Super Smash Bros. Ultimate model and animation importers for Blender (io_scene_numdlb)

Imports data referenced by NUMDLB files and NUANMB files (binary model and animation formats used by some games developed by Bandai-Namco). May work for other games using the same format. Unlike the original MAXScript, this set of scripts is cross-platform, as they will work on any operating system that Blender and Python exist for. The readability in the rewritten model importer script is also improved, with the main function split into several smaller ones.

Both the model importer script and the animation importer script are now ready for daily use. Check out the branch 2.79_compatible for a version of this addon compatible with <= Blender 2.79. The master branch will focus on >= Blender 2.80 and later, with Blender 2.83 LTS guaranteed to be compatible. There are a few limitations in both scripts:

• Node setups in the Shader Node Editor or the Texture Node Editor can be somewhat messy after import. While their locations can be set during import, I prefer to not hard-code the locations of every node. Hence every node will appear around the origin (0, 0), but they can be manually moved elsewhere.

• Models must have their bone axises aligned, or animations will cause meshes to deform incorrectly. Models imported with the NUMDLB importer script and SMD (Valve Source Model) importer script take this into account.

• Only transform and visibility tracks are supported by the NUANMB importer. Material and camera tracks are currently unsupported.

• Normal maps, PRM maps (Used with Principled BSDF shaders), and Emissive maps are now supported, but they are disabled by default due to the default render settings causing models to look drastically different.

Where to obtain assets

• Project thread: https://www.vg-resource.com/thread-34836.html

• Direct folder (MEGA.nz): https://mega.nz/#F!AAwWzCjT!Zd5kKpuQcE647DSRtpFShw

• PNG textures: https://gitlab.com/Worldblender/smash-ultimate-textures

Installation

This set of two scripts requires Blender 2.80 or later, but only 2.83 LTS has been tested.

1. Clone or download this repository. If downloaded, extract the files after that.

2. Open Blender and select Edit -> Preferences -> Add-ons -> Install... and select the newly downloaded scripts. If you are on blender 2.8 or above, make sure to install the scripts with the _2_80. Otherwise, just install the normal versions.

3. In the search bar in the upper left, search for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If no results are found, try enabling the Testing supported level below the search bar.

4. Enable the plugin by clicking the checkbox next to the plugin name.

5. Select the hamburger menu in the bottom-left corner and select Save Preferences at the lower left and close the window.

6. Alternate install method: Navigate to the add-ons directory (location depends on OS and setup, see https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/getting_started/installing/configuration/directories.html to find out where) at ./scripts/addons/. If this directory hierarchy does not exist, create it. Copy both of the Python scripts to the add-ons directory. Proceed to step 2 and continue, or select Blender logo -> System -> Reload Scripts.

Removal

1. Open Blender and select Edit -> Preferences -> Add-ons.

2. In the search bar in the upper left, search for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If no results are found, try enabling the Testing supported level below the search bar.

3. Disable the plugin by clicking the checkbox next to the plugin name - or uninstall the plugin by clicking Remove.

4. Select the hamburger menu at the bottom-left corner and select Save Preferences in the lower left and close the window.

5. Alternate removal method: Navigate to the add-ons directory (location depends on OS and setup, see https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/getting_started/installing/configuration/directories.html to find out where) at ./scripts/addons/. Delete both scripts beginning with 'SSBUlt'.

Importing NUMDLB or NUANMB data

1. Navigate to File -> Import -> NUMDLB or File -> Import -> NUANMB and select the file(s) you wish to import. One at a time for NUMDLB files, and multiple files can be selected for NUANMB animation files.

2. Only if importing NUANMB files, select the armature (skeleton) for the target model before importing them.

3. Select NUMDLB Import or NUANMB Import, depending on what was selected earlier.

4. If importing data from NUMDLB files, images are now assigned automatically to UV maps for all meshes if they are located in the same directory as the model files are. To display these images on meshes, switch the viewport shading option to 'Textured', or open the 3D View properties panel on the right, and select the 'Textured Solid' option in the 'Shading' subpanel.

Extras

In the extras directory are some more scripts. The original MAXScript, a mesh cleanup script, and data read-only scripts can be found here. The data read-only scripts require Blender like the importer scripts do, but they do not require the UI to be open. To run these scripts, type this into a terminal window/command prompt: blender --background --python <path-to-script>, where blender may need to be replaced by the full executable path depending on how Blender was installed. An additional script at https://github.com/virtualturtle/SSBU_BlenderEaseofImport can assist in cleaning up meshes by sending expression-specific ones to other layers. I keep an altered copy here so that it can handle more situations than the original author provides.

Credits

• The NUMDLB importer uses helper functions from the SuperTuxKart SPM importer at https://sourceforge.net/p/supertuxkart/code/HEAD/tree/media/trunk/blender_26/spm_import.py.

• Parts of the Python scripts reference snippets of code from http://steamreview.org/BlenderSourceTools/.

• The NUANMB importer references code from https://github.com/SE2Dev/io_anim_seanim.

• https://github.com/Ploaj/SSBHLib - used for checking whether my scripts read the original data correctly or not. The majority of the NUANMB importer references code from here as well.

License

Everything but the original MAXScript is licensed under the MIT License, found at <./LICENSE>.