Convert Unit Icons to Bif and LBM files

**Belisario** · 02-01-2007, 16:59

When I convert a new unit icon to Bif (with Bif Reader) and LBM (with Ultimate Paint) I have some problems. Seemingly the new Bif is correct but in the game it appears with some ugly black dots. If I use the Dragon MTW Editor to obtain the new bif the result is worse because the colour palette results altered.
I’m able to convert the unit icon to LBM using Ultimate Paint, however in the game the green/purple transparent colours appear instead of the faction colours.

Some help, please

**Enigma13** · 02-01-2007, 18:22

I have had similar problems with Bif Reader and slightly more luck using the PurpGrab package of .bif tools. I have best success using the SeqGrab utility in that package, even when I only have a single frame .bif. After creating all new shields and flags for my Kievan Rus faction I am only stuck with one file with the annoying black spots.

I interestingly found that with Bif Reader Color 2 in the pallette will many times also display as grey/black or transparent for reasons unknown to me. I have fixed the files by simply adding the same color to a later pallette space and then retouching the photo to use Color X in any spaces that previously used Color 2.

I hope that one of these solutions works for you.

**Belisario** · 02-01-2007, 18:33

Thanks for your help Enigma 13. I'll try create the new bif with Purpgrab.exe; I didn't know this program.

**naut** · 02-02-2007, 08:17

I don't like Purpgrab, but you can try it beware though you may get some strange results.

Basically it is a side affect of Readbif, however:

It is possible, basically cover the places black dots appear with the background colour (a brown parchment colour). This will solve it.

Maybe R'as al Ghul has a better solution.

**R'as al Ghul** · 02-02-2007, 11:35

Originally Posted by Rythmic

Maybe R'as al Ghul has a better solution.

You summoned me?

Originally Posted by Belisario

When I convert a new unit icon to Bif (with Bif Reader) and LBM (with Ultimate Paint) I have some problems. Seemingly the new Bif is correct but in the game it appears with some ugly black dots. [..]
I’m able to convert the unit icon to LBM using Ultimate Paint, however in the game the green/purple transparent colours appear instead of the faction colours.

Hello,

make sure you have the latest version of readbif. Your base has to be a 256 colour .bmp file. When you have that, make a new bif with readbif using the desired dimensions. Then import the bmp as frame with readbif.
Concerning the lbm problem, have a look here:
Duke John says:

Editing: This icon requires a carefull approach when editing. First #find a suitable existing MTW icon, increase the colour depth to 24-bit and change the image. If the icon is a bit sharply edged then enlarge the image by 200% use a smooth filter ,be carefull not to overdo the smoothing and reduce the image back to it's original size.
Next find any suitable exising 256-colour MTW palette and use it. Make sure that the background colour is R:207, G:207, B:199. Next copy the entire picture in your painting program and then paste it over an exisiting MTW unit icon in Ultimate Paint. Then save it.

Most of the problems are connected to a wrong palette. That's the main difficulty. When in doubt you can always load a working lbm or bif and check out the palette values. You can also, using photoshop, export a palette and import it again.
Hope that helps?

R'as

**Belisario** · 02-02-2007, 19:45

Originally Posted by Rythmic

I don't like Purpgrab, but you can try it beware though you may get some strange results.

Basically it is a side affect of Readbif, however:

It is possible, basically cover the places black dots appear with the background colour (a brown parchment colour). This will solve it.

Maybe R'as al Ghul has a better solution.

In effect I got strange results with Purpgrab: original palette missing by the way and image resized. Your suggestion is interesting, I'll try it. Very nice building icons for the Britannia Divided Mod

Originally Posted by R'as al Ghul

Most of the problems are connected to a wrong palette. That's the main difficulty. When in doubt you can always load a working lbm or bif and check out the palette values. You can also, using photoshop, export a palette and import it again.
Hope that helps?

I've followed the instructions of DukeJohn in a quite free way and perhaps I made a mistake. I actually follow these steps:

1. With Readbif export a bmp from the bif that I'll use as model
2. With a painting program (I use the Gimp, a freeware program) I make the new image and save it preserving the original 256 colour palette.
3. With Readbif import the bmp to create a new bif (of course with black dots

).
4. Open again the new bmp with the Gimp and change the background colour from 0,128,0 to 207,207,199 (the background colour that uses the lbm file). Save it as bmp (the Gimp don't work with lbm).
5. And finally save this image as lbm with Ultimate Paint. Result: the faction colours don't appear in the game. I suspect that the problem is in this step, probably if I load an original MTW lbm palette with Ultimate Paint I'll see the proper faction colours in the game.

Many thanks for your help and patience, Rythmic and R'as al Ghul

**naut** · 02-02-2007, 23:24

I can't ever get faction colour to work either, I think it my be because I like you used multiple graphics editing software.

**Belisario** · 02-03-2007, 19:31

At last I've had success with the bif thanks to your instructions Rythmic: cover the places black dots appear with the background colour (a brown parchment colour). I don't get good results with the lbm for the moment.

The Purpgrab CA program intrigues me because when a Tga is dragged into it you can obtain not only a bif but also a lbm. It's easy think CA guys use this program to obtain the lbm and bif unit icons in a quick way. However I only get strange bifs and lbms with black as background colour instead of light grey.

**caravel** · 02-03-2007, 23:44

I'm doing ok with .bifs, but having no luck whatsoever with .lbms. Ultimate paint when saving any lbm file, seems to change the palette. I tested this using the lukupmap2.lbm. When I save this in ultimate paint, without editing it at all, then load up any campaign. The rgb values for the provinces have obviously changed, because Bulgaria is now the Atlantic, Naples is the border around Malta and Wales and Wessex are now Rum and Armenia... well you get the picture. PSP is worse I gave up on that. It creates a massive file that doesn't work at all, and photo shop can't open them anyway so it's no use.

Is there any way around this? I do intend to make some changes to the provinces on the campaign map in the future, so this would be good to know.

**naut** · 02-04-2007, 04:30

I don't touch map files with anything other than Wellington's LMM editor Caravel, maybe try that. Although it is a bit processor heavy for just modifying a few provinces.

**caravel** · 02-06-2007, 16:32

Originally Posted by Rythmic

I don't touch map files with anything other than Wellington's LMM editor Caravel, maybe try that. Although it is a bit processor heavy for just modifying a few provinces.

Is that hosted here at the .org I can't seem to spot it among the files.

-Edit: Also my .lbm uniticons crash the battlemap, before they appear. I think it's down to their size - over 3kb - but I've no idea how to reduce it. I've tried ultimate paint but it also saves lbm files too large, so where to next?