Editing and Re-Importing a Model - Step by Step VV

A Tutorial for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance.

Introduction

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on modding a Model's mesh on Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance. In general, you will learn how to extract, edit, and re-import a model to SMTVV - From Game to Blender to Game. This guide covers everything from setting up the necessary programs to editing meshes in Blender and importing them back into Unreal Engine.

It also helps you avoid issues, because Vengeance needs some extra steps for the mod to work with no issues.

A mod porting guide is coming soon.

GitHub Mirror

The mesh editing presented here is a simple sculpting or edit of existing vertexes, it doesn't teach you to add new ones, attach stuff, weight paint or replace the model, it's a simple guide for you to get the hang of model exporting and re-importing in a basic way, but you'll be able scale it to modeling and sculpting the model since it follows the same basic principle, or even tinker to fully replace the model if you have blender experience. Maybe in the future I can post a tutorial on Model replacing, but for now let's go, heh!

If i forgot something or something could be added, tell me.

Step 0: Programs you need

• Unreal Engine 4.27, you can get it on the Unreal Engine Downloader Launcher.
  • Tip: You can install to any folder, create a shortcut to the UE4Editor.exe then remove the launcher later.
• Blender, I've used Version 3.6.
• UModel.
  • IF ON SWITCH: This executable can extract SMTVV's UI textures, you won't be doing that in the guide, but keep it in mind.
  • IF ON SWITCH: If you want to have it, put on the folder you extracted UModel alongside the default exe.
• OR FModel.
• IF ON SWITCH: An emulator set-up with the keys, either Ryujinx or Yuzu, to extract the game's files.

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Step 1: Locating game's files

PC

• On Steam:
  1. Right click the game on your Steam Library > Manage > Browse Local Files.
  2. The game folder, SMT5V will open, keep it open and jump to step 2.

Emulators

• On Ryujinx:
  1. Add a game folder with SMTV's .NSP inside.
  2. Right click the game > Extract Data > RomFS.
  3. Select the folder, click OK and wait.
• On Yuzu:
  1. Add a game folder with SMTV's .NSP inside.
  2. Right click the game > Dump RomFS.
  3. Select Program, click OK.
  4. Full, click OK.
  5. It will should extract the game to %APPDATA%/Yuzu/dump/010063B012DC6000/romfs.

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Step 2: Export Character

From UModel

1. Extract UModel.
2. (PC) Download oo2core_5_win32.dll
3. (PC) Copy and paste oo2core_5_win32.dll alongside the UModel executable.
4. Open UModel.
5. In Path to game files, click ... and browse:
   • (PC) Path/to/SteamLibrary/common/SMT5V.
   • (NX) Path/to/SMTVV/ExtractedRomFS.
6. Tick Override game detection.
7. On the First dropdown: Select Unreal engine 4, Second Dropdown:
   • Select Unreal Engine 4.27.
8. (NX) Platform: Select Nintendo Switch.
9. Click OK.
10. Go to the character folder:
    • For Chadhobino, the protagonist as Nahobino, go to Game/Design/Character/Player/pla603_hero_union/Mesh.
11. Single click SK_Pla603.uasset and click Export on the program's footer.
12. Set an output folder, then in Skeletal Mesh, under Mesh Export, select ActorX (psk) then click OK.
13. Again, single click SK_Pla603.uasset and click Export on the program's footer.
14. Set an output folder, then in Skeletal Mesh, under Mesh Export, select glTF 2.0 then click OK.
15. Single click SK_Pla603.uasset and SK_Pla603_PhAT.uasset and click Save on the program's footer.
16. Set a path, I recommend you use the same you used for Export, click OK.
17. Close UModel.

Alternatively:

1. On the UModel folder right-click on any blank space, then New > Text Document.
2. Name it Start.bat.
3. Open it and paste the following:
   • (PC) "umodel.exe" "Path/to/SMT5V/Folder" -game="ue4.27"
   • (NX) "umodel.exe" "Path/to/SMTVV/Folder" -game="ue4.27" -nsw
4. Open it, it's a nice shortcut!

From FModel

1. Extract UModel.
2. Open FModel.
3. Click Directory > Selector.
4. Click the arrows icon under ADD UNDETECTED GAME.
5. On Directory, select:
   • (PC) Path/to/SteamLibrary/common/SMT5V.
   • (NX) Path/to/SMTVV/ExtractedRomFS.
6. Click the + button.
7. On the Top Section change UE Versions to GAME_UE4_27.
8. Click OK.
9. (NX) On the Top Bar click on Settings.
10. (NX) In Texture Platform select Nintendo Switch.
11. Go to the character folder:
    • For Chadhobino, the protagonist as Nahobino, go to Game/Design/Character/Player/pla603_hero_union/Mesh.
12. Right click pla603_hero_union folder, then:
    • Export Folder's Packages Raw Data (.uasset)
    • Save Folder's Packages Textures (.png).
    • Save Folder's Packages Models.
    • Save Folder's Packages Animations.
13. On the Top Bar click on Settings.
14. In the Side Bar change Mesh Format to glTF 2.0 (binary)
15. Right click pla603_hero_union folder, then:
    • Save Folder's Packages Models.
16. Output will be on FModel Folder/Output/Exports/Project.
17. Close FModel.

