Last Update:
18th October 2009 - GBA Rainbow Road (Release Candidate 3) by mkdasher and MrBean35000vr


Ever wanted to try your hand at making your own course in Mario Kart Wii?

In a nutshell, model hacking is the art of altering anything that has a "physical form" in the Mario Kart world... like course layouts and stuff!

Model hacking and texture hacking work close together, but model hacking's a lot harder to do. As a result, any model hacks done, even if they include a texture hack, shall end up in here instead of the Texture Hacked Courses thread.

For good old-fashioned pure MKWii texture hacking, head here: Texture Hacked Courses



So, as the majority of you probably know, me and my brother have been hacking at Mario Kart for ages and managed to change the textures in the game about 3 months ago from this post. Recently my brother has managed to code an editor for 3D models as well. 3D models affect how the course is laid out and displayed, every course in the game is stored as one or multiple ones. So if we have an editor for one, we can make our own models and manipulate existing ones...

And that is the start of model hacking and completely new, custom courses.

THIS IS STILL IN EARLY PHASES.
That said, we're getting more advanced. Won't be long before lots of people are creating their own tracks or even battle arenas

Eventually the SZS Modifier application that is used for modifying textures will hopefully have the ability to design an all-new course from scratch. That's the main goal right now!

NONE OF THESE COURSES WILL WORK ONLINE. The only way to make it work online would be for every single player to be using the modified course files.


I will update the thread with videos of model hacks as and when they become available!


SZS Modifier v2.4.0.0 new features:

- Created a basic top-down editor for existing models. Can use grab tool to reshape a course or any model in the game. The grab tool does not support Y-axis alteration.

- Can force every point on a course to become solid by patching all terrain-type flags in course.kcl

- Can blank the course.kcl file to flatten all solidity points to a certain level - this can make an entire course completely flat. Same goes for 3D models. If both are flattened to the same level with terrain flag hacks, you can make an extremely flat course which you can drive everywhere on (the current workaround for no proper solidity mappings). Doesn't work on all courses for some reason. Works best on Shy Guy Beach, works pretty well at Rainbow Road too.

- Created an importer/exporter for model data so you can easily swap between files should something go wrong on one SZS file and the model data is still intact.

- Coded a Nintendo Model to DirectX .x file format exporter and importer. Use professional software to make models instead of a dot-to-dot system!

- Now has a grayscale bitmap --> model importer. If you can't use DirectX, you can just draw courses in Paint or other graphics software and then just import them straight in!
Note: Please try and keep the images at 50x50 pixels or lower, unless you want to lose your processor for the night

- Proper polygon texturing. Done in "terrain style" so painted roads won't look quite right, but rocks, grass, sand, tarmac on its own will look fine.

- KMP editor: KMPs contain important data such as object placement and AI, item, and checkpoint routes. These can now all be manipulated at will.

- Standalone brres editor: Open .brres files directly using the SZS Modifier, potentially usable to change textures in games such as Animal Crossing: City Folk, among others that use a similar format. Can now save them as well

- BMG (text) editor

- USB Gecko connection for live texture hacking, and texture/model hacks on Wiis on v3.3 upwards

- KCL manipulation for accurate solidity (at long last!) - Unreleased as of yet.

SZS Modifier Development Status:

- Doing some research into how MKDS stores courses, hopefully it may be possible to port them to the Wii with enough effort!

- Creating a brand new Course Creator application for easier model hacking. It'll cover everything needed to create a good custom course



Last Update:
18th October 2009 - GBA Rainbow Road!

Course Model Hacks:

5 (Release Candidate 3)
Patch available
Direct Download for SZS: http://rapidshare.com/files/300467672/GBA_RR-RC3.szs

Feels like a while since I last updated, and that's because it has been a while; Chadderz has been busy with schoolwork and cannot work on the SZS Modifier actively anymore. Anyways, a few days ago, mkdasher approached me with a very promising-looking model hack that he was creating, in the design of Mario Kart Super Circuit's Rainbow Road (which, by Nintendo's standard naming convention, we nicknamed GBA Rainbow Road). And I used a debug copy of SZS Mod to fix up solidity, as well as adding boosts, jumps, checkpoints, and he also handled item/CPU routes. Anyway, the result is the longest and possibly hardest course in/out of the game.

Meet GBA Rainbow Road!





I recorded a hosted GP on the track, like with SNES RR (sadly in mirror though). View here:





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1 (Release Candidate 1)
Patch available

At long last, I got around to updating what I think was our weakest model hack, SNES Rainbow Road. And how much has it changed, heh. New map, decent texturing, checkpoints, and the highlight: OMG IT'S ACTUALLY SOLID AND YOU CAN FALL OFF!!!! ...Yus. Enjoy vids of our finest work yet!


MrBean35000vr's video:



Mindscarp's video:


UgotHacked's videos:





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4 (???)
Patch unavailable


A few nights ago I was browsing YouTube and happened across a person known as Palkialgia, who had been working on a model hack of Rainbow Road without just about anyone knowing.

I don't know much about this project other than the fact the guy was having problems with the solidity when he uploaded this video. Looks very promising, though:





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3 (alpha)
Patch unavailable


The new SZS Modifier went public literally one night ago, and ARM1 has already been taking advantage of the new model editing features and has attempted to recreate Cheep Cheep Island from Mario Kart Super Circuit (on GBA).
A lot of bugs were corrected since the first test video, now the course looks very good and can be driven on (instead of under )





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2 (gamma)
Patch available


Seems like a while ago now I started work on Lava Canyon, a brand new course for Mario Kart Wii. And yeah, it's taken longer than I expected. But here I can finally present the video of the first release of Lava Canyon!

The course I hacked? Shy Guy Beach. Would you have guessed that? Lol.

Mr Bean vs Chadderz vs ARM1 at Lava Canyon:

From ARM1's view:


From Mr Bean's and Chadderz's view:


MrBean35000vr's original video:



ARM1's texture hack and alternate video:




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0 (alpha)
Patch available


Test Circle is exactly what it says on the tin. It's just a large circle, designed for testing the 3D editor of the SZS Modifier. Eventually it'll be released as a brand new course and given a name. But not yet - It is in the alpha phase for a lot of reasons.


MrBean35000vr's original video:



ARM1's texture hack and alternate video:





If you want to try model hacking for yourself, please download the SZS Modifier v2.1.0.0 (or higher). A tutorial will be released soon!
SZS Modifier

Other Model Hacks:

NinARM1 is a perv, and we knew this already. But he's also a model hacker, and has been experimenting with the SZS Modifier for a while, trying to modify character vehicles. If you combine the two, what do you get? 12 naked Daisys... on skiis. Watch at your own risk
(Also, if anyone cares, the course texture hack is Luigi's Volcano Raceway by MrBean35000vr )

That is so cool. I can't wait to see what else you will come up with

really cool way to hack!

Sweet!, Can't wait for more text courses :D

Ok, MKW is well and truely messed up xD

Wow... this is just amazing.

by the way, what does the red text say in the background?

Wow, impressive and constructive way to hack =D

Nice hacks

Heh, it says "Chadderz and Mr Bean"!


And thanks to everyone who's left a positive remark! Hopefully I'll be able to generate something else new soon, perhaps some more solid-spam speculative courses (even if they don't work properly!)