Environment & Objects d3dmesh editing tutorial (WIP)

In this tutorial, We're going to make our own environment map for telltale games.

Reminder: This is a advanced tutorial which mean you may need have great skills with game tool experience (like Unity, Unreal etc). But, Don't worry this instruction will make you understand easier.

For example, let's say, I wanted to make a Windmill map from Minecraft java edition into Minecraft story mode season one. Like a actual model imported from Minecraft.

REQUIRED TOOLS

Mineways 12.12v (Only For Minecraft Story Mode Season One/Two) - Import map from Minecraft java edition and to covert be 3D models.
Blender 5.0.1 or Higher - Cleaning up & Optimize the models for better performance in telltale games (THIS IS IMPORTANT)
Vox Cleaner V3 Blender Addon (Only For Minecraft Story Mode Season One/Two) - Get Free version & Optimize the models. Also can bake textures if necessary.
Unity 2021 or Higher - Bake Model's lightmap UVs

Getting a 3D Model from Internet

I wanted to make a windmill model in Minecraft Story Mode, So i look up the Plant Minecraft where free maps can be found, I saw this nice windmill and download the map. The windmill in Minecraft world is saved in my game, it'll ready for mineways be opened. m001

Converting from the map into 3D Model Using Mineways

Once the windmill map is created, I'm going to open Mineways tool. Click the "Open World" and Choose the world where you want to import (E.g i will pick a world where windmill was there)

Hold Right click to the ground and then drag it to make it look like pink box.

If you're happy with the selected box you choose, let's click the export it. Click "Export for rendering" and save where you want to put. (e.g i created my folder called "Windhill model").

Set this Export setting before exporting the map.

Your map chosen have successfully be converted into object model. Let's open D3Dmesh editor.

Cleaning up and Optimize the models using blender

Before we move on blender, firstly i have to open D3Dmesh editor because i wanted to find any original telltale model that good replace them by windmill model. Let's say... i found a good one is "obj_buildingEntryStructureForestStageA" Model that i can replace. There is two options, Option A: we will replace the full windmill model one replaces a single original d3dmesh. Option B: We could make a separate parts of windmill model replaces each original d3dmeshes (about 3-4). I would go to Option B. Why? Because i want to make a better performance for in-game without having struggling or look too lagging. So i will extract four original d3dmeshes that i want to replace: "obj_buildingEntryStructureForestStageA, obj_buildingEntryStructureForestStageB, obj_blockGlassA and obj_obj_wildernessTileGabrielTowerLamps"

Extract & Save the original d3dmeshes into folder as "Mcsm object" i created.

Now moving on Blender, Import the Windmill model.

The windmill model has imported, What do i have do with it? We need to clean up and optimize this model.

In Edit mode, you see how big is model's vertices. The game cannot handle to load up model that too many vertices. We need to reduce the vertices model.

Remember i said I'm going to do Option B? We need to split the model into 4 models parts. For example, i want to make window/glass from windmill as model part. In the Edit mode, Hold the Shift and Select Window/glass faces as much as you can. Once you select all window/glass faces. Press P and Click the "Selection", It will created as model part.

I have made 4 model separate parts which is good to replaces four original d3dmeshes i extracted.

Note: This is may optional for rename 4 model separate parts like how telltale named models. Its easier to know which model is.

If you're doing MCSM Modding, You must have Vox Cleaner V3 addon installed for Blender 5.0+ or Higher

Now We're going to bake the textures, Click the "Vox Cleaner" on the top right side.

Before bake the textures, we need setting up normally like this: If you're going to do a larger map model, you need to set this.

If you're going to do a smaller map model, you need to set this.

Now you have setting up, its ready to bake now!

Here's before:

After:

Looking much better? it also reduces the vertices too, so game can able load up the models!

Little Problem: If you bake the model, but it give this very low resolution

try change "Resolution Upscale" up

Now that's look much better!

Not only it optimized the model, it also bake the texture of model!

But the thing is I'm not happy with this texture because i need it more margin. So i have to bake different way with added margin (This is optional if you wish to skip this part, but sill kind of important)

In the Shading mode, Create the image texture, i'll be name "windmill_ground_bake_tex" something like that.

Make sure your render setting is Cycles

Select the image texture you created and set this bake setting before bake button

Now Press bake button and it gives result like this! i'm very happy with it.

Save it as png somewhere folder. (i saved it in folder where windmill model are stored.)

Now do same thing for upper windmill model (don't do glass and lamps parts, we don't need them).

before export as fbx for unity, I need to create a new second UVs Channels for each models (ground and upper windmills). Why? Because the second UVs channel is for lightmap UVs that we're going to create it.

Create the channels like this and leave the name like that.

Okay now, you can save the models as fbx. (Upper, Ground and Lamps windmill only). And please save the your blender work as .blend just in case if you want back to editing.