Importing Other Game Assets

[Nabsuh]

Hi there;

Now, I've been messing around with the UDK assets for quite a bit now and I've reached a point where I want to use other game assets (I.E, Gears Of War, Mass Effect 2 or Batman Arkham Asylum); now I understand the ramifications of using other assets, I just want to explore beyond what I've got in my copy of UDK (so therefore not for any profit-motives as such).

Anyways, I would appreciate any detailed help I could get which can guide me to getting my assets in UDK and working properly.

Thanks

[Nabsuh]

BUMP:

At the moment I want to import some assets from Gears Of War PC to UDK to increase the amount of assets that I can use, can anyone provide insight to how I would go about doing this?


For anyone who has an answer to the query above, just please PM me on the forums/leave a message on the forums.

Thanks.

[Blade[UG]]

Try opening the files. If that doesn't work, no.

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Legal ramifications are huge. You aren't allowed to do it, despite your ability to do so.

Regardless of profit, this is copyright infringement.

[Blade[UG]]

Basically:

In most places, if you own GOW, you would be able to use it's assets only for personal use (ie, for studying them). You would absolutely not be able to use them in anything distributed to anyone else (that does not also own GOW), regardless of profit motive or lack thereof.

Technically, UDK probably won't be able to open the GOW files, as they should be cooked content. But it might.

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

You shouldn't need to transfer them from 1 engine to another to study them. The fact that the 3 games listed are all from different companies compounds the issue. The license to use UE3 was purchased by those companies, if they elect not to include the dev. software, then it would mean they don't want it to work. UDK/UT3 editors should not be able to edit/open IP not owned by Epic. It would be the same as the bank allowing your card to work with other peoples accounts, they haven't the right.

[mikesdk]

It is possible to import stuff from other games, but as has been said, you can only do it for personal testing purposes, and it's not an easy process by any standard. I have managed to import stuff from both Mirror's Edge and Mass Effect, but both cases it wasn't as easy as just importing the .upk files. Basically it's a pain to make it work but even so it's been a useful learning experience. (ie. I would rather create my own content than ever have to try that again to have something to test with)

[avoak]

mikesdk is right as good as it sounds it is hard to get the stuff into the engine and your better off making stuff instead of importing stuff.

[iLikeTheUDK]

To mikesdk:
How did you actually import assets from other Unreal Engine games if they're already cooked and packaged?

[mikesdk]

I really don't think I should go into explicit details, especially on these forums, but suffice to say there is software out there that facilitates asset extraction from package files. A well formulated Google search will probably yield all the answers you want.

Let me reiterate however, to make it work there is a lot of work involved:

You get no sounds, no materials, just raw meshes, textures and animations.