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authoredFeb 23, 2018
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‎README.md

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# CodeWalker by dexyfex
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----------------------
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# This program is for viewing the contents of GTAV RPF archives.
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# Requirements:
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--------------
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- PC version of GTAV
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- DirectX 11 and Shader Model 4.0 capable graphics
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- Windows 7 and above, x64 processor
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- 4GB RAM (8+ recommended)
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- .NET framework 4.5 or newer (download from [Microsoft](https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/thank-you/net471))
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# Using the app:
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---------------
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On first startup, the app will prompt to browse for the GTAV game folder. If you have the Steam version installed
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in the default location `(C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Grand Theft Auto V)`, then this step will be skipped automatically.
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The World View will load by default. It will take a while to load.
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Use the WASD keys to move the camera. Hold shift to move faster.
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Drag the left mouse button to rotate the view.
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Use the mouse wheel to zoom in/out, and change the base movement speed. (Zoom in = slower motion)
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Xbox controller input is also supported.
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The Toolbox can be shown by clicking the `<<` button in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
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`T` opens the main toolbar.
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First-person mode can be activated with the P key, or by pressing the Start button on the XBox controller.
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While in first-person mode, the left mouse button (or right trigger) will fire an egg.
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Entities can be selected (with the right mouse button) by enabling the option on the Selection tab in the
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toolbox. The details of the selected entity, its archetype, and its drawable can be explored in the relevant
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sub-tabs. (This option can also be activated with the arrow button on the toolbar).
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When an entity is selected, `E` will switch to edit mode (or alternatively, edit mode can be activated by
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switching the Widget mode to anything other than Default). When in edit mode, `Q` will exit edit mode, `W` toggles
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the position widget, E toggles rotation, and R toggles scale. Also when in edit mode, movement is still WSAD,
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but only while you're holding the left mouse button down, and not interacting with the widget.
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`Ctrl-Z` and `Ctrl-Y` will Undo and Redo entity transformation (position/rotation/scale) actions.
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The Project Window allows a CodeWalker project to be created (`.cwproj`), and files added to it. Editing
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entities while the Project Window is open will add the entity's `.ymap` to the current project. `Ymap` files can then
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be saved to disk, for use in a map mod. New `ymap` files can also be created, and entities can be added and removed.
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Also supported for editing are `.ynd` files (traffic paths), trains `.dat files` (train tracks), and scenarios (`.ymt`).
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(A full tutorial on making map mods is out of the scope of this readme.)
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A full explanation of all the tools in this application is still on the to-do list!
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The user is currently left to explore the options at their own peril.
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Note some options may cause CodeWalker to crash, or otherwise stop working properly. Restart the program if this
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happens!
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Also note that this program is a constant work in progress, so bugs and crashes are to be expected.
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Some parts of the world do not yet render correctly, but expect updates in the future to fix these issues.
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# Menu mode:
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----------
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The app can also be started with a main menu instead of loading the world view. This can be useful for situations
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where the world view is not needed, and the world loading can be avoided.
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To activate the menu mode, run CodeWalker with the 'menu' command line argument, e.g:
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CodeWalker.exe menu
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# Explorer mode:
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--------------
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The app can be started with the `'explorer'` command line argument. This displays an interface much like OpenIV,
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with a Windows-Explorer style interface for browsing the game's .rpf archives. Double-click on files to open them.
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Viewers for most file types are available, but hex view will be shown as a fallback.
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To activate the explorer mode, run the command:
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CodeWalker.exe explorer
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Alternatively, run the CodeWalker Explorer batch file in the program's directory.
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# Main Toolbar:
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-------------
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The main toolbar is used to access most of the editing features in CodeWalker. Shortcuts for new, open and
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create files are provided. The selection mode can be changed with the "pointer" button. Move, rotate and
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scale buttons provide access to the different editing widget modes.
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Other shortcuts on the toolbar include buttons to open the Selection Info window, and the Project window.
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See the tooltips on the toolbar items for hints.
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# Project Window:
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---------------
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The project window is the starting point for editing files in CodeWalker. Project files can be created,
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and files can be added to them. It is recommended to create and save a project file before adding files
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to be edited and saved.
