SWBF-msh-Blender-IO/README.md

# SWBF-msh-Blender-Export
WIP .msh (SWBF toolchain version) exporter for Blender 2.8

Currently capable of exporting the active scene without skinning information. 

### Installing
You install it like any other Blender addon, if you already know how to do that then great! Grab the [latest release](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/releases/latest) (or if you're the adventerous type [clone from source](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/archive/master.zip)) and you'll be good to go.

However if you don't know how to install then read on!

These instructions are going to be for Windows. If you're on a different platform I'm sure some quick web searching can help provide you with answers.

First download and extract the addon [latest release](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/releases/latest). 

Then open up Explorer and paste `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.80\` into it's address bar. Then go into the `scripts` folder in that directory and copy the `addons` folder from the extracted addon into the scripts folder.

Next open up Blender, go into Edit > Preferences > Addons. Select "Community" tab and then search for ".msh". "Import-Export: SWBF .msh export" should come up, check the box next to it. The preferences window should look like this once you're done.

![Installed addon.](docs/images/blender_addon_installed.png)

If you've done that then the addon is installed and you should now find "SWBF msh" listed under Blender's export options.

### Reference Manual
Included in the repository is a [Reference Manual](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/blob/master/docs/reference_manual.md#reference-manual) of sorts. There is no need to read through it before using the addon but anytime you have a question about how something works or why an export failed it should hopefully have the answers.

### Work to be done
- [ ] Investigate and add support for exporting bones and vertex weights.
- [ ] Investigate and add support for exporting animations.
- [ ] Investigate and add support for editing and exporting SWBF2 cloth.
- [ ] Implement .msh importing. Currently you can use the 1.2 release of [swbf-unmunge](releases/tag/v1.2.0) to save out munged models to glTF 2.0 files if you need to open a model in Blender.

### What from [glTF-Blender-IO](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF-Blender-IO) was used?
The `reload_package` function from \_\_init\_\_.py. Before writing this I had barely touched Python and when I saw that glTF-Blender-IO had a function to assist script reloading "I thought that's useful, I think I kinda need that and I don't know how to write something like that myself yet.". And it was very useful, so thank you to all the glTF-Blender-IO developers and contributors.
Create README.md 2019-11-12 02:47:43 +00:00			`# SWBF-msh-Blender-Export`
			`WIP .msh (SWBF toolchain version) exporter for Blender 2.8`

update readme 2019-11-21 13:42:49 +00:00			`Currently capable of exporting the active scene without skinning information.`
Create README.md 2019-11-12 02:47:43 +00:00
add exporter docs 2019-11-20 04:37:53 +00:00			`### Installing`
update readme 2019-11-21 13:42:49 +00:00			`You install it like any other Blender addon, if you already know how to do that then great! Grab the [latest release](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/releases/latest) (or if you're the adventerous type [clone from source](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/archive/master.zip)) and you'll be good to go.`
Create README.md 2019-11-12 02:47:43 +00:00
update readme 2019-11-21 13:42:49 +00:00			`However if you don't know how to install then read on!`

			`These instructions are going to be for Windows. If you're on a different platform I'm sure some quick web searching can help provide you with answers.`

			`First download and extract the addon [latest release](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/releases/latest).`

			Then open up Explorer and paste `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.80\` into it's address bar. Then go into the `scripts` folder in that directory and copy the `addons` folder from the extracted addon into the scripts folder.

			`Next open up Blender, go into Edit > Preferences > Addons. Select "Community" tab and then search for ".msh". "Import-Export: SWBF .msh export" should come up, check the box next to it. The preferences window should look like this once you're done.`

			`![Installed addon.](docs/images/blender_addon_installed.png)`

			`If you've done that then the addon is installed and you should now find "SWBF msh" listed under Blender's export options.`

			`### Reference Manual`
			`Included in the repository is a [Reference Manual](https://github.com/SleepKiller/SWBF-msh-Blender-Export/blob/master/docs/reference_manual.md#reference-manual) of sorts. There is no need to read through it before using the addon but anytime you have a question about how something works or why an export failed it should hopefully have the answers.`
Update README.md 2019-11-15 07:49:29 +00:00
Create README.md 2019-11-12 02:47:43 +00:00			`### Work to be done`
			`- [ ] Investigate and add support for exporting bones and vertex weights.`
			`- [ ] Investigate and add support for exporting animations.`
update readme 2019-11-21 13:42:49 +00:00			`- [ ] Investigate and add support for editing and exporting SWBF2 cloth.`
Create README.md 2019-11-12 02:47:43 +00:00			`- [ ] Implement .msh importing. Currently you can use the 1.2 release of [swbf-unmunge](releases/tag/v1.2.0) to save out munged models to glTF 2.0 files if you need to open a model in Blender.`

			`### What from [glTF-Blender-IO](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF-Blender-IO) was used?`
			The `reload_package` function from \_\_init\_\_.py. Before writing this I had barely touched Python and when I saw that glTF-Blender-IO had a function to assist script reloading "I thought that's useful, I think I kinda need that and I don't know how to write something like that myself yet.". And it was very useful, so thank you to all the glTF-Blender-IO developers and contributors.