Guide on how to re-skin a Set

[PD67 1]

Exellent guide, just want to add few words.

 

Texture addressing and behavior is mostly driven by surface.txt

 

There you can find multiple texture entries for different effects (*.d,*.n,*sg and others, I think their responsibility like color, normalmap, glossmap, etc is defined by the number of the texture entry, so *.d is always texture0 and is a color texture, *.sg is texture1 and is a glossmap, *.n is texture2 and is a normalmap, texture3 is *.h or *.hx and defines where a player's skin color is applied to items).

 

Also there are very interesting flags under texture entries.

It seems they define behavior of alpha layer of *.d texture, for example SURFACE_FLAG_OPAQUE makes alpha work like glass, when SURFACE_FLAG_TENERGY is a t-energy inserts and SURFACE_FLAG_MASKED makes parts of surface disappear like net skirt in the tutorial. I guess there could be some other flags and combinations.

 

Next is shader which is applied to the surface and makes it glow like skin, plastic, metal, etc (full list of shaders is in the beginning of the file and they seem to be editable also).

 

So there are vast possibilities to modify items and surfaces look ingame by using surface.txt file.

 

The surfaces are adressed to each model in itemtype.txt.

 

And one more tip on editing surface.txt: if you mess something in it, the surfaces (and objects due to lack of them) won't appear ingame past messed part of the file. So there would be only surfaces which entries are before the error.

 

P.S. Well, maybe everybody already knows that, but possibly it would be useful for someone.

[Wardust 20]

P.S. Well, maybe everybody already knows that, but possibly it would be useful for someone.

 

Very useful info! in the posted picture seraphin set (Mystique, not Niokaste :-P) y make a transformation to iron, but never shine as original sets (with reflections etc). I was thinking about a file that configure that, but I don't know were it's located or if exists.

 

Now, thanks to you I can see that this file exist. In this example:

 

newSurface = {

name = "iron-helmet_h",

texture0Name = "maps/heroes/dragonmage/std-iron/h_dmage-iron-helmet_d.tga",

texture1Name = "maps/heroes/dragonmage/std-iron/h_dmage-iron-helmet_sg.tga",

texture2Name = "maps/heroes/dragonmage/std-iron/h_dmage-iron-helmet_n.tga",

flags = SURFACE_FLAG_OPAQUE,

shader = obj_d_s_b_mtl,

}

 

I added "_mtl" in shader, and now, the helmet looks like metal (reflections etc)

 

Really cool!

Edited April 11, 2011 by Wardust

[FF7 2]

I switched skins few items from the of Seraphim

But I can not make the items "angeldust-pelvisskirt" get 100% or is buged or does not appear to "skirt".

Anyone have any tips about that?

 

PS: Sorry my bad english I'm learning.

[Dragon Brother 619]

I switched skins few items from the of Seraphim

But I can not make the items "angeldust-pelvisskirt" get 100% or is buged or does not appear to "skirt".

Anyone have any tips about that?

 

PS: Sorry my bad english I'm learning.

 

Sorry, Im not sure what you mean.

 

Do you want to make the skirt disappear?

[FF7 2]

I switched skins few items from the of Seraphim

But I can not make the items "angeldust-pelvisskirt" get 100% or is buged or does not appear to "skirt".

Anyone have any tips about that?

 

PS: Sorry my bad english I'm learning.

 

Sorry, Im not sure what you mean.

 

Do you want to make the skirt disappear?

 

 

Well I wanted to replace Endijian's Sash by Niokaste's Cord editing "itemtype.txt" so I changed:

(Endijian's Sash) "models/heroes/seraphim/sets/ancient/c_sera-ancient-pelvis.GR2"

For

(Nioka's Cord) "models/heroes/seraphim/sets/angeldust/c_sera-angeldust-pelvis.GR2"

 

It worked but the skirt does not appear.

Displays only the pelvis so I tried to replace for

"models/heroes/seraphim/sets/angeldust/c_sera-angeldust-pelvisskirt.GR2"

but the pelvis disappears and appears only a "bugged" skirt between the legs of the Seraphim

Edited October 15, 2011 by FF7

[Dragon Brother 619]

Yeah, whoever designed the items with the skirt obviously decided that it would be better to have it as separate model files for the pelvis and skirt parts. You will probably need to create a second entry for endijians sash and have the pelvis in one and the skirt in the other.

