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Author Topic: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter  (Read 36670 times)

Offline Arparso

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Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« on: November 07, 2015, 14:55:05 »
A while ago I did a fresh Windows 10 install and since then I can't run Nexus' model / texture converter. As soon as I try to start it, it displays an application error dialog and tells me, that the application could not be started (also giving the error code 0xc0000142).

Does that sound familiar to anyone? I remember having trouble starting the converter back on Windows 7 as well, but I don't remember the actual error message and how I eventually got it to run.

Without the converter, I cannot bring in new assets or make changes to old ones... kind of kills Nexus modding for me :(

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2015, 00:13:07 »
Hi Arparso,

I'm in exactly the same spot. I can't get either the game or the converter to run in Windows 10, yet I can create and run mod missions without any problems  ???

In event viewer, it seems to indicate that the ntdll.dll file is faulty. Here's the entry if it helps...

Quote
Faulting application name: converter.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x2a425e19
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.10240.16430, time stamp: 0x55c599e1
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00055635
Faulting process ID: 0x1ec4
Faulting application start time: 0x01d11c0959f6ee8d
Faulting application path: B:\Program Files (x86)\Nexus - The Jupiter Incident\mod_tools\converter.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll
Report ID: 2ae397bf-199f-4f2b-84b7-1b52648b5765
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

Update: 16/11/2015
Went back to Windows 8.1 over the weekend and now Nexus (the actual game) runs - Hurrah.
Unfortunately, the converter still will not. Now the event viewer is pointing the finger at the 'lwolib.dll' and saying it's faulty. Tried replacing it with a different one but no joy.

At this rate, I'm thinking of finding an older machine to run the converter. Didn't have any luck with a VM.


« Last Edit: November 17, 2015, 00:36:34 by The Old Dragon »
Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2015, 22:52:48 »
Hi Arparso,

Quick update. I copied the mod_tools folder from my laptop (windows 8) where the converter doesn't work and took it into work. The pc's there are all windows 7 and the converter works perfect. So it's got to be the differences between the two OS's causing the problem.

Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.

Offline Arparso

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2015, 09:25:56 »
Yeah, but what exactly is missing or different in Win10, that the converter just keeps crashing? :(

I mean, I could just run an older OS in a VM, but that seems like overkill just to get that one tool to run... and I'd need another OS license.

Offline fleenots

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2015, 22:22:05 »
Hi
Has anyone manage to find a workround for this problem?
Thanks

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2015, 21:37:14 »
Hi there Fleenots,

I don't think there's any hope for the converter on windows 8 and above, our only options will probably involve using previous versions of windows :(

Arparso, with regards to having to get another OS license, I think I've found a way around that one (legal as far as I know, despite how the link reads :) ). Check out this link...

http://lifehacker.com/5965889/how-to-run-windows-xp-for-free-in-windows-8?trending_test_two_c&utm_expid=66866090-68.hhyw_lmCRuCTCg0I2RHHtw.3&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk

I've got it set up now, unfortunately the problem has changed a little...
The converter now starts and as far as the task manager is concerned, it's running. But from my point of view, the converter simply fails to appear. If anyone's got any idea's, please share.

Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.

Offline GeoModder

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2015, 23:58:58 »
I recently re-installed the game again (on Windows Vista), and the converter doesn't seem to work too.
Does anyone know if there was a special action/trick needed to let it work on this OS?

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2015, 22:41:10 »
Hi there Geo,

Do you get any kind of error message or does it just 'fail to appear'?

I'm assuming you've tried the old tricks of running as admin & setting the compatability...?
Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.

Offline GeoModder

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2015, 23:41:30 »
Hi as well, Old Dragon.  :)

It simply doesn't appear. And yes, I checked on the compatability. Most of the time admin is disabled at my machine, so it shouldn't have been active back in the days when the converter still worked.

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2015, 00:57:03 »
Been searching the web for an answer to this one since I discovered the converter was being awkward, have you tried doing a 'clean boot'? It seems to work for some people, here's a guide I found...

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/929135

When I get a moment, I aim to try it in my VM, just been too busy of late.
Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.

Offline Sargoth

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2015, 16:12:06 »
Official word from Nordic Game seems to be no support for mod tools (at the moment anyway). Do we have the skill to break these tools down and reprogram them? Or make new? Is it worth it?

Offline Arparso

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2015, 20:13:09 »
In principle, writing a custom converter wouldn't be that complicated: the stock model/texture converter isn't all that fancy, too, and - except for the issues with modern OS's - works pretty well, right?

