We are excited to announce an update to the Sollumz Blender plug-in, which adds new features and updates to the tool (thanks to community member alexguirre for their ongoing collaboration).
You can find the full changelog here and check out some of the highlights below.
YMAP Rework
YMAP (3D map file format) support has been rewritten from scratch, adding support for all features available in YMAPs. Maps are now managed through the new Maps panel in the Tools sidebar, providing a similar workflow to MLOs (custom interior maps and building modifications).
LOD Hierarchy Management and LOD Lights
LOD (Level of Detail) hierarchy tells the game which objects should appear at different viewing distances. YMAP LOD hierarchies are now fully supported, with relationships preserved across multiple YMAP files on export. Incomplete hierarchies are protected from edits that could cause data loss. A new Map LOD Hierarchy tool enables drag-and-drop editing of LOD relationships directly in the viewport.
Import/export for LOD lights (simplified light sources) has been added, as well as a Bake LOD Lights operator that collects the lights of all entities in a map group and generates/categorizes the lodlights and distlodlights YMAPs automatically for you.
MLO Instances
MLO instances (a placed copy of an MLO) can now be added to YMAPs. The MLO sidebar has a new “Create MLO Instance” button, which creates a copy of your MLO as a single, ready-to-place object.
Automatic Partitioning
If you set a map container to Auto, Sollumz partitions its items into the standard sub-containers for you: .strm, long, critical, and per-interior YMAPs. Manual layouts can be collapsed back to Auto, or Auto containers can be converted to manual if you want full control.
Grass Batches
Full grass-batch import/export is now supported. Each grass batch is configured through a list of “templates,” which define the models and associated settings (e.g., scale, LOD distance).
Texture Dictionary Support
YTDs (texture container files) can now be imported and exported into Sollumz. A new Texture Dictionaries panel lets you create dictionaries and add/remove textures manually or add source mesh objects that automatically gather all images used by their Sollumz shaders.
HD texture dictionaries (+hi) can also be managed from this panel.
Asset Libraries
The new Build Asset Library operator scans game files and builds .blend asset libraries from found YTYPs and assets, including files inside Rage Package Files. If a YTYP contains an MLO, the whole MLO is also saved as an asset, which can later be placed in maps as an MLO instance.
Presets Everywhere
The presets system has been extended, and presets now apply to all selected items at once where applicable. The updated system stores JSON files instead of XML files.
They can be found at:
%APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\<username>\config\sollumz\presets
Existing XML presets are migrated automatically on first load.
Thank you and please stay tuned for more platform updates!
