A list of useful programs for modding Tiberian Sun!. If I have left any programs out/got creators wrong etc.. Please send me a PM and I'll sort it out as soon as possible. Some of theese have alternate versions/programs that do the same job, the ones listed here are only the most popular. Many alternatives are available for some types (like image editors or hex editors) - use what is right for you
Though named "modding tools", some are just "handy tools which modders tend to use". But its all good stuff

If you have trouble using any of the tools below, post in the editing forum (or mapping forum if your problem is with finalsun/marble madness) and sombody there will help you.
The XCC UtilitiesEssential for any modder. Download
HERE. Made by Olaf Van Der Spek. Contains: XCC AV Player, XCC Editor, XCC Mixer (V 1.45), XCC MIX Editor and XCC TMP Editor.
XCC TFD Shortcut installer - Not really a tool, but handy for TFD users. Made by Olaf Van Der Spek.
XCC Radar Colour editor - A basic tool for editing certain radar colours.Made by Olaf Van Der Spek.
XCC AUD writer - This is a plug-in for WinAmp that allows you to create .aud files from .mp3 files. For WinAmp, and MP3 editing, see "Sound related tools" below. Made by Olaf Van Der Spek
XCC .dll pack - You might need these DLL files to run the XCC utilities. Put them in the same directory as the program you are having troiuble running.
XCC Utils 1.45 U - with Visual Styles support (for WinXP & WinVista) (by CNCVK)
http://www.vk.cncguild.net/TOOLS/DATA/XCC_Utils_U.zipMix Protector - protect your mix files! (by CNCVK)
http://www.vk.cncguild.net/TOOLS/DATA/MIXProtector.exeINI (.ini) related toolsINI Checker - A program to check your Rules,Art and sound files. Made by DCoder
AI Editor V2 - A program to help you edit the AI.ini file. Made by DCoder.
Most use notepad for edting the ini files, but some use other notepad-based programs. Two of theese are listed, as they seem to be the more popular ones.
NoteTabNotePad++Voxel (.vxl) and HVA (.hva) related toolsVoxel Section Editor III (VXLSE) 1.37 - A program for editing .vxl files. Made by Stucuk, Banshee, Koen, Plasmadroid and Will.
Cube Normalizer 1.5 - A program for normalizing voxels (.vxl).
WILL'S Voxel Editor. An alternate voxel (.vxl) editor (some people prefer this program to VXLSE III). Made by Will.
3DS2VXL - A program for converting .3ds files to.vxl files. Created by ViPr.
Some 3DS2vxl patches made by Icyson55 (descriptions are in the link

)
OS HVA Builder 2.1 - A program for editing .hva files. Made by Banshee and Stucuk.
OS HVA Builder "Quick Patch" - Updates OS HVA Builder from V2.0 or above to 2.12. Patch by Banshee.
OS Voxel Viewer - A program for viewing .vxl files. Made by Banshee and Stucuk.
OS Voxel Viewer "Quick Patch" - Updates OSVV from V1.5 or above to V1.75. Patch by Banshee and Stucuk.
SHP (.shp) related tools OS SHP Builder 3.36 - A program for editing .shp files. Made by Banshee and Stucuk.
Mapping related toolsFinalSun - A map making tool for TS (both singleplayer and multiplayer maps supported).
Marble Madness Framework Mode for FinalSun - As it says, its the "marble madness" mode for FinalSun. Used most commonly to find and repair cliff errors.
Pallete (.pal) related toolsOS Pallete editor 1.21. A file for editing the TS Palletes.
"Jasc2C&C" Palette Converter 1.2 - A tool for converting JASC palletes to TS Palletes.
TS "Alpha Lighting" Pallete - Not known to exist by me until very recently. daTSchickinhed gave it to me, I dont know if it was him who made it though.
VQA (.vqa) related toolsVQA Encoder 0.5 BETA (2) - A tool for encoding VQA movies. Made by Gordan Ugarkovik.
Alleg40.dll - Or "Allegro" as it's sometimes known. This dll is required for The VQA encoder to work correctly. Place it in #:/WINDOWS and it should work fine (# being the letter of your Hard drive, normally C:\).
FNT (.fnt) related toolsFontedit - A simple program to edit and create windows .fnt files.
Music (.aud/.mp3/.wav) related toolsFor the XCC AUD writer, see the "XCC Utilities" Section at the top.
WinAmp - This program, combined with The XCC AUD writer, can create usable, ready to be inserted into TS, .aud files.
Audacity - A program for editing .mp3 and .wav files, which can then be converted to .aud files. Not required, but handy for making many new sounds.
2D Image editing softwareNot a requirement of TS editing, but many modders use theese programs to create ever more professional images. These programs are paticularly handy for editing the TS .pcx files, and for terrain editing.
Adobe Photoshop - A trial version can be found under "downloads"
Paint Shop Pro - Less popular than photoshop, but still an exellent 2D image editing program. Once you have entered your country, a trial version can be found under "Free trials".
3D Image softwareCommonly used for creating renders and buildings. Again, not required, but very handy to have.
Blender - A free, open source, easy to use 3D modeling program.
3DS MAX - An incredible 3D program. It comes at a price though. For a free trial, follow the link on the main page.
See also: 3DS to VXL above.
GMAX - A cut down, but free version of 3DS MAX. That site also has tutorials here and there, so make sure you check them out too.
Hex Editing related tools (for editing GAME.exe) Note: These programs are NOT Decompilers/disassemblers.
HHD hex editor - A tool for edting the TS game.exe. Note that this is an older version, but it is MUCH better than the new one.
Hex Workshop - A more complicated, but more useful Hex editor.
PE Explorer - A hex editor and resource viewer in one, with several other useful features. Only recommended for those with experience in exe editing though. Link leads to a download page for a 30 day trial.
Language.dll related toolsResource Hacker - A tool for editing the TS Language.dll. Can also be used to edit the GAME.exe to a certain extent.
XN Resource Editor - A more powerful, but slightly more complicated resource editor. Can also be used for modifying certain parts of GAME.exe
Misc toolsFor those interested, a link to
Borland Delphi. This is a program which can be used to view and edit the source code of many of the modding utilities available. Click "free trial" to get...a free trial.
TMP Studio - A tool for editing and creating TS and RA2 terrain files.
Explosion Generator - Found by Triforce a while ago, this is a nice program that generates random explosions, which can be used in TS.
This post has been edited by Python: Jul 16 2009, 09:39 PM