The crux will be file formats: in order to make a useful converter, we need to completely understand the file formats Nexus uses for its textures and models. Actually just for the models - I already reverse-engineered the texture file format before and should have my docs about it somewhere on my HDD.

Yeah, but the models. I know enough about that format to extract a Nexus model, even including animations and stuff... but there are still large sections of the file format that I just don't understand yet. Writing a converter before fully understanding the target file format will be ... pretty hard, I guess.

Maybe someone knows the original programmers, who designed that file format for Mithis, and could persuade them to help us fill in the blanks, if they still remember the details? Or just someone with a talent for reverse-engineering 3d data? ;)

Offline Sargoth

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2015, 21:27:02 »
Plenty of old devs in the facebook group. Might even get help from Vincent. Will post a post.

Offline Sargoth

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2015, 11:25:38 »
An update. The lead coder on Nexus came forward and released the source code for the converter. Hopefully that should give us enough insight to make a new one. ;)

On a side note, how are people feeling about trying to update Nexus assets? To do a community graphic enhancement?
« Last Edit: December 14, 2015, 11:30:05 by Sargoth »

Offline GeoModder

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2015, 15:12:30 »
An update. The lead coder on Nexus came forward and released the source code for the converter. Hopefully that should give us enough insight to make a new one. ;)

Wow. 8)

On a side note, how are people feeling about trying to update Nexus assets? To do a community graphic enhancement?

Only Nexus assets? ;)
I would love to see/import new planet textures, surplus old earth meshes, and textures for those for a couple other corporations like AeroSpace and Orbital ingame. 

Offline Sargoth

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #15 on: December 14, 2015, 15:35:48 »
I'd love to give Pluto a face over 8)

Offline GeoModder

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #16 on: December 14, 2015, 18:16:14 »
Not to mention Charon, Vesta, and Ceres. ;D

Offline Arparso

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #17 on: December 14, 2015, 18:45:37 »
I'm not an artist, so wouldn't have much to contribute to a graphics overhaul. :(

But great news about that converter source code - I should be able to produce something usable based on that. Now I just need some more free time...

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #18 on: December 14, 2015, 20:47:19 »
Great news there Sargoth, I'd love to help out where I can. Modelling is more my area - textures are so so. Passable but probably fall quite short of what's in game at the moment.
Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.

Offline Arparso

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #19 on: January 13, 2016, 12:26:28 »
Is anyone still running the old converter and could post a screenshot of it? I'd just like to have a look at the options that were available and how they were called and I can't do that right now on my current OS.

Offline Sargoth

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #20 on: January 13, 2016, 15:10:32 »
Poke TheOldDragon. He had it working at his job ;)

Offline CmdrKoenig

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2016, 10:23:18 »
Hi all,

I've investigated the converter issue and found that the problem was in fact in lwolib.dll.
Here is a fixed version:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lklyh7issokz2nm/lwolib.dll?dl=1
Just replace the old one, and the Converter will work.

Regarding converter.exe itself, I haven't got any source code version of it (it was written in Delphi and we (mis)handled it separately).
So it cannot be improved at the moment.

But maybe Arparso is building a much shinier one anyway.
Regarding that here are the updated version of the conversion codes I shared before.
The difference is that they are guaranteed to represent the actual released file formats.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gq2ceeop9800lei/NexusConvert.rar?dl=1

BUT:
I've also included a slice of lwolib.cpp in which you can see all the entry points of lwolib.dll.
Therefore you don't necessarily have to bother with compiling the sources, just simple use the DLL.

Offline Sargoth

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #22 on: January 21, 2016, 15:43:10 »
Thanks! ;)

But we got the source code for the converter and I believe Arparso is hard at work on making a new one. ;D

Edit: Throws an error (cannot open project file), but it works. Still think you should finish yours, Arparso.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2016, 15:47:05 by Sargoth »

Offline GeoModder

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #23 on: January 21, 2016, 22:41:24 »
It seems to work! ;D
Had an old .png file on my desttop, and resaving it as a .bmp made it recognizable for the converter.
Converted it last noon, but couldn't find the file. Lo and behold, I just opened my C:\ folder and apparantly the converter threw it there.

Offline The Old Dragon

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Re: Issue running Nexus' model / texture converter
« Reply #24 on: January 22, 2016, 00:41:27 »
CmdrKoenig, thank you so much for getting this up and running again, works just like old times  :D

Sargoth, don't worry about the initial 'cannot open project file' error, it's always done that to me.

Had a few issues with my laptop since my last post, which kept me away.
Better to look the fool by asking, then prove them right with ignorance.