[FF7 2]

"You will probably need to create a second entry for endijians sash and have the pelvis in one and the skirt in the other."

 

I have no idea how to do this .... Can I do this editing the "itemtype.txt"?

Anyway thanks I think I'll play even without the skirt ... haeuaheau

[SevPOOTS 90]

Editing my new mod lol, be back in a few!

[SevPOOTS 90]

I think thats about it, here are a few pics to show you the different effects you can have when you change different parts of the .dds files. Also, when I talk about alpha channels I mean the alpha channel displayed in DXTBmp in the top right corner and by main image I mean the image displayed in the center of the window. Also, if you do edit anything, edit the medium quality textures, the low quality textures are the same as the medium quality ones, they are simply rescaled to half the dimensions, so save the mq ones, then resize to half size to get the lq ones.

 

 

Changing the Lucretis Set T-energy effect. As shown by these pictures the brightness of the T-energy glow on the set piece can be decreased by darkening the _d.dds files alpha channel in the correct areas, and by adding colour to the original texture you can make the pulse appear over the top of other glows or colours.

 

 

Editing the alpha channel for the pelvisskirt file for the angeldust set allows the removal of areas. Only the white areas in this alpha region are displayed ingame.

 

So if I want to make a part of the armor transparent or invisible, I just edit the Alpha channel , not the original DDS for the texture? Is the alpha channel the file with the same name as the texture it corresponds to?

 

New modder here

Edited January 21, 2015 by SevPOOTS

[Flix 5,184]

Alpha channels aren't separate files. They're part of the texture file involved in transparency.

[SX255 630]

Alpha channels aren't separate files. They're part of the texture file involved in transparency.

 

For Sacred 2, yes.

But there are other game developer trick that include alpha in a separate files.

[SevPOOTS 90]

Alpha channels aren't separate files. They're part of the texture file involved in transparency.

So how should I edit the alpha channel? When I open it in gimp, there are no other textures/ layers or whatnot

[Silver_fox 398]

I'm not a GIMP user myself, so the only thing I can advise is to check GimpChat for appropriate tutorials. Their tutorial index can be found here: http://gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=5148 There seems to be a couple of tutorials about adding the alpha channel here, maybe they'd help.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Silver_fox

[SevPOOTS 90]

I'm not a GIMP user myself, so the only thing I can advise is to check GimpChat for appropriate tutorials. Their tutorial index can be found here: http://gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=5148 There seems to be a couple of tutorials about adding the alpha channel here, maybe they'd help.

Thanks alot! Also, are you the owner of that Fishnet (See through skirt) Mod for the Seraphim at the 1st page? Can you give me a Download link if it's still available? Maybe I can view and recreate it ^^

[Dragon Brother 619]

That was me. And it wasn't something I ever uploaded, just mentioned how I did it in the write-up. I used DTBmp (linked in the previous page) to open the .dds files and then access the main image and alpha channel separately. From that program you export them and import them from your desired graphics program.

[SevPOOTS 90]

That was me. And it wasn't something I ever uploaded, just mentioned how I did it in the write-up. I used DTBmp (linked in the previous page) to open the .dds files and then access the main image and alpha channel separately. From that program you export them and import them from your desired graphics program.

Yes, yes please continue. So after I export the Main image and alpha channel separately, I can now open them in GIMP/Any editor right? Let's say I've finished editing them, How Can I make it work ingame? Importing it back to the original file ?

Deym Sacred 1 Was so easy in modding textures and now it's making me dizzy LOL

 

EDIT: OH MAY YASS!~

I did it! And it works with gimp too <3 Thanks again for this guide! ^^

Too bad the Skirt's animation looks crap at the right side of her waist. ANd it looks like the skirt starts below her butt so it looks somehow weird.

