Wiimms SZS Tools

Wiimms SZS Tools

File:Wiimms-SZS-Tools.png
Author:	Wiimm
Operating Systems:	Linux (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, LE-CODE.
Image formats:	I4, I8, IA4, IA8, RGB565, RGB5A3, RGBA32, C4, C8, C14X2, CMPR.
Current Version:	v2.01b, 2019-03-21
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).
• wlect : Wiimms LE-CODE Tool (handles the LE-CODE extension by Leseratte)

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 a 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.

Last Features

LE-CODE

LE-CODE is a new MKW extension and works like CT-CODE. To support it, the new tool wlect was created. The tool and the complete LE-CODE support is experimental. No documentation is available, support will be denied for the moment, and there currently is no way for normal end users to create a LE-CODE distribution.

Mipmaps

With version v1.65a, the mipmap creation and the related options changed. Follow the links to SZS Docu for more details:

• General mipmap discussion
  • Options to control mipmaps
  • Resize algorithm (used to create mipmaps)

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

szs v2.01b r7802 - 2019-03-21

 - Bug fix for v2.01a: The string support of the text parser had an memory
   allocation bug. wctct uses the new string functions since v2.01 and
   produces occasional (~25%) wrong CT-CODE files (strap files).


szs v2.01a r7798 - 2019-03-16

 - Bug fix for BMG processing: Tools ran into endless loop, if an incorrect
   1A-escape tells a length of zero.

 - BMG Filter option --msg renamed to the more meaningful name --filter-bmg.
   The old name is still available.

 - BMG Filter option --filter-bmg=modes supports more keywords now.
   See https://szs.wiimm.de/opt/filter-bmg for details.

 - Option --patch-bmg=mode[cond][=param]: The new optional condition COND is
   either '?MID' or '!MID'. In case of '?MID', the patch is only applied if
   the message id MID already exists. In case of '!MID', the patch is only
   applied if the message id MID does not exists.

 - New command: wszst NAME-REF: For each BRRES file or subfile, create a name
   based cross reference and print the result as list in selectable order.

 - Some minor bugs on arena name replication to CT/LE slots fixed.

 - New option: --links: Support hardlinks if creating U8 and WU8 archives.
   Keep hardlinks if normalizing U8 and WU8 archives. On extracting, search
   hardlinks in every archive and try to create hardlinks at local file system.

 - KMP object database updated by CT-Wiiki.

 - LE-CODE support completed for the moment.

 - Support for new file format LEX (LE-CODE extension).
   Commands for tool wlect: CREATE, CAT, DECODE, ENCODE.
   See http://wiki.tockdom.com/wiki/LEX for LEX details.


szs v2.00a r7754 - 2019-02-22

 - Windows version only: Update to Cygwin DLL 3.0.0 / 2019-02-16.

 - A binary KCL with different section order is accepted now (like KMP before).

 - The new option --repair-magics[=MODE] controls the reparing of missing or
   wrong magics of files and sub-files  by analysing file path and file
   extension. MODE is one of OFF, ANALYSE or REPAIR.

 - Command FLOAT accepts '+' and '-' to print the nearest successor and
   predecessor of the previous value.

 - New command: wszst VR-CALC: Calculate a VR increment for each given delta
   value (=VR_winner-VR_loser). Print results as table.

 - New command: wszst VR-RACE: Print a table with VR calculations for a race.
   Each VR is the current rating of a player. 

 - wstrt analyse StaticR.rel: Detect modifications of cannon parameters.

 - wstrt: New option: --cannon=IDX,P1,P2,P3,P4: Define parameters of cannon
   with index IDX (0..2).

 - New mode for option --patch-bmg: 'REGEX=list', where LIST is a semicolon
   separated list of "/REGEX/REPLACE/" expressions (POSIX Extended Regex).
   See https://szs.wiimm.de/opt/patch-bmg for details.

 - New command: wbmgt REGEXP: Test implementation of regular expressions.

 - New tool: wlect: Manage the LE-CODE (Leserattes CT-CODE) extension.
   TOOL IS EXPERIMENTAL AND CAN'T BE USED WITHOUT ADDITIONAL FILES!

 - Tool wctct accept LE-BIN files (LE-CODE binaries) as input.

 - Global option --le-code: Enable LE-CODE (Leserattes CT-CODE) support for all
   tools. It includes option --ct-code.

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

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