Forked from https://github.com/frute94/io_scene_bz2msh/tree/main

Battlezone II/Combat Commander MSH Importer for Blender 4.5 LTS

A modern, high-performance Blender Extension for importing .msh 3d model assets from Battlezone Combat Commander and Battlezone II. This tool is designed specifically for the Blender 4.5+ ecosystem, supporting the new layered animation system and Vulkan-based viewport.

Features

• Global & Local Support: Correctly handles both global geometry (origin-offset) and local hierarchy meshes.
• Intelligent Mesh Indexing: Respects vertex group relative indexing to prevent "origin-clumping."
• Layered Animations: Full support for Blender 4.5 Action Slots, importing translation and rotation keyframes directly into the Action Editor.
• Material Mapping: Automatically searches for and applies textures/materials based on BZ2 path logic. Multiple materials are supported now!
• Auto converts detected DXTBZ2 textures to DDS, and loads into Blender material
• Experimental/Testing: Animation Support: Adds detected animations to Blender actions

Installation (Blender 4.5+)

The easiest way to install this is using the new Extensions system:

1. Download: Click the green <> Code button and select Download ZIP.
2. Open Blender: Go to Edit > Preferences > Extensions.
3. Install: * Click the down-arrow icon in the top-right corner.
   • Select Install from Disk....
   • Navigate to the downloaded .zip file and select it.
4. Enable: Ensure the "Battlezone II MSH Importer" is toggled on.

Usage

1. Go to File > Import > Battlezone II MSH (.msh).
2. Select your file.
3. Import Options:
   • Import Animations: Creates Actions and Slots for any embedded keyframes.
   • Find Textures: Searches adjacent folders (like /bitmaps/) for matching .tga or .pic files.
   • Respect Relative Indexing: (Enabled by default) Ensures geometry segments are placed correctly.

Repository Structure

For developers looking to contribute, the structure is optimized for the Blender Extension manifest:

• blender_manifest.toml: Metadata and permissions for Blender 4.5.
• __init__.py: Handles the UI and registration.
• msh_blender_importer.py: The core logic for mesh and animation creation.
• bz2msh.py: The low-level binary parser for the .msh format.

License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

Links

• GitHub: GrizzlyOne95/io_scene_bz2msh
• Issues: Report a Bug

Original plugin developed by frute94, original credits there: "Import logic for local mesh & material imports fixed by ZerothDivision and tested by GrizzlyOne95"