Editing Ship Models/Skins

[Feuer Frei!]

Anyone got any experience with Blender? I've got a tga file open in Blender, it's of the U-boot 2sa, can i and how do i insert images onto the hull?
Also, adding camaflouage etc, new paint jobs? From here?

[Feuer Frei!]

Hallo Kaleuns
So is there anyone that can give me some pointers in working with gimp and sh3?
Specifically making emblems, load screens, uniforms, skins for u-boots?
I've scoured the web but for specifically the things i'm asking, there is not much in the way of step by step guides unfortunately.

[Mittelwaechter]

Hallo Feuer Frei,

Blender and 3dWings are programs to add or change 3d objects. If you want to add a cube behind your wintergarten, this is what you need. I guess they don't even open TGA files.
(TGA is a format like JPG or GIF - for pictures/images - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.tga)

CS2 or Gimp or Paint.net are the tools to change camouflage or do paintjobs or change any "flat 2d" screens for the game. They do open TGA files.

For the camouflage job you have to find the "skin" (TGA) wrapped around an ingame 3d object and change it to your liking. The ingame screens are TGA files too.

There are thousands of tutorials on the internet for both groups of tasks - especially for the painting stuff.

For i.e. Gimp: http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

[Feuer Frei!]

Thanks for your reply Mittelwaechter.

Another quick question:

When editing or rather skinning Subs for example, how do i know what i'm changing in respect to what part of the ship.
Specifically these files: UFlak_High, mask_type, conning_stuff, Turm7c_1_deck for instance.

I understand the hull, deck files of course, pretty self-explanatory, just wondering about the above-mentioned.
What part of the ship are they?

I'm starting to get used to Gimp, and the different tools available within the program, but get a little stuck on some of those file names, and where they are on the ship. I've started experimenting skinning my own sub, albeit the outcome is still very simplistic I'm still learning.

As for install directory, i assume, after inspecting other skin mods submitted by users in the past that the install directory is ALWAYS Data/Textures/TNormal/tex?


Thanks in advance

[Mittelwaechter]

Color the different areas of the TGA's in significant colors and fire them up to see where what goes. Then watch the steel colored rectangle changed to pink in your TGA making a pink colored 10.5 cm barrel...

If you stay with this stuff and stand the learning curve I suggest you switch over to PhotoShop CS2 sooner or later. It's a ~700.- $ pro tool from 2005 - iirc - and freeware since a few days.

The directory is Data/Textures/TNormal/tex, because its where the game searches for the textures in the first place. You may extract TGA files from different other locations and files with S3D.

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Mittelwaechter

Then watch the steel colored rectangle changed to pink in your TGA making a pink colored 10.5 cm barrel...

I don't quiete understand this line?
steel colored rectangle? You're talking about a tga file here for the gun? deck gun file is named? I assume uflak high is flak gun? what name is the deck gun tga?
Sorry for my ignorance.
PS: Thanks for your help.

[Mittelwaechter]

It's just an example.

Open your desired TGA with Gimp and color the areas.
There may be a steel colored rectangle, or a brown colored circle, or whatever...
You don't know what it's good for, but if you color them in pink and purple and reinsert the changed TGA into the game, you will see the pink and purple areas representing the changed areas of your TGA.

Use S3D to save an image of where the textures are for each part.
It's a UV map that shows you where to 'paint'.
Just know this.
Some parts use the same areas all over the place.
The Hull being a great example.