"Hook4 LevDef" to "Hook5 LevDef" converter

[OysterMug]

"Hook4 LevDef" to "Hook5 LevDef" converter
Resurrect those old Hook4 Rooms by converting them to Hook5 format with this easy to use utility.
 
A simple utility for converting old Hook 4 rooms to Hook 5 format so you can use them again!
 
Long-timers like myself have a dozen or more old rooms created back when "Hook 4" was the current version of the graphics mod. "Hook 5" doesn't recognize old H4 rooms so many of these rooms were lost forever (unless you went thru the trouble of switching back to H4, which meant losing all of H5's special features.) Hook4 (which uses DX9 from 1998) doesn't work well with VX (both use up tons of memory), so it can be difficult to use old H4 without crashing.

Hook 5 uses "0-255" integers for all of it's values while Hook 4 used decimal values between 0.0 & 1.0. Because of this, H4 rooms may load pitch black when loaded into Hook5. When I started the project, I thought it would be easy. Just convert a few numbers and you're done. NO. the X-axis flipped between H4 & H5 (affecting spotlights but not sunlight), color brightness & intensity varies between rooms, and mirrors are handled completely differently. And sadly Hook 5 does not recognize H4 Objects (Hook Object support requires a separate "H4M to H5M Object Converter" utility which you can download here.)
 
This utility does a decent job of converting those old "Hook 4 Level Definition files" to "Hook 5" format so you can use those old rooms again.
 
Required:

• TK17 (either VX or older v7.5.)
• Hook 5 (“Hook 5 Unlocked” recommended. The earlier “Free” version is okay but will still have the same limitations (no mirrors or Hook Object support.)
• Windows Vista/Win7/Win8.x/Win10/Win11 (Linux/Wine support not tested.) No XP.

 
Recommended:

• Hook 4 so you can see what a room is supposed to look like before conversion.
• The above mentioned "H4M to H5M Object Converter" utility.

 

 

 

Samples:

 

Sperm Bank at Night - Hook 4:

 

After conversion (with no additional modification):

 

 

The "Passion Pit" H4 room:

 

 

After conversion:

 

 

Download v1.0 Full Install from MEGA here. (1.06MB) - Full documentation included.

v1.21 Update available here.

 

Edited March 21 by OysterMug