Hello fellow modders!
I have just released a Universal Dye Kit which allows players to select custom dyes to tint their items. In conjunction with my online tint creator, this means the end-user now has complete control over the appearance of their gear. This kit works on ANY item that uses default materials (tier 1 thru 9) and provides a tint map.
This post is to encourage authors of custom items to consider using default materials and tint maps for their works in the future so that their items can be dyed by the UDK. I know I have been hesitant to do this in the past on my own items because it means giving up some control over the final appearance. It has also meant that my items had goofy hues based on material scaling and no one could control that. However, now that this tool exists for players to control the tinting, I hope that mod authors will consider taking this route. I know that I will be updating both of my item mods (Warden Shields and Leliana Item Set) to use default materials and tint maps so that they can be tinted by the UDK.
Just think, never again will you have to field a request for a darker, lighter, or different color version of your item. Never again will you have to compete with color retexture mods of your items that end up being more popular than your own!
In support of mod authors I plan to update my online tint creator to allow "saved" tints to be linked (by query string parameters). This way you can design the perfect tint for your item and link to it from your mod page for users to use with the UDK. Or even provide several! The UDK also has an option already to set a "neutral" tint, so that even if you provide a tint map for compatibility, you don't have to provide a custom tint. You can simply encourage users to choose the built-in neutral option to see your texture without any of the scaled material tinting being added in, while still leaving it open to user customization. I'm also open to adding custom materials to the UDK's material table if you have a desire to provide a tint map/allow user tinting, but have a compelling reason that requires your item to use a custom material instead of one of the default materials. And I'd love to hear ideas and feedback from custom mod authors about anything else that might encourage them to support default mats/tint maps in their custom item mods (or even to hear about why you'll never build in support for this mod, as the case may be).
Modifié par nezroy, 30 juin 2010 - 07:56 .
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