Lagspike

Note: This process is experimental and very buggy. Don’t expect perfect results.

Converting Mirror’s Edge Maps to UDK
Mirror’s Edge is unique from most UE3 games because it allows access to the Unreal editor. While you can’t open the packages in the UDK, you can export the content using Umodel then repackage them.
This method may also work with the following games (all have editor access): Mirror’s Edge, Unreal Tournament 3, Gears of War.

Converting the brush data

1. Open a map using the editor.
   – Maps are located in: F:\Steam\steamapps\common\mirrors edge\TdGame\CookedPC\Maps and will have a .me1 extension.
   
2. Resave the map (File > Save As), then export as a T3D file (File > Export > All) to a new directory.
   – Maps will be saved to C:\Users\username\Documents\EA Games\Mirror’s Edge\TdGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\Maps, but they will crash the editor if you try to open them again.
3. Copy the toolbox folder to the new directory.
4. Run convert_t3d_to_udk.bat.
5. Import the newly created text file (located in t3d_output) into the UDK.
   – This can take up to 10 minutes.

At this point it won’t look like much, because there are no materials or models.

Recreating the packages

1. Find the map file (example: Escape_Plaza.me1), rename the extension to .upk and uncook it using Umodel to a new directory.
2. Copy the toolbox folder to the new directory.
3. Use the batch export option in ActorXImporter.ms to convert the StaticMesh3 directories to ASE format.
4. Run convert_uncooked_materials.bat.
   Import the textures from Material3 and MaterialInstanceConstant directories into the UDK. Save.
   Import the ASE files from StaticMesh3 directories into the UDK. Save.
   – Make sure the package name you are importing into has the same name as the original.
5. Reimport the T3D file.

Tips

• You will need to recreate or fix some materials (floors, walls, etc). You can use the Mirror’s Edge editor to view their settings.
• Any prefabs may need to be converted.

1. Capture and import the scene into 3DS Max.
   – Some scenes will need to be scaled up before exporting, it depends on the game.
   
2. Run “Clean Multimaterial“.
   
3. Run the 3DS Max script batch_smd_export.ms to convert all the meshes to SMD files.
4. Copy the toolbox folder to the directory.
5. Export the Summary Info file in 3DS Max (File > Properties > Summary info. Press the “Save to File” button). Save to toolbox/summary_info.txt.
   
6. Run convert_3dr_scene_to_source.bat
   – Make sure the Source SDK window is set to “Team Fortress 2”.
7. Open output.vmf in Hammer.
   

Example #1
Example #2

1. Export as an FBX file using WoW Model Viewer.
   
2. Open FBX Converter and select the “FBX Take Manager” window.
   
3. Drag the FBX file into the window, then use the “Create FBX files” button.
   
   – This process can take over an hour and will create very large directories.
4. Run the script convert_fbx_anims_batch.ms, this will convert the FBX files to MAX format and fix the keyframe problem.
   – Reset 3DS Max before running this script.
5. Batch process the animations using ActorX. Use the “Process all animations” button.
   

Preparing the Base Character

1. Import the FBX file into 3DS Max.
2. Remove the TurboSmooth modifier.
3. Export with ActorX.
4. Import into the UDK.

Adding the Animation File

1. Import the PSA file.
2. Uncheck “Anim Rotation Only”
   

Adding Armor Sets
– Hair, eyelids, and armor sections may need to be set to invisible.

Some of my more recent WoW machinima was created within the UDK. Here you can download an example scene I made if you wish to see first hand how it was done.

Setup

Download and install the latest UDK
Download the WoW UDK files – Unzip the wow folder to UDK\UDK-2012-01\UDKGame\Content
Open the UDK Editor.
Go to File > Open. Find the dalarantest.udk file.

The first time you open the map it may take a few minutes to compile the materials.
You can move around the map by holding the left mouse button and dragging.

Right-click on the ground and select “Play from Here”. This will launch the preview window allowing you to run around the map.

Holding Ctrl when selecting “Play from Here” will let you fly around the map.

Matinee

In the center of the map you will see two of these things (known as “triggers”). Walk on top of them and you will see a short animation.

These animations are controlled by a built-in timeline editor called “Matinee”.
You can access this by clicking the movie clapper icon on the top menu bar.

You can preview the animation with the Play button at the top.

Click the camera icon so it turns yellow.

Now click the “Movement” track so it’s highlighted.

You can now move the camera and set keyframes (the little triangles) by pressing enter.

Props

To add an object to the map, start by selecting the “wowudk_props” package on the left side of the content browser.

Next, filter by “Static Meshes”.

You can drag any of these objects directly into the map.

You can use the scale and rotate and move tools to adjust it to your liking.

Lights

A light can be placed by holding the L key and left clicking. Press F4 to open the light properties.
You can use the search bar at the top to quickly find the important settings which are: Radius, Light Color, Brightness.

Cameras

Cameras have many options allowing you to control the look through post processing and simulated lens effects.

Open the Matinee sequence.

Press the “Find Actors” button, located on the top bar.

Select CameraActor_0 and hit the Properties button.

This will open the Camera Properties.

There’s a lot of stuff in here so it can seem intimidating. Some of the more important settings include:
Aspect Ratio – While it’s possible to change the aspect ratio, it’s often a better idea to crop in your video editor. Default value: 1.777780.
FOVAngle – This is essentially your zoom. Default value: 90.000000.

The following are post processing effects, you will need to set Cam Override Post Process Alpha to 1 for these to work.
Scene Tonemapper – This will alter the brightness of the scene. Default value: 1.
Scene Colorize – This will tint your scene a specific color. The X,Y,Z settings are actually RGB values. – Default values: 1,1,1.
Scene Desaturation – This can be used to adjust the amount of desaturation (1 is black and white). Default value: 0

Rebuilding Lighting

When static meshes or lights are moved, you will see a message in the top left that says “LIGHTING NEEDS TO BE REBUILT”.

The lighting does not need to be rebuilt every time you make a change, you can ignore that message while working.
When you do want to rebuild the lighting however, look for this button on the top bar.

Note: Rebuilding the lighting for the provided map should take somewhere between 3 and 8 minutes depending on your computer.

That should cover most of the basics. The best way to learn is just by playing around and experimenting with things.
If you’re looking for more tips on how to recreate WoW enviornments in UDK see WoW Style Level Design in UDK and UDK Tips and Resources.