How to design my own systems?

[omti]

Hello everyone,

I've been thinking about getting into modding X4 and wanted to make some systems of my own. I just don't really have a clue where to start. Do you know if there's some helpful guide for this, or at least some hints for how to begin?

[euclid]

Hi omti,

I have not yet tried it myself but there is a Galaxy Creator by Killerog and Celludriel which may be what you are looking for. Besides, it's always a good idea to unpack the vanilla files (see sticky in this forum) to learn how the devs code things.

Cheers Euclid

[omti]

Hi omti,

I have not yet tried it myself but there is a Galaxy Creator by Killerog and Celludriel which may be what you are looking for. Besides, it's always a good idea to unpack the vanilla files (see sticky in this forum) to learn how the devs code things.

Cheers Euclid

Hello,

I've tried the galaxy editor and allows you to create a galaxy, but sadly doesn't help with placing my own assets. That's actually where I'm stumped.

I think the actual asset placement is in assets\environments\cluster (please correct me if I'm wrong), but I can't find the actual models.

Asset Placement in Cluster_01:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0"?>

-<components>


-<component class="celestialbody" name="Cluster_01">

<source geometry="assets\environments\cluster\Cluster_01_data"/>


-<layers>


-<layer>

<waypoints/>


-<lights>


-<omni name="XU Omni01" specularintensity="1" intensity="1" trigger="1" lenseffect="sun_c_01" lighteffect="1" shadowrange="1E+11" range="1E+11" b="255" g="214" r="178" shadow="0">

<lightanimations/>


-<offset>

<position z="3.047736E+08" y="1.62512E+08" x="3.636845E+07"/>

</offset>

</omni>


-<ambient name="XU Ambient001" intensity="1" range="1E+11" b="25" g="0" r="0">

<lightanimations/>


-<offset>

<position z="-1.795577E+08" y="0" x="-3.312582E+07"/>

</offset>

</ambient>

</lights>

</layer>

</layers>


-<connections>

<connection name="container" value="0" tags="contents"/>

<connection name="position" value="1" tags="position"/>


-<connection name="space" tags="celestialbody">

<offset/>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection01" tags="part animation ">


-<offset>

<position z="-1.215998E+07" y="6283863" x="-8.47047E+07"/>

</offset>


-<animations>

<animation name="loop" end="540000" start="0"/>

</animations>


-<parts>


-<part name="anim_moon_v1">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="newplanets.moon1_cluster_01" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="1.588954E+07" y="1.588954E+07" x="1.588954E+07"/>

<center z="-5.859375" y="0" x="0"/>

</size>


-<size_raw>

<max z="1.588954E+07" y="1.588954E+07" x="1.588954E+07"/>

<center z="-5.859375" y="0" x="0"/>

</size_raw>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection02" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="62.49999" y="0" x="-62.50001"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="part_c14_bg">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="p1.p1_env_bg_vertexcolor" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="5.958535E+08" y="5.967806E+08" x="5.958535E+08"/>

<center z="1.490116E-05" y="0" x="0"/>

</size>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection03" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="8100447" y="31.25" x="1.226125E+07"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="Background">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="p1.backgroundstars" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="4.214036E+08" y="4.25545E+08" x="4.214036E+08"/>

<center z="6.835938" y="0" x="-19.53125"/>

</size>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection04" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="-1.828789E+07" y="2.607525E+07" x="-2.168762E+07"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="smallstar001">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="p1.staratlas_additive" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="3.813411E+08" y="4.325801E+08" x="3.960037E+08"/>

<center z="1.492985E+07" y="3.162189E+07" x="4619483"/>

</size>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection05" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="2.5291E+07" y="3.966184E+07" x="2.614588E+07"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="mediumstar001">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="p1.staratlas_additive" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="3.788643E+08" y="3.557638E+08" x="3.839457E+08"/>

