CNV file

In /dataDir/objects/ufoparts/, an out of place file named soto5.cnv can be found. It appears to be a script for the program linked by the mysterious "conversion" shortcut located in /dataDir/objects/plants/. It teaches us a few things about the proprietary MOD files used in Pikmin.

For reference, soto5.mod is the 3D model file for the Main Engine ship part.

importdmd Z:\conversion\items\ufoparts\soto5.dmd
importanimfolder Z:\conversion\items\ufoparts\msoto5
loadini Z:\conversion\items\ufoparts\ini\soto5.ini
importdvw Z:\conversion\items\ufoparts\dvw\soto5.dvw
joint_names
exportmod Z:\conversion\dataDir\objects\ufoparts\soto5.mod

• DMD files were used to create MOD files.
• The plaintext data at the end of a MOD file is officially an INI file of the same filename.
• DVW files did something. This is most likely a hierarchy or a model file. It contained animations, textures, joints (a rig), and fog (wtf) capabilities.
• The .h files around the filesystem with enumerated joint names were outputted by TexConv as a way of seeing all of the joints in a file. It is unknown why this was needed but Ambrosia found the function that outputted the joints to a file.

A plugin called "dmdImportFilter" would have likely been a part of the conversion process. Unfortunately, this plugin was not left on the disc of any version of Pikmin. However, due to developments in datamining the exe program and its accompanying dlls, it was found that the "plugTexConv" dll is the one responsible for dmdImportFilter. CNV files were made for usage with TexConv as it would tell the program what to do. Ambrosia found all of the parameters for a .cnv file and its functions that parse them.

Credits: Minty_Meeo, and Ambrosia