PowerShell to display printable strings in the .mdl file. The filename and the directory that the engine should look at is listed at the last bytes of the .mdl file.

If anyone else is wondering, this is what I've understood:

So let's say you have a model named mutation_light.mdl in the directory: csgo/models/player/custom_player/zombie/mutation_light/

The engine will automatically look at the same directory for the .phy .vvd and .dx90.vtx files. They should all have the same name with the .mdl file.

Now if you type "strings mutation_light.mdl" on PowerShell (or terminal if you are using a unix-like os) last lines of the output will look like this:

...
ACT_DIERAGDOLL
studio
rhand
lhand
rfoot
lfoot
models/player/custom_player/animset_ct.mdl
zombie_mutation_light
models\player\zombie\mutation_light\

I guess animset_ct.mdl is something that the studio includes during the compilation, so it's not important for the user.

"zombie_mutation_light" is the name of the files that the engine will look for in the directory "csgo/materials/models/player/zombie/mutation_light"

The engine will use these information to find "zombie_mutation_light.vmt" and "zombie_mutation_light.vtf" files.