How to insert trees to jungle texture

[Danstein]

There are nice trees in Strike Fighters. I would like to have the same in WoV. Is there any way how to insert trees to the flat fields of texture? What about any file conversion?

[Danstein]

I think *.TOD files are the right. I can`t modify them because the files are coding. I can see letters but no words and many squares between them.

[+Deuces]

The info is contained in the .tod files. These need to be created using the TerrainEditor. I did a tutorial awhile back that you can read to get familiar with the process HERE

 

I've been working on adding the trees back and have about 12 tiles populated now. It's a slow tedious process since placement is one tree at a time.

 

[+Spectre_USA]

Good ol' Deuces, the Johny Appleseed of the SF/WoV world!

 

Lookin' good. Looking real good!

[+Fubar512]

Deuces isn't kidding when he says that it's tedious. i've tried it myself, and found it an absolutely mind-numbing process.

[Danstein]

Nice work. I think I`ve downloaded TerainEditor. I`ll have to try this.

[Danstein]

I tried it but I must do somethinq wrong. I tried it on VIETNAMJ1.bmp. I used editor and generated VietnamJ1.ini. There are 26 trees (4 sorts from 1 bmp like in your example).I think problem is with names of trees. The bmp with 4 trees names "4trees" (all 4 trees are located in 1 bmp). There are names tree1, tree2, tree3 and tree4 in VietnamJ1.ini. I copied 4trees. bmp to the VietnamSEA folder.

 

I haven`t any lod (VietnamJ1.lod) too.

[+Deuces]

I tried it but I must do somethinq wrong. I tried it on VIETNAMJ1.bmp. I used editor and generated VietnamJ1.ini. There are 26 trees (4 sorts from 1 bmp like in your example).I think problem is with names of trees. The bmp with 4 trees names "4trees" (all 4 trees are located in 1 bmp). There are names tree1, tree2, tree3 and tree4 in VietnamJ1.ini. I copied 4trees. bmp to the VietnamSEA folder.

 

I haven`t any lod (VietnamJ1.lod) too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Danstein...give me a few and I will try to make it easier to grasp. I think you may be over engineering the process

Edited June 14, 2005 by Deuces

[Danstein]

I unpacked Terrain Editor to a special folder on my HDD. Then I unpacked a VietnamSEA.cat to other folder. I copied VIETNAMJ1.bmp from this folder to Terrain Editor Folder.

 

I draw a picture of 4 trees in Photoshop. The picture is BMP with resolution 256x256 and names 4trees.bmp. There is 1 tree in each quater of a picture, so there are 4 trees. I copied the trees from similar picture from USAF by Jane`s. Тhe picture in USAF was tga but I converted it to BMP (I copied trees to 4trees.bmp from bmp to bmp, not from tga).

 

Then I used Terrain editor. I opened the terrain editor. I went to Texture List-Edit Object Map List, selected New - 4trees.bmp. I selected Alpha object. Next I clicked the Edit Object Type button and selected New. I selected X-tree, Width was 10, Height 20, coordinates of quaters in the picture by your system. I had 4 trees: Tree1, Tree2, Tree3, Tree4. So i leaved the dialogs and windows. I was in main screen and went to Texture List-SAVEd TEXTURE LIST.

 

Then I went to Texture List-Texture Map List. Selected the file VIETNAMJ1.bmp. 4trees.bmp was in Alpha Object map. I clicked Place Object. There wasn`t any number in scale field, so I wrote 2000. Then I clicked New and selected one of 4 trees in Object Type field and I entered random coordinates from 0 to 230 (x, y) and clicked on save. I I repeated it 26x. I had 26 white dots on the left picture. I closed the window and went to the main screen. I went to Texture List-SAVEdTEXTURE LIST. VietnamJ1.ini file originated.

 

I deleted VietnamSEA.cat fto WoV and copied unpacked files fom VietnamSEA.cat to WoV to right position. So I copied VietnamJ1.ini,VietnamJ1.bmp and 4trees.bmp to this folder in WoV.

 

I started WoV, and tried mission with F-4/1967/iron hand in single mission. This mission started over mountains I go to 200 feets flew many miles but can`t sее any tree. All values in graphisc are high.

[+Deuces]

Well you certainly have the process down..sorry if I sounded like I needed to dumb it down, was not my intention.

 

The tree file you add to your terrain folder need to be a tga w/an alpha channel (32 bit) not bmp. Only a bmp in the terrain folder. You also need to copy over the VietnamJ1.tod that was created when you saved the terrain. That will be in your terrain folder.

