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Clear Complete Texture Editing Tutorial?

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 Weiser_Cain
02-05-2004, 9:37 AM
#1
I've downloaded the kotor tool and tpc2tga and:

1 tpc2tga doesn't seem to work for me(it just blinks on and off) and I've installed tpc2tga an kotor tool in the same directory and clicked always convert but it still exports tpc's.

2 I can't for the life of me figure out how to export from the 2da editor(if this is even possible)

What I'm trying to do is edit player and npc textures and swap bodies since i hate my butt and i want a black HK.

Any help is appreciated.
 gameunlimited
02-05-2004, 9:55 AM
#2
use DOS command prompt to access the tpc2tga, or create a batch file. i personally would rather use the kotor-tool in conjunction with the tpc2tga to export texture to tga format.

to export to tga file using kotor tool, do not click on the "extract" button. instead, double click on the file. it will open a new window. from there, you can use the "Write" button to extract it into tga file.
 T7nowhere
02-05-2004, 12:33 PM
#3
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain

2 I can't for the life of me figure out how to export from the 2da editor(if this is even possible)
.

There is no longer any need to export 2da's when useing the Kotor tool.You can edit all values and add lines.When your done editing the 2da just click on the menu file > Save as 2da v2.0b to the KotOR override folder or where ever you want to keep it.

But if you wan to extract a 2da just highlight it and click the extract buttonto the right.
 Weiser_Cain
02-05-2004, 3:15 PM
#4
Thanks for the info so far, I assume just dropping the tga in the override folder will um, override the default texture?

Hmm, can i create new duplicate heads and retexture them? I want new hair colors but i don't want to loose access to the default heads.
 T7nowhere
02-05-2004, 4:11 PM
#5
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
Thanks for the info so far, I assume just dropping the tga in the override folder will um, override the default texture?

Hmm, can i create new duplicate heads and retexture them? I want new hair colors but i don't want to loose access to the default heads.

To do that I think you would have to add a new entry in heads.2da the player heads are labeled PFHA01D through to PMHC05 so what you would have to do is insert a new line at the bottom of the list which would make your head #107. just follow the same pattern as the player heads in there now .

Don't forget to also recolor the portraits as well. To do that you would have to add a new entry in portraits.2da
 Kitty Kitty
02-05-2004, 7:22 PM
#6
It's a bit more complex than that.

To do it properly, you have to edit appearance.2da, heads.2da, and portraits.2da

Additionally, you'd have to extract/write the model files (mdl and mdx) from a model you like the form/shape of. Coloration isn't important since you're going to reskin them anyway.

Now.. in order to make it so you don't kill any of the defaults, you have to hex-edit the MDL, changing all references of the default texture to a new value, which should be a unique name of what you're going to call your tga files.

You can rip apart my new player to see everything I did to get it working if you wish, which is at my site (linked in the sticky).

In my case, the head model I chose to work with was PFHB02, which therefore had several references to "PFHB02" contained inside. Note that some were upper and some were lower case also -so if you do a search/replace, don't do case sensitive.

Anyway, to keep things simple and be sure I didn't overwrite something I wasn't supposed to, I made my base head texture "KFHC01" (.TGA is assumed, you don't put it in the mdl file). This kept my string the same length as the original and ensured I wouldn't go out of bounds of the data field (which is easy to do in a hex editor).

The 4 "evil" textures are a lot easier, since you name them in the 2da files, not in the model itself. So they can technically be called about anything you want. To keep it simple I just kept them the same, naming them "KHFC01" and adding "D1", "D2", "D3", and "D" for the 4 states of dark side -which follows Bioware's method.

Just for informational value, K=Kitty, H=Head, F=Female, C=Caucasian. Similar again to the naming conventions they already used just for simplicity sake, but still unique enough since this way I can help someone add my player choice to their game even if they use modified 2das just by adding/changing a couple lines and then it won't conflict with other mods etc.

Anyway.. hope this is some help at least. :)

-Kitty
 Nedumaran
02-05-2004, 8:44 PM
#7
Kitty:

Great post.

After you did the human Mission and gave more explanation in that thread, I made a few feeble attempts that provided not great models, but it was a good learning exp.

Continue teaching the rest of us!
 Kitty Kitty
02-05-2004, 8:58 PM
#8
If I somehow ever find the time I plan to put together a whole whack of tutorials with screen shots etc...

