Usually this error would arise if you had something like this (note the extra brace at the end of the $model line):

However, I do not see what's wrong with what you posted, considering that the posted $model line looks correct.

No, sorry, the code is not stable enough for release. It's a bit of a mess while trying to figure out the format and I have only tested it with one model so far. Right now, I have to split the original MDL via a hex editor into the 3 or 4 files before running it through Crowbar. Likely, I'll have some MDL v53 support in a release next month.

Maybe you've hit the limit of vertexes modified. I think it might be 10,000, but I'd have to check later on that exact count. You could try taking out stuff from the VTA file within Notepad++. See if the model compiles at some smaller VTA size.

It definitely looks like it failed reading the VTA file, as you said. Perhaps the syntax of the VTA file is wrong somehow. Maybe it's missing the "end" keyword at the end or something like that.

Copy-paste the complete compile log.

Progress report: I've been able to decompile the meshes for a gun model. I am continuing work on trying to get the animations decompiled.

If you look at the SMD file directly in something like Notepad++, you'll see that it actually has no data in any frame. This is obviously a bug with Crowbar. As noted in the Known Bugs list, not all animations are usable in a compile. Research into fixes is ongoing.

Progress report: I have discovered that a Titanfall 2 MDL v53 file is actually these file types combined, in this order: MDL + PHY + VTX + VVD. A view model simply is: MDL + VTX + VVD.

The format for the MDL section is somewhat different than MDL v49 and it will take me some more time to figure out. On first glance, the PHY, VTX, and VVD parts seem to be the same as the ones used by MDL v49.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I'll add to the todo list.

This sounds like a good idea, except I do not fully understand how a model compiled for a newer game even works in an older game. Doesn't each game only use certain model versions? Do MDL versions 49 and up work in Garry's Mod?

How have you (or others) tested that the dx80.vtx file is used? And, who in the world is still using DirectX 8 and not DirectX 9 (or higher)?