MDL (GoldSrc): Difference between revisions
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Important:Older versions of StudioMDL, including the version found in the 
Half-Life SDK on Steam, do not support tiling UVs, clamping them to the edge of the texture. This is not a limitation of the HLMDL file format; the Sven Co-Op StudioMDL can create MDLs compatible with vanilla GoldSrc which have tiled UVs.
Tip:To create a model or submodel with more than 4080 tris, split the model into multiple SMD meshes, with a separate $body or $bodygroup entry for each mesh in the QC file.
Template:ModernWarning
Confirm:Max textures, and max skins?
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== Technical == | == Technical == | ||
=== Limitations === | |||
HLMDL has the following limitations per input SMD: | |||
* 1 mesh | |||
** 2048 vertices and vertex normals per mesh | |||
** 4080 triangles per mesh | |||
* 1 animation sequence | |||
** 512 keyframes per sequence | |||
* 128 bones | |||
Additionally, the | |||
* 8 bone controllers | |||
* 4 bone attachments | |||
* 32 meshes across all submodels | |||
* 256 animation sequences. | |||
Textures must: | |||
* Be 8-bit uncompressed [[BMP]] files. | |||
* Have a resolution which is a multiple of 8 (multiples of 16 are preferred). | |||
* Have a resolution which does not exceed 512x512 (soft limit; raised to 1024x1024 in {{sven|4.1}} and other engines like {{fte|4.1}}). | |||
* Have a file name which is not longer than 64 characters (including the {{code|.bmp}} extension). | |||
<br> | |||
{{modernImportant|Older versions of [[StudioMDL]], including the version found in the {{hlsdk|4.1}} on Steam, do not support tiling UVs, clamping them to the edge of the texture. ''This is not a limitation of the HLMDL file format''; the [https://www.the303.org/tutorials/gold_qc.htm#AS Sven Co-Op StudioMDL] can create MDLs compatible with vanilla {{Goldsrc|4.1}} which have tiled UVs. }} | |||
{{tip|To create a model or submodel with more than 4080 tris, split the model into multiple SMD meshes, with a separate {{cmd|$body}} or {{cmd|$bodygroup}} entry for each mesh in the [[QC]] file. | |||
{{modernWarning|'''''<big>Avoid going over 9000 tris!</big>'''''<br>While the HLMDL format can handle over 100K tris, the old OpenGL renderer struggles with such "high-poly" models, even on high-end GPUs. | |||
{{note|Third party games that upgrade the renderer (ex: {{cof}} or {{csnz}}) can handle higher polygon MDLs better. This does '''''not''''' include {{sven|4.1}}, which uses a mostly vanilla renderer.<br>This is obviously not a problem for games on engines newer than GoldSrc that use the HLMDL format, such as {{cloop|4.1}} ({{Unity}}) or {{freecs|4.1}} ({{fte}}). }} | |||
{{modernConfirm|Is this soft limit 9000 total, or 9000 being displayed simultaneously?}} | |||
{{modernConfirm|Can replacement renderers without engine access, such as [[Trinity Engine]], improve performance for higher-poly MDLs?}} | |||
}} }} | |||
{{modernConfirm|Max textures, and max skins?}} | |||
=== Structs === | |||
{{stub}} | {{stub}} | ||
Revision as of 16:45, 24 August 2023
MDL (sometimes referred to as Half-Life MDL or HLMDL) is a model format used by GoldSrc to store dynamically lit models which can be animated using skeletal animation. It is a heavily modified version of the Quake MDL format.
Technical
Limitations
HLMDL has the following limitations per input SMD:
- 1 mesh
- 2048 vertices and vertex normals per mesh
- 4080 triangles per mesh
- 1 animation sequence
- 512 keyframes per sequence
- 128 bones
Additionally, the
- 8 bone controllers
- 4 bone attachments
- 32 meshes across all submodels
- 256 animation sequences.
Textures must:
- Be 8-bit uncompressed BMP files.
- Have a resolution which is a multiple of 8 (multiples of 16 are preferred).
- Have a resolution which does not exceed 512x512 (soft limit; raised to 1024x1024 in
Sven Co-op and other engines like 
FTE). - Have a file name which is not longer than 64 characters (including the .bmp extension).
Important:Older versions of StudioMDL, including the version found in the Half-Life SDK on Steam, do not support tiling UVs, clamping them to the edge of the texture. This is not a limitation of the HLMDL file format; the Sven Co-Op StudioMDL can create MDLs compatible with vanilla GoldSrc which have tiled UVs. Tip:To create a model or submodel with more than 4080 tris, split the model into multiple SMD meshes, with a separate $body or $bodygroup entry for each mesh in the QC file.
Template:ModernWarning Confirm:Max textures, and max skins?Structs
In other engines
Half-Life MDLs are supported by FTE and the 
Unity game 
Codename: Loop.