Team Fortress Wiki:3D Models

The 3D Models project's goal is to construct pseudo-3D images of the weapons in Team Fortress 2 that can be freely rotated.

Example

https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/6/6a/Detonator_RED_3D.jpg?2018072610024612838,280,233,3,0,193,111,56,152,110,115,146,109,175,194,106,266,153,106,367,147,105,472,194,84,608,155,83,762,146,80,924,194,63,1098,157,60,1295,145,57,1503,194,44,1705,161,40,1932,145,35,2173,195,29,2392,165,24,2635,147,19,2895,195,20,3123,171,14,3377,151,7,3646,196,17,3872,177,11,4122,154,4,4386,198,22,4597,182,16,4829,159,9,5073,204,37,5255,188,31,5454,164,25,5663,210,61,5803,192,56,5955,168,51,6114,214,92,6203,195,89,6298,170,86,6396,215,114,6447,196,115,6497,172,115,6545,214,98,6633,195,95,6727,170,94,6825,210,78,6965,192,71,7116,168,68,7275,204,60,7457,188,49,7656,164,45,7865,198,46,8076,182,30,8308,159,25,8552,196,35,8778,177,17,9028,154,10,9292,195,31,9520,171,11,9774,151,2,10043,194,30,10263,165,12,10506,147,0,10766,194,33,10968,161,12,11195,145,2,11436,194,42,11610,157,21,11807,145,14,12015,194,58,12151,155,42,12306,146,35,12469,194,82,12560,153,72,12661,147,69https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/images/3/36/Detonator_BLU_3D.jpg?2018072610042612842,280,232,3,0,193,111,56,153,110,114,146,110,173,194,106,264,154,106,365,146,105,470,194,84,607,155,82,761,146,80,923,194,62,1097,158,59,1294,145,56,1502,195,43,1704,162,39,1931,145,35,2172,195,28,2392,166,23,2635,148,18,2896,195,19,3125,171,14,3379,151,7,3649,196,17,3875,177,11,4125,154,4,4389,198,22,4600,182,16,4832,159,10,5076,203,37,5258,187,32,5457,164,25,5666,209,61,5806,191,57,5957,167,52,6116,213,92,6205,194,90,6299,170,87,6397,214,114,6448,195,114,6498,171,115,6546,213,98,6635,194,95,6729,170,93,6827,209,78,6967,191,70,7118,168,68,7277,203,60,7459,187,48,7658,164,44,7867,198,45,8078,182,30,8310,159,25,8554,196,35,8780,177,17,9030,154,10,9294,195,31,9523,171,11,9777,151,1,10047,195,30,10267,166,12,10510,148,0,10771,194,33,10973,162,12,11200,145,2,11441,194,42,11615,158,22,11812,145,14,12020,194,58,12157,155,42,12311,146,36,12473,194,82,12564,154,72,12665,146,69

RED
BLU

Note This is not for the faint of heart. It requires a bit of knowledge on how both VMTs and HLMV work, and a lot of time and patience since a lot of models will not be centered correctly by default, thus requiring plenty of tweaking to get them ready for the process.

Requirements

Windows
TF2
HLMV (included as a part of TF2)
- (optionally) HLMV++
Python 3.7.9
A copy of the automaton repository

Initial setup

Installation

Please follow the latest instructions at the 3D-Models-automaton repo.

Workflow

Taking images

Open up the weapon in HLMV and ensure it rotates properly. There are three possible outcomes here:
- The model will rotate around the bottom corner of the model. If so, you will need to make use of rotation_offset.
  - First, reset the model's position with Options → Center View.
  - Then, from cmd, navigate to the folder containing automate.py and run mem trans, noting the second value (the Y translation).
  - Back in HLMV, rotate the model so that it is facing right. Hold down ⇧ Shift and move the model sideways so that it is centered in the circle that appears.
  - Go back to cmd, and run mem trans again, once again noting the second value.
  - The difference between the current value and the initial value is the rotation_offset value to set in automate.py.
- The model will rotate around the wrong plane or the model will not rotate around the vertical or horizontal center. If so, the model will need to be recompiled.
- The model will rotate around the vertical and horizontal center of the model. If so, you are good to go.
Center the model using Options → Center View.
If the model does not face you directly when centered, it will need to be recompiled with a new rotation.
Zoom the model out so that it is as large as possible, but will not clip outside the viewer window when rotated or tilted.
If the light source produces a glare that interferes with the model, hold Ctrl and drag the light source around with the mouse until it is in a better position.
Run the script, from the command line. Navigate to the folder containing the scripts and type python automate.py.
After the image finishes rotating, switch back to the command line and follow the prompts to upload the file.

Team-colored models

This is now very simple, simply change this in HLMV (Model → Skin #), then re-run the script.

Models with other class arms/models blocking the view

If you wish to remove a model from the viewer (for example the Sniper's arms holding onto the view model Sniper Rifle), click on the Model tab in HLMV and find out which VMTs are being used for the model textures.
Extract the VMTs using GCFScape to the same path in your /custom/folder and open them up in a text editor.
Inside the "VertexLitGeneric" curly brackets add the line "$no_draw" "1". This will make this part of the model invisible in HLMV.

Recompiling models

First, check here to see if a model has already been recompiled.
Download and install Crowbar, GCFScape, and the Source SDK (Steam -> Library -> Tools)
Extract the model with GCFScape, decompile with Crowbar.
For the most part, adding $autocenter to the .qc file should do the trick. If not, try using $origin X Y Z. For more complex concerns, see Category:QC Commands on the Valve Developer Community.
Recompile the model with Crowbar. You should be good to go!

Uploading your image

This should happen automatically. If it does not, the script will save your image (and the template) to temp.jpg and temp.txt.

Tips and debugging

You can set vertical_rotations = 0 to generate the model with no tilting, or reduce the number of rotations with number_of_images.
You will find it much easier when recompiling models to find out if they're centered correctly by checking the 'Ground' checkbox in HLMV and refreshing the model every time you make a change and recompile.
If the 3D image's starting position isn't centered, click the edit button on the 3D image file's page and change "startframe" to whichever frame number is the centered frame.