Utility for writing UV map templates in dds format

[KnightErrant]

There's a Python utility for reading the uv maps out of a Milkshape .ms3d
file and writing two .dds files, one for the Figure maps and one for the
Attachment maps. It can be downloaded from here:

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...o=file&id=1888

After unzipping the file WriteUVMaps2DDS.py, you can run it by
double-clicking on it in Explorer. It will display a FileChooser from which
you can double-click on a .ms3d file. The output files are large so it
takes roughly 30 seconds to run. As an example, suppose you
double-clicked on armored_sergeants_lod0.ms3d. It will produce
two .dds files named
armored_sergeants_lod0_figure.dds
armored_sergeants_lod0_attachments.dds

A screenshot of the figure maps is:



and a slightly zoomed screenshot of the attachments maps is:



Note that this is the uncompressed format A8R8G8B8 and not the
compressed dxt5 format. The files can be opened in Photoshop and
renamed and resaved in the dxt5 format by using save as.
This takes you to the NVIDIA dds Format dialog where you can select
dxt5 from the combobox.

Hopefully this will simplify making uv map templates.

[SigniferOne]

KE, so good to see you still coding away at things. Could you explain what this program does, I thought with converting to Max people's UWV problems were resolved...

[KnightErrant]

Hi SigniferOne,

Well this started with Max. I couldn't find a good way of getting out the uv
map templates that Alletun talked about in the Tome. You can export
the map for a mesh from Max but I couldn't find any tuts on the web for
exporting every uv map for every mesh in a scene. So the first stab at it
was a Max Script to write them to a .txt file and then a Python script to
take that to the .dds format. Then it dawned on me that since the .ms3d
format is the ultimate goal no matter what you use, Max, Gmax, Milkshape,
Blender, I might as well just pull the maps from that format and make the
templates. It was actually EB that suggested this, automate making the
templates so modellers don't have to put all those screen shots together
by hand before handing the templates off to their artists to start making
their textures. I haven't learned Photoshop but from the Tome I gather
you put the template in one layer and then paint underneath them in
another layer for alignment.

[SigniferOne]

So this is a way to mass-produce textures, I imagine? Because we've never had to deal with Photoshop-painting over templates in PItalica, we just made them according to each model (in Max).

Have you taken a look at the path-finding thread? I'm so happy things are developing for MTW2

[kaiser1993]

cheers, this tool is extremely useful for a novice

[Killerbee]

Why did this have this low amount of attention ? Looks pretty usefull (as far as I can understand )

[Ishan]

@Killerbee
It doesn't and is very handy and extremely useful atleast for me but various other modders out there also use it as well i'm sure of it.

[Kahvipannu]

Big thanks for this. Really easy to use and works like a charm.
+1

[Master Necromancer]

For some reason this doesn't work for me I double click, select and double click the ms3d file, then a black screen comes up, some lines of letters pop up and the black screen disappears but no UV maps come up.... Please help!

[Ishan]

For some reason this doesn't work for me I double click, select and double click the ms3d file, then a black screen comes up, some lines of letters pop up and the black screen disappears but no UV maps come up.... Please help!

That some reason would be that u are using a Python version higher than 2.6.
These scripts are based on v2.5, v2.6 only and install the 32-bit version only 64 bit also doesn't works.

Good Luck !

[Louis Lux]

For some reason this doesn't work for me I double click, select and double click the ms3d file, then a black screen comes up, some lines of letters pop up and the black screen disappears but no UV maps come up.... Please help!

This happened to me sometimes, the reason was that some groups were not asigned to a material.

[Master Necromancer]

This happened to me sometimes, the reason was that some groups were not asigned to a material.

Thanks! That was it. +rep

[Kolwen]

Hello!
I am trying to make a UV mapping of an unit, but I've got this error:

IndexError: list assignment index out of range

What does it mean and how could I solve it?
Thank you!

[Ishan]

Check the UV mapping of it seems some of it might be out of the canvas.