[TUTORIAL] Ratchet and Clank HD Trilogy

[Nooga]

So we finally have an easy way of getting most models from the first three Ratchet games, specifically the PS3's HD collection ports. Sadly, no rigs, but it's better than NinjaRipper so here goes.

This tutorial assumes you have a copy of the game ready on your PC.

For Blender users, I made an add-on (see below) that automates the normal fixing process, which is particularly great for fixing ripped levels and other things that have a lot of mesh objects. Versions for 2.79 and 2.8+. Read the instructions before using for the best experience.

  RaCNFix.zip (Size: 2.49 KB / Downloads: 188)

Part 1 - Prep work

Spoiler

Programs you'll need:
-PS3GameExtractor to unpack the game so you can get at the assets
-Replanetizer level editor to export models and textures
-A 3D modeling program of your choice, but I use Blender 2.79 and/or Blender 2.9

Instructions

1. First, extract your ISO like you would a zip folder (If your copy is a JBfolder, skip this step)
   
2. Locate PS3arc.psarc in PS3_GAME\USRDIR\rcx\ps3data (where the "x" in rcx is the number of the game, so for example Ratchet and Clank 2 would be in the "rc2" folder
   
3. Open up PS3GameExtractor and click on "Unpack PSARC/MSELF" and click on the .psarc file you located in step 2, then let it do its thing until "press any key to continue" appears
   
4. You should now have access to the assets! Yay! Now open Replanetizer and go to the folder that PS3GameExtractor extracted your .psarc file. In\ExtractedPSARC\rcx\ps3data (where again, x = game number), there should be a bunch of folders labeled level#, where # is a number.
   
5. In Replanetizer, open a folder of your choice and open the "engine.ps3" file. A level should load. Now, get ready to rip!
   

Part 2 - Ripping with Replanetizer

Spoiler

1. Left click any model, it should have its edges highlighted white. Then turn your attention to the top of the screen and click "Window" then "Model Viewer". A seperate window will open with - you guessed it, a model viewer.
   
2. On the left is a series of hex values/address things and four subfolders: "Mobys" (movable objects, most stuff people want with be here) "Ties", "Shrubs" (these two are environmental stuff) and "Weapons" (Currently nonfunctional). Use the arrow keys to look through the models to find the one you want. Sometimes it'll throw an exception error, just click OK, it won't crash. Hex values/addresses coloured red are empty slots, so don't bother with those. Stuff coloured all-black has no texture.
   
3. Once you've found what you're after, in the model viewer turn your attention to the top-left and click "File", then "Export". Please ensure you change the default .iqe export to .obj, give your model a name and plonk it there.
   
4. To get the model's texture, turn your attention to a panel on the top right of the model viewer, and click on the texture there. Pay attention to the number that texture is labeled with. Once the texture is clicked, a list of all textures in the level will pop up. Scroll to the one with the number matching the one in the panel, click on it, then click export. Now you have everything you need, but there's some quick cleanup work we need to do before submitting.
   

Part 3 - Fixing the model No longer needed in latest Replanetizer versions, but leaving here just in case

Spoiler

This part of the tutorial assumes the use of Blender 2.79, but any modeling program should be able to do these things.

1. Import your .obj and view it in Material view. You'll see the normals are totally messed up. Don't fret, it's super easy to fix.
   
2. Right click your model and go into edit mode, keep everything selected. Open the Shading/UVs tab, you should see several options under the "Normals" subheading.
   
3. Click the buttons "Recalculate" and "Set From Faces" IN THAT ORDER. Blender will automatically fix the normals for you, but ONLY if you do it in that order. You may need to do this multiple times on a single model if Blender doesn't quite fix it the first time, but it's very rare. So far, only one model needed it and it took 3 iterations iirc. Some stray normals may need to be manually fixed using "flip direction" then "Set From Faces".
   
4. In order to stop the model asking for a very particular material, export it as an .obj once the normals are fixed, making sure you untick "Write Material".
   
5. Import the obj you just exported, create a new material and apply the texture(s). Some models take more than one as they have multiple parts (For example, the Multiplayer Ratchet model has seperate parts for the head and pants/armour/lights), but you'll know if you've got the right one in the right place.
   
6. Export it, DO NOT untick "Write Material" this time. You've successfully ripped a Ratchet and Clank model!
   

Some notes: At the moment, Singleplayer skins and most weapons can't be ripped with Replanetizer. For the singleplayer skins there's another method but the tool to get the textures has a dead link and no mirror. If someone can give me a copy, I'll make a tutorial for the singleplayer skins. I would like to get in touch with the Replanetizer devs to see if exporting models from files that aren't engine.ps3 is possible, but IDK where to find the Ratchet modding discord and GitHub is probably not the place to bother them with feature requests.

Regarding weapons - multiplayer versions of weapons should not be used as a substitute for the singleplayer ones as they are lower poly. If you want to submit them regardless, please put them in their own section ("Weapons (Multiplayer)" or something along those lines). Most of them are from Ratchet 2 anyway haha.

Good luck, and have fun!

EDIT: Latest versions of Replanetizer have some rad new QOL improvements! Normals no longer need to be fixed in most cases (some maps are the exception) so RaCNFix is no longer necessary (though I'll leave it here in case someone finds it useful), Singleplayer skins and weapons can be ripped (note: v2-4 upgrades, the Agents of Dread and the Splitter Rifle still can't be ripped for the same reasons as enemy armours).