# This article looks complete, [old methodology](#old-methodology) isn't a very complete section due to the obsolescence
# Modeling requirements
### To follow this, you need knowledge about modeling using Blender
Blender version recommended: 2.79b or later
You need [dpmodel](https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/files/) to convert SMD files:
- [dpmodel tool](https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/files/dpmodel20091008beta1.zip)
Requires these following tools (addons) for Blender:
- [IQM exporter](https://gitlab.com/xonotic/iqm) to export IQM files.
- [Source Tools (SMD importer/exporter)](http://steamreview.org/BlenderSourceTools/archives/) to import/export SMD files.
Optional:
- [MD3 importer/exporter](https://github.com/neumond/blender-md3) to import/export MD3 files.
***IMPORTANT NOTE**: if you want to contribute, it's strongly important use 2.79b version for compatibility cases, they need to open from this version. Share the .blend file using 2.79b or earlier , make sure to work properly from this version!*
*If the version of a file is later than 2.79b, we may to make some tweaks and become tedious.*
# Introduction to export a weapon
**Keep in mind about weapon systems:**
- `g_*.md3`: model mesh for item pickup spawn and third person.
- `h_*.iqm`: for first person animations (if this step used [old methodology](#old-methodology) is a glue of `v_*`); the skeleton and the bones (the rigging and animation part). Keep in mind, you would need `*.iqm.framegroups` (more info: [Framegroups](framegroups), you can look `*.iqm.framegroups` opening a notepad to see what animations contain and the keyframes where these are set)
- `v_*.md3`: model mesh for third person; if `h_*.iqm` doesn't match with the animations needed of `v_*.md3`, it will generate spamming errors and bad pivot position.
More info: [Weapon modeling system](Weaponsystem)
# Textures and UV map
### For MD3 exportation:
You have to add single material with single texture for every mesh object. Name of texture node will be written as is into MD3 data (suffixes like .001, .002 are ignored, feel free to use one texture for many meshes).
Keep in mind, when you've done your UV map in your model, you need to set this:
Texture must:
- be of **Image** type
- mapping type **UV**
- have UV map assigned
otherwise resulting data block will be filled with zeroes.
If you didn't this, the model will be invisible and it won't be able to interact shaders.
[Blender reference about UV in MD3](https://archive.blender.org/wiki/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Import-Export/MD3/)
# Starting to export
Keep in mind, you need to set these modifiers for the mesh/model object:
MUST contain `tag_handle`, `tag_shell` and `tag_shot` bone names attached. These tag_names MUST be attached, if not the model will cause errors.
`tag_Somename` is another one, you can add if you need some optional animation in this bone.
Moreover, watch out about position and rotation. `h_*.iqm` alterates the position and rotation of `v_*.md3`. The positions may not be equal.
`g_*` and `v_*` MUST contain one bone. The animations can't be included. It isn't like `h_*`.
The animations are `fire`, `fire2`, `idle` and `reload`.
# New methodology
You can make optional customized animations adding bones for the animations.
## SMD (includes IQM converter and dpmodel guide)
Use Source Tools addon in Blender to export the model and animations.
- For `h_*`:
Select the mesh and 1 animation and click Export, you need to export all animations one per one:
Repeat the process:
- For `g_*` and `v_*`:
Just select the mesh:
It's because you didn't do correctly the steps after exporting the models. Remember, `g_*` and `v_*` MUST contain one bone.
# Old methodology
**IMPORTANT**: In this methodology, you can't make cool animations with separated objects, because `h_*.iqm` here is a plane mesh with bones.
Note: the model should be rotated as YXZ, instead being XYZ. Because the tip of the weapon is Y, horizontally is X.
`tag_weapon` is a MUST bone for this methodology.
## MD3
Before to export, you need to select all objects in the scene. (Pressing A, seeing all objects highlighting orange or red)
## IQM
Before to export, you need to select all objects and bones in the scene. (Pressing A, seeing all objects highlighting orange or red)
There's a post from InsideQC Forums explaining about IQM:
For `h_*.iqm`, you will need to do this:
There is a simple way:
You just can use an iqm model like a regular mdl file, you only need to use each frame as a framegroup.
For example, if you have an iqm called "rocketlauncher.iqm" with 20 frames you need to create a framegroup file with notepad like this:
```
1 1 1 0
2 1 1 0
3 1 1 0
4 1 1 0
5 1 1 0
6 1 1 0
7 1 1 0
8 1 1 0
9 1 1 0
10 1 1 0
11 1 1 0
12 1 1 0
13 1 1 0
14 1 1 0
15 1 1 0
16 1 1 0
17 1 1 0
18 1 1 0
19 1 1 0
20 1 1 0
```
So you will save it with the name.
"rocketlauncher.iqm.framegroups" and place it in the same directory where "rocketlauncher.iqm" is located.
About the framegroups file (explained on [Framegroups](framegroups)):
The first number represents the start frame of the animation (.framegroups files always start at frame 0, some modeling software starts at 1, so you might have to subtract 1 for the start frame).
The second number represents how many frames is in that specific frame group.
The third number is the frame rate at which the sequence plays. This is independent from what the monsters "think" rate is, which I have set at 10 frames-per-second.
The fourth number is whether the frame sequence loops. 1 for true, 0 for false. The only frame groups that should loop are the standing, walking and running animations.
It becomes very tedious to make framegroups for models with really many frames, you can use this sample generated for the darkplaces model compiler. It will work in every iqm model (if you wan you only need to cut the specific number of frames in the framegroups file, but it will work anyway)
Reference: [IQM animation framegroups (InsideQC Forums)](https://forums.insideqc.com/viewtopic.php?p=55949&sid=952cd347938ae5f2bb8bde276b5a35cd#p55949)