UABE - Asset Bundle Extractor

[Candyman13]

 

4 hours ago, beria264 said:

Assrt Studio is operating on the A21.

Ya but you can't repackage with Asset Studio

[n2n1]

Yes, UABE does not work with resources from new A21.
I hope for an update from the author.

As far as i know, there is no other utility that has the ability to pack resources back.

Edited July 19, 2023 by n2n1 (see edit history)

[beria264]

10 hours ago, Candyman13 said:

 

Ya but you can't repackage with Asset Studio

import into unity and save as an assetbundle file

[Candyman13]

 

17 hours ago, beria264 said:

import into unity and save as an assetbundle file

I can't figure out how to get that to work.

[beria264]

On 7/20/2023 at 10:32 PM, Candyman13 said:

 

I can't figure out how to get that to work.

https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/AssetBundles-Browser.git

 

 

[Nazo]

On 7/19/2023 at 10:29 AM, n2n1 said:

Yes, UABE does not work with resources from new A21.
I hope for an update from the author.

As far as i know, there is no other utility that has the ability to pack resources back.

The original UABE is on extremely low development (I won't say abandoned, but I wouldn't expect anything from it for a very long time at the rate it's currently going.)  The best bet for modifying anything remotely newish is Unity Asset Bundle Extractor Avalonia.  It has very active development (I've actually been able to talk to its author about features and test a couple of things with them.)  I checked it on the 7D2D data.unity3d file in mine and it worked fine, though I'm not sure exactly how people are using it with this game for any serious modding.  (You probably want to use the nightly build, not the actual release -- especially since the last release was an April fools thing.)

Edited August 18, 2023 by Nazo (see edit history)

[n2n1]

4 hours ago, Nazo said:

The original UABE is on extremely low development (I won't say abandoned, but I wouldn't expect anything from it for a very long time at the rate it's currently going.)  The best bet for modifying anything remotely newish is Unity Asset Bundle Extractor Avalonia.  It has very active development (I've actually been able to talk to its author about features and test a couple of things with them.)  I checked it on the 7D2D data.unity3d file in mine and it worked fine, though I'm not sure exactly how people are using it with this game for any serious modding.  (You probably want to use the nightly build, not the actual release -- especially since the last release was an April fools thing.)

Thank you for the information!
This utility is a remake of the original UABE, it looks like someone picked up the baton

[4sheetzngeegles]

Avalonia worked just like the original uabe for me. The version i am using is
uabea-windows6 nightly build. So i guess any after that should work also.

The file I viewed is below
7 Days To Die\7DaysToDie_Data\data.unity3d

Its like a cumulative of all of the bundles.
I made a folder on a separate drive to work with and exported there.
To use the plugins is much like UABE. you must select at least 2 of the texture
files then it will give an option for export format

Basic starter instructions for anyone new to UABE modding.

 

Tools used: UABEAvalonia, Krita to separate the png mask if the image appears blank in windows
viewer, and photoshop to edit colors if needed. You can also use Krita to do so, I just like photoshop UI
better.

 

PREP WORK

1 Make a folder for Avalonia, and use an archive program to extract the release files there.

 

2 Make a working folder so you don't accidentally overwrite your existing game files.
Copy the bundle or data.unity3d file you will be working with to the newly created folder.

NOTE: The bundle may say it's compressed, do you want to extract to file or memory, I choose memory, as a preference
its less confusion when saving the edited file to the created folder.

 

Image Extraction:

 

1 double click UABEAvalonia.exe, in the window choose File,Open, Navigate to the copied bundle file or data.unity3d.
select the file.

 

2 receive a message. "This bundle is compressed. Decompress to file or memory?" I choose memory. If you only have 8 gig
ram you should choose File.

 

FOR FILE Option

Select File
Navigate to your working folder
give the new file a simple name
hit save and wait for the cursor working ani to disappear, And for the name of the file to appear in the UABEA window.
Below the name you will see Cab and a lot of letters and numbers, that means you are ready.

 

Click info, the asset Info window opens.
Stretch it to the right until you can see Type at top of window.
Click Type and it will group sort the entries.

 

Select the first Texture2D scroll down  hold Shift and select the last Texture2D

 

On right side of window select Plugins

 

Plugins window
Batch export textures
OK
PNG
OK
smaller window  OK

Depending on how many textures there were "Gotta Wait"

Open your working folder to find textures there
View Extra Large Icons, any that look blank means that the Alpha layer is blanking it out.

