What is the best way to edit a building and reimport it? GTA 3

[Xegethra]

Hello.

 

I've been wanting to do over this rendition of Liberty City somewhat over the years and have finally decided to do it. I can model stuff in blender and whatnot but what I can't see to do is reimport extracted models back into the game.

The first building where the safehouse is, I though I would rearrange some of the signage and give some blank shops a business. I'll try and recap what happened. I extracted the dff, got the extension for blender and made my edits. What I have now, is the edited building, and it's txd file with some added textures. My many attempts to import it always failed, I was trying to do it through Med but it never saved the edits and recompiling always reset them. I got a bit further, then I imported them with IMG Tool. I couldn't replace because model file size was too big apparently, it is bigger by about 20kb. Anyway so instead imported it under another name, deleted the original model (I have back ups) and then renamed the import to the name the old model was. I did the same with the texture, rebuilt the archive. Then in Med it all looked like it worked.

 

https://i.imgur.com/732xGg4.png

https://i.imgur.com/zLEKGk3.png

However in game, for some reason I don't know why, it uses the LOD model and I can't tell it not too.

https://i.imgur.com/wYyxvYt.png

So I am a little lost on what to do really. Is it best to replace by deleting and adding a model with a new or same name? Or adding a new model, but leaving the old one in the game and telling the item definition in Med to use the new model? I have tried both ways to no success, one of which makes it so I can't even load the game, although I forget which, it's a bit of a process.

So I have uninstalled the game and reinstalled with the intent to start all over again. I have had trouble finding tutorials on exactly what I want to do, so what's the best way to do it? I honestly thought I had it when I saw the model was replaced in Med, it seems IMG tool actually saves the archive edits. And yeah I made sure to look at the .ipl and .ide files to make sure model and texture and both there.

If it means anything, I am using my old retail copy of the game, not Steam.

 

*Edit*

 

So, because it keeps loading the LOD, I decided to replace the LOD with the proper model....not optimal I know as it defeats the idea of LOD but I wanted to see if it would load. It doesn't, it loads nothing. So that tells me my model won't load at all and would if it could, revert to the LOD....but why? Is it file size? Is it to do with the offset in IMG tool being different now? (because I can't replace a model with the replace function, have to delete and import mine in it's place.) Something isn't right but I can't find out what. Yet in Med it all loads perfectly fine.

 

*Edit again*

 

O.K. I don't think it's the offset, as I have deleted the replacement LOD and put back in the old model, but the offset for it is different now, it's a new object that uses that old model essentially I think. I put the indust1 texture back on it in Med and in game, the old LOD loads back up with it's new offset. So it could be file size that's the problem? I dare not actually delete redlightbuild03 as in the item itself, not just it's model. I seem to break the game when I do that. Otherwise I would put a new definition in there and see if that works.

Edited March 25 by Xegethra
Added info about game copy. Made title more appropriate. Added about LOD.

[guard3]

Use some other img utility than imgtool and make sure dff version is 3.3

[Xegethra]

That did the trick thank you!

 

 

I found another program called IMG Factory, all I had to do was change the model version to 3.3 like you said and it all works now.

https://i.imgur.com/RFe2YoF.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/6SmKPtd.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/cDnlTV2.jpeg

 

The only thing now is col files as I want to do stuff behind that chunk of buildings and need to remove a wall so you can walk there. Is there a way I can do it without 3DS Max? If I need it I'll get it but I'd rather not if I can.
*Edit*

 

Figured out the col files. Using DragonFF I imported them into blender,  sometimes the file would be incomplete but that's no problem, I can easily make some square boxes, the simplest shape to make and put them where the buildings would be. Then just export as col file. I've been in the back alleys trying to give them a sense of space.
https://i.imgur.com/kEW5ECF.png
https://i.imgur.com/37bkDWG.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/HcSXp4M.png
https://i.imgur.com/IUdIjBk.png
https://i.imgur.com/EwoCYZj.png

Here's a few images of the progress so far.
https://imgur.com/a/i0RCtM9

Edited March 29 by Xegethra
3DS Max and col files.