Footprint Manipulation - How To?

[SanKakU]

I would like to find out if there is a way to make unit footprints last longer than they normally do. Also I would like to be able to temporarily cause all footprints on the map to not go away...basically freezing the tracks in the dirt, if you will. I figure it would be cool to have a Chaser freeze the tracks of the Runner, or vice versa. And it would be good anyway for my map if there was a way for me to simply extend the length of time that the footprints are visible. I have invisible units and I want them to be more easily seen by their footprints. My map is a hunting game, so I think extending the lifespan of the footprints would really make my map more realistic, and more fun to play.

 

[chovynz]

As far as I know...

Footprints are part of the model, and are mostly unchangable (without going into the model itself). So if you want to make footprints last longer or freeze, I suggest you trigger them yourself.

Sure it can. Just detect when the unit is moving, and then create a Dummy with the model Demonic Footprints.

http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=95472&highlight=footprints

http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=89335&highlight=footprints

http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=66952&highlight=footprints

http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31661

 

[SanKakU]

(I feel like you didn't read my post...)

but only one unit has the demonic footprints (illidan footprints)...other units have other footprints. you can't make everyone in my map use demonic footprints. i want to manipulate their true footprints, not give them illidan footprints.

there were a few threads about using the model doodad demonic footprints or even flowers, lol...whatever for placing locust dummy footprint units and then removing them...my question is...should i be asking for some expert help in extracting the footprints of all the units i need in models that i can use like how those footprints are able to be used?

i have 26 runners and 10 chasers that i need to do this for. that demonic footprint method will work for the chaser that uses the illidan model...and i can do the same concept with smoke smudge with one of the runners, a shadowy custom model that someone made, he probably used smoke smudges although i'm not sure if that's what he did for the footprints for it, it will match his model ok. but then there are 25 more runners and 9 more chasers that i will need to change their footprints for this. like check out for example the infernal juggernaut, it uses a very distinct footprint, and it's very noticable...many units also have footprints...practically all of the footprints don't really last as long as i want them to for my hunting map...that's the issue. it's a bit different from what anyone else has tried to do.

it might require extracting the footprints of the models of the units that i need it for, and making custom models for doodads/dummy units i guess. but this seems a little tricky because i might end up placing a double footprint for all the units even if i do this. i think that seems a little silly and it would probably be better to extend the life of the footprints, were it possible.

there were some threads i went through talking about editing the weather that seemed interesting...i think what i'm trying to do might be similar to that...i think they were editing some kind of .slk files or something...see they changed the properties of the rain and snow and so on...well i want to change the properties of the footprints.

obviously if i do the method for the footprints like was suggested earlier...placing dummy units to be footprints and i can extend the life of the footprints through the triggers manually...even when casting an ability...I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM OF GETTING THE FOOTPRINTS. this isn't some simple, i have one hero that i want you to follow him...i want you to be able to follow any unit at all...that's over 30 units in my map. i guess i need to make a lot of footprint models for all the units or else if there's another solution i need to do that. but i don't even know where to begin in trying to make footprint models. i read a tutorial one time about making a weapon model i guess so you could attach it to a weaponless model but i never tried it.

ANOTHER THING TO CONSIDER IS...what if having 12 units running around leaving dummy footprint locust units is too laggy? especially when someone casts a spell to freeze the tracks?

 

[SanKakU]

Warcraft Viewer Views no Campaign Models/Skins?

Can't access all model files from object editor in the warcraft viewer...
Is this a normal limitation of warcraft viewer? Do I have an old version of it? is there a better program perhaps that I should use? I thought warcraft viewer would have all the models and skins for everything but it looks like maybe it only has the information for everything related to melee. It seems to be missing models from the Campaigns. I'm just wondering because Illidan's model I can't find in the warcraft viewer and I can't find his footprints either.
I followed the path in the object editor which normally goes straight to the model but in this case the model isn't there.

edit: well anyway i found a good tutorial that seems to be helping... http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=42938

 

[Tom Jones]

I'm using Warcraft 3 Viewer v2.3c, and have no problem location campaign units. Are you sure you looking in the correct mpq? Campaign units from RoC are located in war3.mpq, whereas TFT campaign units are located in war3x.mpq.

