NEW- MW Graphics texture tools!

[wolfslair]

NEW- MW Graphics texture tools!

Noted graphcs software designer Martin Wright has most graciously added the *.texture format to his mwgfx dll set, so now MWThumb and DXTBMP can

both handle the Creative Assembly texture format.

1. Download and install "latest version of the mwgfx.DLL package"

http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/

2. Download and install MWThumb : "Windows thumbnail view extensions"

http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/

Browse all the CA texture formats as thumbnails:

Just add the .texture format to active filetypes and you are set; .tga and

.dds also supported.






3. DXTBmp

DXTBmp is a frontend for texture files that will import/export *.textures into your favorite graphics program and save as DXT1 (no alpha), DXT1 (1-bit

alpha), DXT5 and 32 bit *.texture files.

You can also directly load any .dds or any supported graphics format and save as a .texture file.

It's very easy to use and setup.



You can also import/export the alpha channel for editing.

Right click your *.texture thumbnail and associate that filetype with DXTbmp.

That way you can load load and edit all the game textures directly from your thumbnail browser.

Important note: DXTBmp will automatically save DXT1 in the proper format if it includes a 1 bit alpha channel, ie., the alpha channel only contains

pure black (0,0,0) and pure white (255,255,255).

Otherwise it will save as a DXT1 (no alpha).

If it has a interpolated alpha (ie, black white , and gray) you must save as a DXT5.

DXTBmp will always default save to the same DXT type that you loaded it in.

DXTBmp also contains the mwgfx.ddl set and can be installed independently of MWThumb; but both are recommended, to facilitate ease of use.

All available here - http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/

I can answer any questions here..

(please do do redistribute or upload these tools to any other site)

[Roberts]

This is great tool, thanks a lot.

[wolfslair]

This is great tool, thanks a lot.

All you graphics artists need to test this out and give some feedback; I've tested it fairly extensively and encountered no problems yet.

Set up your perfered editor in DXTbmp and you can doubleclick on either the main texture or the alpha channel and it will automatically load your editor with the texture in as a temp "norm.bmp" for editing.

Then you can edit and just select save.

It will save in a temp folder. Then you can reimport into DXTBmp and save as a *.texture. Same with the alpha channel

It will also handle the 32 bit textures in globallighting/ folder

Some notes from Martin,

"One major caveat when working with DXT is that repeated editing will degrade the image as it is recompressed each time. DXT compression actually splits the image into 4x4 blocks and only allows 4 colours in each block (or 3 plus transparency) so there is some colour loss involved. Repeatedly loading a DXT image, editing and then saving out in DXT again will eventually turn the image into brown sludge

The advice I give to flightsimmers is to create a master copy in targa first from the original game texture. Do all your editing on this copy and just create a DXT version when you want to put it in the game. This way if you need to edit further just reload the targa version and edit that and then create a new DXT version of the edited targa for ingame use. This way the game image will only have had one application of DXT compression.

Initial Editing process :-

- load the original into DXTBmp and note the format.
- immediately "save as" Targa with Alpha and put this in a safe place
- do the editing
- save out as targa again to overwrite your master copy
- save as Texture in the original format for placing into the game (or change the format if you know what you are doing ;^)

Re-editing process :-

- locate and load your saved master targa copy into DXTBmp
- do your further editing
- save the targa to update your master copy
- save as Texture to use in the game using the format most appropriate"