18 réponses à ce sujet

[errant_knight]

I'm a little out of my depth here, and not quite sure what to do next. I'm trying to make a new female light armor that covers the chest. I've made made a normal image, a texture map, and a specular map and saved them as DDS. Not quite sure what to do with them now. Do I make an erf file and call it from a script? If anyone can point me to a tutorial or pass along some advice, I'd be much obliged. I want this to be additional armor, not overwrite the game armor. Also, I didn't make a corrosponding male armor. Should I do so? Any help would be much appreciated.

Note: this is my first attempt with this toolset, and my first attempt at reskinning ever, so you might have to talk slow.

Modifié par errant_knight, 16 janvier 2010 - 03:20 .

[ladydesire]

Reskinning an item should help you out some. It's not important to have models for both genders; I have seen models in the toolset that are exclusive to one gender or the other.

[errant_knight]

I saw that one, and the associated file about texture formats. Informative, but not actually helpful here, as the reskinning one tells you how to override game files, but not add new armor including the new texture files without overriding. Still looking, though. There must be a tutorial for this somewhere...

Modifié par errant_knight, 16 janvier 2010 - 03:48 .

[ChewyGumball]

Change the names in the MAO to the names of your new textures and put them in the override folder.

[errant_knight]

Okay, I can do that. Where is this MAO file?

Edit: found something on acquiring MAO files with an external resource. Does that mean it can't be done within the toolset?

Edit2: Aha! http://social.biowar...t/index.php/MAO

The MAO files for objects are here (in case anyone else is having a problem with this):
C:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\data
I was able to extract by dragging the erf to the toolset and extracting the resources I wanted with 'extract resource.'

Modifié par errant_knight, 16 janvier 2010 - 04:51 .

[FalloutBoy]

(install dir)\\packages\\core\\data\\materialobjects.erf. You can open the file in the toolset, scroll down to the file you want, right click and choose extract.

[errant_knight]

Thanks for the help, guys! Now I have the four image dds, and an edited MAO. Should I put the DDS files into an ERF? If so, how? Do I now put the whole thing into a dazip and is that just a regular zip file with a renamed extension? I guess I'll have to write a script to spawn it, too.... That should be easy enough to find. I've seen a couple of tutorials on adding items.

Edit: never mind, found it:
http://social.biowar...t/index.php/Erf
http://social.biowar...index.php/DAZIP
http://social.biowar...ilder_to_player

Okay, wait.... I'm confused. In order for me to make ERF/DAZips, I have to have exported binary data, but I edited the MAO and created all the textures outside of the toolset, so I don't have the user manifest xml that it wants. I guess that's what this means, anyway. So...I have to load all this into the tookit somehow and export it?

I guess I still don't know what to do with this MAO file, either. I don't know where to put it, or what I'm supposed to do with it. I don't want to replace the game armor that I've been editing, I want to create additional armor.

Modifié par errant_knight, 16 janvier 2010 - 05:58 .

[ChewyGumball]

Reskinning an item is different than creating a new one. It sounds like you want to do the latter, in which case the process is much more convoluted. There are quite a few people trying, with limited success.

[errant_knight]

Heh, that's not entirely encouraging. Yeah, I'm trying to make a new armor, not create a mod that would replace the game armor. I'm thinking I need to get these DDS files into the toolset as an object, but I haven't got a clue how to do it.

I also realized that I'm going to need to adapt a whole lot more files in photoshop, but I'd like to get the medium texture armor I've created into the game to see what it looks like before I spend a bunch more time in photoshop. It might not look good, after all.

Modifié par errant_knight, 16 janvier 2010 - 06:27 .

[JackFuzz]

errant_knight wrote...

Heh, that's not entirely encouraging. Yeah, I'm trying to make a new armor, not create a mod that would replace the game armor. I'm thinking I need to get these DDS files into the toolset as an object, but I haven't got a clue how to do it.

I also realized that I'm going to need to adapt a whole lot more files in photoshop, but I'd like to get the medium texture armor I've created into the game to see what it looks like before I spend a bunch more time in photoshop. It might not look good, after all.

You say "New armor"

That means an extremely complicated process.

1. Did you model new armor in 3d studio max or blender from scratch?

2. Did you modify existing armor that you exported?

3. Did you make new textures from just a blank white space?

4. Did you use NewByPowers import/export script for Blender?

5. Did you use DAtool to export the armor you want to modify or replace or create as new?

I need more information.