[Danstein]

Well. Should I open a VIETNAMSEA.HFD file before I open a TEROBJECT_TREES1.tga file? If I open tga file of tree I can`t see any picture of tree on a half to the left in a Object Texture Dialog box. Is it OK?

 

And the program generated only a VietnamJ1.ini file but no VietnamJ1.tod. What shall I do to generate .tod file?

[+Deuces]

Well. Should I open a VIETNAMSEA.HFD file before I open a TEROBJECT_TREES1.tga file? If I open tga file of tree I can`t see any picture of tree on a half to the left in a Object Texture Dialog box. Is it OK? 

 

And the program generated only a VietnamJ1.ini file but no VietnamJ1.tod. What shall I do to generate .tod file?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Your tree image needs to be a bmp in the editor folder. It needs to be a tga in the game folder. Even though your chossing a bmp in the editor, the game will know to look for a tga for object textures. In order for the tod to be created, you'll open the hfd file...add your trees....then save the terrain from the editor. I'd suggest saving it in a new folder created within the editor folder. This way you'll see new files created easier. One other thing, once saved, you'll need to open the VIETNAMSEA_DATA.ini file (assuming your working on the WOV terrain), find the tile you've added trees to, in this case VietnamJ1.

Look for

[Texture013]

Filename=vietnamJ1.BMP

HasWater=0

Color=0.151090,0.235939,0.157972

SolidObjectTexture=

AlphaObjectTexture=terobject_trees1.tga <--add this

[Danstein]

Thank you very much. I`ll have to try it. I had a little problem yesterday. I opened the vietnamsea.hfd file. I acomplished usual operaitons with picture of tree and VIETNAMJ1.bmp. Finally I saved hfd file but the Trerrain Editor didn`t save the file and the program only fell down back to Windows. I have Windows XP Pro SP1 (not SP2) with all other hotfixes.

 

I`ll try it by your advices.

[Danstein]

Sorry but I have another problem. When would be tod file generated? After I save texture list with texture map or after saving In main window (File->Save/Save as../Save All)? When I save texture, tod isn`t generated and when I try to save hfd, Terrain Editor fall down with this statement (from Windows "crash dialog box"): AppName: terraineditor.exe AppVer: 0.0.0.0 ModName: terraineditor.exe

ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 00017c89

[+Deuces]

Danstein-It would be created once you save the the map...save as.

I'm not sure why it's crashing. Check the TerrainEditor.ini and confirm all the paths to files are correct.

[Danstein]

I wasn`t successful. A unpacked Terrain Editor into a default folder on my system disc (by info in TerrainEditor.in).

 

At first I opened VIETNAMSEA.HFD file. Then I worked with tree bmp. Then I saved it and the program generated a texture.ini file (exactly name I don`t know I am on other PC now). There were written positions of trees on the bmp/tga tree pictures. Then I opened the vietnamJ1.BMP file and inserted the trees to the texture map (120 pieces of trees). I saved texture and terrain Editor generated vietnamJ1.ini file. Then I clicked Save in File menu, program generated VIETNAMSEA.ini file and fell down back to the Windows with a crash table see above (the same problem with save as, etc.). Any tod or lod file didn`t generated.

 

I am trying to solve my problem still. May be I find any solution. Someone could be faster with giving back trees to the simulator.

[Danstein]

What are tod or lod filees about?

[Danstein]

Could I consult my progress in detail step-by-step? From new clear instalation of the TerrainEditor. May be an error otherwhere.

[+Deuces]

Could I consult my progress in detail step-by-step? From new clear instalation of the TerrainEditor. May be an error otherwhere.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Tell me how your going about installing it completely...lets see if we can figure out where the problem is.

[Danstein]

Hi. My first steps. I created following directories on my D disc. The D disc (partition) is my system disc.

 

D:\projects\ThirdWire\proj\WrightFlyer\Data\Terrain\

D:\projects\ThirdWire\util

D:\projects\ThirdWire\proj\FlightSim\Data\TerrainEditor\

 

Then I unpacked the Terrain editor program to the util directory and created in the TerrainEditor a new directory. The directory named Target so the way is:

 

 

D:\projects\ThirdWire\util\TerrainEditor\Target\

 

In the TerrainEditor directory is a directory System too.

 

To a Terrain directory I copied a VIETNAMSEA.HDF file and to The Target directory I copied a NAMTree.bmp, NAMTree.tga and VIETNAM1.BMP files. NAMTree.bmp and NAMTree.tga are images of trees.

[Danstein]

Shift only.