Lets learn: How to do simple modifications to unit cards!

**Makanyane** · 03-09-2007, 20:04

Umm, skinning and making /editing unit cards are two different things - which can need different software.

Skinning is changing the appearance of the texture file which 'clothes' the model you see in the game in the battle map. Those files are saved as .tga.dds files and a special plug-in from nvidia or a converter is needed to access them. PhotoShop, PhotoShop Elements, GIMP (which is freeware), and I think later versions of PaintShopPro should be able to use the plug-in (not 100% sure on PaintShopPro as my old version definitely doesn't).

There is a guide to skinning with PhotoShop here:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=66957
most of that will apply to PS Elements as well which is cheaper version. Elements has a replace colour function which is quite handy for doing quick bodge jobs to change colours of bits of skins without losing existing textures.

GIMP is meant to be quite good (and obviously free is good, LOL) but I haven't used it so can't advise.

The unit cards (the small icons you see at the bottom of the battle menu - in recruit queues etc) have to be changed separately. They are normal .tga files so are easier to find an editor for. You can just manually paint over the bits of 'wrong' colour, or depending on program try replace colour and various shadowing options to maintain shape. The 'proper' way of doing unit cards is to make a render from the 3d model using the new skin, but the software normally used for that is 3Dmax which costs about £3000, there was a free 3d program which might be able to do that (but not make new model for game) I'm not sure if it's still around - perhaps someone else could advise on that.

**Melea Lord** · 03-09-2007, 23:56

Wow, this is quite complex.

I'm not talking about the units themselves but just the unit cards and the pictures on the units info screen. I beleive that's this part of what u said:

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The unit cards (the small icons you see at the bottom of the battle menu - in recruit queues etc) have to be changed separately. They are normal .tga files so are easier to find an editor for. You can just manually paint over the bits of 'wrong' colour, or depending on program try replace colour and various shadowing options to maintain shape.

------------------------

This is what I'm interested in.

What editor should I use/can you point me to a tut specifically for this?

EDIT: Found something: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=51373

A bit vague though. The link to Vercingetorix's X-pak isn't working. I'll search for it tommorrow (It being 11 o'clock by my watch and midnight by this one.)

**Makanyane** · 03-10-2007, 00:30

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...?do=file&id=43
should be current link to the x-pak extractor

the tutorial you found is for PhotoShop but some things will be same for other programs. Make sure you have unpacked to get access to file you want to change, experiment with whatever graphics programs you already have on computer, then if you are stuck come back again.

**Dol Guldur** · 03-10-2007, 01:06

Mak,

What version of PSP do you have? Nvidia changed their plug-in (last year I think) which is not very backward compatible with PSP. I had to hunt down the previous version to get it to work in PSP (I have 7).

**Makanyane** · 03-10-2007, 06:38

My version is PaintShopPro 5 (not sure they had heard of .dds then, LOL). I'm not worried about getting mine working as have PS Elements for editing .dds - would be useful to know to advise anyone else though - when I get over lazy phase I'll try and research that. (or do you remember link to old version?)

**Dol Guldur** · 03-10-2007, 10:40

No, it was on some old private texture tutorial site - but I have the file (it's just one file) so point anyone my way if they cannot get the current one to work.

**Melea Lord** · 03-10-2007, 11:30

Sorry, are you saying that I'll need GIMP to edit the cards or the units themselves. I'm only interested in the cards. I'll go download GIMP. I can't open the TGA files currently.

There are so many versions!

I download version 2. I now have a txt document, three WinRAR Archives and something else. What on earth do I do with them? I cant' find anything to do with installation.