Cant stream some props? "cs..."

davewazere · October 5, 2018, 1:00pm

Heyo peeps. So Im trying to place some billboards around the map via codewalker. I have been able to place plenty of props and make maps etc etc etc. already. It seems like all the billboards have the same for matting cs4_something, cs4_somethingelse, cs4_etc.

My question: Can we even stream these props? Ive noticed that some peds with the “cs” or even “ig” in them will just be invisible. Is this the same issue with the billboards? I couldnt find any info on this, if someone has a link or another topic that discusses this let me know!

anders · October 5, 2018, 1:53pm

Can you give a very specific example that can be looked at in CodeWalker and tested? I searched OpenIV for cs4_*bb* for example and come up with a list of billboard face models. Give the x,y,z coords you’re at in CodeWalker so I can see what you’re trying to edit/clone/move. Some billboards are attached directly to building models, others are just faces like in the search above, there will be more entities that needs to be included in a ymap if you’re trying to clone and move.

davewazere · October 5, 2018, 2:18pm

Ok, well first off. My attempt was to use:

cs4_12_bb4

1537.208, 3432.713, 52.1714

I wasnt worried about the WHOLE thing, just the sign, was gonna just place the panel down or on a wall somewhere near spawn basically. Granted Im sure thats easy anyways, just copy the pillars that are holding the sign and place them somewhere.

I tried to place just that prop over by the PD in Sandy and it just never placed.

Also tried to change up the textures but this one, when viewed in IV is just all purple, no textures that I saw. Tried to export to .odr and still nothing.

Next I went to this other smaller sign:(right next to 1st)

cs4_12_billbd_03
1514.678, 3474.016, 35.74763

I was able to change the texture fine on this just as you had explained to me before, I just cant seem to get it to spawn in the world in other locations.

I figured it would be a simple, copy the Archetype, add new entity to the .ymap Im editing and boom thats that.

VVV

Edit:
Re read your message comment again, are you saying they NEED the pillars for the props to show up? If thats the case what about that smaller sign I have at the bottom? That is just one entity AFAIK

anders · October 5, 2018, 3:37pm

Took a bit of digging but here’s the process for your first example:

create a file called billboardalamo.ymap.xml with these contents

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<CMapData>
  <name>billboardalamo</name>
  <parent/>
  <flags value="0"/>
  <contentFlags value="1"/>
  <streamingExtentsMin x="1573.39100000" y="3403.70300000" z="-162.80330000"/>
  <streamingExtentsMax x="2135.86800000" y="3961.22900000" z="255.65150000"/>
  <entitiesExtentsMin x="1846.67500000" y="3676.98600000" z="37.19668000"/>
  <entitiesExtentsMax x="1862.58500000" y="3687.94600000" z="55.65149000"/>
  <entities>
    <Item type="CEntityDef">
      <archetypeName>CS4_12_bb4</archetypeName>
      <flags value="1572872"/>
      <guid value="0"/>
      <position x="1854.37900000" y="3682.80400000" z="52.18236000"/>
      <rotation x="0.00000000" y="0.00000000" z="0.75429660" w="0.65653390"/>
      <scaleXY value="1.00000000"/>
      <scaleZ value="1.00000000"/>
      <parentIndex value="-1"/>
      <lodDist value="200.00000000"/>
      <childLodDist value="0.00000000"/>
      <lodLevel>LODTYPES_DEPTH_HD</lodLevel>
      <numChildren value="0"/>
      <priorityLevel>PRI_REQUIRED</priorityLevel>
      <extensions/>
      <ambientOcclusionMultiplier value="255"/>
      <artificialAmbientOcclusion value="255"/>
      <tintValue value="0"/>
    </Item>
    <Item type="CEntityDef">
      <archetypeName>Prop_Billboard_04</archetypeName>
      <flags value="1572872"/>
      <guid value="0"/>
      <position x="1857.59900000" y="3685.11700000" z="37.18434000"/>
      <rotation x="0.00000000" y="0.00000000" z="-0.25933450" w="0.96578740"/>
      <scaleXY value="1.00000000"/>
      <scaleZ value="1.00000000"/>
      <parentIndex value="-1"/>
      <lodDist value="200.00000000"/>
      <childLodDist value="0.00000000"/>
      <lodLevel>LODTYPES_DEPTH_ORPHANHD</lodLevel>
      <numChildren value="0"/>
      <priorityLevel>PRI_REQUIRED</priorityLevel>
      <extensions/>
      <ambientOcclusionMultiplier value="255"/>
      <artificialAmbientOcclusion value="255"/>
      <tintValue value="0"/>
    </Item>
  </entities>
  <containerLods/>
  <boxOccluders/>
  <occludeModels/>
  <physicsDictionaries/>
  <instancedData>
    <ImapLink/>
    <PropInstanceList/>
    <GrassInstanceList/>
  </instancedData>
  <timeCycleModifiers/>
  <carGenerators/>
  <LODLightsSOA>
    <direction/>
    <falloff/>
    <falloffExponent/>
    <timeAndStateFlags/>
    <hash/>
    <coneInnerAngle/>
    <coneOuterAngleOrCapExt/>
    <coronaIntensity/>
  </LODLightsSOA>
  <DistantLODLightsSOA>
    <position/>
    <RGBI/>
    <numStreetLights value="0"/>
    <category value="0"/>
  </DistantLODLightsSOA>
  <block>
    <version value="0"/>
    <flags value="0"/>
    <name>billboardalamo</name>
    <exportedBy/>
    <owner/>
    <time/>
  </block>
</CMapData>

