[How-to] Edit a texture

[PogS]

Download Corsix Mod Studio

Open it and browse through your DoW/DC/SS W40k or DXP2 folder and select :
http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin1.jpg

Select the rsh file(s) corresponding to the unit you want to reskin :
http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin2.jpg

Extract it to a folder you created before (warning: if the folder path does not exist, you'll get an error message)
http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin3.jpg

Extract the rsh file(s) using DoW Texture Tool :
http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin4.jpg

You'll get .dss file(s) that you can edit in Photoshop with a plug-in :
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/photoshop_dds_plugins.html
Download and install the dds thumbnail viewer as well to be able to see them in windows explorer. I suggest you also get tga thumbnail viewer at http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Other.Detail&id=30#Files.

http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin4b.jpg

Now edit your texture.
dds files are turned upside down. So to ease your editing, usggest to flip it back, work on it and before you save it back to .dds, do not forget to flip it back upside down.

Flatten it (make it one layer) and save as a dds file :
http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin5.jpg

If your skin texture has no alpha channel (ie : transparency : opacity < 100), then select DXT1
If it does, select DXT5

http://pogs.free.fr/DoW/reskin6.jpg

Important : If you make DXT5 dds texture, do not use DoW Texture Tool as it screws your transparency. Use Photoshop instead. DoW Texture Tool TGA to DDS functionality flips the file when exporting so do not flip it manually before.

[Jaguar-Lord]

If you make DXT5 dds texture, do not use DoW Texture Tool as it screws your transparency. Use Photoshop instead.

what do you mean by "do not use DoW Texture Tool" ? do not use to to do what ? to make .rsh from .dds ? no

i think it is : do not use the DoW Texture Tool (Ibboard Textue tool) to convert your .tga to .dds texture.
anyway: transparency and tga do not gives good result, it should be avoided wenever possible.

use Photoshop or Gimp to flatten you .psd ( or .xcf in Gimp) then convert to .dds DXT5 or DXT1 compression option, and remember to generate mimap. only "power of two" size are supported by the DDs format (68x256 or 68x128 or 256x256 and so on....up to 1024x1024)

have fun.

[PogS]

That is what I meant ;)

[NiNJaAAA]

after you have your dds, what do you do?

[Jaguar-Lord]

recompile the texture into a .rsh...what else ?! ;)

[NiNJaAAA]

so I make my dds into a rsh then just put it in the folder?

[under_score]

A more expanded version of what jaguar said:
Save your edited .dds as explained in the tutorial
Use IBBoard's texture tool to convert to .rsh.
Put the .rsh file back in the folder it came from and overwrite best to keep the original unedited .rsh somewhere in case it breaks the game.
(troubleshoot cursed alpha channels :P)

[badgut]

Stupid Question but i read the tutorial but i couldnt find anything of making teamcolourable.

[jONES1979]

http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?239245-List-of-Tutorials-How-To-s-and-Tools

First link in Texturing section