[iambecomelife]

SHIPBUILDING TUTORIAL

Someone had requested this, so here goes. I will try to improve it in the coming days with screenshots & clarifications if need be.

1) Select a craft similar to the vessel you want to create. This means taking into account the length, width, draft, and function of the end product you want. If you want to mod the “USS New York”, for instance, the “Revenge” is a much better parent unit than the “Bogue”. If you’re making a large freighter, the Liberty Ship is a good option.

2) Copy the entire unit folder for the parent unit and paste it somewhere else.

3) Copy the Data\Roster\[Nation]\Sea\[Unit].cfg file and paste it somewhere else.

4) Rename ALL of the folder’s contents. Try to keep the number of digits in the new vessel name the same as in the parent unit. For instance, the Liberty Ship’s folder name is NLL_. Hence, we want a four digit name for a unit based on it. M01B, T01B, and T16A are examples of permissible names. Names with more or fewer digits may cause crashes.

5) Open the [unitname].cfg files and edit them to make them consistent with the new name. This can be done with Word, Wordpad or any other text editor. For instance, when I made the freighter M01B I changed the data from:

[Unit]
ClassName=LL
UnitType=102
MaxSpeed=10
Length=150
Width=19.5
Mast=22.5
Draft=7.0
Displacement=6820
RenownAwarded=310

To

[Unit]
ClassName=T02B
UnitType=102
MaxSpeed=10
Length=150
Width=19.5
Mast=22.5
Draft=7.0
Displacement=6820
RenownAwarded=310

Note that changing the displacement, speed etc is entirely optional and will not affect the game’s stability in any way. However, failing to change the [classname=] entry WILL INVARIABLY CAUSE A CRASH.

6) Open the DAT file in the [unitname] folder with Pack3d. On the bottom right you will see the CLONE button. Click on the unit’s main folder located on the left side of the window in Pack3d – then hit CLONE. After a few seconds you should see a message saying “cloning [unitname].cam”. This indicates the process is complete. You must clone every unit before running SH3 – otherwise you will experience CTD’s whenever the cloned unit and its parent unit appear together – like in Museum mode, in the same mission or career patrol, etc.

7) Close Pack3d. Open it again, select the unit’s DAT file again, click on the main folder, again, and hit the Pack3d button marked EXPORT ALL.

8) All of the unit’s 3d OBJ files should be in a subfolder to the main [UNITNAME] folder called “3d”. Open the OBJ files with Wings3d. Use wings3d to edit the various objects. Here are some tips regarding the nomenclature that the developers used:

-[unitname].obj is usually the main hull object
-[unitname].cosh is the smokestack
-[unitname_catarg01] is the first mast
-[unitname_catarg02] is the second mast
-[unitname_boat01] is usually a liferaft NOT a lifeboat!
-[unitname_barca01] is usually a lifeboat
-[unitname_macara01] is usually a cargo crane
-[unitname_pipes01] is a ventilation duct
-[unitname_F] is the front of a ship when it breaks up
-[unitname_B] is the back half of a ship when it breaks up

9) As soon as you finish editing an object, import it using pack3d or S3ditor. Both tools have buttons for importing modified 3d objects. However, S3ditor has a model preview function that enables you to view the modified parts in relation to the whole ship in real time. This cuts down greatly on how much time is needed to move different parts. It also displays the x, y, and z coordinates of each part, making it easier to put modified objects in their proper location.
10) Place the new unit folder in C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\SilentHunterIII\Data\Sea.
11) Place the new [UNITNAME].cfg file in Data\Roster\[Country]\Sea.
12) Open the Data\Sea\Englishnames.cfg file. Add an entry for the new unit at the bottom of the file. For example: M01B = Medium Merchant 01.
13) Run a mission with your unit to make sure it doesn’t crash the game. It will probably look weird for now – don’t worry about it.

14) This is one of the most time consuming steps. Use the x, y, and z coordinate entries in pack3d or S3ditor to place the funnels, masts, etc in their proper location. Start off with large increments of about 1.0 units and use smaller increments of about .1 and .01 as you maneuver each component into its right position. X and –X are left-right, Y is up, -Y is down, Z is towards the ship’s bow, and –Z is towards the ship’s stern. For instance, if I notice that the modded unit’s funnel is floating in midair at coordinate Y = 1.56, I might want to change the coordinate downwards by .2 increments to Y=1.36. As stated earlier, with S3ditor you can observe where the different objects are in the model preview window; with pack3d you will need to run a mission with the ship to see if an object was placed in the right location. I use the “Torpedoes” training mission for this function, replacing the stationary NKSQ tramp steamer with the unit I am working on. Note that you don’t need to restart SH3 for the changes to appear – simply end the mission after noting whether the objects are in the right place, alt-tab, make your coordinate changes with Pack3d or Wings3d, maximize SH3, and run the mission again.

15) Use Photoshop or a similar program to skin the new unit. Anything that works with TGA files should be OK. You may want to create alpha channels; I find that the ships look OK without them. It’s up to you. Stock units usually have about 4 skins but you can create more if you want – just remember to keep the skin name consistent. T01B_T05.tga, T01B_T06.tga, and so on. Note that if you create more than about 16 skins SH3 will not recognize them; instead of using M01B_T17.tga it will revert to the first skin. For most units you do not need to reload SH3 to see changes to the skins.

16) Edit the text information for the units to be consistent. Open the [unitname].cfg files and [unitname]_en.log files to add the correct speed, tonnage, renown, mast heights, and so on.