 

To view and edit these,  open with Krita.
You will see a checkerboard or plain colored window.
On the right of window you will see Layer 1 with an eye next to it

 

Right click layer 1
come down to Split Alpha
Select Alpha Into Mask

 

Now you have two layers.
Uncheck the eye next to transparency
If you are going to edit the file then
right click transparency layer
select remove layer
save file.

 

now you can work with the file in the image editor of your choice.

 

When you are ready to import back into the work file,   """Even if you only changed 1 texture"""   select at
least that texture and another. go to plugins and the batch import option will appear.
select folder with the textures
they appear in left window, highlight each and the right window should show a matching file.
If it doesn't its because you changed the texture name.

 

Hit OK

 

In the Small window
File
Compress
Give it a name with compressed added to it.   Example if it was umaplayer   then name the compressed file
umaplayercompressed to recognize it
Save

 

Messagebox for two save formats LZ4 and LZMA
LZ4saves closest to original size, it your choice, just experiment to see which works better for you project.

 

Once saved go to the 7 days to die folder that had the original file you copied.
Rename that file by adding original.  Example Umaplayer becomes Umaplayeroriginal.
Copy the edited file to that folder and remove the compressed from the end. so
Umaplayercompressed becomes Umaplayer. Start game. If all went according to plan you should see your edited texture
where ever you did it.

 

If any error pops up, then exit game, delete the copied file, and rename Umaplayeroriginal back to Umaplayer and start
game with no loss.

 

I only used Umaplayer as an example, each file you work with follows the same path to edit.

 

Hope this helps

4Sheetz.

[n2n1]

Thanks for the information, comrade!

[Ozzland]

Thanks for the guide 4sheetzngeegles, I feel like i followed everything there, but when i copy the file back to the original location and change the name to the default file name then run the game I am not seeing the updated textures.

 

I believe there is a step missing or one i do not understand in the import texture section.

After updating the textures i do see a '*' in the modified column

But after completing the steps to import, I then test the new compressed file by coping it to a test directory and then run the same steps to open and export the png textures. in the new compressed named file I do not get my new/updated textures.

 

[netmatt]

Sorry, this is an old post, but the process above seems to work!    

One problem I am having is how to modify opacity?  For example, I tried to remove the basket weave face mask for the fiber armor helmet (ala scarecrow) but am failing.  When exporting, I notice there are 3 textures per piece of gear:

• filename...etc.png
• filename_n...etc.png
• filename_rmot...etc.png

I am ignoring the _n and _rmot for now (wrong?).  So, I modified the "filename" file, and split out the alpha into a mask, colored that section white, then re-added it by using Write as Alpha.  (and also tried it opposite, coloer rest as white)...the best I am getting is that it turns black.  🤷‍♂️

I can recolor and add texture, but the opacity process (i.e. make invisible) has me stumped.  Any tips?  (another opacity idea is a peep hole for a door )

 

[n2n1]

You can change the transparency(opacity) if these textures already use this data. If not - then these shader settings and transparency changes are not provided in this set. In your case, as I understand it, there is this use of transparency, and then, you really just need to paint the alpha channel with one color.
But....
 if you use Photoshop, then some versions may not save data from the alpha channel correctly, try to use "paint.net " - i know that it definitely works correctly.
Also, try working with both available formats (PNG or TGA).

Edited July 1 by n2n1 (see edit history)

[netmatt]

OK, I can give Paint.NET a shot, thanks @n2n1.  In this case I was using Krita, as recommended above.  I am not a Krita user, so definitely a noob in doing that, which is why I called out the steps I used.  In Paint.NET (which I typically use), I just need to figure out how to work with integrated Alpha channels, probably a Boltbait plugin or something.

[netmatt]

No luck with Paint.NET.  I tried a bunch of things, and I can only get it to turn black and not be transparent.  Tried Gimp as well, doing a decompose into RGBA, modify and recompose back, and still no luck.  I am guessing maybe I am missing a setting in the PNG export options, or something, that is expected, but there is a lot of options and that means even more combinations.   If anyone has been able to do this, or can point me in the right direction, assistance appreciated!   

[n2n1]

Unfortunately, i can only confirm that i did it successfully in A20. Then UABE support stopped and i did not do any experiments in A21 and newer.

(you know that another person is continuing the UABE case https://github.com/nesrak1/UABEA/releases)

 

PS: by the way, publish the files that you pulled from the resource and that you want to put back, maybe i'll notice some kind of error, from old memory...

Edited July 2 by n2n1 (see edit history)