CMDL (Tropical Freeze) - Revision history

Aruki: /* Format */

2016-11-14T19:40:07Z

‎Format

2016-11-14T17:17:13Z

‎Format

2016-11-14T17:12:36Z

2016-11-14T16:39:53Z

2016-11-14T16:32:01Z

2016-11-14T16:31:09Z

‎Model Header

2016-11-14T14:09:27Z

2016-11-14T10:44:55Z

2016-11-14T07:58:54Z

‎Materials

2016-11-14T07:52:56Z

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 | [[#World Model Header|World Model Header]]
 | '''Only present in WMDL files'''
 |-
 | [[#Material Data|Material Data]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 == Format ==
-After the [[RFRM Header]], the first section of the file is SKHD in SMDL, and WDHD in WMDL. Following those extra sections, all three formats start with a header.
+File layout:
 === Skinned Model Header ===
@@ Line 49: / Line 78: @@
 ! Name
 ! Notes
 |-
 | u8

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 All three share the same basic format, with SMDL and WMDL each containing an extra data chunk at the start of the file.
-{{research|2|There's still a lot of unknown data. The entire optional section at the end of HEAD is completely unknown to me and there's lots of scattered unknown values.}}
+{{research|2|There's a lot of unknown data.}}
 __TOC__

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 ''See [[CMDL (File Format)]] for the other revisions of this format.''
-The '''CMDL, SMDL, and WMDL''' format are Tropical Freeze's three model formats; CMDL is a generic model format, SMDL is for skinned models, and WMDL is for world (terrain) models. All three are the same basic format, with SMDL and WMDL each containing an extra data section at the start of the file. With the Wii U's graphics system being updated from GX to GX2, the Retro model format has been dramatically overhauled, bearing little to no resemblance to the previous CMDL format found in DKCR and the Prime series.
+Tropical Freeze features a new model format (necessitated by the hardware jump from Wii to Wii U) that bears little-to-no resemblance to the CMDL format of past games. There are three extensions used for models:
 {{research|2|There's still a lot of unknown data. The entire optional section at the end of HEAD is completely unknown to me and there's lots of scattered unknown values.}}

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 If the ending flag is 1, then a large chunk of extra data follows before the next section begins; otherwise, the HEAD section ends.
-=== Materials ===
+=== Material Data ===
-The MTRL section has a 32-bit material count, then lays out its materials one after the other. The material structure is somewhat complicated; each material has a name, something that wasn't present in Retro's previous material formats, as well as a shader ID. The rest of the material structure appears to be defining parameters to pass to the shader. This needs a lot more research to determine what the parameters are and what the different data is.
+The MTRL section has a 32-bit material count, then lays out its materials one after the other. Materials are composed of basically a [[MTRL (File Format)|MTRL asset ID]] which contains the shader the material is rendered with, then per-instance material parameters (textures, scalar/color parameters, etc).
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