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The tree view displays the files in the current project, and their contents.
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# YMAP editing:
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-------------
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New `YMAP` files can be created via the project window, and existing `YMAP` files can be edited.
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To edit an existing single player `YMAP`, first change codewalker DLC level to `patchday2ng`, and enable DLC.
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Open the toolbar, and enable Entity selection mode. Enable the Move widget with the toolbar Move button.
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Open the project window with the toolbar button. Changes made while the project window is open are
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automatically added to the project.
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Select an entity to edit by right clicking when the entity is moused over, and its bounding box shown in
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white. Move, rotate and/or scale the selected entity with the widget. When the first change is made, the
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entity's `YMAP` will be added to the current project. If no project is open, a new one will be created.
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The edited `YMAP` file can be saved to the drive using the File menu in the project window.
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After saving the file, it needs to be added into the mods folder. Using OpenIV, find the existing `YMAP`
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file using the search function (note: the correct path for the edited `YMAP` can be found in the selection
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info window in CodeWalker, when an entity is selected, look for `YMap`>`RpfFileEntry` in the selection info
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property grid). Replace the edited `YMAP` into a copy of the correct archive in the /mods folder.
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Newly created YMAPs can be added to DLC archives in the same manner.
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# Traffic Paths (YND) editing:
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----------------------------
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[TODO - write this!]
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# Train Tracks editing:
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---------------------
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[TODO - write this!]
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# Scenario Regions (YMT) editing:
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-------------------------------
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[TODO: write this!]
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See https://youtu.be/U0nrVL44Fb4 - Scenario Editing Tutorial
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# Regarding game files: (FYI)
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----------------------------
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The PC GTAV world is stored in the `RPF` archives in many different file formats. As expected, some formats are
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used for storing rendering-related content, for example the textures and 3d models, while other formats are used
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for storing game and engine related data.
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The main formats when it comes to rendering GTAV content are:
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`.ytd` - Texture Dictionary - Stores texture data in a DirectX format convenient for loading to the GPU.
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`.ydr` - Drawable - Contains a single asset's 3d model. Can contain a Texture Dictionary, and up to 4 LODs of a model.
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`.ydd` - Drawable Dictionary - A collection of Drawables packed into a single file.
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`.yft` - Fragment - Contains a Drawable, along with other metadata for example physics data.
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The content Assets are pieced together to create the GTAV world via MapTypes (Archetypes) and MapData
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(Entity placements). At a high level, Archeypes define objects that are placeable, and Entities define
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where those objects are placed to make up the world. The collision mesh data for the world is stored in Bounds
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files.
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### The formats for these are:
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`.ytyp` - MapTypes - Contains a group of MapTypes (Archetypes), each defining an object that could be placed.
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`.ymap` - MapData - Contains placements of Archetypes, each defining an Entity in the world.
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`.ybn` - Bounds - Contains collision mesh / bounding data for pieces of the world.
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The EntityData contained within the MapData (`.ymap`) files forms the LOD hierarchy. This hierarchy is arranged
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such that the lowest detail version of the world, at the root of the hierarchy, is represented by a small number
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of large models that can all be rendered simultaneously to draw the world at a great distance. The next branch
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in the hierarchy splits each of these large models into a group of smaller objects, each represented in a higher
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detail than the previous level. This pattern is continued for up to 6 levels of detail. When rendering the world,
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the correct level of detail for each branch in the hierarchy needs to be determined, as obviously the highest
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detail objects cannot all be rendered at once due to limited computing resources.
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In CodeWalker, This is done by recursing the LOD tree from the roots, checking how far away from the camera the node's Entity is. If it is below a certain value, then the current level is used, otherwise it moves to the
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next higher level, depending on the LOD distance setting.
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(In the Ymap view, the highest LOD, ORPHANHD, is not rendered by default. The ORPHANHD entities can often be manually rendered by specifying the correct `strm ymap` file for the area in question in the `ymap` text box. The `strm ymap` name can often be found by mouse-selecting a high detail object in the area and noting what `ymap `the entity is contained in, in the selection details panel.)
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