[Help!] texturing models.. please help save me hours of reading and digging.

MadTommy · Post by **MadTommy** » 2007-12-17 10:37

Hi, i need some help.

Basically PR is short of texture artists. I've been using Photoshop for over a decade, so i thought i'd try and lend some skills to generating some nice textures where needed.

However i have NO 3d model experience. And TBH i don’t really want any.
But i need to get my head around 'the things that effect the texturing' and how it all works.

I've got CS3 extended & just got the dds nvida plugin.

I've had a good look through the tutorials (stickyed above), but TBH they have not really helped. They are all geared to creating models, etc.

Is there a simple guide to re-skinning a vBF2 vehicle model? I need the rules & process understood so i can apply my PS experience correctly, without wasting hours.

The bottom line is i don’t want to spend hours learning and reading stuff that is simply not relevant. I want to spend my time with my pen & tablet drawing/painting/generating textures.

Do i need to understand UV mapping etc and do i need to work with gmax or similar?
Its seems to me if i'm passed the files in the correct format i should be able to work in Photoshop generating textures and export them for use.. without messin with 3D software.

Please advice as you can or point me in the right direction... thank you.

Edit: i'm tempted to just take the existing *.dds file, copy it/trace it .. deconstruct it and redo it.. but i cant believe that will work. (dds files have a load of settings i'm yet to understand)

Post by **IronTaxi** » 2007-12-17 11:05

well basic layout as far as texture structure for statics is as follows..

ill explain as best i can and hope other devs can fill in the gaps

bf2 models use several overlapping textures to create their effects..

Oh...just remembered this site...very detailed info on the effects of each texture layer, how they are applied and the appropriate formats as well..

http://www.bfapocalypse.com/index.php?name=EZCMS&page_id=51

thats all the basics...

vehciles each use unique sheets.... the surfaces of the vehicle are layed out on the sheet by the modeller and the texture guy does his thing with those surface outlines as a guide..

Static models share common palletes that typically (but not always) tile left to right OR top to bottom... (left to right being the most common)

An important things to note is pixel scale fro textures... usually bf2 textures are sized so that 1pixel represent 1cm in game...We typically try to use 2pixels / cm when we make our own to add more detail.

Additionally if you are not familiar with .dds format it is always based on a power of 2 scale.. so that... 256x256 or 1024x512 for example would be valid sizes where as 1000x228 would not..hehe..for example...but important to note..

i would suggest having a good look through the textures located in staticobjects/pr/textures and get some idea of how we are using them...

additionally...if you manage to come up with 2 or 3 versions of a 512x512 aged brick texture(no colour just grey scale).. that tiles vertically and horizontally. and has a bump map...ill sell you r-dev Jaymz for $1 and call it even...

cheers...

MadTommy · Post by **MadTommy** » 2007-12-17 11:47

Thanks mate.. all good info.. some new to me, some already picked up, thanks.

I'll have a good look through the present textures & that web site is sweet.

Brick eh... ok i'll have a look at that.

MadTommy · Post by **MadTommy** » 2007-12-17 14:03

[R-DEV]IronTaxi wrote:vehciles each use unique sheets.... the surfaces of the vehicle are layed out on the sheet by the modeller and the texture guy does his thing with those surface outlines as a guide..

So with the example of redoing the Eurofighter textures i can simply take the existing *.dds files from Vehicles\Air\gb_jet_eurofighter\textures folder and erase and redo the textures and use the exsisting layout?

As long as i stick to the exact same surface outlines i dont need to worry about UVmapping etc. ??

Post by **IronTaxi** » 2007-12-17 14:13

thats right...

as long as you essentially just edit over the existing texture positions you're golden and it should be layed out nicely...

just make sure about the save formats for each texture as well... dxt1 etc...

MadTommy · Post by **MadTommy** » 2007-12-17 14:24

Sweeeeeet.. i knew i was trying to 'learn' stuff that most likley not needed by me.

Ok i think i can start messin about. Thanks for the direction.

Soon i'll need to figure out how to work the editor to review & test what i do. (I know there is a guide somewhere... i'll have a look later.)

Post by **Pride** » 2007-12-17 15:07

You dont really need to use the editor to test your skins, you can put them in game and have a look around them if you want. (Works for vehicles, weapons and soldiers, not sure about statics)

Nice tutorial Here:
http://bfeditor.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3780

MadTommy · Post by **MadTommy** » 2007-12-19 10:38

Hello.. i'm trying to test some textures... and i've followed the tut above in order to be able to test custom textures.

However how to i ADD the eurofighter to Kashan for example so i can see what i've done.

Thanks for any help.

ministanners · Post by **ministanners** » 2007-12-19 12:35

Go to: Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\mods\pr\levels\kashan_desert, go in the server.zip and follow this path server.zip\GameModes\gpm_cq\ Open up the one marked 64

And to replace the A10, find the section below, it should say A10 instead of eurofighter, and just put gb_jet_eurofighter in place of the A10

rem [ObjectSpawnerTemplate: cpname_kd_64_usmain_a10]
ObjectTemplate.create ObjectSpawner cpname_kd_64_usmain_a10
ObjectTemplate.activeSafe ObjectSpawner cpname_kd_64_usmain_a10
ObjectTemplate.modifiedByUser "Edmund Fovargue"
ObjectTemplate.isNotSaveable 1
ObjectTemplate.hasMobilePhysics 0
ObjectTemplate.setObjectTemplate 2 gb_jet_eurofighter
ObjectTemplate.minSpawnDelay 1
ObjectTemplate.maxSpawnDelay 12
ObjectTemplate.spawnDelayAtStart 1
ObjectTemplate.TimeToLive 20000
ObjectTemplate.Distance 100
ObjectTemplate.maxNrOfObjectSpawned 2
ObjectTemplate.team 2
ObjectTemplate.teamOnVehicle 1

Start up PR and then play 64 sized Kashan.

I hope I didn't just confuse/bore the hell out of ya'?

MadTommy · Post by **MadTommy** » 2007-12-19 12:52

mate...you're a star..

I only have very limited time today on this.. and locating how to do this was doing my nut.

Thank you very much

EDIT: well got it working on a 4th attempt. Half of this tut ( http://bfeditor.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3780) is not required for PR. (only vBF2, i think)

I can feel the vail of confussion slowly lifting.

mrmong · Post by **mrmong** » 2007-12-19 15:28

the brick texture would be easy just go outside take a picture and use the offset tool in photoshop

Surround · Post by **Surround** » 2007-12-20 21:00

Like this?