Multiple ship skins

[AG124]

Here's where I think my problem is - I don't know which instance of each search to use. With both the KGV and Tugboat, there are two texture names in the .dat file - one near the top, and one further down shortly after the TRUEVISION-XFILE. There also appear to be three TRUEVISION-XFILE's.

From your screenshots, it appears as if you are using the first .tga reference and the last truevision. I have been using two in the center that were very close together. It looks as if I was using a much smaller part of the .dat file than I should hav been - my extracted .tga was only 1 KB. Is this my problem - should I use these other entries? I am going to give it a shot now...

And if I do have to select that huge block, what is the quickest way to do it? It seems to be taking a long time.

[UBOAT234]

Originally Posted by AG124

Here's where I think my problem is - I don't know which instance of each search to use. With both the KGV and Tugboat, there are two texture names in the .dat file - one near the top, and one further down shortly after the TRUEVISION-XFILE. There also appear to be three TRUEVISION-XFILE's.

From your screenshots, it appears as if you are using the first .tga reference and the last truevision. I have been using two in the center that were very close together. It looks as if I was using a much smaller part of the .dat file than I should hav been - my extracted .tga was only 1 KB. Is this my problem - should I use these other entries? I am going to give it a shot now...

And if I do have to select that huge block, what is the quickest way to do it? It seems to be taking a long time.

Hi,

I want to help hoping that a day aids you then me

You copy the block mistaken.

The process is complex, but very simple if you execute step by step, what I have written before.
I want arrive to: multitexture ship ok?
For first you must comprise other.
However, when search the first reference, point in this and remember the popsition. Ex. in case of NATF;

Open NATF.dat in hex and in Pack3d




Point just like in up screenshot (I have evidenced in bleu)
to right you see: id A8825854E53810A9B

This is the first id, of the first image .tga. It remembers this why then it will serve. Write or copy in notepad or other.
-----




Like before.
This is the second id, (I have evidenced in bleu), but always of the first image .tga. It remembers this why then it will serve. Write or copy in notepad or other, and write what is.



Now copy this name, see the screenshot up, and serach this in editor hex.



Hour you can see where it is the point like I have indicated before in my screenshot.

-----



Here is the point, byte, where start tga file. Down in the Data Inspector you can see the offset of this byte.
Now without to touch nothing other, you must find the end.



In this screenshot, the key for the end of file (EOF)

-----



Here I have found TRUEVISION-XFILE
-----



Here in green, the byte of TRUEVISION-XFILE,
and in black the point, byte, where is the end of file (EOF).
Down in the Data Inspector you can see the offset of this byte.

Now you have all data for edit this: delete or copy or convert.
But one other thing is to make one ship multitexture.
When you have create a tga file correct I can to explain other.

[UBOAT234]

While for information we can:

Have improved the feature of ship an other with:

- Added new object in the ship, without software 3d, completely and working. (edit: .dat .sim .zon)

- Added new node: (M01, S01...) completely and working and programmable with file .eqp.

- Modify the zone, when change the lenght of ship.

- Modify the hit zone, move and change the dimension.

- Added Funnel and now smoke function.

-Added new gun, completely working and modifiable.


The work is hard, but not impossible.

BEST REGARDS
UBOAT234

I now your only trying to help Uboat234, but sadly due to your limited english skills, its making it even more confusing!

I'd suggest that you write it all out in Italian and maybe some1 here can do a translation. Because atm you have now even made me confused and I did do 1 multiskin job before!!!

I'm not trying to be rude, its just rather plain to see that the language barrier is doing a bloody good job again.

[UBOAT234]

Originally Posted by Cdre Gibs

I now your only trying to help Uboat234, but sadly due to your limited english skills, its making it even more confusing!

I'd suggest that you write it all out in Italian and maybe some1 here can do a translation. Because atm you have now even made me confused and I did do 1 multiskin job before!!!

I'm not trying to be rude, its just rather plain to see that the language barrier is doing a bloody good job again.

Great problem...
But,
Know you how to make the multiskin? If yes, then she explains it in English for ag124

BEST REGARDS
UBOAT234

[AG124]

No, I'm actually having no trouble understanding what you are saying. I believe I understand all of your instructions perfectly. I will give it another try after dinner.

I think I figured it out late last night, but it was taking a long time to select that huge block. It appeared to be at least 40% of the .dat file. I was just wondering if there is a quicker way to select that huge block besides using the arrow keys. (The scroll on the particular mouse which i have here is broken).

[ref]

Originally Posted by AG124

I was just wondering if there is a quicker way to select that huge block besides using the arrow keys. (The scroll on the particular mouse which i have here is broken).

Try shift+pageup/pagedown, it works on most editors.

Originally Posted by AG124

But there are two NATF'tga's one with an address of 00015D71 and one with an address of 00295EEF. The second one has the TRUEVISION-XFILE entry very close above it. This is the one pictured in my last screenshot, and it is the one which I used.

There are three entries in the dat file for every texture, the tga data (type 03) the texture properties (type 02) and the texture label (type 08). Also there's a reference to the textures in the root node for the object (type 04) which points to the type 02 node.

Also, you may want to test UBOAT234 procedure very well before releasing a mod, I'm not saying he's wrong, but at the end of the file there's an index of each node and it's position on the file (type 1001), if you add or delete some chunks in the file , the most logical thing to do is to edit also the index, I didn't try it yet, but it must be there for something...

