wgt01 — Build Status & Notes

Progress log for the Westgate Urban Foundation MVP tileset (prefix twu01). Spec: KICKOFF.md. How NWN needs things shaped: ../AGENTS.md.

Last updated: 2026-07-04.

What exists — the generator kit (`generator/`)

One source of truth (tiles.py) feeds four tools; the two NWN emitters need no Blender, so they're directly testable.

File	Role	Needs Blender?
`tiles.py`	Single source of truth: 40-tile table, 12 materials, the 12×12 test map, and all pure derivations (paint / height / walkmesh quads / `.set` corner+crosser mapping). `PREFIX=twu01`.	no
`build.py`	Builds `westgate_urban_foundation_mvp.blend` — 40 tile collections (`VIS_`/`WOK_`/`BLOCK_` + edge custom props), `TILE_EDGE_METADATA` text block, `PREVIEW_tile_library_grid`, `PREVIEW_12x12_test_district`. Editable preview only (quads OK — the exporters triangulate).	yes (4.0.2)
`make_mdl.py`	Shipping model path. Pure-Python `.mdl` + `.wok` + solid-colour `.tga`: faces triangulated, one `trimesh` node per texture (each with `bitmap`+`tverts`), embedded `aabb` walkmesh.	no
`make_itp.py`	`twu01palstd.itp` (GFF `ITP` via `nwn_gff`) — the palette the toolset needs to register the set.	no (needs `nwn_gff`)
`make_wok.py`	Pure-Python ASCII `.wok` emitter (verts+faces+surfacemat+AABB tree); shared `aabb_node()` reused by `make_mdl`.	no
`make_set.py`	`twu01.set` (INI, CRLF) from the tile grammar; field order/values mirror stock.	no
`export_mdl.py`	Alt path, not shipped. Neverblender export — flattens multi-material tiles to one unloadable material, so superseded by `make_mdl.py`.	yes + addon

flake.nix exposes these as apps + a dev shell (pinned Blender 4.0.2, neverwinter-nim, cleanmodels).

Pipeline (commands)

cd wgt01
nix run .#mdl -- mdl/                   # .mdl + .wok + .tga  (shipping models)
nix run .#set -- twu01.set             # twu01.set (CRLF)
nix run .#itp -- twu01palstd.itp       # palette (needs nwn_gff)
nix run .#build -- out.blend           # optional: editable .blend preview
# nix run .#export -- out.blend mdl/   # alt Neverblender path (flattens materials)

Verified (2026-07-04)

models (make_mdl): 40 .mdl + 40 .wok + 12 .tga. Each .mdl has newmodel, classification TILE, AuroraBase name == resref, one trimesh per texture with bitmap+tverts (tris), and the embedded aabb walkmesh. E.g. st_s → 3 trimesh nodes (swlk/curb/wcob); cp1 → 1 with bitmap twu01_wcob. Walkmesh surfacemats: 4 (wok_Stone, walkable) / 7 (wok_Nonwalk). Matches the stock trs02 tile structure field-for-field.
.itp: twu01palstd.itp round-trips through nwn_gff — ITP type, 40 named entries. Names render, but the structure is wrong (flat folder of raw tile resrefs → unplaceable, no Terrain/eraser folder). See Diagnosis below; needs a rebuild to the 3-folder Terrain/Features/Groups shape.
.set: CRLF, 40 tiles, 3 terrains (cobble/raised/canal), 2 crossers (ramp/canal_edge). Version=V1.0, stock field order (WalkMesh=msb01, lights=1, VisibilityNode=A, ImageMap2D last). Corners/heights from each tile's N/E/S/W edge grammar; non-walkable tiles → PathNode=N.
install path: ~/Documents/Neverwinter Nights/development is a symlink to ~/.local/share/Neverwinter Nights/development (the toolset's real dir); one nix run .#dev-install stages all 94 loose files there.

Why the models were rebuilt (2026-07-04, pass 2)

The Neverblender export produced tiles the toolset couldn't load — no tverts, no bitmap, a dangling materialname (>16 chars, no .mtr) — and it flattened each multi-material tile to a single arbitrary material. NWN needs UV'd, bitmapped, one-texture-per-node trimeshes. Fixed by generating the .mdl in pure Python (make_mdl.py) with full control, plus the required twu01palstd.itp. Symptom that surfaced it: blank tileset name + "could not create area" in the New Area wizard.

