DDS files should be saved as DXT5 if they have an alpha map; DXT3 if they don't. If you're not sure just use DXT5 as the difference in file size is insignificant. Mipmaps don't need to e generated as SC2 generates them itself. Oh, and make sure your texture resolution is a multiple of four or you can't use compression on it.
Actually if you read the post linked to the original thread I said how to do it ages ago but because of having to write lab reports I was unable to look into the finer details. Did all the research myself and was unaware of his existance also there was some other guy who also independently discovered it and made a utube video 6 days before this tutorial was released. If anyone deserves credit it is blizzard because they made the dark protoss stuff using the method.
Also the fact my brother was informing him about the fields functions tends to mean he posted that after I did it. Thought the method used by the dark protoess was simple enough anyone could figure it out, only after seeing several threads asking the same question I made a detailed account of how to do it. Only started advertizing this tutorial after I kept seeing requests for models just for a reskin.
On a side note when I had the time it only took 3 hours to figure out anyhow looking at how blizzard did it.
There's a youtube vid tutorial ? *shrug* Personally I hate video tutorials.
I only made this tutorial after OK'ing it with DrSuperEvil(Didn't feel like writing a tutorial and having Dr posting a tut just before I posted one), because I started to dig into some other finer details. Things just weren't adding up on my end, and we ended up discovering a few things.
Eitherway, the tutorials are available for all to see & use.
And... why do you assume DrSuperEvil got his info from there? He'd been messaging me for a week or more, seeing if I could come up with anything aswell.
The video tutorial I am refering to had alot of swearing at the editor and it not working correctly. At the end they eventually made a blue diffuse skinned hydralisk after over 30 mins of tutorial.
Either way it is discovered and nearly mastered and anyone can do it.
The video tutorial I am refering to had alot of swearing at the editor and it not working correctly. At the end they eventually made a blue diffuse skinned hydralisk after over 30 mins of tutorial.
Either way it is discovered and nearly mastered and anyone can do it.
Yeah that's Mud's tutorial which I asked him to do. And it was 4 minutes of tutorial ;0 he didn't really want to make the vid which is why there was the swearing.
Just want to make sure he's properly credited ;0
DrSuperEvil, is DSG honestly your brother? You both have a similar posting style and habits online from what I can see, and my brother...doesn't.
Oh, btw, I have an updated version of my testmap. Besides including 50 models and 60-ish textures now, I updated the UI to show the current textures not only as path, but as a picture. This gave me some nice insights of the specialities of some models; for example most models, which get screwed up by usual emissive textures (black + color, no transparency) work nicely with other textures (transparency + color, no black) as emissives.
Probably not, this should be more of a "decision helper", a quick show off how different textures look at specific units. If you see, how one texture looks at one part of the body, it usually looks very similar on another one. If you did find a nice combination, you can test it in your own map for your specific unit and the correct model part again.
I use it quite much this way, thats why I created and update it in the first place.
Adding general support for more texture sets would be quite some work and also very limited due to the current shortcomings of the Texture Select By ID method. Basically I cannot re-use ANY of the textures I use for the main texture right now, because 1 file can only have 1 texture object with 1 slot, and secondary textures would need another slot.
So realizing this would be a pain in the ass, I either would only be able to use textures I don't use as main textures, or I need to re-import every single texture I want to use.
Still I hope to see some maps soon where the alternative versions of a unit are not just tinted green anymore. You have created a powerful tool for making the large scale testing of textures a reality. On a side not your new UI stuff stops you being able to look at the units on the far left.
Should post up a link on the BNet forums to your map file, Kueken. Would probably be very useful and might have some very happy people who could use this.
Okay, I am trying. Do I understand this correctly, that Blizzard Forums don't support anything but plain text basically? No links, no images, no attachments, no files?
I did also set up a project page, currently awaiting approval.
