Need aid to create a unit using textures from two different factions.

[lordargento]

I start this specific thread since i think it would be useful to help other begginers like in their mission to create units using textures from 2 different factions.
The important challenge will be my next austrian unit: The City of Trieste Landwehr. For them iŽll need to be a step foward in modding, since iŽm planning to use the basic "austrian landshutzen" for every unit part, apart from the "hungarian trousers" all from the same faction (austria), except for the hat, since the most exact helmet i found in game to match with this Trieste Landwehr belongs to other faction: the "danish Life Guards on Horse" helmet. Analysing the files, i found in "variant_models" the sepecific name of the helmet: "portuguese_tarleton" (i forgot also the portuguese cavalry wears this kind of helmet, apart from some danish cavalry).
Now as i exposed above, the whole unit will need austrian textures (basic land shutzen body, and hungarian trousers), except for the helmet, texture belonging to another faction (denmark/portugal). The question is the following: if i extract all the colour/difusse/gloss/normal.atlas files (for instace all the portugese .atlas), and i erase (or add the term "Blank Texture which is found in the same .atlas files) and only leave this line: "VariantModels/UnitParts/Euro/Hats/Portuguese_Tartleton/tex/texture_colour", then can i add these portuguese .atlas files to my mod (and rename them of course with my mod name) to make the new unit? Will this affect all the other portuguese units?
And relating to the .dds files, must all of them be "erased" too, only leaving the "portuguese tarleton" images? Or only editing the .atlas files thereŽs no need to delete .dds images?
I need your aid to finally understand how may i use and modify in game texture files.
Thank you all in advance

[lordargento]

Everything in "variant files" appears as duplicated...
May i have to simply copy the "portuguese_tarleton" helmet from each of the .atlas files and add it in each of the austrian variant files "hats/corsican_hat..." line (since that the hat i will modify)?
And if so, what should i do with the portuguese .dds files (from which i only need the helmet)?

[Steph]

The easiest way to do it:
Since you want ot use mostly the Austrian uniform, and only the helmet from another one.
Extract the Austrian texture files (dds, normal, etc).
Rename it Austria2 _RestOfTheNameOfTheFile (for example).

Extract the danish texture file.

Now, with an image editor like gimp or photoshop, select the texture of the "danish Life Guards on Horse", and copy it exactly other a hat in the Austria2 texture that you don't plan to use. I don't have the game with me here, so I'm not sure of the name, but let say you don't plan to use the "cavalry helmet", so you replace it (be careful you really don't need the hat for an officer, or a drummer).
You need to replace it in every file (normal, colour mask, diffuse and glass).
Just edit the texture file, no need edit the atlas.
Then, in the variant, you will define your unit normally, using for the hat, in the texture you use "cavalry helmet", and for the mesh you use "Portuguese_Tartleton".

In other words: for the mesh you use exactly what you need. For the texture, you simply replace an existing one by the texture you need, but in the variant, you still use the name of "old texture".

Now, if you need to do it several times, for several different units, you can use again Austria2, as long as you can find a hat, coat or whatever that you don't plan to use for any of the units using Austria2, you can replace this part with a part form another faction.

There is also another way. Sometimes the textures files are not full (you have a lot of empty space). In that case, it is possible to copy your textures from the other faction in the empty area. It's a little more complicated, because then you need to edit the atlas file to add new entries.
But this way you don't need a new atlas file, and so it's less memory load when playing the battles.

So use the first method if you plan to add several units and you will need many new parts (two textures files will give you plenty of room), and use the second method if you just need a few parts.

You can also combine both if you plan to make many units, but and two texture files are not enough, and are only missing a few more. Instead of making a 3rd texture, file, you use two texture files, and add the few missing parts in the blanks.

For example, in Masters of Europe, we have 5 textures files for France and related.
4 for France proper, one for Royalists and Bretons.

The main difficulty when you want to have many new units is to optimize the use of the file, trying to group in the same texture file everything you can share with as many units as possible, being sure you have all the parts you need for the same unit in the same texture file.

[lordargento]

Thank you very much Steph, you are Great Professor. Glad to have you in this community
IŽll try this today once i return home, and iŽll tell you if it works.

[lordargento]

Now iŽm at home trying to master the dark sciences of Gimp.... the only achievment was to copy one texture over the other (layer)
But well, iŽll go on trying to understand this program (iŽve never used this kind of program in my whole life!) and finding the best way to only cut the "portuguese_tarleton" helmet (that belongs to the portuguese/danish factions) and stick it over the "corsican_hat" of the austrian faction, which is the unit part i want to modify.
Thank you very much Steph (as soon as the system allows me, iŽll give another Rep to you), and thanks in advance to anyone who would like to help.

[Steph]

First solution is to use the rectangle solution tool and do it graphically: zoom a lot, and be very very careful

There is a better way... If you look in the atlas file (not the dds), you will see that for each part, you have a coordinate and a size.

When you use the rectangulare selection in gimp, in the toolbox, you can see "rectangular selection", and there you should also find a position and size. Enter here the value from the atlas, and you will select exactly the part you need, with no error.

Use this to select the part you want in the source file.
Then do the same to select the part you want to replace in the target file.
In both image, you should see the selection mask exactly around the part you want to copy or replace.

Go in the source file, use CTRL+C to copy the part. Go in the target file, use CTRL+V to paste it. It will be pasted exactly where you want it.

May be I'll make a small tutorial about this this week end, with screenshots.

[lordargento]

Thank you very much Grand Steph... you are really very helpful. Since today itŽs Friday, iŽll have a bit of time this night to test the option of the .atlas coordinates you told me here. It seems to be easier, and more accurate.
Mercy beaucoup, vous êtes vraiment un gentleman (do not know if it can be translated to french, iŽm not fluent in that language).
Thanks.

[lordargento]

Hi Steph, hope you are right.
IŽll try to follow your instructions and modify the files using Gimp. This week-end was really awful for me, since my nephew was born premature... and well, i had no time at all to initiate the process of learning how to use this program.
For sure this night, once i return from studying, iŽll be taking care of Gimp

[lordargento]

Great Steph, iŽm trying to do it manually (extract the "tarleton_helmet" from portugalŽs .dds files and paste it over the "casquet_infantry_helmet" froms austrian .dds files, since iŽm not planning to use this casquet type hat), but the results are not the best ones.
I need to try and doing these using coordinates as you proposed. But thereŽs a little doubt: When i use the rectangular selection in gimp, in the tool box, i only had four variants, while in the .atlas files i got 6 (x1/y1/x2/y2/WIDTH/HEIGHT). Which parameters should i introduce and how can a make it work?
Thank you very much Grand Artifex Steph.

[Steph]

I'll make a tutorial for that with screenshots, but it may not be before the week end.

[lordargento]

Thank you very much Steph, you are always eager to help us liitle modders. Thanks. Till week-end, iŽll try by myself and see if i can solve this. And then iŽm going to read your tutorial.
Thanks once again, you deserve a Rep

[Steph]

This tutorial could be useful

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=536174

[lordargento]

Thanks Steph. Once i return home iŽll take a look and try to modify files and create a regimet with different textures.
Thank you very much Steph, you are great. IŽll give you Rep once the system allows me to do so again.
Thank you.