Edited January 22, 2015 by SevPOOTS

[lolli42 3]

yea I know im late...^^

but this is rlly great work o:

I wish I can learn that

I would like to get back the old, blue and red shining armor parts from s1, for the seraphim

if so much can be done with only editing the texture, I think almost the whole set can be done for Sacred 2 

Edited March 11, 2018 by lolli42

[gogoblender 3,223]

12 hours ago, lolli42 said:

yea I know im late...^^

but this is rlly great work o:

I wish I can learn that

I would like to get back the old, blue and red shining armor parts from s1, for the seraphim

if so much can be done with only editing the texture, I think almost the whole set can be done for Sacred 2 

 

Thanks for posting your appreciation, lolli42... All the devs here have done astonishing work with their mods

  Always delightful seeing that people still appreciate this game's first incarnation and want to find ways to make it current and enlargeable.

Welcome to DarkMattters!

 

gogo

 

[lolli42 3]

I actually did it to open and edit a file (it could have been easier, because im using a mod of an other user, who edited niokastes set himself)

I only edited the d.dss file and checked it ingame but her feet just disappeared xD, probably because it doesnt fit to the other 2 files anymore

now my question is: how do I manage the 3 files to always stay connected? 

I tried around with "create alpha" but nothing like in the "alpha-file" appeared and also the "n.dss" file I dont know how to create one from my edited "d.dss"

would be glad if you can help me 

[lolli42 3]

turns out the feet disappear anytime, I change anything about a file
even if I just paint a small black dot in the alpha channel of the d.dss or if I edit the whole coloring of the d.dss file

is it probably the way I save it?

when im done editing something with gimp, I just choose the given way to export it as a .bmp-file, open the bmp with the DTXbmp, save it as the new d.dss and overwrite the original d.dss file with it

when I edited the alpha channel of the d.dss file with gimp, I could just instantly overwrite it and save it 

then I start the game and my seraphim doesnt have feet

 

Edited March 12, 2018 by lolli42

[lolli42 3]

if anyone is still here

I managed to do most of the things now with photoshop

but the part, where you make the armor disappear with painting the alpha channel black, doesnt work

I tried it on all 3 files

does it need a special way to save it?

[Dragon Brother 619]

To be completely honest Lolli42, while I am still here, I cannot remember exactly what I did (I did write this 7 years ago now...). Make sure you're using DXTBmp. And maybe when it came to importing and exporting the alpha channel from the .dds files you need to import / export in a specific format.

[lolli42 3]

7 hours ago, Dragon Brother said:

To be completely honest Lolli42, while I am still here, I cannot remember exactly what I did (I did write this 7 years ago now...). Make sure you're using DXTBmp. And maybe when it came to importing and exporting the alpha channel from the .dds files you need to import / export in a specific format.

I am sorry to say this, I did struggle a few days with this programm, then started using a gimp plugin and now photoshop free trial xD

DXTBmp only worked to making body parts invisible^^ (corrupted the files)

I guessed, that you did it with the special file do.dds

this is the only armor part, that has this file and a friend from an other forum said, you could not do that to other armor parts, since they replace the body of the character.

so its probably only possible for the long skirt part, which has his own texture file?

 

 

Edited March 27, 2018 by lolli42

[dimitrius154 614]

On ‎26‎.‎03‎.‎2018 at 8:42 PM, lolli42 said:

but the part, where you make the armor disappear with painting the alpha channel black, doesnt work

It won't, unless the item surface entry in question(located in surface.txt) has a SURFACE_FLAG_MASKED, or SURFACE_FLAG_ZMASKED(inverts alpha channel) flags present. Both the NVIDIA plugin for Photoshop and the GIMP DDS plugin are suitable to make texture files for Sacred 2.

[Dragon Brother 619]

13 minutes ago, dimitrius154 said:

It won't, unless the item surface entry in question(located in surface.txt) has a SURFACE_FLAG_MASKED, or SURFACE_FLAG_ZMASKED(inverts alpha channel) flags present. Both the NVIDIA plugin for Photoshop and the GIMP DDS plugin are suitable to make texture files for Sacred 2.

Good to see you pop in Dmitriy and help out, I'm sure you're much more familiar with all this than me!!