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Step 3: Install Blender Addon

1. Download this fork of blender3d_import_psk_psa.
2. Open Blender, go to File > Preferences > Add-ons.
3. Install the addon on Blender and enable it by ticking it's box.
4. You should see the PSK addon in the CTRL+N sidebar on Blender's viewport.
5. Open it.

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Step 4: Import and Combine Files in Blender

1. Click import PSK.
2. Go to File > Import > GLTF.
   • If the glTF skeleton gets upside down, ignore it, follow the steps.
3. Click on the Armature Object (imported PSK) then CTRL click the GLTF imported Object.
4. Click on Combine PSK and GLTFin the PSK addon.
   • Why do this?: PSK usually don't preserve smoothing groups, making the mesh not be preserved, so you use the glTF mesh with the PSK Armature.
5. Delete the glTF Armature.
   
   

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Step 5: Editing Mesh in Blender

1. Select the mesh inside the armature and enter edit mode.
2. Do some edits, you can just move some vertexes.
   
   
3. Or you can enter Blender's sculpt mode tab and give that a go.
4. Enter Sculpting tab[1], then expand your Armature Object[2], select the Mesh[3] and enter Sculpt Mode[4].
   
   
5. After that you can enable symmetry mirror to aid you[1], then you can change your brush options[2] or select a different mode[3].
   
   
6. Then brush your model! You can use this to maybe improve that female demon's model, or to do Giga Chadhobino!
   
   

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Step 6: Export from Blender

1. Enter object mode and save the project.
2. Select the Armature object.
3. Make sure it is named Armature.
4. Click export as FBX.
   
   

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Step 7: Import to Unreal Engine 4.27

1. Open Unreal Engine 4.27 and create a blank project called Project (optional name).
2. Create the character's "Mesh" folderstructure.
   • For Chadhobino, it is /Content/Design/Character/Player/pla603_hero_union/Mesh.
3. Rename the FBX you exported from Blender to match the character's uasset name (e.g., SK_pla603.fbx).
4. Drag and drop it into the UE4's "Mesh" folder.
   
   
5. You won't need Textures for this tutorial.

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Step 8: Set Import Settings

1. Tick these import settings: Use T0 As Ref Pose, Import Normals and Tangents.
   
   

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Step 9: Prepare for Cooking

1. Create the Material folder:
   • For Chadhobino, it is /Content/Design/Character/Player/pla603_hero_union/Material.
2. Move the materials created by UE4 to the Material folder.
   
   

Step 9.1: Creating PostAnimBP (Pla601 or Pla603 only)

1. On the Mesh Folder right-click SK_pla603 > Create > Anim Blueprint.
2. Name it Pla603_PostAnimBP.
3. Create the following folder:
   • /Content/Blueprints/Character/Player/Pla603/.
4. Move Pla603_PostAnimBP to the Pla603 folder.
5. On the Mesh Folder double-click SK_pla603.
6. In the Asset Details side bar, scroll down to the Skeletal Mesh section.
7. Find Pla603_PostAnimBP in the Post Process Anim Blueprint dropdown.
8. Close the SK_pla603 window.

Step 9.2: Setting up the Physics Asset (Fix camera jamming into the body)

This is the values for the Hero, Pla603, for other characters: Learn how to get them.

1. On the Mesh Folder rename SK_pla603_PhysicsAsset to SK_pla603_PhAT and double-click it.
2. In the Skeleton Tree side bar, select any bone, press CTRL + A and unselect the b_pelvis bone.
3. Right-click the selection and select Delete.
4. Select the b_pelvis bone and in the Details Tab on the right side bar:
   • Under Collision change Collision Response to Disabled.
   • Under Physics change Physics Type to Kinematic.
   • Under Body Setup expand Primitives, Capsules and 0:
     • Set the X on Center to -10
     • Set the Y on Center to 90
     • Set the Radius to 70
     • Set the Length to 70
5. Close the SK_pla603_PhAT window.
6. Go to File > Cook Content for Windows.

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Step 10: Create Mod Folder

1. Create the mod's working folder, in this case the example folder.
2. Inside this folder:
   • Extract the UnrealPak.exe and the BAT file accompanying it.
   • Create a folder for the pak, in this example the exahero folder.
3. Create the mod's folder structure from UE4 inside the exahero folder.
   • exahero/Project/Content/Design/Character/Player/pla603_hero_union/Mesh.
4. Move the mesh and physics asset files from the cooked's Mesh folder to the mod's Mesh folder.
   • Should be inside D:\Documents\Unreal Projects\ProjectName\Saved\Cooked\WindowsNoEditor\ProjectName\Content\Design\Character\Player\pla603_hero_union\Mesh
   • Don't move the Skeleton uasset, otherwise it will break the game.
     
     

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Step 11: Package and Install Mod

1. Drag the mod's exahero folder to unrealpak's BAT.
   
   
2. Copy the mod.pak to the game's ~mods folder.
   • Refer to my Mod installation guide if you have inexperience installing mods.
3. Fire up the game.
   
   

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Enjoy your modding!