create a _manifest.ymf.xml with these contents (This seems to be the requirement to get the actual billboard model to load in fivem, without this manifest file streamed I only get the billboard frame in fivem.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<CPackFileMetaData>
  <MapDataGroups/>
  <HDTxdBindingArray/>
  <imapDependencies/>
  <imapDependencies_2>
    <Item>
      <imapName>billboardalamo</imapName>
      <manifestFlags/>
      <itypDepArray>
        <Item>country_04_metadata_010_strm</Item>
      </itypDepArray>
    </Item>
  </imapDependencies_2>
  <itypDependencies_2/>
  <Interiors/>
</CPackFileMetaData>

Drag both files into OpenIV, then extract them both to your map resource stream folder afterwards.

image817×949 285 KB
The texture file for this billboard is found in:
x64t.rpf/levels/gta5/_hills/country_04/cs4_12/cs4_12_hd_misc.ytd

I find you can’t search for every file in OpenIV, searching for this finds no results, but if you look around you eventually find it.

anders · October 5, 2018, 3:41pm

No, you don’t need the pillars, but it looks like you need a _manifest.ymf file that defines the ytyp file(s) your ymap is using. This is not a requirement for all models, but is for some. As a best practice I always include a _manifest.ymf file with every map resource.

davewazere · October 5, 2018, 3:46pm

What a boss! You are the best dude! And after its converted to a ymap I could just edit it codewalker and move it around as I please?

edit, also I was saying I re-read your comment, not telling you to! :o my bad!

anders · October 5, 2018, 3:51pm

You got it, I actually start in code walker by creating a new ymap, then I find an entity I want in my map, I add that single entity in the project window, find other entities, add them. Then I fly to the location I want, grap the camera coords, go back into the project window and paste the coords into each entity in project window. From here I move them around, it’s far less work that way.

I also find when you save a ymap from code walker and pull it into OpenIV it loses the name at the top, I always edit it a bit in OpenIV, replace that, remove the exported by stuff at the bottom, save, then extract to my stream folders.

Manifest I do not create in codewalker despite it having an option in project window to get the contents, instead I grab just the contents needed out of the manifest file that original objects are coming from in OpenIV and just paste them into my file, change the imap name entry.

davewazere · October 5, 2018, 4:12pm

Last thing, you see how the ytd has a texture with 4 different images? What determins which one is going to be used? Just what billboard prop you use?

anders · October 5, 2018, 4:45pm

I’m not quite sure to be honest, I’ve not played around enough with it. You could try to create a whole new dlc with just a custom named ydr, ytd, ytyp, and ymf file to clone and just have the billboard face model in the ytyp and see what happens. I assume it’s something to do with how the model is placed but to be honest I dunno

AndyHardie · June 20, 2020, 1:13pm

For me this way of generating the manifest didn’t work and the billboard wouldn’t display in fivem. To get around this I used Codewalker to generate the manifest, copy and pasted it into a text doc then renamed the manifest appropriately and allowed windows to change the extension type which worked just perfect.

Awesome tips though for the rest. Thanks