Testing in the toolset — no `.hak` needed

The toolset reads loose files from ~/Documents/Neverwinter Nights/development/ (confirmed present). One command does build → export → .set → stage:

cd wgt01
nix run .#dev-install          # -> build/ (inspectable) + installs 40 .mdl/.wok + twu01.set into development/

It replaces only the twu01* files in development/ (leaves everything else alone) and keeps the intermediate outputs in ./build/ for inspection. Then in the toolset: create a small area using the twu01 tileset, place tiles, walk-test pathing/heights. (Packing a .hak with nwn_erf is deferred until the set is validated.)

First-pass caveats — tune before shipping

PathNode is a placeholder (A walkable / N non-walkable) — verify creature routing per tile shape in the toolset; real pathnode letters matter.
Textures are flat solid-colour .tgas (one per material, KICKOFF "geometry not art"). They double as an in-toolset grammar read-out; swap in real art later without touching geometry.
No minimaps — ImageMap2D refs exist in the .set but the .tgas don't (skipped by decision; Westgate doesn't use them).
Substitutions: RA_C = straight-ramp geometry; STA = smooth ramp WOK proxy over stepped visual; SW_C/T/X/E share the straight-sidewalk visual.
MAT_void_black is defined but currently unpainted (11/12 materials realised).
Corner terrain is a heuristic from edges — hand-tune adjacency in the toolset.

Git

Branch wgt01-tileset-kit (main still unborn — git branch -f main wgt01-tileset-kit to promote). Commits:

60af184 — build guide + 40-tile generator kit
1284f15 — real .mdl/.wok export via Neverblender

Diagnosis 2026-07-04 — palette names show but nothing paints

Tiles now carry names, but they're not selectable/paintable, and the standard Terrain section (paint terrains + eraser, Raise/Lower) is missing. Root cause, confirmed against the working wut01palstd.itp + wut01.set (see ../AGENTS.md §2.3 for the full model):

The toolset has two placement systems and our .itp uses neither correctly. Ground is laid by Paint Terrain (the toolset corner-matches and auto-picks the model); the palette only click-places [GROUP#]-backed prefabs. It never places raw tile models.
Our .itp is one flat folder of 40 raw tile resrefs, no Terrain folder, no eraser, and the .set has [GROUPS] Count=0. So: none of the 40 entries is a feature/group → unplaceable; and with no Terrain folder there's no paint/eraser UI. wut01 (123 tiles) lists only its 21 groups in the palette and paints the rest as terrain; its PRIMARY/SECONDARY RULES are Count=0, so rules aren't the blocker.

The real palette (verified): MAIN = 3 category structs {ID, STRREF folder label, LIST}; leaves {NAME, RESREF}. Folder 8282 = Terrain (leaf RESREF = terrain/crosser name, plus a magic eraser leaf STRREF 63291); 63261 = Features (1×1, RESREF = first-tile resref); 63262 = Groups (N×M).

Next passes

Rebuild make_itp.py + make_set.py to the real structure (../AGENTS.md §2.3):
- .itp: a Terrain folder (each tiles.TERRAINS/CROSSERS by name + an eraser leaf) so terrain-painting + eraser exist; a Features folder with a 1×1 entry per tile we want click-placeable.
- .set: add [GROUP#] (1×1 feature) entries backing those Features leaves (Name == palette NAME, Tile0 == that tile's index).
- Then in the toolset lay ground via Paint Terrain (cobble/raised/canal), not by clicking tiles.
Walk-test → tune PathNodes, crossers, corner terrains; add a tileset TLK if we later want localized palette names (local NAME strings suffice for now).
Textures (art pass, separate note). Source assets live in /home/vicky/Blender/ (e.g. textures/, PBR_Procampur/, td_floor/, new_floors/, pd textures main lib/). Map each MAT_* in tiles.TEXTURES to a chosen texture, replacing the flat solid-colour .tgas. Downscale to ≤2k — NWN handles 4k textures poorly (perf/artifacts). Geometry is unaffected; only the .tga/material path changes.
Pack .hak (nwn_erf) once validated.

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