[errant_knight]

JackFuzz wrote...

errant_knight wrote...

Heh, that's not entirely encouraging. Yeah, I'm trying to make a new armor, not create a mod that would replace the game armor. I'm thinking I need to get these DDS files into the toolset as an object, but I haven't got a clue how to do it.

I also realized that I'm going to need to adapt a whole lot more files in photoshop, but I'd like to get the medium texture armor I've created into the game to see what it looks like before I spend a bunch more time in photoshop. It might not look good, after all.

You say "New armor"

That means an extremely complicated process.

1. Did you model new armor in 3d studio max or blender from scratch?

2. Did you modify existing armor that you exported?

3. Did you make new textures from just a blank white space?

4. Did you use NewByPowers import/export script for Blender?

5. Did you use DAtool to export the armor you want to modify or replace or create as new?

I need more information.

I didn't make a new model. I extracted one of the light armors from the texturepack erf (pf_arm_lgtd_0) and reworked the 0d,0s,0n, and 0t files in photoshop, then renamed them and saved them as DDS. I'll do the rest of the files if it's looking resonable when I test it. I also copied the applicable MAO and changed it to reflect my file names. That's as far as I've gotten. I haven't been able to find any tutorials specifically dealing with this, so I'm not entirely sure I'm on the right track, especially with the MAO file.

[JackFuzz]

So you want that armor to have a new textureset instead of overwriting the existing textures?

If you keep the same filenames for the DDS you can copy them into your override folder and you should be able to see them in game.  But this will overwrite the existing texture (until you remove the dds's from the override folder).

If you want to make a NEW textureset.  That involves creating a new model variation in the GDA.  

I really need to make that tutorial but i'm lazy cuz it's a somewhat involved process. LOL

[errant_knight]

JackFuzz wrote...

So you want that armor to have a new textureset instead of overwriting the existing textures?

If you keep the same filenames for the DDS you can copy them into your override folder and you should be able to see them in game.  But this will overwrite the existing texture (until you remove the dds's from the override folder).

If you want to make a NEW textureset.  That involves creating a new model variation in the GDA.  

I really need to make that tutorial but i'm lazy cuz it's a somewhat involved process. LOL

 GDA, huh... Okay, that gives me an idea of what to try next. That would be an awesome tutorial! In the meantime, I'll hack away at it. Er, if I can find the model....

[JackFuzz]

errant_knight wrote...

JackFuzz wrote...

So you want that armor to have a new textureset instead of overwriting the existing textures?

If you keep the same filenames for the DDS you can copy them into your override folder and you should be able to see them in game.  But this will overwrite the existing texture (until you remove the dds's from the override folder).

If you want to make a NEW textureset.  That involves creating a new model variation in the GDA.  

I really need to make that tutorial but i'm lazy cuz it's a somewhat involved process. LOL

 GDA, huh... Okay, that gives me an idea of what to try next. That would be an awesome tutorial! In the meantime, I'll hack away at it. Er, if I can find the model....

Yea use DAtool. Find the model. Export it. Modify those DDS files then copy them to the packages/core/override and see if htey show up in game. They should.

[errant_knight]

Excellent, thanks! You've been a big help. I kind of have a bit of a clue about this now.

[imkilo]

And here I thought I was the only one trying to do this (export the dalish armor, give it a new name, give it a fun new texture, put it back into the game so only my dalish elf wears it).
If either of you guys came across something, it would be awesome to see a follow up post.
@errant_knight: I love how you edit your posts when you find new info. Have you ever considered editing the wiki? You're the kind of person who could be a great help.

EDIT:
What I "think" the process entails. 
# Use the Toolset
# Extract the DDS files from textureformats.erf (find out which texture files you need from the Reskinning an Item Tutorial
# Extract the MAO files from materialobjects.erf Wiki MAO
# Slightly rename the MAO file (maybe add _yourName to the end)
# Slightly rename the DDS files (maybe add _yourName_ before the prefix that tells you it's what kind of map it is)
# Edit and save the DDS files in your graphic editor of choice (DDS Plugin required Wiki DDS)
# Edit the MAO file to point to the newly renamed DDS files
# Make a new M2DA file referencing your MAO file Wiki 2DA base xls Wiki 2DA Wordpress DAModding 2da or not 2da
# Make a Module (mod) but don't yet reference an item Wordpress DAModding Mod to give your player an itme
# Load the M2DA file into your mod ??? Wiki 2DA base xls Wiki 2DA Wordpress DAModding 2da or not 2da
# Place the mao and dds files into *My Documents*\\\\\\\\BioWare\\\\\\\\Dragon Age\\\\\\\\AddIns\\\\\\\\*Modulename*\\\\\\\\core\\\\\\\\override\\\\\\\\toolsetexport\\\\\\\\ Wiki Builder to player
# Export your Mod into a dazip ??? Wiki DAZIP Wordpress DAModding mod to give your player an item
# ???
# Profit!

