Wiimms SZS Tools

Wiimms SZS Tools

File:Wiimms-SZS-Tools.png
Author:	Wiimm
Operating Systems:	Linux (i386,x86_64), Mac (i386,x86_64), Windows (cygwin).
Software Type:	File manager, decoding and encoding toolset.
Compression Formats:	Yaz0, Yaz1, WBZ.
Archive Formats:	SZS, U8, WU8, PACK, RARC, BRRES, BREFF, BREFT.
File Formats:	BMG, BTI, KCL, KMP, MDL0, PAT0, TPL, TEX0, PNG, OBJ, StaticR.rel, main.dol, CT-CODE.
Image formats:	I4, I8, IA4, IA8, RGB565, RGB5A3, RGBA32, C4, C8, C14X2, CMPR.
Current Version:	v1.58a, 2018-04-20
Website:	szs.wiimm.de

Wiimms SZS Tools has a spelling error, you should see but as a brand name.

Introduction

Wiimms SZS Tools is a set of different tools to manipulate SZS, U8, RARC, BRRES, BREFF and BREFT archives and BMG, BTI, KCL, KMP, MDL0, TPL, TEX0 and StaticR.rel files. All tools are command line tools and run without any interaction. The tools are available for Linux, Mac and Windows. The main goal is to run them in batch files and scripts to automate recurring jobs. At the moment there are 8 tools:

• wszst : Wiimms SZS Tool (handles SZS, U8, RARC, BRRES, BREFF and BREFT archives)
• wbmgt : Wiimms BMG Tool (convert and patch BMG files in binary and text format).
• wimgt : Wiimms Image Tool (convert and patch image files of Mario Kart Wii).
• wkclt : Wiimms KCL Tool (convert raw KCL files from/into obj format).
• wkmpt : Wiimms KMP Tool (handles raw and text KMP files, read text files like a compiler).
• wpatt : Wiimms PAT Tool (handles raw and text PAT0 files, read text files like a compiler).
• wstrt : Wiimms StaticR Tool (handles StaticR.rel and main.dol files of Mario Kart Wii).
• wctct : Wiimms CT-CODE Tool (handles CT(GP)-CODE to allow >32 tracks).

One main goal is the fully automated track name replacement. The tools together can do this. Another goal is to extract all sub files recursively and transforming they into user friendly file formats (like text of png files) and support recreation of the original source files.

There is also an little How To.

Main Features

• The tools are command line tools. This means, that there is no GUI support. The main advantage is, that you can place commands into scripts (batch files) for fully automated execution → More about command line.
• wszst is the main SZS tool. It has a fast Yaz0 compressor with the best compression rates.
• The wszst command CHECK can help you to find bugs in your track.
• The new wszst command SLOTS makes a track proposal for working and non working slots.
• The KCL tool wkclt can create KCL files from scratch (they become as small as possible) by reading an OBJ file. It can also export an existing KCL to an OBJ file with colors to make a KCL visible.
• The KMP tool wkmpt can decode and compile (yes, it's a real compiler with loops and other control structures) KMP files.
  • While compiling, it can overide some parameters for debugging or optimization.
  • The KMP compiler can use the KCL to find optimal vertical positions of objects and route points. This is good for visual debugging.
• The wkmpt command DRAW creates an OBJ file with KCL and add route positions and other objects of the KMP.
• The wszst command PATCH can transform whole tracks inkl. KCL, KMP, MODEL, MINIMAP and VRCORN. Transforming means any combinations of scaling, rotating and shifting with different factors for each axis.
• The wszst command MINIMAP can center the minimap automatically. You can use this command with SZS, U8, BRRES and MDL0 files.
• The image tool wimgt can convert images of all formats:
  • It can convert the file formats TPL, TEX0, BTI, BREFT and PNG to any other.
  • It can convert the Image Formats I4, I8, IA4, IA8, RGB565, RGB5A3, RGBA32, C4, C8, C14X2 and CMPR to any other.
  • It supports the palette formats IA8, RGB565 and RGB5A3.
  • It can automatically create mipmaps, or it can use user defined mipmaps and create only missed mipmaps automatically.
  • It can patch images with other images.

Ignoring small triangles

Sometimes, the imported file contains very small triangles with an area smaller than 1 unit². They were accidentally inserted into the model by the user. Because of the littleness, the user will not see them in the model view of its 3D Tool. However, machines like the KCL importer of these tools see them and insert them into the KCL — this is not a bug of the tools. The Wii has (mathematical) problems to use them in a correct way with the result of KCL glitches like mini walls on the road.

Since v1.58a there exist 2 new options: --tri-area=EXPR and --tri-height=EXPR[1] to filter out too small triangles.

