Texture Atlas Files

[Lord Mongsworth]

Does anyone have any idea how we might be able to open/edit the atlas files that are included in the variantmesh pack?

[Rudovich]

The word says it 'Atlas'

Open it with notepad and you'll see it's not a real texture file but looks more like some kind of file that localizes the textures from the .DDS file. Ofcourse I am not sure but this is my first guess when I look at this file.

EDIT: take a look at this!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It is the Austrian-diffuse.atlas and Austrian-diffuse.DDS and in both files those german cavalry trousers with boots come first
Also, each name of each texture part is seen twice in the file:
1st one

Q V a r i a n t M o d e l s / U n i t P a r t s / E u r o / L e g s / G e r m a n _ C a v a l r y _ T r o u s e r s _ W i t h _ B o o t s / t e x / t e x t u r e

2nd one

V a r i a n t M o d e l s / U n i t P a r t s / E u r o / L e g s / G e r m a n _ C a v a l r y _ T r o u s e r s _ W i t h _ B o o t s / t e x / t e x t u r e _ d i f f u s e . d d s

SECOND EDIT: and for your question, no.. no idea how to edit it.

[Lord Mongsworth]

Hi mate, thanks for your reply. I had a feeling that was exactly what they were for but just didn't think to open the file in notepad ...

I tried downloading the Nvidia atlas tools but they were useless..

Anyway good stuff mate thanks! +REP

one step closer to working out this new texture system

Cheers

[Rudovich]

As I am wanting some more units going to try and find out more about it tomorrow, especially about how it localizes the textures as we don't see any numbers.
maybe it could be something with the >, ?, $,@, spaces and all other signs?

[Lord Mongsworth]

That would be of great help for my Russian retexture project as so many units share the same parts its impossible to add variety. I'll have a look into it also and see if i can make any sense of it

Cheers

Edit: So these atlas files are pointing to all the individual unit parts in the variantmesh pack... but why? The textures are all already on the .dds file

Edit: It seems they must have generated all the .dds files through these atlas files... but where is the bit that points each skin to it's unit?? I can't see anything in the db files...

[Rudovich]

So the signs in the .Atlas file start with > > D D
this keeps for a while untill other picture sizes show up, so this sure is the positioning.. but how many pixels do they stand for? and as there are so many, I don't even know what's height and whats sidewards.

[Rudovich]

Retexturing should be possible now, though adding new textures is out of the question for me

here is a fast tutorial:
what you need is Pack File manager, http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=338259
and a DDS converter for Photoshop.
1) open variantmodels.pack with pack file manager.
2) go to variantmodels > Units > Atlas > choose file and open(textures not atlas)
3) Find the same part on the table you just opened in the folder 'Variantmodels > unitparts > euro/ottoman.
4) Edit the texture you just opened to the way you like it. don't forgot to change other files with it, so Diffuse, normel, colour_mask and gloss_map
5) Add everything you created on the exact right size(so don't overlap any others) to the variantmodels > Units > Atlas texture files. again Diffuse, Normel and gloss-map.

Don't change any names in the whole process and if you are smart you create your own mod.pack!

[Lord Mongsworth]

Haha thanks for that mate Retexturing has been possible from the start... Have a look in the released mods thread

I get that bit

I want to be able to change models/assign diff (existing) skins to units. Eg. Make it so that the Moscow Musketeers officer uses the legs skin of the standard russian officer...or uses the standard russian officer model etc

I'm not having trouble with the texture editing part at the moment

Thanks for your help

[Rudovich]

Haha thanks for that mate Retexturing has been possible from the start... Have a look in the released mods thread

didn't noticed any retexture mods, guess I should look arround a bit better

[♔Sir Digby Chicken Caesar♔]

I'd only just got me head around how to skin in Empire now it's all gone tits up
I don't know what to do with the colour mask (even how to open it)

Any help on this would be nice

[Rudovich]

in the colour mask everything which is black won't get the colours of the faction.
there is a .DDS file for photoshop and a .Atlas file you can open with notepad(lets hope a tool in the future).

[Lord Mongsworth]

That db table - uniform to faction colours could be interesting

I wonder if we can assign our own colours to the rgb channels on the colour mask??

[♔Sir Digby Chicken Caesar♔]

in the colour mask everything which is black won't get the colours of the faction.
there is a .DDS file for photoshop and a .Atlas file you can open with notepad(lets hope a tool in the future).

Cheers mate, I'll have a play about & see whats what

[♔Sir Digby Chicken Caesar♔]

in the colour mask everything which is black won't get the colours of the faction.
there is a .DDS file for photoshop and a .Atlas file you can open with notepad(lets hope a tool in the future).

Ok I can see the colour mask.atlas but not the dss, is this somewhere else?

Lookin' for france_colour_mask.DSS btw

[Lord Mongsworth]

Yeah they are in variantmodels2.pack

[♔Sir Digby Chicken Caesar♔]

Yeah they are in variantmodels2.pack

Ty sir +rep 4 both of u when I can again ... Edit: Done it , thx again

[Lord Mongsworth]

Ty sir +rep 4 both of u when I can again

No problem

Does anyone know how to work out how each texture's coordinates are assigned in the atlas files?

If someone can figure this out then we can add new texture tiles into the dds, i would imagine. Then just point the atlas and unit_variant files to the new directories...

This would mean we can make complete custom units using the individual parts included with the game

[Rudovich]

would be good if a programmer could help us out with those coordinates

[Lord Mongsworth]

Yes, that would be awesome

I've tried changing existing texture paths to new files but it ends up plastering the entire faction dds on a single section of the body, even though in the unit_variant file I've pointed it to a new individual .dds file.

I also managed to get an existing texture on the main faction dds to appear on the body part of a different unit.

Must have to assign each texture to the main faction dds (maybe why there's so much blank space at the bottom)

It seems until we get these atlas files figured out we are stuck with the textures on the main faction dds files...

[Swiss Halberdier]

That db table - uniform to faction colours could be interesting
I wonder if we can assign our own colours to the rgb channels on the colour mask??

Hello LM, it seems that the table "uniforms" does contain some interesting relations too. Each unit is there listed with the related faction and two other values that are probably pointing to the model/mesh. I didn't have any luck in creating a new unit though.