How To Create Custom Teardown Playermodels
INTRO & GUIDE RUNDOWN
- Create local copy of .vox & .xml w/ Merlin mod OR .vox & .xml of a default character within Local TD Files
- Replace file paths in your .xml with MOD/[your mod's .xml's file path] and .vox file paths with MOD/[your mod's .vox's file path]
- Open the copied .vox in Magicavoxel
- Edit or create your model
- Open .xml in Teardown editor & adjust bones, joints, add accessories, etc.
- Test in-game & screenshot (Workshop etiquiette is important)
- Publish (congrats dude)
For those with no background experience, this guide is intended to be as comprehensible as possible and go over file setup, Magicavoxel modeling, editting bones/jigglebones, error correcting .xml files and everything you need to know to make playermodels. (If anything in this guide is missing or wrong, let us know in the guide comments and we'll fix it.) For this guide, I will be making a Star Wars Battle Droid as a playermodel, with a free-moving antennae as an accessory and some small text reading "B-01".
Honestly I'd recommend that you follow the same techniques but apply them to your own playermodel so that you better understand the guide, and also finish with a cool playermodel that you're happy with. Remember that a good playermodel is a working playermodel, so don't worry about making it perfect.
This guide was designed for Windows 10, Windows 11, Arch Linux, and CachyOS Linux, so if you're using any other operating systems. good luck.
Finally, here's a (outdated) vid that you can user if you need a more visual guide, though we strongly recommend you use it in tandem with the presented guide. Alkeralex (me) is working on redoing the guide to make it easier to follow and more consistent, and I'm just about done so expect it soon. Ok cool, let's get started.
THIS GONNA BE CRAZY!!!!111one one oneFile Setup & .XML Files
- Teardown. (The game. Wow, crazy.)
- Magicavoxel[ephtracy.github.io] (The voxel model editor)
- Notepad, or preferably Notepad++[notepad-plus-plus.org]
Once they're installed, you'll need the .xml and .vox files to base your model off. There's a couple of methods to get these.
Method 1Windows: Documents / Teardown / Mods
Arch-Based Linux (Enable viewing of hidden folders): Home / .local / share / Steam / steamapps / compatdata / 1167630 / pfx / drive.c / users / steamuser / Documents / Teardown / Mods
Method 2
Windows; Documents / Teardown / mods.
Arch-based Linux: Home / .local / share / Steam / steamapps / compatdata / 1167630 / pfx / drive.c / users / steamuser / Documents / Teardown / Mods.
This will be your mod's root folder. Inside your root folder, create info.txt, characters.txt, and another folder named characters (make sure it's characters, plural) and inside this, create folders named vox and prefab.Go to Teardown in your Steam library, and click the gear icon to the right, then go to properties, and installed files. Then click "Browse". I'd generally recommend that you use this method.
- On Windows, open your file explorer, and go to your Local Disc folder. Then go to Program Files x86 / Steam / steamapps / common / Teardown. I would recommend that you pin the common folder in your file explorer, especially if you mod games often, as it allows you to have very easy access to the directories of your Steam games.
- On Arch-based Linux, open your file explorer, and go to Home / .local / share / Steam / steamapps / common / Teardown. I would recommend that you pin the common folder in your file explorer, especially if you mod games often, as it allows you to have very easy access to the directories of your Steam games.
If renaming them you do not see ".xml" or ".vox" at the end, that's fine; if you wish to see it, on Windows, you can click View > Show > File name extensions, and ensure there is a check mark.
You then need to open your .xml file with Notepad or Notepad++. Again, I recommend Notepad++ but regular Notepad works as well. In line 1, you should see name="instance=player/player_[Character you chose].xml. For me, this will read name="instance=player/player_magnus.xml". This is the file path to the original .xml directly from within the directory, but it is NOT the path we want, so we must change it. First, add MOD at the start; the keyword "MOD" refers to your mod's directory. Then, add your mod's new .xml file path. For me, I copy and pasted the player_magnus.xml into my Prefab folder, so my path will be MOD/Prefab/battle_droid.xml.
ABOVE: Location of the .xml file.
Below: Location of the .vox file.
I told you this method is more complex, but considering you're reading this, you at least READ through it, so good job.
Editing the Model
Oh also, here are the mouse controls, as listed below:
-
LMB selects objects (those floating cubes around the model), and double clicking brings object into editing mode. Editing controls are in the top left, to the right of the pallette.
- Objects are named in the object tree to the right, and can be renamed by right clicking them in this object tree. Keep in mind multiple objects cannot have the same name in Magicavoxel or the Teardown editor.
- RMB moves your view around, and MMB drags your view to different focal positions.
- By default, the voxel brush in edit mode is Cube, but I recommend changing it to individual voxels, seen to the right.
- You change the color of your brush by selecting colors in the palette on the left. Changing colors in the palette will change that color applied to the model.
