Pipeline | Engine-Agnostic Car Exporter
Azure-integrated pipeline. Converts a Forza car into an engine-agnostic asset package. Geometry is converted to FBX, materials and shaders are converted to externally-usable XMLs, and textures are copied as-is. This was foundational for developing an unannounced title.
Applied Skills: Python | PowerShell | MaxScript | C++
This pipeline converts a Forza car into an engine-agnostic file package, and I collaborated with our Automation Team integrate to make it runnable from ADO. This was intended for an external studio, so I touched base with them to understand their particular project, engine, and content setup. With those insights, I created a subsequent, specially-tailored export procedure to convert the exported content into 'plug-and-play' Unreal Engine 4 assets.
The script opens up the specified car's highest-level XML file —the CAR file— and then performs two separate, simultaneous processes to export the content.
In the model export process, we gather all of the MODEL references in the root level, and then we kick off a 3ds Max Batch job to convert them into FBX files. This takes a while, so while this process is running we move along to the next one.
In the XML extraction process, we recur into each child reference of the XML, and we keep recurring until we encounter TIF texture references. When we find an XML reference, we create an externally-usable proxy XML, and then copy it into the exported package. When we find a TIF reference, we directly copy into the exported package.
I was tasked with making this during our first major content migration of legacy content to FM8, and there were many, many issues that I had to work around; between FM5, FM6, FM7, and FM8, our XML structure and material system had been entirely revamped, and our external partner was requesting cars from every iteration in preparation for their launch trailer. Moreover, in preparation for FM8's launch trailer, different teams had done sweeping changes for certain XML properties across every car, leaving tons of additional broken references.
I started off by parsing the depot and gathering a list of cars whose most-recent submission were for some specific iteration of Forza Motorsport, and drafted an iteration-based state machine which always managed to get at least half of a car's data. However, because of the aforementioned. sweeping changes, it was still missing half of the content; I needed anothjer, more-surgical state machine based on content's most-recent CL.
To sanitize the file references, certain properties needed to be preserved from their most-recent iteration Forza Motorsport, and for others, they needed to be entirely refactored with new, FM8-specific content. There was no elegant way to do it; I looked through the problematic Perforce submissions, and drafted the new state machine, accordingly. With that, I was able to get all of the car references and hit my deadline. Afterwards, I made it a slight edit so that the script would write-out useful debug information into a CSV, and I provided to the Cars Team so we could coordinate new, sweeping fixes to get the content GA-ready for our game, too.
Python Script (carXML, carLODs, ExternalStudioModule)
class ExtractableReference
# ...
@abstractmethod
extract()
""" Create a new ExternalStudio Asset or propagate updated Forza content update to an exising Asset. """
externalAsset = ExternalStudioModule.getAssetByForzaID(self.ID)
if externalAsset:
externalAsset.update(self.mergeableData)
else:
externalAsset = ExternalStudioModule.newAsset(ForzaID, self.mergeableData)
# ...
recurFileReferences(filePath)
"""Create a new instance of suffix-specific extractable, extract the file, and recur into child references."""
extractableReference = ExtractableReferenceFactory.construct(file path) # ExtractableXML/TIF/SHADER/MATERIAL
ExtractableReference.extract()
# For Reference: ExtractableTIF.extract()
Copy the file to filePath.relative_to(ExternalStudioModule.ROOT)
Super().extract()
# For Reference: ExtractableXML.extract()
extractableXmlData = {}
children = []
From external studio module's mappings of Forza XML types → project-relevant XML queries, get the query
For each node in Element Tree → find_all(query),
Update the extractable XML data dictionary with the '*Parameter*: *Value* pairs
If the current pair is a '*Parameter*: *Root-Relative Path*,
children.append(*Root-Relative Path*)
Super().extract()
If extractableReference is ExtractableTif, # base case
Return extractableReference
If extractableReference has children, # recursive case
For childPath in extractableReference.childPaths,
Return recurFileReferences(childPath)
main()
Open the user-specified carXML
Create a list containing any referenced MAX files in the 'model' section of the Element Tree
Open PowerShell
3dsmaxbatch('ExportFBX.ms', MAX files list)
MaxScript
For all 'Editable_Poly' objects in the scene,
If the object's LOD is in the range of LODs to export,
Export the object as an FBX
recurFileReferences(carXML)
