Zappy, I think I confused your statements above. I thought you were saying that you were using single flex VTA files in "Your" MLP models qcs and I was asking you how you created them.

I have never seen a MLP decompile that creates "actual" VTAs for single flexes. As I stated earlier, Crowbar is currently (ver 0.56) creating VTA files for each bodygroup it decompiles. The one that actually contains the flexes to the bodygroup that has flexes will be bigger than the others. I have chatted ith Zeq about this. Maybe the future versions will only create VTAs for bodygoups that actually have flexes (especially now that DMXs allow for multiple objects to have shapekeys).

Anyway, we're straying from the jest of the topic here.

OP, not sure if the FR is still open, but if you really want to get this model in to SFM, either accept mine or send me one when you are ready. I really need a clear understanding of what model this is and what it is that you're trying to do with it that it needs to be decompiled and recompiled, before I can help you further. That is best done in a one on one chat.

I see. And yes I will give you that, I forgot that multi-VTA flexfiles can be contained within one $model statement (up to the limit). But, that is not what is being indicated in the OPs QC above. He is using Multi-$model statements for different body groups and trying load VTA files for those. I am sure this cannot be done for SMD source filed models.

Now, I do have a question in this regarding your use of Multi-VTAs, how do you create multi-VTA files for the object you are giving the individual flexes to? Manually edit the VTA file created on SMD export? Or Build a flex, export, delete the shapekey and rebuild the next, re-export, repeat process? It seems like it is a redundant process to have multi-VTAs in one object. All flexes built into 1 VTA is more efficient (IMO, but this is an interesting concept when it comes to editing flexes and bringing them back into Blender).

As far as I have been told, VTAs require a $model and a { flexfile } statement. If you don't know if a QC can use multiple $model statements, how can you say a SMD can use multiple VTAs?
Anyway, I have always been told by old school TF2 modellers that models using SMD source files can only use 1 VTA and were quite surprized when I showed them I could have multple objects with flexes in one model using DMX source files.

The thing is, SMD only support 1 VTA file. When you decompile with Crowbar, there are VTAs created for each bodygroup it encounters but the main VTA file will have the largest filesize. Only 1 bodygroup can or will actually have the flexes.

Now in you QC snippet, I'm seeing thing like $model commands for eyelids and judy_hops and references to _03.VTA and _02.VTA, this won't work for SMD type model source files. It is possible to have multiple bodygroups with flexes in DMX model source files but it is hard to make them work properly and the practice is frowned upon unless the flexes between the 2 or mre objects aren't related in anyway.

But in a SMD based model source, you can only have 1 VTA file. The lids, tounge, eyeballs, lashes, etc all have to be part of the same object, shape keys added to that 1 object and only 1 VTA file created when exported. So your model is dead right from the get go.

Link the model you downloaded and decompiled so we at least know what it is you're working with.

i sent you a FR. Let's take this to live chat because you're not understanding what I am asking.

Ok, lets start at the start.

You have a model and your working on it in Blender and your want to use it in what Valve Game, (like SFM, TF2, GMod, L4D, etc)
which game are you wanting to use this in?

The answer will determine how I respond to your help request.

Thanks Atfunkel, This is good to know.
With the GoldSrc button as an export option in BleST I assumed that compiling was supported as well. As I said, I can compile with drag and drop onto the StudioMDL required or with Crowbar so this is not a biggy.

Not sure if you told us or if we asked you, but what game are you trying to compile this for?

DOH CRUD>>>>>>>

I pooched the $CD command


Try that

nah, if BleST doesn't support the liblist.gam as a compile source file for GoldSrc, the compile interface in Crowbar does. I can switch to that. However, I thought I'd post my problem here in case i was doing something wrong or something in BleST was broken. Not many compile for GoldSrc anymore and I can understand why it would be depreciated but it's always better to have more tools than none.