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:	v1.51a, 2016-06-01
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.

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 v1.51a r7107 - 2016-06-01

 - wstrt is able to patch DOL files of other games and not only of MKWii.

 - The CHECK for slot 4.2 will be more exact now because it looks for the
   needed materials. The presence flags of objects 'car_body' and 'kart_truck'
   is also tested. If option --OLD is set, the old polygon test will be used.

 - Option --kmp=list supports now the keyword REVERSE as `backwards´ support:
   Reverse KMP sections ENPH, ENPT, ITPH, ITPT, POTI. The implementation is
   not finished yet and more section (CKPH, CKTP, KTPT, JGPT) will follow.

 - Different small fixes.


szs v1.50a r7053 - 2016-04-08

 - Improved cheat code handling.

 - Three new options: --gct-move & --gct-addr & --gct-space
   With these 3 options it is possible to support a very large cheat code
   table. Therefor a temporary section is created that runs at the very
   beginning and takes space from the game heap to establish a code section
   before the FST table.

 - Tool wctct: Update of the internal CT-CODE (mod1). The new code allows to
   select original tracks in regions. Here you can find old CT-CODE versions:
   http://szs.wiimm.de/download/ctcode/
   Visit https://github.com/Wiimm/wii-ct-code/ for more details.


szs v1.49a r6974 - 2016-03-05

 - The BMG is rewritten as independent source code lib. It can be used by
   other tools (e.g. mkw-ana) now.

 - BMG text output contains now more comments about message ID groups.

 - Option --patch-bmg supports 2 new modes:
    - UNICODE: Replace Unicode-escapes ('\u{xx}') with 16-bit codes by related
      unicode character.
    - RM-ESCAPE: Remove all 0x1a-escapes from all strings.

 - KCL script 'lower-walls.txt' updated to support different gradients.

 - New option: --mipmap-size=num: Define the minimal width and minimal height
   of a generated mipmap. The default is 16. Tools before v1.49 used 1 as not
   alterable value. --mm-size is a short cut.

 - Option --kcl RM-FACEDOWN: Remove all road with face direction >30 degree
   toward bottom. Before it was >0 degree.

 - New keyword for option --kcl: RM-FACEUP: Remove all walls with a face
   direction >80 degree towards the sky.

 - New keyword for option --kcl: CONV-FACEUP: Convert all walls with a face
   direction >80 degree towards the sky into a simple road.

 - New keyword for option --kcl: SCRIPT: If set, KCL scripts are executed
   before cleaning and transforming the KCL.

Links

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