Texture fiddling question

[Raeshlavik]

Hi all,

I've been attempting to fiddle with some of the textures used in Istaria. While I have a process flow that allows me to export the textures (AGH) into usable formats, I cant seem to get usable formats back into AGH textures.

From what I've read here in the forums, the client 'should' convert a few formats into AGH (I'm saving out as TGA, which appears to be supported), but I can't seem to figure out how to get it to do this magic. Any hints? I've followed Frid's posting regarding adding an /agh command to commands_player.def, but the client doens't seem to be happy with this and continues to tell me "no such command".

If I can figure out this last bit, and successfully use modified textures in the game, I'll write up a nice step-by-step guide for future fiddlers.

Thanks!

[Raptress]

I've gotten the client to convert TGA back into AGH using the aghConvert command.. only problem is I can't get them to wrap right. >.> I added the command with this:

//aghConvert
{
string name = "aghConvert"
string abbrev = "agh"
string usage = ""
string description = "Converts an image to AGH format"
int numParams = 1
int minParams = 0
}

Not sure if that's what you already had, but it works on mine.

[Raeshlavik]

I think I have it figured out - the secret seems to be that the commands don't work unless you place the commands_player.def into the resource_overrides folder.

I was just able to convert a TGA back to an AGH. Now to see if I have my graphic size and bit depth correct.

[Raeshlavik]

I appear to have a wrap problem as well.

I'll see if I can figure out why and post it here.

[Raeshlavik]

Solved the wrap issue - AGHviewer appears to save its output upside down.

I'm using the Gimp, and simply flipping the TGA vertically and saving it allowed my edits to show up in the right places.

[Valornyx]

A couple of tricks to using Frids converter :

1. the file comes out upside down.
2. it often gets resized.

Always check the file size in the view window before converting it then resize it back before staring to work on it as a PNG or other format. Flip the whole thing vertically and you should be good to go.

Hope that helps

[Raeshlavik]

Okay, new question: Transparency.

I'm not having any luck getting a tintable texture out of the AGH viewer, into Gimp, and into the client.

So far I've tried exporting from the viewer as TGA, opening in Gimp, making a modification and saving back out as TGA - in the client, the result of this is a non-tintable but alpha-correct texture.

Converting the working texture to an 8-bit image results in a tintable texture with missing alpha.

Saving out of the viewer as a DDS, and importing into Gimp, then saving as DDS (with mip maps, without, default format, L8A8, etc) causes the client to crash on conversion.

Any hints?

[Solitaire]

You have to save a TGA with an alpha as 32 bit otherwise the alpha won't get written & the client won't know it is there. You can also save as a PNG with transparent areas as a second option. Both will work and will convert to agh. Almost all of the raw TGA files are either 24 bit if they don't have an alpha or 32 if they do.

[Raeshlavik]

You have to save a TGA with an alpha as 32 bit otherwise the alpha won't get written & the client won't know it is there. You can also save as a PNG with transparent areas as a second option. Both will work and will convert to agh. Almost all of the raw TGA files are either 24 bit if they don't have an alpha or 32 if they do.

Yeah, I can get a colored texture to save out and have proper alpha. It's the tintable (greyscale) ones that either tint correctly without alpha, or have alpha and wont tint.

I just keep fiddling with it. So far everything has been figure-able.

[Raeshlavik]

Success!

It's a bit complicated, but:

Export the tintable texture with Fridlikh's AGHViewer
Open, resize, and flip in Gimp
Make texture magic...
Convert the RGB texture to Greyscale
Save texture as PNG - no compression and 'save color values from transparency'.
The client automagically converts the PNG into AGH.
Enjoy your new texture in all of its correct alpha and tint glory.

[Knossos]

Who? Me? Transparent connector between modified left and right Leather sleeves?

Knossos

[Raeshlavik]

Who? Me? Transparent connector between modified left and right Leather sleeves?

Knossos

Yep. I should have another set of sleeves to test tomorrow...

