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a_lleras
a_lleras
Join Date 09/2011
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GIMP DDS Files Problem

September 25, 2011 5:25:13 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Hi, I'm new at this modding thing, just started modeling and I can say I'm going pretty well. Heheh. Anyway, I am trying to take a look on the textures of the ships (just training myself for the UV Maps), I downloaded the plug-in for GIMP (to read dds files), but the only thing it shows up is an almost blank image with some spots with a sort of transparent forms. Nothing viewable at all

 

I tried a solution in another post that didn't work, it was decomposing the channels to RGBA, it shows some more of the ships forms, but there are no textures at all. =S 

 

-Another thing: If anyone can (you don't have to worry so much) ^^ find me a way to open the .MESH files with blender, or just converting the files to a readable format, I tried something called 3D Object Converter, but on its unregistered version it has only like 3 formats to convert to, and the only one that blender reads is 3ds max format, but it converts to another .3ds that isn't the one I need.

 

THANKS EVERYONE! (:

 

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a_lleras
myfist0
Join Date 01/2010
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Reply #1 September 25, 2011 7:26:15 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

I have all the SoaSE models extracted already. If you want 1 let me know and I will upload it but there is loads of them and not not demand for them so I was doing on request. Some XSI 7.5 Mod tool scenes that are ready.

http://soase.weebly.com/capital-ships.html
http://soase.weebly.com/strike-craft.html

Did a tutorial a while back [Tutorial WIP] Import Sins Models to XSI

 

I will look into the gimp. I know you can create DDS textures but I never tried editing existing

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a_lleras
myfist0
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Reply #2 September 25, 2011 9:38:16 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Bah. Gimp sucks. Can't edit the individual channels  .

The Alfa channels in SoaSE textures are individual images that messes up gimp. Maybe look for another program that can edit the channels like photoshop can. Maybe getpaint.net can.

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a_lleras
Thoumsin
Join Date 03/2008
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Reply #3 September 25, 2011 10:33:36 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting myfist0,
reply 2
Bah. Gimp sucks. Can't edit the individual channels.

Not true, you can edit channels in gimp...

You can make it using "mask" and when work is done, apply the change created on the mask to a channel...

Of course, a lot of people decompose the channel to layer and work on the individual layer...

I tried a solution in another post that didn't work, it was decomposing the channels to RGBA, it shows some more of the ships forms, but there are no textures at all. =S

- colors > components > decompose ... rgba and decompose to layers

- select new picture

- colors > components > compose ... rgb... new picture will be the cl without alpha...

Myself, i make all my texture ( color, team color, specular, normal map, light, bloom, etc ) in tga format ( lossless )... only at the end, i compose then all in the various .dds ( loss of quality )...

In short, Gimp don't sucks ( for example, http://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/12/11043/Military2.jpg , one of my numerous texturing made in Gimp ) ... only guy who don't know how to use Gimps say that it sucks...

Note : for any guy being serious about texturing for game, GIMP is great but you work quality will greatly improve with GPS...

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a_lleras
myfist0
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Reply #4 September 25, 2011 11:00:54 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

After 1/2 hour of trying to open a SoaSE texture and another half hour trying to figure out those masks I said the hell with this shit. I do not need it since I have PS. Would be nice to know how but it went way past the "nice to know" and right into "F34kin PAin in the A$$"

Lets's see a video of creating a team -cl alfa and then how do you open it to edit without doing it all over again or having the project file.

EDIT: that video needs subtitles. 

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a_lleras
a_lleras
Join Date 09/2011
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Reply #5 September 25, 2011 5:16:48 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting myfist0,
reply 1
I have all the SoaSE models extracted already. If you want 1 let me know and I will upload it but there is loads of them and not not demand for them so I was doing on request. Some XSI 7.5 Mod tool scenes that are ready.

http://soase.weebly.com/capital-ships.html
http://soase.weebly.com/strike-craft.html


Did a tutorial a while back [Tutorial WIP] Import Sins Models to XSI

 

I will look into the gimp. I know you can create DDS textures but I never tried editing existing

 

Let me take a look on the tutorial (and I mean, reading it completely hahah), and I'll let you know any doubts I have. From what I see, it's to import to xsi (don't know what that is, an editor?), and I want it for blender. Explain that to me please? Heheh, sorry. =S Thanks!

 

Quoting Thoumsin,
reply 3

- colors > components > decompose ... rgba and decompose to layers

- select new picture

- colors > components > compose ... rgb... new picture will be the cl without alpha...

Myself, i make all my texture ( color, team color, specular, normal map, light, bloom, etc ) in tga format ( lossless )... only at the end, i compose then all in the various .dds ( loss of quality )...

 

Silly me, I was opening the wrong files. e.e I didn't knew the part of composing it to rgb. As I don't want to be a texturer I won't have to go deeper inside the textures thing heheh. Thank you! 

 

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a_lleras
Thoumsin
Join Date 03/2008
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Reply #6 September 25, 2011 5:57:54 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting myfist0,
reply 4
how do you open it to edit without doing it all over again or having the project file.

Here are the subtitle :

- open your .dds in Gimp

- colors > components > decompose ... rgba and decompose to layers option

- on the new pic created, remove the eyes icon before each of the color channel, you can maybe activate the chain icon in front of each color channel if you fear change these channel by mistake... be sure that only the alpha channel is selected... make your edit work...

- colors > components > recompose ... change made on the second pic alpha layer will be transfer to the first pic alpha channel...

- save

 

As for a video, my fraps version don't work with gimp but only with game... if i was wishing, i can make a picture tutorial but these forum don't allow picture attachment and a external host need to be used for hosting picture... and since that each time that i invite somehow to use my working place called danmangame, it is always a "why use a other forum when we have already the sins forum"... so, as for now, for the lazy guy who need help, it is only text here... you wish a illustrated tutorial, move your a$$ to danmangame forum, it is free, and ask me ( i am Fileosoft there )...will be happy to help people who are not lazy and don't fear to register at a other place

As photoshop, not everybody is wishing to put a amount of money enough for buy a little laptop in a application and some have enough integrity for not use a pirated version... remember that gimp is free...

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myfist0
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Reply #7 September 25, 2011 9:10:26 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Thanks Thoumsin.
I thought Gimp could do it, I just got frustrated at it (not enough sleep).

I will add that bit of info to http://soase.weebly.com/texturing.html

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a_lleras
ZombiesRus5
Join Date 02/2009
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Reply #8 September 25, 2011 11:24:30 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

I use Gimp for all my texture work and AMD's Compressonator to convert all my TGA to DDS. I've found AMD's Compressonator produces a much better quality DDS while Gimp produces much more visible artifacts (shows as green splotches in my experience).

It's a bit of a pain having to convert the texture to color channels to layers to edit them but I've gotten used to it and can whip out a viable color, data and normal map texture in very little time.

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a_lleras
myfist0
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Reply #9 September 26, 2011 10:03:14 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Added Thoumsin's quote to http://soase.weebly.com/texturing.html#Gimp 

Also added a link to AMD's Compressonator near the top of the page

 

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