[TUTORIAL] Model Ripping Guide For Beginners (.BRRES Format) [Updated: 8/5/2012]

[Garamonde]

[spoiler="Batch convert with BRRES Viewer"]

-Batch convert with BRRES Viewer-

Following Mighty Jetters tutorial written above, you can actually convert several models all at the same time, which will make submitting a full game's contents a whole lot easier.

First, in BRRES Viewer, open all the files you want to convert. You can select multiple from the open command, so open a whole bunch by select them all and hitting open - NOT ONE AT A TIME THAT WOULD TAKE YEARS.


Then select File > Export All Files...


A little window should pop up with a bunch of drop downs. Depending on how you plan to do everything, you can select various options. This screenshot shows the way I opt to do things, as it makes mass converting a lot easier...


Hit OK, and leave the window - it might not work if you're loading absolutely thousands of models, so maybe do this is a few times in batches of whatever works best for your computer.
The windows should appear to do things - just leave it. The bar at the top of the window will read "[Writing...]" until it is complete, at which point it will disappear.
Your converted files will all appear in a folder called "exported" in the same folder as the brres files.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler="Batch Edit .dae Files"]

-Batch Edit .dae Files-

Now you have to edit all of the .dae files, so that the textures will load properly!
This is super fun to do, so trust me - open up Notepad++, and drag alllll of the .dae files into it. (If you sort the window by type, it makes it much easier to select all the .dae files)


Select Search > Find in All Files (CTRL+H)


Now a window like this will pop up


You want to find all the giberish you want to have removed from those texture lines (read MJ's tutorial for more explaination) - copy paste this part from the texture path in the document.
And since you want it replaced with nothing at all, you just leave "Replace with:" blank. Then hit "Replace all in all opened documents"

It should then say that it has replaced a tonne of occurances!


Now it's not over - you need to add .png on the end. For this, it's a lot more effort, because you need to do this slowly. Basically, put this into your replace window:


And hit "find next" - then replace. Do this for all the entries of textures, and STOP AS SOON AS THAT IS DONE. The text will jump a lot when you're done - and it should highlight the </init_from> after "Image" - this is your stop marker.
Save, and close that .dae - and that is finished! Continue this process for the rest...
This is the boring bit - but it's the final step! Once all of those are done, you're done! Loads of fully working .dae files
[/spoiler]

Oh for the love of... I can't believe I forgot to include that stuff. I guess I figured that since the guide mentions about the setting that separates multiple BRRES files, people would assume they could open multiple files, or something. I dunno. Sorry about that guys.
These two parts above is exactly how I do it, except that I don't leave everything together because it would literally take me longer to try to sort everything than it would to export each model individually and it would give me a brain ache.
Then I'd have that paranoid doubt that everything is fine.
Plus... with the type of models I do that have these weird specular textures and whatnot, you'd never know which model they belonged to, so I'm better off with my way of doing it.
Updated the guide.