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:
- LNZ Pro - a text based editor
- Petz Workshop - a visual editor
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.
Hexing 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):
- Setting up:
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Variations:
- Making a basic variation set
- Using linked variations
- Variations in addballz
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Other interesting things:
- Making "magically appearing" surprise features using addgroups
- Making growable features (horns, wings etc)
- Avoiding the double tail bug with addball tails
- How ears work in catz and dogz
- Addballz per breed
- Swapping breedfile SCPs
- Using raw LNZ files to make 2nd gens look different
- Beyond breedfiles: exploring the resource.dll files
The Research Zone
October 2025 note: most of this is very outdated. The Petz reverse engineering community have been doing much better work in this area. This section is kept up for historical interest only.
Assorted notes and discoveries from delving into the unknown depths of the game's workings. Not tutorials, but may be of interest to some.
Animation viewers
Forked from Nick's .bhd and .bdt decoder. These display all animations for a particular creature (for regular dog/cat animations, just fire up Petz Workshop).
Misc stuff
This originally contained a creature simulator inspired by the Petz engine. It has been moved to here.