Ref

[Anvart]

Originally Posted by Ref

There are three entries in the dat file for every texture, the tga data (type 03) the texture properties (type 02) and the texture label (type 08). Also there's a reference to the textures in the root node for the object (type 04) which points to the type 02 node.

Small additions:
1) datBlock Type 2 - Material properties (Material on the basis of TGA file)
2) also Type 13 - child of Type 2

Anvart

[UBOAT234]

Originally Posted by AG124

No, I'm actually having no trouble understanding what you are saying. I believe I understand all of your instructions perfectly. I will give it another try after dinner.

I think I figured it out late last night, but it was taking a long time to select that huge block. It appeared to be at least 40% of the .dat file. I was just wondering if there is a quicker way to select that huge block besides using the arrow keys. (The scroll on the particular mouse which i have here is broken).

HI,

If you want I send you all the ships multiskin, But is interestant for the future, Edit this in hex.
When I explain like adding other things. Like as an example modifying .sim and .zon files, a lot interesting with my bad English...

Sergbuto wrote
"You need to do hexediting of the DAT file and for the corresponding .TGA, which you want to have multiple copies, replace sections with identificators 02, 03, and 08 with the cfg#TXR_ section. Put the texture plate in the ship folder and name it accordingly"
...But not there is, one important edit. the more important, otherwise it does not work, and crash the game. (NOT MEMORY, HOW MANY TIMES, IS HAPPENED)

Is necessary add a id. in advance to the label. The id where is indicated in my tutorial for extract the .tga.
Second, delete the D-sided, in corrispondence of the SpecularMask.
And in end move the Byte 0A to the the label, and add the dimension in byte.
(I am making a lot of image, and in end my bad english is little important)




BEST REGARDS
UBOAT234

[UBOAT234]

Hi,

Anvart, have you idea, to what he serves, all the index of id, in end of file?

BEST REGARDS
UBOAT234

[ref]

Originally Posted by Anvart

Small additions:
1) datBlock Type 2 - Material properties (Material on the basis of TGA file)
2) also Type 13 - child of Type 2

Anvart

Hi Anvart, do you know the structure for those nodes ?

TYPE 02

0200 Type 4 bytes dword
0000 Subtype 4 bytes dword
XXXX Size 4 bytes dword
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ID 8 bytes

the remaining bytes from size I don't know what they are...

TYPE 0D

0200 Type 4 bytes dword
0000 Subtype 4 bytes dword
XXXX Size 4 bytes dword
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ID 8 bytes
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PARENT ? 8 bytes
XXXXXX ???? 8 bytes
XXXXXXXXX LABEL remaining bytes

Same for these...

Any info will be more than welcome

Ref

Umm, I basicaly sorta cheated with mine. I loaded up the original Type 34 DD Dat file and Serg's Type 34DD Dat file into Hexworkshop. I then did a compare. After that I just did the same bits to mine as Serg had done to his. As I said, sorta cheating, but I'm not really a coder, so I did it that way to expadite matters.

Normally with Mods I have worked on before, I just do the Models an Skins, others always coded them into game. This being my first ever game dabbiling with coding (of a sort) I am WAAAY behind the 8 ball ! Hell I had never used or even seen a Hex editor before SH3.

The SOP would have been for me to load the MDT (Mod Developers Toolkit) into Max, Maya, Lightwave, Milkshape or whatever 3D program was required to make the models and then make a TxT file of all the COORD's for where everything went on the base model (like if it was a ship then where all the guns an what not went) and hand that all over to some1 who would do the coding required to get it into game. This enabled me to just concentrate on doing the models an skins. I prefer that method since coding drives me NUTS.

[UBOAT234]

Originally Posted by AG124

No, I'm actually having no trouble understanding what you are saying. I believe I understand all of your instructions perfectly. I will give it another try after dinner.

I think I figured it out late last night, but it was taking a long time to select that huge block. It appeared to be at least 40% of the .dat file. I was just wondering if there is a quicker way to select that huge block besides using the arrow keys. (The scroll on the particular mouse which i have here is broken).

Check your PM

BEST REGARDS
UBOAT234

[Anvart]

Originally Posted by Ref

Hi Anvart, do you know the structure for those nodes ?

TYPE 02 .......
TYPE 0D .......

Hi, Ref.
I don't understand What do you want for?
You must to use this material properties whithout changing!
That you see below it not is absolutely accurate conception.
It is my reflections (meditations), assumptions and my terminology.
All this requires testing.
For example:

Data Block Type 2:
- 4 bytes unsigned long dataBlock Type
- 4 bytes unsigned long dataBlock SubType
- 4 bytes unsigned long data Size
- 8 bytes material ID
Next 28 bytes - material properties
- "FF" - 1 byte flag (delimiter)
- 3 bytes Ambient, Diffuse Color
- 1 byte boolean "00" or "01"
- 3 bytes Specular Color
- 1 byte Specular Level
- 1 byte Glossiness
- "00" - 1 byte maybe Self-Illumination
- "00" - 1 byte Contrast Level
- 1 byte Reflection
- 1 byte relative Reflection
- "0000" - 2 bytes always "00"
- 4 bytes unsigned long TGA Size
- 4 bytes float maybe bitmap Scale
- "00000000" - 4 bytes
- tgaName - Zero end string with TGA name
- "00" - 1 byte end of string

Cheerio,
Anvart

[ref]

Thanks Anvart .
I'm collecting info for a project I'm working on , more I understand the data, more easy is to program, so far I have too many unknowns, (a couple less now thanks to you )

Ref

[edit] Damn, they took a picture of me last night and change my avatar :rotfl: