View source for Talk:FA1C39F7

==Say What?==
I`ve been investigating this record format because it is one of the most numerous formats in a lot file that I believe is corrupted. Unfortunately, I have been having some difficulty with the record format as described [[FA1C39F7|here]]. Still, I have been able to decode nearly all of it. However, as my understanding of the record format has improved, I have discovered that the data I am seeing does not quite match the description. In the hope that someone could help me [Please?], and that my experience might help others, and not wanting to mess up the existing description with my misunderstandings, I documented my observations here. Even though my understanding of the format has improved considerably since originaly posting this commentary, and I have updated my description to match, I am still working on this record at the time of writing.

I start with some relatively simple structures that occur a variable number of times in the record, and build my way up towards the full description:
{| class="wikitable"
! Anim blocks
|-
| 16 Bytes || Unknown ||
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Unknown ||
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Unknown || apparently always "", "int", "lat", "sim", "obj", "osl", "ovh", "ovl", or "ovm"
|-
| 377 Bytes || Unknown || some of the data patterns resemble CoOrdinates block data patterns
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Unknown || if not empty, always ends in "_anim"
|-
| DWORD || Unknown || always 0 or 1
|}
See notes.
{| class="wikitable"
! Blend blocks
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Name
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Partner
|-
| DWORD || Unknown
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! CoOrdinates blocks
|-
| FLOAT || X ||
|-
| FLOAT || Y ||
|-
| FLOAT || Height ||
|-
| 16 Bytes || Quaternion ||Does anyone know how to "read" one of these?
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! MaterialMesh blocks
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Material
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Mesh
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! Slot blocks
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Name
|-
| CoOrdinates block ||
|}
I call these blocks "Slot" blocks because some of the "Name" fields actually have the word "slot" as part of their value, and because the co-ordinates they contain often [if not always] make perfect sense as the object-relative locations of the object features mentioned in the correspoding "Name" field.
{| class="wikitable"
! cObjectBlock blocks
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Name ||
|-
| DWORD || NameType || 
* only present for cObject Version=17
* always 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 12
|-
| DWORD || Count ||
|-
| MaterialMesh block || || Repeat Count times
|}
I had to invent a name for these blocks, but was singularly uninspired at the time. Any suggestions?
{| class="wikitable"
! cObject blocks
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Model ||
|-
| DWORD || Count ||
|-
| cObjectBlock block || || Repeat Count times
|-
| CoOrdinates block || ||
|-
| DWORD || Count ||
|-
| Slot block || || Repeat Count times
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! cAnimatable blocks
|-
| DWORD || BlockID || always the BlockID for cObject blocks
|-
| DWORD || Version || of embedded cObject block
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Name || always "cObject", matching the BlockID
|-
| cObject block || ||
|-
| DWORD || Count || only present when Version>14
|-
| Blend block || ||
*Repeat Count times
*only present when Version>14
|-
| Float || Unknown ||
*nearly always 1.0, but values as low as 0.939999997616 have been seen
*only present when Version>14
|-
| DWORD || Unknown ||
*always 1
*only present when Version>14
|-
| CoOrdinates block || ||
*Occurs twice
*only present when Version>14
|-
| || Unknown ||
*24 bytes long for Version=15
*28 bytes long for Version>15
*possibly not present when Version=14
*apparently cannot be a CoOrdinates block, not only because of the size, but because some values decode into "Not A Number"
|-
| CoOrdinates block || || possibly not present when Version=14
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! cLocomotable blocks
|-
| DWORD || BlockID || always the BlockID for cAnimatable blocks
|-
| DWORD || Version || of embedded cAnimatable block
|-
| cAnimatable block || ||
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! cPerson blocks
|-
| DWORD || BlockID || always the BlockID for cLocomotable blocks
|-
| DWORD || Version || of embedded cLocomotable block
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Name || always "cLocomotable"
|-
| cLocomotable block || ||
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! Full Record
|-
| 64 Bytes || Unknown || always zeroes
|-
| DWORD || BlockID ||
|-
| DWORD || Version || of outermost block
|-
| [[7BITSTR]] || Name || always matches BlockID
|-
| cObject block || || Only if BlockID matches cObject BlockID
|-
| cAnimatable block || || Only if Block ID matches cAnimatable BlockID
|-
| cPerson block || || Only if BlockID matches cPerson BlockID
|-
| Additional data || Unknown || See Notes
|}
==Notes==
After the main block, additional data occurs that varies with the type and version of the outermost block, but which does NOT appear after a block of the same type and version within another block.

*cObject blocks:
:*When the main block is a cObject block of version 15, it is [always?] followed by nothing at all, marking the end of the record.
:*When the main block is a cObject block of version 16, it is [always?] followed by a single additional DWORD [always 0x00000000?].
:*When the main block is a cObject block of version 17, it is [always?] followed by one of the following:
::*Nothing at all. Always marks the end of the record.
::*A single DWORD, always 0x00FE0000. Always marks the end of the record.
::*A DWORD Count [usually 0] with Count additional DWORDs. Always marks the end of the record.
::*A DWORD Count [always 2 or 3?] with Count Blend blocks [always?] describing a platter of Appetizers, Cheese, or Chips. 
:
:Other versions of cObject blocks have not been seen.

*cAnimatable blocks:
:*When the main block is a cAnimatable block of version 14 or 15, the format is unknown.
:*When the main block is a cAnimatable block of version 16, it is always followed by one of the following, all of which mark the end of the record:
::*Nothing at all.
::*A single DWORD, always either 0x00FE0000 or 0xFD000000.
::*A DWORD Count with Count additional DWORDs. The value range on the count and content of these DWORDs is '''severly''' restricted: only ''five'' different patterns have been observed!
::*A DWORD Count with Count Anim blocks.
:*When the main block is a cAnimatable block of version 17, it is always followed by one additional DWORD, always 0x00000000.
:
:Other versions of cAnimatable blocks have not been seen. At this time, the existance of version 17 blocks needs to be verified.

*cPerson and cLocomotable blocks.
:Because of the way that cPerson and cLocomotable blocks always occur only with a single instance of the other, it is impossible to determine if any data present belongs to the cPerson block or the cLocomotable block. At any rate, the cLocomotable block`s embedded cAnimatable block has been observed to be followed by any of the following:
:*A DWORD Count followed by
:*Two DWORDs, always one of 
::*0x00000000, 0x00000000
::*0x00000001, 0x00000000
::*0x00000001, 0x00FE0000
::Always marks the end of the record.
:*A single DWORD 0x1D000000 followed by some unknown data containing a [[7BITSTR]] "Routing - Eye Attractor " plus a decimal number in parentheses, 86 bytes plus the length of the number. Always marks the end of the record.
:*A single DWORD 0x1E000000 followed by some unknown data containing a [[7BITSTR]] "Portal - Pedestrian " plus a decimal number in parentheses plus " (bbox)", 89 bytes plus the length of the number. Marks the end of the record.
:*A single DWORD 0x2B000000 followed by some unknown data containing a [[7BITSTR]] mentioning a Sim by neighborhood and Character file name, a decimal number in parentheses, and "(glasses_grip)"; 98 bytes, plus the length of the Sim name. Example string: "E001_User00137 - Ralph (158) (glasses_grip)". Always marks the end of the record.
:*A DWORD Count with Count Anim blocks, optionally followed by:
::*Nothing at all. Always marks the end of the record.
::*Two DWORDS, always one of
::*0x00000000, 0x00000000
::*0x00000001, 0x00000000
::Always mars the end of the record.
:
:Other data may follow the Anim blocks, or appear in place of them, but this data has proven very resistant to analysis.

As part of my ongoing investigation, I have used my tool to test-read every lot in neighborhoods E001, F001, G001, and begun scanning the lots in neighborhoods N001, N002, and N003, and still have some troubles with the data following the cLocomotable`s embedded cAnimatable block. As of the last scan of the file it resides in, at least one cPerson record had a Anim-block count of 3, followed by TWO Anim blocks and something that clearly is NOT an Anim block as described above. The record in question is Neighborhoods\G001\Lots\G001_Lot23.package, TypeID=0xFA1C39F7, GroupID=4294967295, InstanceID=218. Several other files have what appears to be one or more of these non-Anim blocks at the end of one or more cPerson records, but so far I have only found the one record with such within the *counted* Anim blocks. '''Update:''' I ''may'' have found additional examples. Also, it now appears that there is an alternate format of the Anim block which is shorter than the one documented above.

I still don`t know how to identify the presence of the Anim blocks by any way other than checking for the length of the unused data at the end of the record, but that method had proven absolutely reliable until that abberant record was found, and has proven reilable for nearly all other records observed to date, especially if the odd data really ''is'' an alternate format of the Anim block.  --[[User:GeneralOperationsDirector|GeneralOperationsDirector]]