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Binarize tutorial by Snake Man, PMC.
Binarize is great tool by BIS to help addon makers create better final addon versions.
Binarize is a optimization tool for p3d models and WRP terrains.
Binarize IS NOT an encryption tool, binarize DOES NOT encrypt anything. This is one of the most lamest urban legends out in OFP/ArmA community. So lets recap; binarize is not encrypting, got it?
When binarize processes your p3d model for example, it leaves out some P3DM file features such as O2 “current selections” (those red highlighted points/faces). It also purges some texture information, we believe it was converting any .tga texture definitions automatically into .paa if found. It reads model.cfg file for any configurations and utilizes those to your p3d model directly. It compresses and optimizes the model for quicker and easier loading for ArmA engine.
It converts your rvmat files as well as config.cpp file into binary mode (config.bin) which is in fact optimized mode.
For WRP terrains it optimizes the terrain so it only leaves once instance of one path+object definition and references it, this drops the file size greatly if we imagine that you have like 50,000 trees and 30,000 bushes objects in your terrain.
In a nutshell binarize optimizes the model / wrp files for ArmA engine.
Most people (if not all) use binarize from the BinPBO tool, which is really an fancy GUI to use the real BIS tools (like binarize).
Open a BinPBO, tick the “Binarize” box, choose addon source directory to the addon you want to binarize, then choose destination directory where you want to create the finished addon PBO file (usually directly to your ArmA's mod dirs addon/ dir). When those are selected, then just press “Pack” button and BinPBO starts to process your addon. Be patient, depending on the size of your addon this can take a long time.
If you are newbie addon maker and using BinPBO/Binarize the first time, its more than likely that you encounter many errors. You get baffled by the dull error dialog that “config has error.” and are left scratching your head. Don't worry, go to your Destination directory and use text editor to open the <addon_name>.log file which binarize created. This log file contains the errors found in your addon/config. What those errors are, are beyond the scope of this tutorial. There is old OFP binarize errors page which gives you some idea, then there is the current ArmA.RPT page with up to date RPT errors (similar to binarize errors, sometimes identical). And finally brand new page for ArmA binarize errors.
Well if you are serious about addon making and not just making compat whore photography useless addons, then you definitely need to binarize your addon so that you'll find any errors in your addons, ArmA engine will handle it more easier and it is smaller for possible downloads.
Also as noted binarize will write a detailed error log of your addon so you'll find out many things you missed in O2, config.cpp, rvmat's or in terrain editing, this is very very important on good addon editing.