Archived: Exporting and importing meshes

How to export and import meshes (WolvenKit <=> Blender)

Summary

Created by @manavortex Published November 05 2022

This guide will show you how to - export meshes from the game for use in other projects - import those meshes back into WolvenKit

As of November 2023, the recommended workflow is using the Wolvenkit Blender IO Suite. Check its import/export documentation under WKit Blender Plugin: Import/Export.

It will not show you anything else. For other use cases like exporting characters, please check Wait, this isn't what I want!

Assumed skill level: You are able to read ;)

ToolTool version

>= 8.8.0 (8.7.0 works, but has a slightly different UI)

>= 3.1 stable

>= 1.1.0

Wait, this isn't what I want!

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Legacy: Noesis

In the dawn of modding, Wolvenkit just plain couldn't import or export .mesh files and you had to use Noesis. In 2023, you won't need that anymore. We're keeping the documentation for the sake of completeness and downward compatibility, but in general, you don't need it anymore.

Exporting the mesh

This page is archived. Please scroll to the top for links to more recent information.

Before you start editing, a warning:

It is easy to break a mesh beyond the point of repair. Make frequent back-ups, and continuously test if your altered mesh still imports and displays in WolvenKit, especially when editing vertices!

glTF Binary (*.glb)

If the export fails, try unchecking the following properties in the export settings (you have to do this for each individual mesh)

  • Export Materials

  • Export Garment Support

You should now havemeshName.glb in your WKit project's raw directory.

Wolvenkit > 8.8 will by default export with materials for the Wolvenkit Blender IO Suite.

Path example

Assuming you are exporting t2_002_pwa_vest__puffy.mesh, WolvenKit will do the following:

Path of mesh: <yourModDir>\source\archive\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t2_002_vest__puffy\t2_002_pwa_vest__puffy.mesh

Path of glb: <yourModDir>\source\raw\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t2_002_vest__puffy\t2_002_pwa_vest__puffy.glb

Blender: Saving the mesh

Some meshes (such as eyelashes and hair) are two-sided. See here for details on how Wolvenkit handles that.

glTF Binary (*.glb)

Please follow the Wolvenkit Blender IO Suite's instructions forExporting from Blender.

For historical reasons, the box below holds the minimum steps to export via the vanilla Blender plugin. You shouldn't want to do that.

Exporting via vanilla Blender Plugin

If you have touched the topology, make sure to triangulate your mesh before exporting (Select all in Edit Mode, Ctrl+T)

Make sure to check the box under Data > Mesh > Tangents, as Wolvenkit will not export without it.

Importing to *.mesh

This page is archived. Please scroll to the top for links to more recent information.

If you are following a guide with pre-made resources and it tells you to import via Noesis, you'll want to follow the advice, as the elements in the exported structure will have different names.

Alternatively, you can run this script on your blend file, which will automatically fix that for you.

glTF Binary (*.glb)

In Blender, you should have overwritten your previously exported glb. With WKit's Import/Export tool, you can now simply Import it back in.

WolvenKit will map any *.glb file under raw to the mesh with the same name under source.

Example:

<yourModDir>\archive\raw\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t2_002_vest__puffy\t2_002_pwa_vest__puffy.glb

will be imported over

<yourModDir>\archive\source\base\characters\garment\player_equipment\torso\t2_002_vest__puffy\t2_002_pwa_vest__puffy.mesh

WolvenKit refuses to import if the target mesh doesn't support all bones in the glb or if your mesh's topology became corrupted. If that's the case, check the troubleshooting page.

Import/Export: _doubled

Normally, a mesh's backfaces are invisible/transparent - you aren't supposed to see a mesh from below, so it doesn't matter. But some, like hair and eyelashes, are different, and need to be doubled.

When importing via Noesis, you need to do this by hand: duplicate all the vertices in the mesh, and flip the normals. When importing via WolvenKit, it will automagically do that for you if a mesh name ends with _doubled.

The suffix also indicates that Wolvenkit de-duplicated a mesh on export!

Troubleshooting

If your mesh won't export from Wolvenkit, try exporting it without materials by unchecking the box.

For a list of troubleshooting steps, check the corresponding wiki page.

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