T8 Starter's Guide - CDDTreborn/Tekken-8-Resources GitHub Wiki

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

Visual Studio (Community):

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

Pre-compiled Alternate Link (Courtesy of Stoner backup of Misberave): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TUmRc7qTq1xTUkGcWnPz6-2KuA4RTPOf

Pre-compiled version: Part 1 Part 2

*NOTE: I moved the hosting of files to mega.nz and it may have a daily download limit of 5gb. Each part is just under 5GB if you don't have an account with them.

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. 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 (Koenji'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 that are critical for making any mesh based mods.

1. Download a pre-built project ([Koenji's Project])(https://github.com/koenjicode/Polaris-Project) IMPORTANT: Due to changes in T8 after Patch 1.11 it's advised to use Peek's Project for now if just beginning.
2. When opening the project for the first time, it will ask you what engine you want to use; select the option that looks like the engine you just installed. It will proceed to start generating the project and then say some things are missing. Just say OK. It will look like it does nothing for a while. Be patient and wait till it opens up, it's building some stuff in the background. I'd give it a good 15 min at least. (insert image of dialog box)
3. If all goes well the project will eventually open and you can proceed to Setup UE5. If things do not go well, then verify you have the pre-requisites listed above installed and move to the next steps.
4. If you get the dialog box that says you need to compile from source, Open up the root folder of the project and find the .sln. Right-click on it and open with VisualStudio (VS). (insert error image)
5. When VS opens, you should see a window on the far right with an outline of what is in the project. Right-Click on "Polaris" and choose "Build". You can see the build process in the window at the bottom of the screen. When complete it will usually say it was successful or provide a list of errors and warnings. Whether it succeeds or fails, go ahead and test if it works
Setup UE5
1. Open up Koenji's 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. image
X. Go to editor preferences
X. Search for "assign" and make sure "Allow ChunckID Assignments is checked. image
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
1. Add SKT_CH_base_msl and SKT_CH_base_prp Download and unzip MSL_PRP_SKT. Copy the folder that says "Content" and (using Windows Explorer) paste it into the root folder of your project. Note: It's the folder where your .uproject hangs out. Why: Tekken 8 uses a master armature/rig for the two different types used in the game: msl and prp. Whenever you import a custom model you will need to reference these SKT depending on what you're doing.
2. Add Master Material (optional) Download Materials_v3_1. Unzip then copy and paste the "Content" folder into the root folder of your project. Why: When modding Tekken 8 we reference material instances to use with our mesh. Two primary options are available: Use a dirty MI or an emulated MI. A dirty MI is a working material instance but you can't view it in editor and an emulated MI is one that a person has reverse-engineered so that it functions in full or part in editor as it does in game. This is for the emulated option.
3. ModdingZaibatsu Discord Resources Look for these in the tutorials channel Umin's Updated M_ENV_Base_Emi_CF: A UE cloth sim friendly material with masking.
Umin's Emulated "Hair_Ver7" Material (V1.0)): Should let you see how your hair would look in game when using this emulated material
Umin's Emulated Skin Material (UPDATED V1.0): This gives you all of the chars skin setup to look like they do in game but in editor. You can't use these directly but can reference them as parents for your MIs
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.

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