 

[Kikac_NNGK]

just create dummy units every 0.5 seconds on the position of the hero.
and another trigger that removes the dummies after 10 seconds

 

[SanKakU]

i think YOU STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND!

I have 26 different kinds of runners and 10 different kinds of chasers...and if I have to, I'll use a system where I extend the footprints by placing my own footprints using a dummy unit with locust ability and the model of the footprint...and I'll give the units a higher expiration timer than would be normal. Further I can make a spell to extend the footprints' life by like 30 seconds or something like that. The only problem with this scenario of course is that the only footprint model is the Footprints Demonic which is used for the Illidan model, it's located in the Cinematic section of the Doodad Palette. I would like to simply edit the footprint life of all units...that would be so much easier and less work...if I only knew how to...But considering I DON'T KNOW HOW TO...I figure I need to get the footprints for all the units.

I'm not even sure if this is a good idea considering I'll be having 12 on a map...one each for each of the 12 players on the map...they'll all be running around leaving these units behind...it might end up being a lot of units. I wonder if it would make the map laggy.

using War3ModelEditor I don't know how to view the footprints...

btw in case any of you are wondering if you edit the doodad for the demon footprints the illidan model doesn't change his footprints...so the footprints seem to be in the model or elsewhere...but like i said i can't figure out how to find the footprints. if i could, then i suppose i could edit the doodad footprints and make many copies of all the different units' footprints that i need. i'm wondering if i should try to take a screenshot in game and make the model that way...sounds a bit extreme...

also i noticed the flame part of the footprint isn't showing up in the editor that i'm using...so when i edit to for example make the footprint 3 times bigger the footprint part is edited but the flame part is not. so either the flame

so, basically, the problem is, where am i going to get all those dummy unit? i can't find the footprints for the units that I need them for. let me take a screenshot if you STILL don't understand...

 

[SanKakU]

yeah i think i wasn't looking in war3x...anyway it doesn't matter too much...but anyway do you need to use warcraft viewer and war3 model editor and still other programs for model editing? i'm not really sure how it all works just yet but i guess i need more input. if you look in my other thread you'll see i'm currently having a tough time trying to find the footprints for all or any of the units. i think someone said the footprints are in the unit models...that's what has been said, but i don't know about that...if they are, how come i can't view them? an example of something not being quite right is if you look at that screenshot in the other thread i tried editing the footprint, basically all i did was make it bigger, and as you can see the flame part of the doodad i could not access nor make it bigger. that's basically the same problem i'm running into with the i can't find footprints on the unit models. obviously i don't really care about the flame for the footprint, and btw editing the doodad doesn't change illidan's footprints...i just care about finding the footprints for all units, like for example the infernal juggernaut in the screenshot there. i want to extend the life of the footprints. the common way suggested to me is to make dummy units but i can't do that if i can't get models for them.

 

[Viikuna]

My mdl editing skills suck, but if you open Illidan evil model, and go to node manager, you can find 4 Event Objects, SPNxIFP1, SPNxIFP0, SPNyIFP0 and SPNyIFP1. The all use somekind of Illidan Footprint model, so I guess they are the foot prints.
Just edit those Event Objects, and try to make them last longer. I dont think its that hard.

If you dont manage to do it, I hope you find someone who can.

 

[Tom Jones]

It is highly probable that footprints are a part of a unit's model. I don't believe the engine calculates footprints for every unit in a map. Why can't you see the footprints in War3 model editor? They are probably hiding under the models decay if I should take a guess.

