Texture experiments = i am bored too

[+ErikGen 44]

Trying to understand how LODs work.

 

 

First experiment - Stock aircraft

i have created a new skin folder for the A-4E; it was a simple copy of the original USNGREY1 , renamed USNGREY2 and with the BMP files converted into JPG and then erased ... the new JPG skin did work without problems.

 

 

Second experiment - third party aircraft:

i did set the LOD of my new G91R in order to use BMP but i have not modified the skin folder so no BMP skins into it , jpg only ... again the program loaded the jpg skin instead the requested BMP one without problem.

Repeating the experiment with DDS skin insted the JPG it doesnt work.

 

Third experiment part 1 - third party aircraft with dds:

for this experiment i have used my G91Y that uses DDS skins;i have substituted the original DDS files with JPG version ... no way, aircraft was black as the night.

 

 

Third experiment part 2 - third party aircraft with dds:

with insane fantasy i have renamed JPG skin as DDS (not converted but renamed the extension only) ... this time the aircraft appeared with the jpg skin!!

 

Note: seems that the graphic engine loads JPG or BMP indifferently (not DDS that seems have to be well specified into LODs) ... the one he find is good to load.

All the above rules are for skin only, specular and normal maps seem to be more sensitive to file extension; experiments were made with SF2 Europe with nov2011 patch.

 

 

 

[+Dave 2,322]

You're an evil scientist Enrico!!!

[+SkateZilla 49]

so your saying I can take all the 20 or so BMPs in my CVN folder, convert them to JPG, delete the BMPs and the game will load the JPGs instead of the BMPs? without having to re-do all the materials in Max?

 

ITS... A... LIVE..........!!! MUUUHHAAHAHAHHAHAHA....

[+Soulfreak 6,524]

Enrico....

[+KnightWolf45 1,147]

if y

this cloud use in old LODs gen1 that whould great!

[Wrench 9,846]

some interestering stuff huh? Wonder how TK's done it!!

 

---

while not bored, and speaking of 'having to make new textures'.....had to do 6-8 new tiles for to fix those incredibly small 'rivers' for the IME tile set (I mean, really... I can pee across those tiny things....)

 

the bad part, is where I've used them, might not ever be seen, and where they're needed, would mean rebuilding 30-35 finished target areas.

 

 

making new textures, for whatever use is just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun!!!

[+ErikGen 44]

I dont know how it works ... stock LODs are quite different from the ones we can export ... but decrypting (partially) some one (A4E and F-4D i.e.) i finally realized that TW models are pointing to BMP as well.

 

Hey Kevin, what about some fish in the river?

Edited December 12, 2011 by ErikGen

[+ErikGen 44]

Another experiment ... the image shows an aircraft with a .LOD mapped to use a texture file named "main.bmp" ... but the skin you see is from a file named "main.jpg" ... but this file isnt a jpg , it is a DDS renamed as jpg. At this point you should be free to choose the format of skin you like whatever the LOD is made for.

Funny.

[Wrench 9,846]

wow, that's freaking wild!! what has TK hidden in this engine, me wonders?? And what's still to come?

[+ErikGen 44]

The question is: is all this something intentionally made by TK or simply a "collateral effect" that could not survive next patches?

[DoctorWho 106]

What do you mean by renamed?

[+ErikGen 44]

What do you mean by renamed?

 

 

I did change the extension of the file from main.dds to main.jpg.

[DoctorWho 106]

Using gimp or photoshop?

[+ErikGen 44]

For what? To change a windows file extension? I think that two clicks of the mouse are enought.

[+GrinchWSLG 24]

I don't really get the point of it all. DDS is still superior to JPEG in all departments aside from space on disk. I guess if you need more disk space that's fine. There's a reason I put a 2TB HDD in my new PC

 

To each his own I guess. Don't expect me to release any JPEG textures though...

Edited December 13, 2011 by GrinchWSLG

[bwild 5]

I think the point is we can use dds texture on the stock models we don't have access to by changing the file extension to jpg.

[+Brain32 265]

There's a reason I put a 2TB HDD in my new PC

 

Yeah I planned that too but then that flood ruined western digital factories and HDD's went up in price up to 300% here...just silly, I'm waiting for prices to go back lol

[+ErikGen 44]

Bwild got the point.

I didnt test but BMP extension should work too.

Funny that is sufficient to say "jpeg" that there is some DDS purist that needs to explain his point; it reminds me windows vs linux ... or explorer vs netscape ... or ... ati vs nvidia ... and so on .

[+SkateZilla 49]

or renaming a DDS to BMP doesnt do anything but let the game find and open the file listed in the INI/LOD File, and since the engine really prolly doesnt go by the file extension when opening a texture, but the code that its written in, it simply sees that it is Encoded/Compressed to DDS and decodes it using DDS algorithms instead of BMP.

 

[+ErikGen 44]

I was just wondering if this process was made by the game engine or directly by graphic card hardware.

[+Soulfreak 6,524]

Well i have made some experiences too.

While i was playin around with Pasko´s F-106.

I wanted to change the bmp settings in the lods to jpg,

but somehow it didn´t work.

So i did my new skins only for testing in jpg format.

And what should i say?

It worked!

And the older bmp textures are still working too.

Not sure if it works with every texture of any ac.

That saves a lot of space!!!

[+Dave 2,322]

Holy s**t Carlo it worked!

[+Soulfreak 6,524]

Holy s**t Carlo it worked!

 

I know Dave!

PS, check PM! :-p

[+Dave 2,322]

I know Dave!

PS, check PM! :-p

 

No PM from you...

[Wrench 9,846]

lots of birds seem to be able to read both ... the DLCs are skined in jpg, ferinstance