Units presumably not supporting Specular textures (the ones which start to glow in team color when modifying the specular texture) will ALWAYS use the specular texture as an emissive and as specular texture. So its not the specular part, which is not working, only the emissive one.
Since the emissive part is more important usually, you might want to skip the specular texture and just apply an emissive texture, which swaps out the specular one, but with the emissive slot. Technically it does not matter that much, but my test map currently only replaces the specular texture with specular textures. But those will be used as the emissive as well, and most of those models are the previously mentioned type, which glows in team color, if not used with transparent emissives. Most specular textures I used are not transparent, causing the glow.
Switching those to use the emissive textures made yet another group of models use working emissive textures, if correctly set up and using matching textures.
Long story short:
The only models unable to use an emissive texture are indeed the ones without any emissive texture at all, which are not many models; Odin being a prominent example
€ and apparently models, which use their diffuse as emissive, like Nova does. You should be able to skip the diffuse as well, though, if you just want an alternative glow.
Thinking of including normal texture modification?
I hardly could see any difference, when I swapped some normal textures, even on close zoom levels (well, you see little dark lines on highest zoom level, noone will notice it, if he doesn't know about it).
Do you happen to have some more obvious examples, where its actually worth the effort to swap a normal map? Currently I don't see a reason to do so, unless someone made like very specific textures prepared for one model, which is not really the purpose of this test map anyway.
@IcculusLizard: Go
Make sure the DDS file saved in a specific form.
if you use Photoshop and have that nVidia DDS plugin, when saving, use DXT5 with inxxxxx alpha.
don't change anything else. and if you don't want the DDS file getting big, check the No Mipmap.
E.G. a 512x512 DDS file with DXT5+Alpha with Mipmap is usually 384KB
without Mipmap, it will be 256 KB
Incidentally the first person to do this successfully outside of blizzard was PSGMud; I'm guessing that http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/starcraft-ii-editor-help-zone-647/changing-model-textures-192891/ is where DrSuperEvil got his info (plus some testing of his own I assume :0). The credits should probably include mud as well.
DDS files should be saved as DXT5 if they have an alpha map; DXT3 if they don't. If you're not sure just use DXT5 as the difference in file size is insignificant. Mipmaps don't need to e generated as SC2 generates them itself. Oh, and make sure your texture resolution is a multiple of four or you can't use compression on it.
Actually if you read the post linked to the original thread I said how to do it ages ago but because of having to write lab reports I was unable to look into the finer details. Did all the research myself and was unaware of his existance also there was some other guy who also independently discovered it and made a utube video 6 days before this tutorial was released. If anyone deserves credit it is blizzard because they made the dark protoss stuff using the method.
Also the fact my brother was informing him about the fields functions tends to mean he posted that after I did it. Thought the method used by the dark protoess was simple enough anyone could figure it out, only after seeing several threads asking the same question I made a detailed account of how to do it. Only started advertizing this tutorial after I kept seeing requests for models just for a reskin.
On a side note when I had the time it only took 3 hours to figure out anyhow looking at how blizzard did it.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
There's a youtube vid tutorial ? *shrug* Personally I hate video tutorials.
I only made this tutorial after OK'ing it with DrSuperEvil(Didn't feel like writing a tutorial and having Dr posting a tut just before I posted one), because I started to dig into some other finer details. Things just weren't adding up on my end, and we ended up discovering a few things.
Eitherway, the tutorials are available for all to see & use.
And... why do you assume DrSuperEvil got his info from there? He'd been messaging me for a week or more, seeing if I could come up with anything aswell.
The video tutorial I am refering to had alot of swearing at the editor and it not working correctly. At the end they eventually made a blue diffuse skinned hydralisk after over 30 mins of tutorial.
Either way it is discovered and nearly mastered and anyone can do it.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
@DrSuperEvil: Go
Sounds like a high quality tutorial..
Yeah that's Mud's tutorial which I asked him to do. And it was 4 minutes of tutorial ;0 he didn't really want to make the vid which is why there was the swearing.
