Export Tools🔗︎

Export Panel

Several tools for exporting data to files.


3D model exporters🔗︎

Common parameters between the model exporters:

  • Limit to: Filters out objects that don't meet the selected conditions:
    • Visible Objects: Invisible objects will be ignored.
    • Selected Objects: Objects that are not selected will be ignored.
    • Active Collection: Exports only objects within the active collection.
    • Active Scene: Exports only objects within the active scene (ignored when using Active Collection).
  • Optimize: Optimize vertex data and get rid of any duplicate.
    WARNING: This may alter vertex order! Do not use for things that morph, like chao models or chao trees.
  • Automatic Node attribute mode: Automatically determines several node attributes on export. More info here.
    • None: Will not automatically evaluate node attributes
    • Missing: Will automatically evaluate node attributes and "add" those to the existing ones
    • Override: Will automatically evaluate node attributes and ignore the previously set ones.
  • Ensure positive euler angles: Ensures that all nodes are exported with positive euler angles; E.g. -90° becomes 270°.
  • Automatic Root: If the exported objects dont share a common root, a root parent will be created between them.
  • Force Sort Bones: Blender orders bones by the order in which they were parented. Sometimes its needed to ensure bones get exported in alphabetical order, which this parameter ensures.

  • Developer Output: Debug Output: Exports a .json file containing the processable mesh data that would be passed to the external library. Only for debugging purposes, do not touch unless a developer

  • Flip Vertex colors: (SA2 Only) Flips the channel order of vertex colors (BGRA <-> ARGB). Used on chao garden models like trees.

Export *MDL🔗︎

Exports the targeted objects as a model (.mdl) file.

Note that, when selecting only specific objects from the same hierarchy, only those objects will be exported, even if objects between them are missing. This allows for exporting models and deliberately leaving out specific models (but also any other object).

  • Apply armature posing: If exporting an armature that is posed, the armature will be exported the way it is posed. Otherwise with default transforms.
  • NJ File: Exports the file in .nj format.

Export *LVL🔗︎

Exports the targeted objected as a landtable (.lvl) file.

  • Fallback surface attributes: If an object has no surface attributes, it will receive the Visible and Solid attributes.

Parameters found under the "Animation" tab apply to animated geometry. See Animation, and more specifivally node animation for info on the advanced options.

Export SA2 Event🔗︎

Export the current SA2 event.

Files exported (% = export filename): - %.prs: Main file - %texture.prs: Stores the texture archive - %texlist.prs: Stores the texture name list - %motion.bin: Stores animations

See common model parameters and common animation parameters.

Export Path🔗︎

Exports the selected path to an INI file, or as a C struct directly insertable into your mods code.

  • Format: File format to export to
    • INI Format: Export as INI file usable in other tools (and for reimporting)
    • C Struct: Export as a C file storing the path as a c struct for use in code (not reimportable).
  • Use path structs: When importing using C Struct, it exports using the Loop and LoopHead structures.
    With this checked, it exports using the pathtbl and pathtag structures.
  • Curve Code: The code to run the path with
    • Custom Code: Enter your own code address using the Custom Code Address field
    • SA1 Loops: Used on most paths where the player is moved, i.e. Loops. (Address: 0x4BB1F0)
    • SA2 Loops: Used on most paths where the player is moved, i.e. Loops. (Address: 0x497B50)
    • SA2 Grind Rails: Used for most grind rails. (Address: 0x4980C0)
    • SA2 Hand Rails: Used for the hand/gravity rails used in Crazy Gadget. (Address: 0x498140)

Export animations🔗︎

These export animations to *.saanim files.

Common parameters between the exporters:

  • Use 16bit rotations: Rotation channels only occupy 16 instead of 32 bits. Used primarily for chao animations.
  • Rotation Mode: (Advanced) How rotations should be exported
    • Euler: Exports as euler rotations
    • Quaternion: Exports as quaternion rotations (not used by the sonic adventure games, but other titles using the ninja formats, like phantasy star online)
    • Keep: Export based on the rotation modes on objects
  • Ensure positive euler angles: Ensures that all euler rotations are exported with positive angles; E.g. -90° becomes 270°.

  • Interpolation conversion deviation threshold: (Advanced) | Click to expand

    • Problem: Blender allows for non-linear keyframes
    • Solution: Baking the interpolated keyframes
    • The issues with that: You may not want every frame in your animation to be baked (file size reasons).
    • How this parameter affects the conversion: The minimum amount a keyframe must divert from its interpolated counterpart to remain. 0 keeps all keyframes.
    • The standard value: Usually, a value around 0.05 is enough and gets rid of most unnecessary keyframes.

    • Example:

  • Quaternion conversion deviation threshold: (Advanced) | Click to expand

    • Problem: Importing Euler rotation keyframes to Quaternion objects/bones or vice versa.
    • Solution: Converting keyframes between quaternion and euler.
    • The issues with that: Quaternion conversions are inaccurate, as the interpolation between those types is not linear. This means we must Bake the interpolated values as keyframes before converting.
    • How this parameter affects the conversion: The minimum amount a keyframe must divert from its interpolated counterpart to remain. 0 keeps all keyframes.
    • The standard value: Usually, a value around 0.05 is enough and gets rid of most unnecessary keyframes.

    • Example:

  • Optimiziation deviation threshold: (Advanced) Similar to the Interpolation threshold, but applies to all frames in the animation (including manually placed ones).

  • Quaternion Optimiziation deviation threshold: (Advanced) The same as the regular optimization, but specifically for quaternion rotations, as those use other value ranges.

Export Node Animation🔗︎

Exports the currently active node animation (either the one currently being edited, or the active action) of the target to an *.saanim file.
Only works for objects with no children and armatures

  • Bone Localspace: Export the animations relative to the armature. Unchecked, the animation will be exported relative to the world center.
  • Force Sort Bones: Blender orders bones by the order in which they were parented. Sometimes its needed to ensure bones get exported in alphabetical order, which this parameter ensures.

You can read further on shape animations here

Batch Export Node Animations🔗︎

Performs Export Node Animation on all animation strips found on the targets NLA tracks. Files will receive the name of the action stored in the strip.

Export Shape Animation🔗︎

Exports the currently active shapekey animation (either the one currently being edited, or the active action) of the target to an *.saanim file.

  • Normal Mode: How normals should be exported
    • None: No normal keyframes at all
    • Typed: Will be formatted to read as "has normals" but contains no actual normals data
    • Nulled: Add keyframes with a single Zero vector
    • Full: Add normal keyframes

You can read further on shape animations here

Export Camera animation🔗︎

Exports the currently active animation set (either the one currently being edited, or the active action) of the target camera setup to an *.saanim file.

You can read further on camera animations here