[Nia]

Happy Birthday, Raeshlavik, btw.

Nia
Chronicles of the Twisted Guild : Blight Shard
Obsidian Order : Order Shard
Mutiny on the Bounty Guild : Chaos Shard

[Gengel]

Any progress on documenting this terrific effort?!?!

I have created textures as described but I am having a devil of a time with the TGA to AGH conversion. I keep getting a file not found.

Yes, I save the TGA as a 32 bit with an ALPHA channel. Any hints for this lost dryad?

~< Gengel >~

[Raeshlavik]

Any progress on documenting this terrific effort?!?!

I have created textures as described but I am having a devil of a time with the TGA to AGH conversion. I keep getting a file not found.

Yes, I save the TGA as a 32 bit with an ALPHA channel. Any hints for this lost dryad?

~< Gengel >~

Well, lets see...

Are you putting the modified texture into the correct file structure under resources_override? (For example, the sleeves from a different post are in resources_override/textures_agh/characters/characters/human_m/clothing/foo.tga)

One fiddly bit - if you add a TGA/PNG to the appropriate directory while the client is running, and it's never seen an AGH of that name before, it'll tell you it cannot find the file... You need to restart the client is you add an entirely new graphic for conversion.

There is a modification you can make to ClientPrefs_Common.def; locate "bool updateAGHFiles" and set it to "true". This will create the AGH files from your TGA/PNG files on runtime, and if you run in windowed mode, you can just watch the directory to see if your new AGH is there.

Greyscale images, the ones used for tintable textures, are very picky... Get something colored (like a biped base skin texture) working before you attempt the tintables - just to make sure your process is working before trying something that probably wont work straight away.

Other than that, it's pretty straight forward. If you're having problems with TGA files, try PNG, the client converts those as well.

Let me know here how you fare and we'll try to work through it together.

[Valornyx]

Bah wrote a whole long post and lost it...

however in response to the tintable icons part - they're not so fiddly as they might seem - but you have to understand one thing about them..

A tint is applied to each color channel - so if you use gray - you will be applying a tint to red green and blue - which will likely make a really washed out overexposed icon.

Work on your icons using the red channel only - as this is the primary one for tinting. Blue is secondary and Green the tertiary one.

If you look at the tintable icons in the resources/etc/etc.. directory - you'll see they are pretty much all red with a bit of blue in them sometimes.

If you work in PNG and use non-interlaced - you should have no problem with alphas

Hope it helps

[Valornyx]

bah - re-read what you were talking about and realised you were not talking about tintable icons - but rather tintable skins and gear .. sorry my bad.

[Gengel]

Thanks so much for the quick feedback. I got it to work! I was missing the "bool updateAGHFiles = true". I also noticed it creates the new file with an "incorrect" name but that was easy to fix. Time to play

~< Gengel >~

[Raeshlavik]

bah - re-read what you were talking about and realised you were not talking about tintable icons - but rather tintable skins and gear .. sorry my bad.

No worries Valornyx, it's still very good information to know and it comes straight from the icon master as well!

I'll have to play around with the per-channel tinting on the model textures - I wonder if they work the same way.

(runs off to try some stuff...)

[Raeshlavik]

Thanks so much for the quick feedback. I got it to work! I was missing the "bool updateAGHFiles = true". I also noticed it creates the new file with an "incorrect" name but that was easy to fix. Time to play

~< Gengel >~

Great! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Yes, I forgot to mention that Frid's AGHViewer exports with the new file type appended to the end...

(Notes for future generations)

This means that if you have a texture in the viewer called "foo_m0_head.agh" and export it as a TGA, it'll show up as "foo_m0_head.agh.tga"

So you pull it into your favorite art program and change things, then save it...

Now you take the "foo_m0_head.agh.tga" file and put it into the appropriate resources_override directory; you have to take "agh" out of the file name before the client will see it - so you end up with "foo_m0_head.tga", which the client will convert back into "foo_m0_head.agh".