Yavin IV Compound was not the first map I converted from another videogame, but it was my first converted map that received a good amount of playtime among the online community. I had previously used tools such as Noesis to convert 3D level files from one format to another in order to get a whole new map into the game, but this was the first time I had to deal extensively with reassigning texture files to their proper model surfaces, in the .mtl file which corresponds to its .obj model file. I found it satisfying to stretch myself by taking on conversion projects, because at the time, I was not yet able to create 3D models of my own, yet. And converting maps was a different challenge compared to endlessly rearranging stock assets, in search of fruitful combinations. This way, the whole map must be converted wholesale, and then "chunked" into pieces, which are fit back together.
The map itself was not initially a perfect fit for SWBF2. For instance, there are two narrow chokepoints which are the only points of egress across the map's middle. This was a problem because the layour of any good SWBF2 map requires at least three points of egress to traverse the center. To remedy this, I stretched myself a bit by using CAD-like modeling software to modify some existing assets from SWBF1, expanding the map ever so slightly, adding a new path across the center. Of course, I also had to use the same 3D modeling software for fixing various collision layers, which either had holes in them that needed patching, or else contained invisible walls which needed removing. So while I was not yet creating my own original 3D assets from scratch, converting Yavin IV Compound pushed me to learn more technical skills that I would eventually need to accomplish this.