Option --tri-area=EXPR defines the minimal area size of KCL triangles. The intention is to ignore triangles that are generally to small. EXPR is a floating point number or expression. Triangles are invalidated if their area size is smaller than EXPR. Values between 0.01 and 4.0 are recommended. The careful value 1.0 is used as default. Value 0 disables this filter functionality.

Option --tri-height=EXPR defines the minimal height of KCL triangles. The intention is to ignore deformed triangles (very slim, but long). EXPR is a floating point number or expression. Triangles are invalidated if at least 1 of the 3 heights is smaller than EXPR. Values between 0.01 and 2.0 are recommended. The careful value 0.1 is used as default. Value 0 disables this filter functionality.

The tests for both options are executed after reading files, after transformations, and after calculating normals and lengths.

History and Download

Wiimm started the development of his SZS Tools in March 2011. The first goal was to automate the insertions of the track names for Wiimms Mario Kart Fun distributions. Therefore 2 tools have been needed: A SZS extractor and creator and a BMG manipulator. The 2 tools wszst and wbmgt were ready in April 2011. After this, Wiimm implemented an Image-Tool (wimgt), an StaticR.rel tool (wstrt), a KMP tool (wkmpt) and a KCL tool (wkclt). All tools are command line tools to support scripts and fully automated operations.

Latest Change Log

Since v1.45, the tools wctct and wstrt can use external CT-CODE files, e.g that one created by github.com/Wiimm/wii-ct-code. The internal CT-CODE is now updated to the most current version of the GitHub archive.

Since v1.45, the KMP can create fully automated respawn points. With v1.46 flags for KMP sections ENPT, ITPT and JGPT are supported to exclude single points from automatic calculations (fall-down, snap, respawn).

szs v1.58a r7499 - 2018-04-20

 - Option --kcl-min=EXPR: This option is deprecated, but still supported. It
   is an alternative name for --tri-height=EXPR now.

 - New option --tri-area=EXPR: Define the minimal area size of KCL triangles.
   The intention is to ignore triangles that are generally to small. EXPR is
   a floating point number or expression. Triangles are invalidated if their
   area size is smaller than EXPR. The test is executed after reading files,
   after transformations, and after calculating normals and lengths. Values
   between 0.01 and 4.0 are recommended. The careful value 1.0 is used as
   default. Value 0 disables this filter functionality.

 - New option --tri-height=EXPR: Define the minimal height of KCL triangles.
   The intention is to ignore deformed triangles (very slim, but long). EXPR
   is a floating point number or expression. Triangles are invalidated if at
   least 1 of the 3 heights is smaller than EXPR. The test is executed after
   reading files, after transformations, and after calculating normals and
   lengths. Values between 0.01 and 2.0 are recommended. The careful value 0.1
   is used as default. Value 0 disables this filter functionality.

 - You can proof the impact of the options above by command wkclt TEST.

 - Command wkclt DUMP has been expanded and shows metrics like side length,
   area size and heights for each triangle.

 - New command: wkclt LIST: Print a list of all triangles with metrics in
   human and machine readable text format. It is like command DUMP, but
   reduced to the list of triangles.

 - New implementation for OBJ groups without assigned KCL flag. They will be
   inserted into the OBJ export now.


szs v1.57a r7484 - 2018-04-11

 - Windows version only: Update to Cygwin v2.10.0.

 - New option for tools wkclt, wszst and wkmpt: --kcl-min=FLOAT: Define a
   minimal `length` of KCL triangles. The length is the heights of the
   reference side of the triangle. Smaller triangles are invalidated and
   ignored or removed. The default value is 0.1 and good values are between
   0.01 and 2.0. Until v1.56a the minimal length was hard coded as 1e-6
   (1/million) to avoid  mathematical overflows while calculating positions
   by normals. The larger value reduces the number of KCL glitches
   dramatically for some tracks with many unusual triangles.

 - New option: --wc24: If set, options --wiimmfi and --domain will exclude 2
   strings of StaticR.rel from the URL patch to enable WC24 support.


szs v1.56a r7461 - 2017-12-03

 - wszst DISTRIBUTION: Track scanning improved.

 - Option --cache is a global option now. It is used to speedup every YAZ0
   compression, but only for standard compression level 9 (BEST). A hash table
   is used now for optimization.

 - New option: --cname: Defines a cache file name for a single file.

 - New Command: wszst SCANCACHE: Scan the cache directory for SZS files and
   re-build the hash table.