Just want to make sure he's properly credited ;0
DrSuperEvil, is DSG honestly your brother? You both have a similar posting style and habits online from what I can see, and my brother...doesn't.
Habits? As for the writing style that is just how objective and scientific replies are like. Kueken531 also replies in a similar format.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
Oh, btw, I have an updated version of my testmap. Besides including 50 models and 60-ish textures now, I updated the UI to show the current textures not only as path, but as a picture. This gave me some nice insights of the specialities of some models; for example most models, which get screwed up by usual emissive textures (black + color, no transparency) work nicely with other textures (transparency + color, no black) as emissives.
Some examples below
Nice Kueken. I just have to say that Tosh looks funny as hell, hahahaha.
Anyways, are you going to add support for the hair/firebat arms diffuses and what not?
I know it would probably be alot more work, but I think it would be cool.
@BorgDragon: Go
Probably not, this should be more of a "decision helper", a quick show off how different textures look at specific units. If you see, how one texture looks at one part of the body, it usually looks very similar on another one. If you did find a nice combination, you can test it in your own map for your specific unit and the correct model part again.
I use it quite much this way, thats why I created and update it in the first place.
Adding general support for more texture sets would be quite some work and also very limited due to the current shortcomings of the Texture Select By ID method. Basically I cannot re-use ANY of the textures I use for the main texture right now, because 1 file can only have 1 texture object with 1 slot, and secondary textures would need another slot.
So realizing this would be a pain in the ass, I either would only be able to use textures I don't use as main textures, or I need to re-import every single texture I want to use.
Still I hope to see some maps soon where the alternative versions of a unit are not just tinted green anymore. You have created a powerful tool for making the large scale testing of textures a reality. On a side not your new UI stuff stops you being able to look at the units on the far left.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
You can move the units around as well as deactivate the UI (theres a small button in the top left)
@Kueken531: Go
Should post up a link on the BNet forums to your map file, Kueken. Would probably be very useful and might have some very happy people who could use this.
@BorgDragon: Go
Okay, I am trying. Do I understand this correctly, that Blizzard Forums don't support anything but plain text basically? No links, no images, no attachments, no files?
I did also set up a project page, currently awaiting approval.
@Kueken531: Go
I am not sure, Kueken. I don't even frequent the BNet Forums anymore, but I do know many others do, obviously.
Maybe just type up the link in plain text and people can just copy/paste it. It's better than nothing.
The perfect camo using Keuken's map:
Thanks for the nice map keuk.. can cycle through so many combos so fast.
I just realized another thing:
Units presumably not supporting Specular textures (the ones which start to glow in team color when modifying the specular texture) will ALWAYS use the specular texture as an emissive and as specular texture. So its not the specular part, which is not working, only the emissive one.
Since the emissive part is more important usually, you might want to skip the specular texture and just apply an emissive texture, which swaps out the specular one, but with the emissive slot. Technically it does not matter that much, but my test map currently only replaces the specular texture with specular textures. But those will be used as the emissive as well, and most of those models are the previously mentioned type, which glows in team color, if not used with transparent emissives. Most specular textures I used are not transparent, causing the glow.
Switching those to use the emissive textures made yet another group of models use working emissive textures, if correctly set up and using matching textures.
Long story short:
The only models unable to use an emissive texture are indeed the ones without any emissive texture at all, which are not many models; Odin being a prominent example
€ and apparently models, which use their diffuse as emissive, like Nova does. You should be able to skip the diffuse as well, though, if you just want an alternative glow.
Thinking of including normal texture modification?
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
I hardly could see any difference, when I swapped some normal textures, even on close zoom levels (well, you see little dark lines on highest zoom level, noone will notice it, if he doesn't know about it).
Do you happen to have some more obvious examples, where its actually worth the effort to swap a normal map? Currently I don't see a reason to do so, unless someone made like very specific textures prepared for one model, which is not really the purpose of this test map anyway.