Heroes of Might and Magic Community
visiting hero! Register | Today's Posts | Games | Search! | FAQ/Rules | AvatarList | MemberList | Profile


Age of Heroes Headlines:  
5 Oct 2016: Heroes VII development comes to an end.. - read more
6 Aug 2016: Troubled Heroes VII Expansion Release - read more
26 Apr 2016: Heroes VII XPack - Trial by Fire - Coming out in June! - read more
17 Apr 2016: Global Alternative Creatures MOD for H7 after 1.8 Patch! - read more
7 Mar 2016: Romero launches a Piano Sonata Album Kickstarter! - read more
19 Feb 2016: Heroes 5.5 RC6, Heroes VII patch 1.7 are out! - read more
13 Jan 2016: Horn of the Abyss 1.4 Available for Download! - read more
17 Dec 2015: Heroes 5.5 update, 1.6 out for H7 - read more
23 Nov 2015: H7 1.4 & 1.5 patches Released - read more
31 Oct 2015: First H7 patches are out, End of DoC development - read more
5 Oct 2016: Heroes VII development comes to an end.. - read more
[X] Remove Ads
LOGIN:     Username:     Password:         [ Register ]
HOMM1: info forum | HOMM2: info forum | HOMM3: info mods forum | HOMM4: info CTG forum | HOMM5: info mods forum | MMH6: wiki forum | MMH7: wiki forum
Heroes Community > Heroes 3.5 - WoG and Beyond > Thread: Editing Heroes 3 HD Edition (.PAK files)
Thread: Editing Heroes 3 HD Edition (.PAK files)
Mursilis
Mursilis


Hired Hero
posted April 02, 2017 11:39 AM
Edited by Mursilis at 11:41, 02 Apr 2017.

Editing Heroes 3 HD Edition (.PAK files)

Hello everyone!

I want to extract the heroes and creatures's portraits from Heroes III HD Edition, because I'm going to replace them with the original portraits of Heroes 3 Complete.
The problem? The new "H3 HD Edition" files are in .pak format and I do not know how to edit or open those files. It does not work with MMArchive, obviously.



Any ideas?
Thanks!!

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
avatar
avatar


Promising
Supreme Hero
posted April 02, 2017 01:14 PM
Edited by avatar at 13:19, 02 Apr 2017.

Search for exctracted all H3 hde files over the net. For example here
____________

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
Mursilis
Mursilis


Hired Hero
posted April 02, 2017 03:59 PM

Thank you very much!! I appreciate it.
Next problem: How do I open DDS files?

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
Salamandre
Salamandre


Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
posted April 02, 2017 04:39 PM

google and you will get several software options.

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
NimoStar
NimoStar


Responsible
Legendary Hero
Modding the Unmoddable
posted September 29, 2023 10:28 AM

avatar said:
Search for exctracted all H3 hde files over the net. For example here


Sadly this drive is no longed public. It would be good to have access to assets DDS
____________
Never changing = never improving

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
DarkAtom
DarkAtom


Adventuring Hero
posted September 30, 2023 01:12 PM
Edited by DarkAtom at 13:55, 30 Sep 2023.

I wrote a Python script to extract the DDS files from the PAK archives. However, I find their organization quite poor, so I made it automatically splice the DDS files into individual frames (PNGs). It's based on a QuickBMS script I found here, but I thought that a Python script would be more convenient than the solution presented there.

To run it, use the command "python unpack-pak.py [--split] <pak-file>" (you need Python installed, obviously).

Technically, related assets are grouped in a single DDS file (and there's a header which tells you the coordinates and the size of each bitmap). However, these DDS files actually come in chunks (which basically means there are multiple DDS files). For example, the large hero portraits are in a file called HPL, however this file has 9 chunks, with most of the portraits being in the first one. I find this organization annoying, so that's why I included the "--split" option, to take each individual frame (including shadows) and store it into its own PNG. However, do note that this option makes the script run very slowly (I didn't put any effort to make it efficient).

@NimoStar
The drive works for me, it must be on your side.
____________
"If you get scared of doing what's right you might as well lay down and die" - Wulfstan, Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
NimoStar
NimoStar


Responsible
Legendary Hero
Modding the Unmoddable
posted September 30, 2023 05:33 PM

DarkAtom said:
I wrote a Python script to extract the DDS files from the PAK archives. However, I find their organization quite poor, so I made it automatically splice the DDS files into individual frames (PNGs). It's based on a QuickBMS script I found here, but I thought that a Python script would be more convenient than the solution presented there.

To run it, use the command "python unpack-pak.py [--split] <pak-file>" (you need Python installed, obviously).

Technically, related assets are grouped in a single DDS file (and there's a header which tells you the coordinates and the size of each bitmap). However, these DDS files actually come in chunks (which basically means there are multiple DDS files). For example, the large hero portraits are in a file called HPL, however this file has 9 chunks, with most of the portraits being in the first one. I find this organization annoying, so that's why I included the "--split" option, to take each individual frame (including shadows) and store it into its own PNG. However, do note that this option makes the script run very slowly (I didn't put any effort to make it efficient).

@NimoStar
The drive works for me, it must be on your side.


The drive said before "you need to ask for access". Now I can enter. I can only guess the owner saw my post and changed it.

Thanks for the Python script, I hope in the future someone can also eventually share a folder with all the PNGs so we don't have to waste time all running it?

But, I will see what I can do...
____________
Never changing = never improving

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
DarkAtom
DarkAtom


Adventuring Hero
posted September 30, 2023 06:18 PM

NimoStar said:


Thanks for the Python script, I hope in the future someone can also eventually share a folder with all the PNGs so we don't have to waste time all running it?




I am pretty sure sharing original game assets is not appropriate here. Yes, I know it's technically not the original DDS files but the divided PNGs, but I won't do it anyway.

Btw, if someone ever (though probably never) makes a mod for this game (e.g. GUI reskin), people will want an unpacking tool, not the already unpacked original game files.
____________
"If you get scared of doing what's right you might as well lay down and die" - Wulfstan, Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
Jump To: « Prev Thread . . . Next Thread »
Post New Poll    Post New Topic    Post New Reply

Page compiled in 0.0398 seconds