Links

• Complete History
• Downloads
• Source code
• Command Line Interface (CLI)
• GitHub: Wiimm/wii-ct-code

Tools Overview

wszst (Wiimms SZS Tool)

wszst is a command driven tool to manipulate archives:

• Supported archive formats: SZS, U8, RARC, BRRES, BREFF and BREFT.
• It can extract all subfiles of any archive.
• While extracting some file formats can be decoded (converted to text or PNG files).
• It can create all (but not RARC archives) while readind and scanning a directory structure. Decoded files are encoded automatically.

→ Tool wszst: Features, commands and options

wbmgt (Wiimms BMG Tool)

wbmgt is a command driven tool to manipulate BMG (message) files.
→ Tool wbmgt: Features, commands and options

wkclt (Wiimms KCL Tool)

wkclt is a command driven tool to convert KCL files into/from binary KCL from/into Wavefront OBJ files.
→ Tool wkclt: Features, commands and options
→ General parser syntax and semantics
→ KCL export and import guide

wkmpt (Wiimms KMP Tool)

wkmpt is a command driven tool to convert KMP files into/from binary from/into text files. A special compiler is used to allow variables, expressions, if..then..else, loops, macros and user defined functions while reading a KMP text file.
→ Tool wkmpt: Features, commands and options
→ General parser syntax and semantics
→ KMP text syntax and semantics
→ KMP parser functions
→ How to edit KMP files

wimgt (Wiimms Image Tool)

wimgt is a command driven tool to convert and aptch graphic images:

• wimgt supports the file formats BREFT, BTI, TEX0, TPL and PNG as export and import type.
• wimgt supports the internal image formats I4, I8, IA4, IA8, RGB565, RGB5A3, RGBA32, C4, C8, C14X2 and CMPR (and also different PNG formats).

→ Tool wimgt: Features, commands and options

wstrt (Wiimms StaticR Tool)

wstrt is a command driven tool to manipulate StaticR files of Mario Kart Wii.
→ Tool wstrt: Features, commands and options

Links

• How To
  • General How To
  • KMP How To
  • Creating a KCL with Wiimms Tools
  • wkmpt DRAW

• Wiimms SZS Tools
  • Features, commands and options: wszst, wbmgt, wkmpt, wimgt, wstrt, wctct
  • Downloads

• Graphical user interfaces (GUI)
  • Wiimm's Tool Manager
  • Speed & Lap Modifier Tool

• KMP & KCL Parser
  • General parser syntax and semantics
  • KMP text syntax and semantics
  • KMP parser functions
  • KCL export and import guide
  • Automatic setup of respawn points

• Forums
  • Discussion at GBAtemp.net
  • Discussion at Wii-Homebrew.com (german forum)

• Misc
  • Automated height correction

Custom Track Tutorials

Main Tutorials
Introduction – Textures – Scale – Modeling ⇒ Using Blender – BRRES: CTools
BRRES: BrawlBox – BRRES: RiiStudio – Minimap – Solidity – KCL: Wiimms Tools – KMP Editing
Object Editing – Cameras – Cannons – Post-effects – Videos

Battle Arenas
Battle Arenas – Enemy routes in battle arenas ⇒ Using Wiimm's Tools – Coins

Misc. Tutorials
Getting Files – BrawlBox Tricks – Animations – Shadows – Mipmaps
Custom Effects – Moving Terrain – Music – Ports – Paint Remakes – Tutorial Archive
Extended presence flags: Track Tutorial – LE-CODE Track FAQ

Testing and Reviewing
Testing a Track – Visual Review – Track Transformation – Fixing Errors

Software
3D Tools – BrawlBox – CTools Pack – KMP3D – KMP Cloud – KMP Modifier
Lorenzi's KMP Editor – MagicY – Material Tool – Post-Effect Editor – Wiimms SZS Tools – Wiimm's Tool Manager

Other
KMP Objects – Custom Objects – Model Database – Tutorial Archive

By the same author: Wiimm

Custom Track Distributions:
Years 2010 – 2021
Wiimms Mario Kart Fun 2022-05 — Wiimms Mario Kart Fun 2022-11 — Wiimms Mario Kart Textures 2022-12
Download and Install

Custom Tracks:
Alpine Mountain — N64 Frappe Snowland — N64 Kalimari Desert — N64 Koopa Troopa Beach — N64 Wario Stadium
Custom Track Updates

Custom Arena:
Bash 'n' Dash 'n' Battle

Software:
Wiimms SZS Tools — Wiimms ISO Tools — Wiimms ISO Patcher — WBZ Converter — mkw-ana — LE-CODE

Cheat Codes:
License Unlock — Clear Profile ID — Item Cheat

Websites:
szs.wiimm.de — wit.wiimm.de — ct.wiimm.de — wiimm.de — wiimmfi.de