Hexing

Hexing is the process of modding the Petz game to create new breeds, or other items such as clothing or toys. The name is derived from the hex editors that were originally used to modify the game files. Although these days we have much better tools to work with, the name stuck.

The two main hexing tools in use nowadays are:

In recent years we now have LNZ Live, which combines the direct code editing of LNZ Pro with the visuals of Petz Workshop. It only edits LNZ files though, so you have to paste your work back into LNZ Pro when done, but it's fast becoming one of my favourite tools.

Tutorials

If you're interested in learning to hex, I suggest that you take the time to learn how the LNZ files (the files inside a breedfile that dictate what the pet looks like) work. The numbers might look intimidating at first, but you will gain a better understanding of what you're doing and be able to pull off some interesting tricks. I personally hex using LNZ Pro for most of my work, though I do like Petz Workshop for visualisation of fiddly bits and placing paintballz.

The best resource for learning LNZ files is Carolyn's LNZ Breakdown, which details all the parts of the LNZ file and what they do. It's an invaluable resource and you can also find it in the LNZ Pro helpfiles so you'll always have it on you.

Below are some tutorials I've written (or plan to write):

(Not all of these are converted to .gmi. Everything I've written so far is on http:

Bear with me...)

Setting up

Variations

Making a basic variation set

Using linked variations

Variations in addballz

Addballz

How ears work in catz and dogz

Addballz per breed

Other interesting things

Beyond breedfiles: exploring the resource.dll files

The Research Zone

Assorted notes and discoveries from delving into the unknown depths of the game's workings. Not tutorials, but may be of interest to some.