<center z="-2.645953E+07" y="-3.26785E+07" x="-1.38368E+07"/>

</size>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection06" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="1.932195E+07" y="9507861" x="-1.942081E+07"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="bigstar001">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="p1.staratlas_additive" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="3.96179E+08" y="3.429579E+08" x="3.793283E+08"/>

<center z="-555076.2" y="-1221346" x="2.009035E+07"/>

</size>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection07" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="1.181007E+08" y="-1.341091E+07" x="-2374727"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="nebula001">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="p1.staratlas_additive" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="7.035453E+08" y="8.13662E+08" x="8.185373E+08"/>

<center z="-9.536984E+07" y="9.768488E+07" x="1.179926E+07"/>

</size>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection08" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="1.479708E+08" y="1.899423E+07" x="1.251025E+08"/>

<quaternion qw="-0.9672359" qz="-0.1035581" qy="0.2222116" qx="0.0659738"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="planet001">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="newplanets.planet_cluster01_gasgiant" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="5E+07" y="5E+07" x="5E+07"/>

<center z="0" y="1.953125" x="0"/>

</size>


-<offset>

<position z="-31.25" y="-3.90625" x="7.8125"/>

</offset>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection09" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="1.479708E+08" y="1.899423E+07" x="1.251025E+08"/>

<quaternion qw="-0.9672359" qz="-0.1035581" qy="0.2222116" qx="0.0659738"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="Sphere001">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="newplanets.atmo_cluster01_gasgiant" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="5.123737E+07" y="5.125E+07" x="5.123736E+07"/>

<center z="0" y="1.953125" x="0"/>

</size>


-<offset>

<position z="-31.25" y="5.859375" x="7.8125"/>

</offset>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>


-<connection name="Connection10" tags="part ">


-<offset>

<position z="1.479708E+08" y="1.899423E+07" x="1.251025E+08"/>

<quaternion qw="-0.9913649" qz="-8.199835E-02" qy="-4.602822E-02" qx="9.139679E-02"/>

</offset>


-<parts>


-<part name="Object441">


-<lods>


-<lod index="0">


-<materials>

<material ref="newplanets.rings_cluster01_gasgiant" id="1"/>

</materials>

</lod>

</lods>


-<size>

<max z="2E+08" y="1812.668" x="1.999565E+08"/>

<center z="-64187.5" y="358341.8" x="-63085.94"/>

</size>


-<offset>

<position z="15.625" y="5.859375" x="0"/>

</offset>

</part>

</parts>

</connection>

</connections>

</component>

</components>

What's Cluster_01 anyway? Argon Prime?

[Realspace]

Cluster's ids and names are in the defaultmap.xml, the vanilla one. SV has its own

[Crekkan]

The game seriously needs an official galaxy editor : (

[BigDangHero]

I am learning the same things as omti from 2020, but also finding few resources.

What I have learned:

assets/environments/cluster is where the collision mesh .xmf files and actual placement in the cluster background happen.

assets\textures\environments is where the textures come from, and appear to line up with the <materials> tags in the cluster XMLs. (In the XML they are usually prefixed with newplanets. and have a _cluster_XX suffix in the tag.)

I assume some compiling happens to combine the textures (diff/bump/gradient/clouds/citymap/atmo) into the .xmf, and know that blender and a converter salvaged from the below thread are probably involved.
viewtopic.php?f=129&t=360045#p4308264

Edit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5I84p ... _hAdPaa-DQ

This is the 0.2.1 release if anyone else is looking for it.

Doesn't appear to work though. Is there no other way to convert xmf files for editing?

Here is a link I found to the source code on reddit that worked for me:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... .1_src.zip

In game there are blue, teal, and brown/rust gas giants. I assume they are all using the same assets mixed together with different gradient settings.

A walkthrough from someone who has done this (omti if you found your answers over the last two years) would be great!

[Dr Reed]

Are you looking to use X4 game assets to sculpt new sectors or are you trying to make your own backgrounds and planets ?

[BigDangHero]

I don't pretend to have any blender skills, so my goal is to use the assets to make new sectors.

I'm learning and getting better.