 

[SanKakU]

ok, yeah i was looking at the node manager, but i couldn't find what was the footprints...and i don't know how to view these or do anything to them...but it sounds like we might be on the right track here...i just know nothing about these nodes. i mean, idk. how you can tell what kind of model these nodes use...

guys try to keep in mind i just read a tutorial about this earlier today and i just noticed how to show a unit attacking or moving and those things and btw when moving it shows no prints. i was using the animation controller just now. so anyway i'm grasping with the basics of the program so that's why i don't know about how to check that about the node manager and i don't know about the decay something or another thing that was also mentioned...sorry, i guess i'll play around with it more.

oh i think i see what he meant now...

 

[Viikuna]

Double click node, and see its Data Field.

Interesting, it seems that illidan evil uses Spawn Objects as those Burning Footprints.

Thoses FTPs are Foot Prints and SPNs are Spawn Objects etc..

edit. Those Event Track numbers are probably some Animation Sequence numbers, like when foot print appears or dissappears, etc. Try to edit them, maybe you manage to make those footprints last longer.

 

[SanKakU]

this is a good theory but suppose this works...doesn't it mean i'll have to make everyone i want to do this to have a big fat imported model in my map just for this one little change? or no? plus this doesn't help me trigger it. but thanks for the input, this is interesting. well i think not, err yeah but argh it'll take some time to figure out i gotta come back later and figure it out. thanks for your help, maybe someone else will come by with a solution from your idea...

 

[Viikuna]

Actually, you dont have to, I think I solved this.
And you dont have to edit any models. Nor use any triggers.

Go MPQ > Splats > T_SplatData.
It seems that all Footprint Data is in one slk table.

luls.

edit. Yea, theres Lifespan. Just edit whatever values you need and import that new T_SplatData, so it will replace the old one.

edit.
Lol, I just read what you posted:

there were some threads i went through talking about editing the weather that seemed interesting...i think what i'm trying to do might be similar to that...i think they were editing some kind of .slk files or something...see they changed the properties of the rain and snow and so on...well i want to change the properties of the footprints.

You were right all along.

 

[SanKakU]

ah ok, thankyou for pointing me in the right direction. this should solve most of what i wanted to accomplish. awesome. i'll post back later when i've accomplished it to confirm to everyone that it works great along with a screenshot with a modified camera angle of the new footprints to prove that it works. this should be all i really need to do, the idea of making a spell freeze footprints is a little silly, just a random idea i came up with.

 

[retupmoc258]

How to Eliminate Footprints

I am trying to get rid of the footprints. Shrinking down the size of units doesn't change the size of their footprints and to solve my problem I think I'd rather eliminate the footprints altogether. So I was wondering what I could do that would solve that problem. I have tried editing the SplatData.slk file only to have War3 crash every time it tries to load my file with the SplatData.slk file replaced (giving it the directory it would need to have to replace it). So, if someone knows a good way to fix this, I'd appreciate help with that.

 

[SanKakU]

how the...
how did the post of retupmoc258 end up as following a post that occured afterwards?
merged triggers?

at anyrate...toanswer his question, i think he should want to edit the blp that has the table of the footprints.
just cut out all prints. that should solve his problem. wow, idk what the mods are doing, but whatever it was, it got me responding super late to his question, and no one else ever answered...at least...assuming that the responses to his question would've been posted here...
ReplaceableTextures\Splats\Splat01Mature.blp
there might be more footprint splats, i'm not sure...i think if you edit those and import them into your map, that'll do it.

i guess i was thinking a pm to each thread poster might've been handy, but then i suppose retup could've sent one, meh.

 

[DioD]

remove event from model, or replace footprints with empty blp image.

 

[SanKakU]

remove event from model, or replace footprints with empty blp image.

remove event from model is not an acceptable solution, his situation as explained implies that he has many models in use in his map, all of which would need editing and reimporting. his map size would become astronomical. the blp image replacement would be a better route to go, considering that many units use the same footprints.

 

[DioD]

there is completely no need of disabling footprints on standart models.

SplatData.slk is possible to edit, make sure you edited right version and there is no syntax errors.