Tool; RDN Tools - HWRM/KarosGraveyard GitHub Wiki

Downloading the Tools
The RDN Tools are available for download upon registering with the RDN.
They are also mirrored at RelicNews here, and here (for the December 2003 update).

What You'll Find Inside

FX Tools Editor:
This tool allows for the creation of custom special effects that can be used for things like weapons, resourcing, and other animations.

FX Tools Manual:
The scripts you will need to make game mods.

Source Models afnd Textures:
Example ships, subsystems, resources, and nebulas in original formats (Requires Maya 3.0 and Photoshop 5.5 or higher).

Relic Plug-Ins for Maya 3.0:
The tools used by Relic to create objects and levels. (Requires Maya 3.0 or higher).

Relic Plug-Ins for Photoshop:
The tools and actions used by Relic in the creation of game textures (Requires Photoshop 5.5 or higher).

Sample Game Mod – Resource Race:
A sample game mod in ".big" file format.

Documentation:
All of the documents you will need to use these assets and make game mods. These docs are provided in both PDF and MS Word formats.
Note: documentation for "archive.exe" can also be found here.
Note: a tutorial describing how to use "archive.exe" to build a ".big" file can be found here.

IMPORTANT NOTE!:
The Homeworld 2 Toolkit REQUIRES a retail version of Homeworld 2 .

Information Regarding the December 2003 Update
This RDN Homeworld 2 Toolkit update contains all of the tools and documentation that has been added since the original tools kit was released in October 2003. This zip file contains the following items:

Scar Documentation:
Detailed information regarding Relic's scripting language, including definitions of Scar instructions.

FX Examples:
Examples of effects used in Homeworld 2. For use with the FX Tool.

BigFile Examples:
Examples of the archived file format used by Homeworld 2.

Archive Documentation:
Documentation pertaining to the archive creation process.

MadState Document:
Documentation pertaining to procedurally animating objects in Homeworld 2.

Modifiers and Abilities Document:
Documentation explaining how to use our modifier system.

Missing ".dll" For the Command-Line Archive Tool:
A library necessary for the command-line archive tool to properly create Bigfiles.

GUI Archive Tool:
A Windows-based archive tool for use in creating Bigfiles.

Background Example:
One of the backgrounds from Homeworld 2 to serve as a tutorial for instruction in using the background tool.

UI Scripts:
The UI scripts used in Homeworld 2.

AI Scripts:
The AI scripts used in Homeworld 2.

HW2 Maya Tools Source:
This RDN Homeworld 2 update contains the source code for our Maya plug-ins, for use by modders who would like to recompile these tools to work with other modeling/texturing packages.

Installation Instructions

  1. Make sure the HW2_ROOT environment variable is defined and points to the directory where Homeworld2 is installed (e.g. "C:\Program Files\Sierra\Homeworld2"). This is done [in Windows XP] by clicking on Control Panel > System > Advanced > Environment Variables and adding HW2_ROOT as a new System Variable.
  2. Copy the contents of the RDN package into the "Homeworld2" directory, if you haven't already done so. You should find a "Tools", "Maya", and "Documents" directory in the "Homeworld2" directory, afterwards.
  3. Follow the instructions found in "Documents\HW2_Maya_Install_Doc.doc".
  4. Follow the instructions found in "Documents\HW2_PhotoshopActionInstallation.doc".
  5. Unarchive the core files into the "Data" directory by executing the following in the Windows Command Prompt: > cd %HW2_ROOT%\Data > ..\tools\bin\archive -a Homeworld2.big -e %HW2_ROOT%\Data.

Note: for further details regarding the setup and usage of the HW2_ROOT environmental variable, see this thread.

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Updated Formatting? Initial
Updated for HWRM? Initial