Just been so bloody busy I barely have time to turn around it seems lol

I'll get to 'em eventually though.. and hey.. the longer it takes me to get 'em done, the more I'll know and be able to include... so there's always a bright side. ;D

-Kitty
 Fred Tetra
02-05-2004, 10:36 PM
#9
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
I've downloaded the kotor tool and tpc2tga and:

1 tpc2tga doesn't seem to work for me(it just blinks on and off) and I've installed tpc2tga an kotor tool in the same directory and clicked always convert but it still exports tpc's.

2 I can't for the life of me figure out how to export from the 2da editor(if this is even possible)

What I'm trying to do is edit player and npc textures and swap bodies since i hate my butt and i want a black HK.

Any help is appreciated.

Just a note on texture extraction - the current version of Kotor Tool does not require tpc2tga any longer. When you choose to write out an image from the viewer, it is written directly by Kotor Tool itself. Also, unlike tpc2tga, it can do portaits and other images that are 24 bit RGB in format.

I did leave in (for now) the ability to still use tpc2tga, just hold down the shift key while double-clicking the file on the tree view. You will need to have tpc2tga installed in the same directory as Kotor Tool, and you will need an image viewer application installed that you can specify the path to in Kotor Tool's Path Management screen.
 Stator
02-06-2004, 12:15 AM
#10
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
I've downloaded the kotor tool and tpc2tga and:

1 tpc2tga doesn't seem to work for me(it just blinks on and off) and I've installed tpc2tga an kotor tool in the same directory and clicked always convert but it still exports tpc's.

2 I can't for the life of me figure out how to export from the 2da editor(if this is even possible)

What I'm trying to do is edit player and npc textures and swap bodies since i hate my butt and i want a black HK.

Any help is appreciated.

I can handle having a black HK-47 myself.

Stator
 Stator
02-06-2004, 12:16 AM
#11
Originally posted by Kitty Kitty
If I somehow ever find the time I plan to put together a whole whack of tutorials with screen shots etc...

Just been so bloody busy I barely have time to turn around it seems lol

I'll get to 'em eventually though.. and hey.. the longer it takes me to get 'em done, the more I'll know and be able to include... so there's always a bright side. ;D

-Kitty

No rush KK. You have down a great deal to further this small community already. Anything else that you do is just icing on the cake and I for one can wait. Thanks for all the effort.

Stator
 Weiser_Cain
02-06-2004, 1:01 PM
#12
Has anyone been able to get dds files to work? I know the engine will look at them, i just cant get them to work.
 Weiser_Cain
02-07-2004, 3:54 AM
#13
Is there a way to hex edit bump maps into a mesh without one?

oh, and just so I'm sure what is the file type for bump maps?
 gameunlimited
02-07-2004, 6:17 AM
#14
if im not wrong:

bump maps are also in the form of tpc files. take a look for example at "N_Selkath01.tpc" texture. that file is the texture file, while the bump map file is the "N_Selkath01b.tpc". And in the texture file, there is a footer file that says "bumpmaptexture N_Selkath01b". If you extract these files and convert it into tga files, the tga files will not retain the footer info. You have to make a new plain text file that says "bumpmaptexture N_Selkath01b" and name it as "N_Selkath01.txi". I think that should work although i have never tested this.
 MrCairo
02-07-2004, 8:19 PM
#15
Thanks, Kitty...you just solved the problem i was having, i was going to post about it but now i don't have to. You are a Goddess.
 DarkDefeater
05-11-2004, 9:49 PM
#16
I'm still not sure how to use an image editing program, like GIMP, to re-texture and re-skin. Using Kotor Tool, I can view Texture Pack files under the ERF directory, but I don't know how to export those files to the GIMP program. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 T7nowhere
05-11-2004, 10:47 PM
#17
When the texture is open in the image viewer click the write button and save the file where you want to. I have never used GIMP, but I assume you can load tga's into it, ifso then just open the file from that app.
 DarkDefeater
05-12-2004, 2:07 PM
#18
Thank you for the tip.

Is it possible to seperate parts of the texture into individual sections? I find it difficult to re-skin when the entire texture is "smushed" together in one box.
If possible, I would like to seperate the torso, head, arms, and legs into individual sections.
 Weiser_Cain
05-12-2004, 11:17 PM
#19
Can't be done.
 Kale Jerre
05-13-2004, 3:03 AM
#20
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
Can't be done.

