T8 Starter's Guide - CDDTreborn/Tekken-8-Resources GitHub Wiki
Current as of 27 July 2026
This guide aims to get you started with modding T8 and setting up any necessary software.
If you managed to get here without coming through Discord, I urge you to join the ModdingZaibatsu Discord. It's a great community; just be respectful and patient when asking for assistance.
There is a lot of information here so I've decided to make each section collapsible. It is in your best interest not to skip any of these sections.
Pre-Requisite Software
IMPORTANT You need to have installed in Visual. SOURCE Workloads:
- NET desktop development
- Desktop development with C++
- Universal Windows Platform development
- Game development with C++ Components:
- Windows 10 SDK (10.0.18362 or Newer)
- A not too recent version of MSVC v143 if you're using VS 2022, confirmed to be working is MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/86 build tools (v14.34- 17.4) (Out of support) and maybe
- C++ profiling tools
- C++ AddressSanitizer
.Net 8.0. In addition to other things, this will be necessary if you choose to use Peek's super helpful import scripts thru the JSONasAsset plugin, more info on this at the end of this Startup Guide.
Install Custom UE5
New Engine and Project Install Demonstration
- Download the current engine and project
Note from the A5tronomy "The new custom engine is done. It's the one that allows the cooking of custom materials that are compatible with the game. Additionally, I also modified to the Primary Asset Label to be more useful for packing mods. Wwise is included too The new Polaris UE project will be released soon too on GitHub. I will make another ping once it's out
ALSO, PLEASE DO NOT USE THE CURRENT VERSION OF THE PROJECT TO MAKE STAGE MODS. THE STAGE TEMPLATES AND CLASSES NEED TO BE UPDATED."
- Once the files are unzipped, your engine is essentially done. No need to build or compile you can just use it. It's advised that you save it in a base directory like C: or G: to avoid long file path names in the future. Avoid putting any spaces between filenames; use "_" if necessary for most reliable results.
The .exe for the editor should be here: (Location and folder you saved the engine to)\Windows\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealEditor.exe
Setup Custom Project (A5's Project)
This is a UE project that has certain asset types available that are used in tekken 8 that are not available in the default engine critical for making any mesh-based mods. This project is also fixed so that mods aren't broken after the 2.0.3 patch.
New Engine and Project Install Demonstration
| 1. | Download the zipped form of the most current pre-built project A5 Pre-release. This is fully compatible with the newest engine and includes the fix that broke mods after S2 Patch 2.0.3 |
| 2. | Unzip the downloaded project and go to the root folder of the project; it will have a .uproject file. R-click on the .uproject file and look for an option to "Switch Unreal Engine version". (In Windows 11, I have to go to the "More Options" tab). Select the folder that contains the "Engine" folder...not the Engine folder itself. When you hit OK it should start generating project files. Once complete, you should end up with a few new folders and a .sln file. |
| 3. | When you open the project, you will get a window asking you to build some stuff...say OK. You should then get another window that says it can't help you because some stuff is outdated...say OK. |
| 4. | Open up the .sln (double-click) and view it in Visual Studio (VS). In the top header section of VS you should see two dropdown boxes...you want the first one to read "Development Editor" and the one next to it "Win 64". On the far right, there should be a window labeled "Solution Explorer". In that window, you should see a folder hierarchy, find "Polaris", r-click on it and select "Build". |
| 5. | If everything is good, it will finish and say "Build Succeeded" in the Output window at the bottom of the screen. If not, bring your errors to the modding zaibatsu; hopefully, the community can help sort things out. |
| 6. | Close VS and open your project. |
Setting up the Project in UE5
| 1. | Open up your project by double-clicking on the .uproject in the root folder of the project or opening up the custom UE5 and navigating to the uproject in the root folder of the project. | The root folder is the one that has the .sln and .uproject in it. |
| 2. | Go to project settings. |  |
| 3. | Search for "chunks" and make sure "Generate Chunks" is checked. |  |
| 4. | Select Packaging under the Project Section on the left side and make sure "Use Paks" and "Use Io Store" is checked. Also make sure the "Build Configuration" is set to "Shipping" |  |
| X. | Search for "materials" and make sure "Share Material Shader Code" is NOT checked. |  |
| X. | Go to editor preferences |  |
| X. | Search for "assign" and make sure "Allow ChunckID Assignments is checked. |  |
| X. | Now perform an initial package. The first time takes the longest so it's best to just get it out of the way before you start modding. This will also let you know that everything is set up and working. | |
| X. | To package, Go To Platforms > Windows > Package Project. NOTE: Make sure the package mode is set to "Use Project Setting (Shipping)" or Select "Shipping". |  |
| X. | Set the save folder to your root project folder. In my example, the project is called "MyProject". If you are using Koenji's project it is called "Polaris" |  |
| X. | A small box will show up in the bottom right to show that your packaging is in progress. You also have the option to cancel the process at any time. |  |
| X. | If you want to watch the progress you can open up the "Output Log" Window. |  |
| X. | The Output Log is where you may able to identify errors and also confirm that the build was successful. For me, I watch it because I'm impatient and I"m eager to see it finish XD. |  |
| X. | Once the package is done, go to the folder that you selected. The path to your cooked mod files will be: (Your Project Name)\Windows(Your Project Name)\Content\Paks |  |
Add basic resources to your project
| 0. | Modder's Upgrade Package |
| 1. | I compiled a bunch of stuff into a single drag-and-drop package. It includes the following: Umin's emulated skin and preset materials, my emulated preset materials, the DYB for chest physics (reference), MSL and PRP skeletons, the majority of the game's default textures you can use for reference, my utility scripts for CI building, an example set of ABP and BP for bone dynamics (see Koenji guide and Sanwal's video demo). |
| 2. | To install, make sure Unreal Engine is closed. Unzip the download and copy/cut the content folder... place it in the root folder of your project. Let it replace anything that may be pre-existing. |
| 3. | When you open up your project, it will likely ask if you want to import a bunch of stuff...say yes and enjoy. |
Setup Blender (Under Construction)
| 1. | Download Blender 3.6 | You can use whatever version you wish; however, the most reliable version at the moment is 3.6 LTS which is most compatible with addons used for modding T8. |
| 2. | Apply the Armature Fix. | You can use the fix that was used in the Tekken 7 Custom Mesh Guide. This will need to be done for any version of Blender you choose to use. Go To Working In Blender Section |
| 3. | Install Addons. | These are free and popular addons that provide very important functions or aid in the process of modding with Blender. The process to install an add-on is very simple. Go to Edit > Preferences > Select Add-Ons. At the top right of the window will be an option to install, click on it and find your .zip or .py add on. If it installs correctly it will show up and you will need to make sure the box is checked to enable it. |
Common Issues
For some people, the current version of VS is not working and found more success using this version: 17.11.5.
Please make sure the file path to your engine is as short as possible so keep it in a folder as close as you can to the Drive you are using or try and limit the number of characters in the folder names.
Ensure you have the pre-requisite software installed before opening the custom engine and the custom project. This will give you the best chance of things working without needing extra steps.
If you need to build/compile from source, choose build and not rebuild unless you want the entire project rebuilt rather than just the portions that require it.
Before building, make sure all versions of UE are closed.