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PK3 Compendium
Here is a quick-start guide on creating your own PK3's for modding MB2 and everything you might need to know. If I'm missing something feel free to post below.
- Getting Started
- File Structure
- ModView / Building a Workflow
- Models
- Sounds
- Shaders
- Compressing and Finishing
- MB2 .pk3 Naming Convention
Getting Started: To get started with modding MB2/JKA, you’ll need a few tools. Some you won’t need right away but they are all nice to have. First, grab the MB2 Mod Tools: MB2 Mod Tools [Download Link] . This contains a bunch of goodies, you’ll want to focus on the stuff in the models folder. [WINDOWS: Make sure to go into File Explorer > View > Check File name extensions]
You’ll also want to grab a compression software (WinRar, 7Zip, PAKScape) and get Modview: ModView (for Windows and Mac) . This is used to view models without going in-game. It is also recommended to get either Photoshop or Gimp for image processing.
Optional: Blender, Substance Painter, Audacity
File Structure: Jedi Academy reads compressed files called PK3s, these are just like .zip files with different file extensions. The game will read these assets in alphabetical order, so if you are trying to replace a model from zz_MBModels3.pk3, you will want to name your replacement pk3 zzz_NAME.pk3 so it loads AFTER the former.
If you open up a PK3, you will see how the file structure is pathed. I could go over every single path you could use, but it would take too long, so I will list them as they are relevant. Just know that it is VERY important that you use proper file structure in your PK3s.
Building a Workflow: Some people will have different ways they structure their workflow, I will show you what works for me and you can play with it from there. ModView (And Blender if you decide to model/frankenstein) requires that you have the JKA File structuring in your windows files. On it’s own it is useless.
To Start, create a folder anywhere you can easily access. This is where we can put ModView.exe and the mod tools from earlier. In the folder start making subfolders with this path:
Base > models > players (And weapons2 if you plan on looking at weapons)
You can now move some assets over to look at in ModView. Navigate to the MBII folder and open MBAssets3.pk3 (Text based Assets) and zz_MBModels1-4.pk3. In each PK3 go to the same path of models > players and copy over every model into your new directory. It is important to move Assets3 because of skin files. This is the start of a basic Workflow.
I recommend you create a second place on your computer to keep the file structure of what you want your finished pack or replacement to be.
Models: Now that you have some models to look at, you can see how they work in JKA. Each model has a GLM file, some jpg/tga’s and a .skin file. GLM’s are the actual model itself, they can be imported to Blender and you can find better guides for actually editing or modeling them. The skin file is what tells the game to use the various jpgs/tga files to “map” onto the model. Basically what that means is to take the 2D image and wrap it onto the 3D model.
MBII has a system for model “additions”, replacement packs are slowly turning into an outdated system. Now you can have your cake and eat it too. If you want to add a model instead of replacing one, make sure you name the models > players > modelname to follow this naming convention:
+tro_ : Reb Soldier
+eli_ : Elite Trooper
+clo_ : Clone Trooper
+arc_ : ARC Trooper
+hero_ : Hero
+jed_ : Jedi
+woo_ : Wookiee
+sol_ : Imp Soldier
+com_ : Commander
+man_ : Mando
+dek_ : Droideka
+bou_ : Bounty Hunter
+sit_ : Sith
+sbd_ : Super Battle Droid
Some Troubleshooting if your model replacement isn’t working: Make sure your JPG’s are not progressive, you can re-export them through GIMP/PS to make them non-progressive. Make sure your skin file has no typos in it. If using the above prefix, make sure your skin file is also reflecting that.
Sounds: There isn’t too much to go over for sounds, but here are some common file paths and some tips if you are recording and rendering your own sounds.
Sound > chars > modelname > misc is the default path for custom taunts. You can find the MB2 assets in zz_MBModels.pk3. There is a lot to cover here, but if you copy an existing soundset, you can get the gist of what each named sound does. (ex. Taunt, taunt1, taunt2)
Sound > weapons > weaponname is for weapon sounds. You can find the MB2 assets in MBAssets.pk3. Note that if you are replacing any of the sounds, the file extension MUST match.
When rendering your own sounds, it is very important to render it as Mono, 44,100 Hz. Both .Wav and .MP3 will work and is what MB2 uses. Try to match existing volume of taunts as close as you can.
Shaders: Shaders are a bit tricky to explain in one guide, so my advice to you is to copy other models to see how they work. Essentially what the shader file does is map lighting/glow effects and are essential to your model not looking flat in game.
MB2 keeps it’s shader files in MBAssets3.pk3 all kept in folder shaders. If you really want to delve into this further, check out these sources: Q3A Shader Manual , Q3Map2 Shader Manual
Compressing and Finishing: So you have all the models you want and they are all in their respective paths in your workflow. What next?
If you feel confident you are ready to compile, then select the “base” (Shift click to select all the structured folders like models, sounds, shaders) Then right-click and choose your compression softwares option to compress. (I use WinRAR, so in this case “Add to Archive”)
You can name it whatever you like, but keep in mind the alphabetical loading of JKA. If you have the option to choose, always choose .Zip (PK3’s are structured almost exactly the same) over .rar or any other compression extension. It will compile, then you can rename the extension to .pk3 and place it in your MBII folder to test.
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