You can change colors on the palette by clicking one of the squares, or cells, and clicking Colors at the bottom of the palette, which brings up a small window that allows you to change the color manually or use an RGB (Red Green Blue) color code.
For my Battle Droid, I want an extra antennae, so I will select the plus icon and it will create a new Vox. I can set the size to 3 by 3 by 20 to make the antennae, seen in the image below, then in the project tree on the right of the screen (Also listed in the Magicavoxel Guide image, it's like I planned this or something) I can right click the selected vox and rename it to "antennae". Whatever you name your accessory, remember it, as it will be important once you actually add the vox itself.
Now it's time to add joints and make the bones work (In fact, one may even say that it's Boneworks time)
Teardown Editor
Now I know that rigging seems daunting but trust me, in this case it's a lot easier than it seems. So just follow the guide and I'll show you what to do. Make sure Teardown is open and running, as we need the game's built-in editor.
It's also vital to know that whenever you want to test the playermodel by checking it in the game's cahracter selection menu, you must save the .xml by pressing CONTROL + S, and moving the .xml back into its original folder. You can avoid this weird dance by simply setting up the .xml's file paths from the start to be in the mod's root folder, but for simplicity (and to show what happens if not dont right) this guide placed it into a seperate folder (I'm two steps ahead.)
Once we've copied and pasted our /xml, we can now open it in the editor and see our (mostly) finished model. Note that custom accessories won't appear for now, but we'll add them in a second.
This guide will only cover what you need to know for playermodels, but if you're interested in the editor itself, you can watch the official Teardown modding tutorials.
- Scene Explorer (Top left), with scene tree of all bones, joints, and vox models.
- Properties Window (Bottom left), which when a part is clicked shows adjustable properties like joint limits, position, rotation, vox scale, and more.
- Content Explorer (Bottom right), with brushes, scripts, etc.; moreso used in map making so we're just ignoring it.
- Snap (Top, next to Scene Explorer), which allows us to adjust the snap. A value of 0.5 sets the snap to one voxel cube, and you can shrink this depending on how you need to most joints, vox models, or whatever.
- LEFT-MOUSE CLICK: Select a vox (model part) or joint on your model.
- RIGHT MOUSE CLICK + DRAG: Move camera around from single stationary point.
- MIDDLE MOUSE CLICK + DRAG: Move camera's position around.
- SCROLL: Zoom in and out.
- SHIFT: Changes the Move Gizmo (The little arrows that let you move stuff around) with a Rotate Gizmo, letting you, get this, rotate stuff (WOW :O ) The arrows will become curved lines, and clicking and dragging them will rotate the object, based on the snap amount that you set.
Method B (next section) is slightly easier, and doesn't involve joints, but is only good for static accessories like labels, stickers, or nametags. For the Battle Droid playermodel, I'll add a small label on the chest that says "B-01", which I previously modeled in Magicavoxel.
Adding Accessories: Method 1 (Dynamic)
- Name the joint
- Adjust the joint scale to 0.05 (you can set it to a larger value but you'll probably only need 0.05)
- Paste attachment in Tag
- In the Type section, set the joint as one of the following:
- Ball, which freely moves in all directions
- Hinge, which move on an axis like a door; adjust how far it swings in Limits
- Cone, which acts as a ball joint in only a specific area; Limits adjust cone's radius and rotational bounds)
- Prismatic, which slides objects along an axis (Thanks MirosKov)
- Ball, which freely moves in all directions
Then in file, select your model's .vox. You'll be jumpscared by a gigantic version of your playermodel; this is normal. In properties, set the object to whatever accessory you want to add; this is why the name is important, as it is how you'll find it. Finally, set the scale to 0.5.
Adding Accessories: Method 2 (Static)
This method does not involve joints, and is best for minute details, as outlined previously. It's a bit easier than method A but only good for completely static accessories.
Finally, in the Tags row, add unbreakable nocull noproxyshape. Again, unbreakable makes it, get this, unbreakable; nucull tell the game to render the accessory; and I still don't know what noproxyshape does but we need it so just add it. If you DO know what it does, please comment and let us know so I can edit it.
Characters.txt, Preview.jpg, & Info.txt
The character itself is now complete! All we need are the preview images, mod and character description, character name, and a couple other things.