The textures are divided into logical sections, aren't they? All that is needed is a 'cutting guide' so someone can tell which section is which. That way you can copy that section out, modify it, and then paste it back in.
 Darth_ToMeR
05-13-2004, 12:02 PM
#21
Originally posted by Kitty Kitty
It's a bit more complex than that.

To do it properly, you have to edit appearance.2da, heads.2da, and portraits.2da

Additionally, you'd have to extract/write the model files (mdl and mdx) from a model you like the form/shape of. Coloration isn't important since you're going to reskin them anyway.

Now.. in order to make it so you don't kill any of the defaults, you have to hex-edit the MDL, changing all references of the default texture to a new value, which should be a unique name of what you're going to call your tga files.

You can rip apart my new player to see everything I did to get it working if you wish, which is at my site (linked in the sticky).

In my case, the head model I chose to work with was PFHB02, which therefore had several references to "PFHB02" contained inside. Note that some were upper and some were lower case also -so if you do a search/replace, don't do case sensitive.

Anyway, to keep things simple and be sure I didn't overwrite something I wasn't supposed to, I made my base head texture "KFHC01" (.TGA is assumed, you don't put it in the mdl file). This kept my string the same length as the original and ensured I wouldn't go out of bounds of the data field (which is easy to do in a hex editor).

The 4 "evil" textures are a lot easier, since you name them in the 2da files, not in the model itself. So they can technically be called about anything you want. To keep it simple I just kept them the same, naming them "KHFC01" and adding "D1", "D2", "D3", and "D" for the 4 states of dark side -which follows Bioware's method.

Just for informational value, K=Kitty, H=Head, F=Female, C=Caucasian. Similar again to the naming conventions they already used just for simplicity sake, but still unique enough since this way I can help someone add my player choice to their game even if they use modified 2das just by adding/changing a couple lines and then it won't conflict with other mods etc.

Anyway.. hope this is some help at least. :)

-Kitty
I think it's just me, but even after 10 times i read it, i still don't understand how to make it... I tried, but without success. Anyone can help me?
 litokid
09-22-2004, 4:25 PM
#22
Originally posted by Kale Jerre
The textures are divided into logical sections, aren't they? All that is needed is a 'cutting guide' so someone can tell which section is which. That way you can copy that section out, modify it, and then paste it back in.

That would be very helpful. :P I've been having loads of problems because of it. I can identify some parts, but every here and there there are random parts that I have no idea about.
 svцsh
09-22-2004, 6:26 PM
#23
'cutting guide' AKA UVmap

If you have gmax import your model if it’s in many parts link them together then apply unwrap uvw modifier to it. hit the BIG edit button on th right and see what crazy uv mapping was done…..

Hit print screen on your keyboard and paste this in over your image. I get fancy use levels so it’s black and white select the black and delete, then turn the opacity down to around 20 % and lock you layer. Then i'm left with the uv map and this helps a lot if your are lucky enough to get a uv map from a competent artist but if you are working on the default saber hilt or female Jedi robes then you better smoke some crack to be in the same mind set as the person that unwrapped the model in the first place the uv map is a mess and makes skinning a real drag.

I hope this helps

svцsh
 bneezy
09-23-2004, 5:37 AM
#24
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
Has anyone been able to get dds files to work? I know the engine will look at them, i just cant get them to work.
I don't know if this (http://developer.nvidia.com/object/nv_texture_tools.html) is what you are looking for, but I hope it helps someone.
 witchzenka
02-28-2005, 8:18 PM
#25
I have a totally stupid question. I've redone some textures for the player heads - how do I put them in the game? I put them in the Override folder and they don't show up. I do not have enough comprehension today to try and make them seperate selectable heads - but I'd like to see how they turned out, even if they override the defaults for now.
They're still in tga format - do I need to change that? and how would I?
 Darkkender
02-28-2005, 10:13 PM
#26
Originally posted by witchzenka
I have a totally stupid question. I've redone some textures for the player heads - how do I put them in the game? I put them in the Override folder and they don't show up. I do not have enough comprehension today to try and make them seperate selectable heads - but I'd like to see how they turned out, even if they override the defaults for now.
They're still in tga format - do I need to change that? and how would I?

First is it a reskin of the head your using? If so you may want to double check that it is named exactly the same.

If it is not the best way might be to start a new game and look through all the heads untill you find the one you replaced as it should be as simple as that.

