XRF's can be explained pretty easily. An XRF file tells your IMVU product which files to use as textures and which files to use as opacities. An IMVU product normally has several XRF files, one XRF file for every texture used and one XRF file for every opacity used. It is important to know how XRF files work, so you can fix them when they break and so you can manipulate them to create much more complex or KB saving products.

An XRF file is written in XML code. You can learn how to read XML code by reading my tutorial on how to read XML: viewtopic.php?f=105&t=7077

IMVU's create mode stores XRF's inside of XRF slots. XRF slots start from number 0. Below you will find that I have posted the XRF XML code for several XRF files. Notice below that the code is the same for every file, except that the file names inside of the MAP tags' TYPE attribute change. (Example: Texture00.jpg, Texture01.jpg, Texture02.jpg) (Example: Opacity02.jpg, Opacity02.jpg, Opacity02.jpg) The first MAP tag's TYPE attribute holds the name of the texture image which gives the mesh its color, and the second MAP tag's TYPE attribute contains the name of the opacity image which gives the image its translucency (ability to see through the image). You can change these file names freely by opening the XRF files in notepad. Note: Not all products have the same file names.

Here is the XRF code for a file in slot 0:


Here is the XRF XML code for a file in slot 1:


Here is the XRF XML code for a file in slot 2:


The same can be said for the Texture Map XRF XML code, which you can see below. Notice that only the file names change:







You can have 2 sections of a mesh share the same opacity and or texture by giving them the same XRF XML file, or by setting their MAP TYPE to the same image file inside of the XML.

Tip: Map files (texture images and opacity images) are almost always of type JPEG (*.jpg). PNG is also acceptable for slightly better resolution. JPG is best for low KB products. PNG is best for high resolution products. TGA files are also acceptable. TGA files give the most KBs, but are easiest for IMVU to render and are considered industry standard for most 3D engines. (which is why the original IMVU avatars use TGA files.) So, if you want products with low kbs, then use JPGs. If you want products with high resolution, then use PNGs. If you want products that load fast and lag less, then use TGAs.

Warning: GIF files and other types of image files are NOT accepted by IMVU.

You might be saying to yourself right now, "But Don, what about the rest of the data? There is so much text and numbers in that code you wrote above! What is that for?".

Answer: Simple my young developer. IMVU does not use 99% of the data that you find in most XRF files. Most of the data is there for other 3D programs that do use such data. In fact, some XRF files that you open might have 10 times the code that I wrote, but all of it is unnecessary and is not used within IMVU. You might as well stick with the bare minimum code to save a few bytes of data

Tip: If you open an xrf file and it contains a bunch of random symbols and gibberish instead of XML as displayed above, then that means the xrf is really a crf (a compiled XRF file). To convert the CRF back into a XRF, you can use the IMVU Mafias texture map decompiler: buysell/single_ad.php?ad_id=1933

Keep up the training please Don.

thank you

I dam sure learnt something today, keep up the good work.

that was very informative. appreciate those tips.

thanks for the tutorial
i appreciate it a lot!
thanks again

You are most welcome. I should really take the time to make more threads like this, explaining the code inside of all of IMVU / CAL3D's other asset types. (xsf, xaf, xpf, xmf)

Thanks Don that's really helpful. Good luck for future threads I'm sure they'll be as helpful or more than this one.

Something good to start understanding all that