[Name]
description=
preview=
path=
anim_speed=0.7
height=1.95
This part is easy: change the name to your character's name, and put in a description that you want to appear within the in-game character selector. For preview, put in the file path for the icon you just made, and for path type in your .xml's file path. anim_speed and height are self-explanatory: they determine the speed of the animation (0.1 to 0.9, where 0.1 is the slowest and 0.9 the fastest) and the character height, in meters. I would recommend stay with the values above if you're not sure what to use, but they depend on your playermodel's size. Finally save your file with CONTROL + S. I'm assuming you're already familiar with that at this point. Here is an example of my finished characters.txt file for my Battle Droid:
[B1 Battle Droid]
description=Roger Roger
preview=icons/preview.jpg
path=prefab/battle_droid.xml
anim_speed=0.7
height=1.95
Now create or find an image that you want to use for your Steam Workshop icon. Make sure it's a .jpg file and set the resolution to 512 by 512 pixels again. Rename the file to preview.jpg, and put it into your mod's root directory. Congrats you made your steam workshop icon, because adding that is also built-in as part of Teardown modding. How convenient. Next, open your info.txt. This will determine the text you see when you select mod within the mod manager. Within the file, paste the following info:
name=Type in your mod's name, your username, and a description of your mod (to the left of the [noupload] thing), then save the file with CONTROL + S. ok i think they get it now idiot HEY THATS MEAN IM LITERALY YOU NUH UH SHUT UP. YOU SHUTTUP
author=
description=[noupload]
The [noupload] tag is helpful since once you publish your mod, it will NOT replace the Steam descrption of your mod. This helps if you have a lot typed out in your description and don't want to lose it whenever you update your mod.
Oh wait I should show you how to publish your mod, yea that's usually important.
Making Multiple Playermodels
Then, edit the copied .xml file as you did before, by opening it in Notepad or Notepad++, highlighting the .xml file path, and with CONTROL + H renaming the .xml's file name to the copied .xml's file path. Do the same for the new .vox's file path. Preferably, your .xml and .vox file paths will be identical except for the names; in my case, I renamed my copied .xml from battle_droid.xml to pilot_droid.xml, so my file path in that copied .xml file will go from MOD/prefab/battle_droid.xml to MOD/prefab/pilot_droid.xml. Note how the path is the same except for the .xml. Do this same things for the .vox file path.
Finally, open your characters.txt file. Below your previous text information about your playermodel, press enter and add a line of space, then paste the required character.txt information like before:[Name 2]Once again, replace Name 2 with your second playermodel's name, and set the path to the new .xml that you just made. Do the same for the icon; I say use a different image so taht people can differentiate the playermodels easier., Put in a new description, and you're done! Your []bcharacter.txt[/b] should now have two sets of character information, one for your first playermodel and one for the second playermodel. Below is what my Battle Droid's character[txt[/i] currently looks like:
path=
preview=
description=
anim_speed=0.7
height=1.95
[B1-Series Battle Droid]You can save with CONTROL + S, and open the character selection screen to se your second playermodel. This process can be repeated as many times as you want, depending on how many other playermodels you want to have in your pack.
path=battle_droid.xml
preview=icons/battle_droid_icon.jpg
description=The classic B1-Series Battle Droid, built and designed by the Trade Federation to fight those Jedi scum, roger roger.
anim_speed=0.7
height=1.95[OOM-Series Pilot Droid]
path=pilot_droid.xml
preview=icons/bd_pilot_icon.jpg
description=A later OOM-Series variant designed for operating Trade Federation Starships and other space and aerial vehicles, roger roger.
anim_speed=0.7
height=1.95
Publishing & Updating
You've made your first Teardown playermodel, congrats dude! :D Now all you need is to publish, and this is the easiest part because this feature is also built in. Noticing a trend? No? Too bad, there is one.
Common Issues & Questions
Some solutions to common issues that people have dealt with while making their playermodel, to heopfully help you out. If you have any questions, you can ask them AS ONE MESSAGE in this guides comments.
Notice how, in the image to the right, the joint is between both the parent vox (piece above) and the child vox piece are halfway within the joint. This is generally how you want to try and align your accessories and joints. Teardown is kinda janky though, so it may take some trial and error until you get the joint properly attached.
...how many ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ joints did you put.
Having too many joints can lag out the game, so if you're making a high-resolution, detailed model then try combining multiple vox parts together to reduce the number of joints. Again, This'll be covered more in-depth in the guide sepcifically for those types of playermodels.
CONGRATS DUDE :D (Resources)
TITLE SAYS IT ALL: YOU DID IT! YYEEEEAAAAAAA :D
You can now enjoy your custom Teardown character that you've made, or see how other people might wanna use it for, or just have it for yourself. Do whatever, it's your mod, you've put in the work and you've finished it, nice job dude.
I've uploaded the Battle Droid playermodel and will probably make some updates like adding other battle droid versions, as well as hi-res version once we make that guide.
- The Teardown Modding Guide[www.teardowngame.com]
- The Teardown playermodel-specific guide
- The modding channel in the Official Teardown Discord server[discord.com]
- Emil's modding tutorials (For the Teardown Editor)
I really hope that this guide helped you guys with creating your playermodels, and I'm excited to see the Teardown workshop expand in the number of playermodels available. :) - Alkeralex
Guide by Alkeralex and Mr McChicken, with help from fellow modders, members of the Teardown Discord server, and commenters
This guide was created by its original author on the Steam Community. Are you the author and want it removed? Request removal.