All of this is provided you did not extract one of the advanced light or darkside head textures and modify them. If this is the case then you will not see this head untill you hit the texture change point for the lightside or darkside depending on which it is.
 Nasadus
03-01-2005, 12:58 AM
#27
I have a similar issue.Is it possible to re-skin the Ebon Hawk?I tried but it looks the same.
I edited the following files:

002_EBO_Main1.tga
002_EBO_Main2.tga
002_EBO_Main3.tga

I put them in the Override folder and when i check it in te game nothing has changed.Any idea why?
 witchzenka
03-01-2005, 11:37 AM
#28
They are named exactly the same, except for the .tga part. I've done total reskins of the C female heads, light to dark (KotOR 1)- I decided to do a theme, making redheads who get tattoos at full dark. They look neat to my eye all flat like they are - but my experience skinning Sims showed me that just because something looks nifty in plain graphic form doesn't mean it will look good in game on the 3D model.
 witchzenka
03-02-2005, 11:03 AM
#29
Maybe I could email them to someone and they could have a look at what I'm doing wrong? Because I'm going to rip my hair out soon. :confused:
 Nequam
03-02-2005, 1:22 PM
#30
Hey witchzenka, you can e-mail at Oops missed one. Please do not post your email in the public forum and I'll see what I can do to help you get your stuff working.
 witchzenka
03-02-2005, 3:53 PM
#31
I've emailed you one of the texture sets. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!! :urpboun: :yelbounc:
 Darkkender
03-02-2005, 10:59 PM
#32
Originally posted by witchzenka
They are named exactly the same, except for the .tga part. I've done total reskins of the C female heads, light to dark (KotOR 1)- I decided to do a theme, making redheads who get tattoos at full dark. They look neat to my eye all flat like they are - but my experience skinning Sims showed me that just because something looks nifty in plain graphic form doesn't mean it will look good in game on the 3D model.

What do you mean except the tgs part??:confused: :confused: Without the TGA extension it won't overide a texture in game. If your saving it as a tpc or jpg or anything other than tga it won't overide.
 Weiser_Cain
03-03-2005, 1:35 AM
#33
I don't belive this to be entirely true, but I see little reason not to keep the textures in tga format.
 ChAiNz.2da
03-03-2005, 1:54 AM
#34
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
I don't belive this to be entirely true, but I see little reason not to keep the textures in tga format.
Have you tried a different format that works?

Seriously, I'd be interested if there's some other format we can use, but the game is very dependant on Alpha Channels. .tga is the only format having this channel. Well... there's .gif but heaven forbid you use that horrid format. It only supports 256 colors and not 32-bit.

As far as I can tell .tga is the only "readable" format that TSL can translate...though I'll admit I've never tried any other... any findings would be greatly appreciated :)
 witchzenka
03-03-2005, 2:09 PM
#35
Thanks, got them working! Turned out I had something in my override folder that was getting in their way.
If anyone would like to see them, they're here (http://photobucket.com/albums/y36/witchzenka/?action=view&current=pfhc05dark.jpg)
Thanks so much for the help!
(They're for KotOR 1, btw).
 Moorkh
04-05-2005, 1:51 PM
#36
Originally posted by Weiser_Cain
Thanks for the info so far, I assume just dropping the tga in the override folder will um, override the default texture?

Hmm, can i create new duplicate heads and retexture them? I want new hair colors but i don't want to loose access to the default heads.

Has the first part of this question been answered anywhere in this thread? I think I only found posts relating to adding textures whereas I would like to just replace.
Thing is, I got as far as that, but simply placing the file in .tga format in override didn't do a thing in the game. Now, am I missing something or could the reason be that my tga is 24bit instead of 32 (cause PSP won't let me save at 32...)?
 Bunk
04-05-2005, 5:00 PM
#37
If Paintshop Pro won't save in 32 bit that may be causing you issues. Not sure, I'm using Photoshop CS now.

AFAIK any texture in the game can be replaced by putting a 32 bit TGA of exactly the same name in override.
 Moorkh
04-06-2005, 2:09 PM
#38
This is odd... My edit of PHFC06.tga works great, but the one I did on PHFA06.tga won't, alhough I used PCP (at 24bit) for both and they are both included in heads.2da. Any further ideas?

(I belatedly realize I might have horribly offended by resurrecting this thread - I mistook 2004 for 2005! :O Sorry.)
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