POF Constructor Suite

POF Constructor Suite, or PCS, is a program created by Kazan, and is one of the two main pieces of software used in the creation and editing of POF files (the other being Modelview 32). This program is capable of converting truespace .COB files into POF files. POF fils are the model file format that Freespace can read and use in-game. Additionally, the POF format contains data solely for Freespace 2. This data includes the center of the object, dockpoints, eyepoints, engine glows, primary and secondary gunpoints, mass, fighter insignias, paths, shields, subsystems, textures, turrets, subobjects and FS_Open glowpoints.

Using PCS

Getting Started

When you start PCS, you will notice another window has opened. This is a render window of whatever model is open - you can see where things are, what your ship looks like etc.

Conversion Settings

Go to Conversion > Options. Setting up the Options screen is very important. Set the path files of your textures (usually C:\Games\?Free Space 2), and the default paths to use when looking for/saving SCN/COB files and FS2 POF files.

Scaling factor refers to how many FS meters to turn EACH trueSpace meter into during conversion. This should be set to 20.

COB to POF Conversions

Let's suppose you already have your COB file modelled and waiting in Truespace. You want to see how it works in-game.

You should now be ready to do your first model conversion. Go to Conversion > COB to POF. Select your model (if it's a SCN file, tell PCS to look for SCN instead of COB). Hit OK. If your model fits the geometry and heirarchy requirements of the Freespace 2 engine(and PCS), a window shows up with general model information. For information on the geometry requirements as well as how to fix them, go to IPAndrews tutorial for TS here:

http://underworld.fortunecity.com/pacman/106/fs2mods/shipcreationguide/creatingstablegeometry.html (main page: http://underworld.fortunecity.com/pacman/106/fs2mods/shipcreationguide/ )

There are several things you have to add for your model to convert it to a fully working Freespace model. The best place for information on these things is Bobboau's PCS tutorial here:

http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater/fstut/fstut_index01.htm

POF to COB conversions

The opposite of COB to POF conversions, this feature allows you to convert a Freespace POF file into a COB file - for use in things like renders, or just general model editing. From the COB format, you can convert it to just about any other 3d model format for use in just about any 3d program.

To do this, just open up the POF file you want to convert, go to Conversions > POF to COB, and decide on a place (and filename) to save your COB to.

Tips

1. If PCS gives a "You forgot to group those objects!" error message during COB > POF conversions, it just means that you need to glue a local light to the main hull object in Truespace.
2. If it gives a "Too many polygons in same local area!" (or something similar) error, it can mean one (or both) of two things. Either there is a duplicate of one of the objects in the SCN in the EXACT same position as another of the EXACT same shape, or your object is too small. To fix the first problem, find the duplicate object and delete or move it. To fix the second, scale the whole ship up in TS to the size you want it to appear as in FS. Then, before converting, set PCS's scaleing to 1 rather than 20 and convert. That should fix it.
3. Remember that when you convert from POF to COB, all the centers of everything in the model are ignored, an annoying bug in PCS that should get fixed with Kazans PCS 2. :) This means that though your objects will still be in the right places, their centers and the lights glued to them will be at 0,0,0.
4. Only the latest versions of PCS (those above 1.1) have correct collision detection calculations during conversion.
5. In the Misc menu, there is a "Global data import" function. This is a very handy tool that will import all pof data from one model file into the one that is open. Very useful if you completely POF a particular ship and then notice that you forgot something before conversion. You can simply re-convert and then import all the data you painstakingly entered. :)
6. If you have any questions/problems, ask in the FS-Modding forum, but don't forget to search first, since chances are the problem has been encountered before.

Links

Download the latest PCS version here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=26889&package_id=53033&release_id=228607