Hey all! I've been into the whole SSBB texture modding movement for about half a year now. I've used ASH and a few of the other 'modding' tools to change textures and other experiences of the game, and I'm very impressed at how much this genre has taken off. That being said, I've been 'intrigued', if you will with the question of "What can be modified with this game?"
I noticed that some of these tools seem to be very buggy, and lacking in vital features. Being a coder myself, I started diving into the data files to see how they tick. After about two months of work, I've come up with a rather interesting program. Maybe a few screen shots will explain:
The first thing you may notice is the tree view that 'dives' into the file data. The most annoying thing about the SSBB data files is that they're collections of collections of resources. Once these files are unpacked and stored in memory, they're organized quite well. However, from a modding perspective these can be quite a hassle because it's hard to tell where one resource ends and another ends. As you can see, I hoped to remedy this roadblock.
I call this program a 'Data Interpreter' for a few reasons:
Currently, it's still in a very early stage and is lacking some key features. Here are the features so far:
Features that are still missing and/or need improvement:
I've also found out a TON of information about the data files and their layouts. I may start a post detailing my findings.
The program is still missing a few key UI features, so don't expect a release just yet. I also would like to finish up a few file and image formats.
Peace!
I noticed that some of these tools seem to be very buggy, and lacking in vital features. Being a coder myself, I started diving into the data files to see how they tick. After about two months of work, I've come up with a rather interesting program. Maybe a few screen shots will explain:
The first thing you may notice is the tree view that 'dives' into the file data. The most annoying thing about the SSBB data files is that they're collections of collections of resources. Once these files are unpacked and stored in memory, they're organized quite well. However, from a modding perspective these can be quite a hassle because it's hard to tell where one resource ends and another ends. As you can see, I hoped to remedy this roadblock.
I call this program a 'Data Interpreter' for a few reasons:
- It's not an editor in that it doesn't change or edit the source data in any way (except header values)
- The program 'interprets' data values from inside of the files and allows them to be viewed by the user
Currently, it's still in a very early stage and is lacking some key features. Here are the features so far:
- The tool can extract raw data from ANY node within a resource file/tree, making data discovery/editing much easier.
- All but two image formats have been 'interpreted', and can be exported to a few image formats.
- Almost any resource file can be opened and viewed independently of a packed file (.pac, .brres), as can be seen from the second screen shot.
Features that are still missing and/or need improvement:
- Data cannot be imported back into the resource collection.
- Model files are currently unsupported.
I've also found out a TON of information about the data files and their layouts. I may start a post detailing my findings.
The program is still missing a few key UI features, so don't expect a release just yet. I also would like to finish up a few file and image formats.
Peace!
