Naming conventions¶

Names that the EDM exporter recognises by exact string matching, plus the conventions for material and object names that the exporter expects but does not enforce.

General rule: all names use Latin characters only with underscores in place of spaces. This applies to file names, materials, textures, objects, layers, and Actions.

Exact-match names (recognised by the exporter)¶

These names must be spelled exactly as shown. The exporter's behaviour depends on string matching against these.

Empties and helper objects¶

Name	Type	Purpose
`light_dir`	Empty (Arrows recommended)	Direction empty for `fake_spot` lights. The X-vector points the lamp direction

Vertex groups¶

Name	Purpose
`delay`	Per-vertex timing offsets for rabbit lights. Weights 0–1 across full animation duration
`DMG_<n>`	Partial damage, where `<n>` is the damage argument index. Multiple groups (one per part) supported

UV map names¶

Name	Purpose
`back`	Backside UV for surface-mode fake lights, when both faces of a plate need different textures

Texture inputs (material-side)¶

The damage system expects these texture roles:

Name role	Purpose
`DM_base`	Damage albedo
`DM_normal`	Damage normal map
`DM_map`	Damage animation mask. Anything not black is visible; brighter than 0.85 renders transparent

Object Type values¶

These are EDM panel dropdown values, set per-object:

Value	Used for
`Unknown`	Default — geometry and helper empties
`Connector`	Named attachment points (LOD0 only)
`Bounding Box`	Box covering model + all animations
`User Box`	Box covering only the static model
`Collision Shell`	Surface collision wrapping geometry
`Collision Line`	Vertex line for fuselage / landing gear outlines
`fake_light`	Image-based light point
`number_type`	Number decal with UV-shift digit selection

For full descriptions see Object types reference.

Material groups¶

Created via Shift + A → EDM Materials in the Shader Editor:

Group name	Purpose
`EDM_fake_omni_material`	Non-directional fake light material
`EDM_fake_spot_material`	Directional fake light material
`EDM Glass`	Glass material (cockpit canopies, instrument glass)
(Default EDM material)	Standard PBR material with full input set

Convention names (exporter-recognised by parsing)¶

These names follow a structured format the exporter parses.

Action names (animation arguments)¶

<argument_number>_<description>

Example	Argument	Description
`0_Wheel_Rotation`	0	Wheel rotation
`1_Gun_Elevation`	1	Gun elevation
`200_Damage`	200	Damage

The number is mandatory; the description is for clarity only and is ignored by the engine.

Without a numbered prefix, the animation will not export. No warning is given — the animation is silently dropped.

LOD layer names¶

LOD<index>_<distance_in_metres>

Example	Index	Render distance
`LOD0_50`	0	Up to 50 m
`LOD1_150`	1	Up to 150 m
`LOD2_500`	2	Up to 500 m
`LOD3_5000`	3	Up to 5000 m

LOD layers must be independent — no parent-child relationships between LOD trees.

Convention names (exporter-expected but not enforced)¶

These do not break the export if missed but are required for organisation, integration with other tools, and engine-side reference.

Materials¶

Material names should include the model name as prefix or suffix:

<model_name>_<part>

Example	Model	Part
`KS19_body`	KS-19 anti-aircraft gun	Body
`Mig21_wing`	MiG-21	Wing
`I58_hull`	I-58 submarine	Hull

This makes materials searchable across complex scenes and prevents accidental name collisions when multiple models load.

Object names¶

Key objects should have clear, descriptive names. Examples from the ED tutorials:

gun, barrel, body, hull, turret, wheel_FL, wheel_FR

Avoid Blender's auto-numbered defaults (Cube.001, Cube.002). They are not informative and they break across re-imports.

Texture file names¶

Texture file names should reflect their role and the model:

<model>_<part>_<channel>.dds

Example	Channel meaning
`I58_hull_co.dds`	Albedo (colour)
`I58_hull_nm.dds`	Normal map
`I58_hull_roughmet.dds`	Packed roughness/metallic

Community convention: the suffixes _co, _nm, and _roughmet are widely used in DCS modding for albedo, normal, and packed RM textures. They are not enforced by the exporter but are expected by many community tools and skin authors.

Forbidden patterns¶

Non-Latin characters in any name. Causes silent export failures or runtime crashes.
Spaces in file or asset names. Use underscores.
Mixed case in role identifiers when the exporter does string matching (light_dir not Light_Dir).
Reusing exact names across LODs in conflicting hierarchies. The exporter will resolve names by layer membership, but ambiguity makes debugging painful.