Edit: Found this interesting tutorial about adding a weapon type:
Wiki Tutorial Adding a New Weapon Type

Edit edit: The adding a new weapon type tutorial may have been more complex than what we're trying to do, which is just a new "look" (dds files) for existing armor, so I'm trying to figure out a way to introduce a new "armor variety" and have it point to a "new" .mao which points to our new .dds files.

Okay so for my cool new Dalish look, I went to:
C:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\textures\\high\\texturepack.erf
and extracted these files for editing:
pm_arm_lgtb_0d.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0dl2.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0dl3.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0n.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0s.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0sl2.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0sl3.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0t.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0tl2.dds pm_arm_lgtb_0tl3.dds

Notice the "lgtb" in every file. What's "lgtb"?

If we go to:
C:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\tools\\Source\\2DA\\rules\\ItemVariations.xls
Then open sheet: armor_light_variation
We see lgtb split up as "Model Subtype" = lgt and "Model Variation" = b

I copy ItemVariations.xls to anywhere else, and then add a new line:
ID = 10 (I just picked a random number higher than what was there)
LABEL = Light Armor K (a random letter higher than what was there)
MODELTYPE = arm (Copied from the line above)
MODELSUBTYPE = lgt (Copied from the line above)
MODELVARIATION = k (a random letter higher than what was there, and it matched Light Armor "K")

Now we compile the 2DA [url=http://social.bioware.com/wiki/datoolset/index.php/Compiling_2DAs]Wiki Compiling 2DAs] and move the armor_light_variations.gda file to your mods override folder:

*I start to get lost here*

C:\\Documents and Settings\\%username%\\My Documents\\BioWare\\Dragon Age\\AddIns\\%the name of your mod%\\(core or module???)\\override

*And now I'm completely lost*

I think the next step is something about .mao files that are referenced from the armor_light_variation.gda file

http://social.biowar...odel_to_Toolset
http://social.biowar...t/index.php/Mao

Modifié par imkilo, 26 mai 2010 - 03:18 .

[imkilo]

Oh wait, http://social.biowar...mVariations.xls says that it points to a .mmh file... investigating...

[imkilo]

May have found something (oddly I couldn't edit my post from before)

I extracted em_arm_lgtb_0.mmh (em stood for elf male) from:
C:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\data\\modelhierarchies.erf

And opened it with http://social.bioware.com/project/41/

Then went to Edit>Retexture and all those dds files, I renamed them with "lgtk" instead of "lgtb" and then did File>SaveAs and gave them "lgtk" names again.

Now I just need to find out why my mod isn't giving me the item in game so I can test this. (If you know I'm on the right or wrong path, please let me know)

Modifié par imkilo, 26 mai 2010 - 04:54 .

[imkilo]

I hate just typing "I fixed it" and then leaving, but in order to have your DDS files just be on that piece of armor and not show up on the NPC's, requires you make an additional "Armor Variation", and then you have that armor variation point to the new mmh phy mao files, and the mao files point to the new dds files.Whoever wrote DATool http://social.bioware.com/project/41 deserves our thanks. It's with it that I was able to open an existing armor variation, Retexture it with the modified AND renamed DDS files then rename it to match the new "Armor Variation".
Okay more detail, I was going for the Dalish Armor. The Dalish Armor is called "Light Armor" in the game, and then "Light Armor B" variation. This means in the C:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\tools\\Source\\2DA\\rules\\ItemVariations.xls file on the armor_light_variation sheet it's listed as:2 Light Armor B arm lgt bSo I made a new sheet named armor_light_variation_KILO (it's has to start with armor_light_variation and then contain at least 1 character after that, my suggestion, make it end with _yourName that way you know it's from your mod)Copy everything from the armor_light_variation sheet and paste it into the armor_light_variation_KILO sheet, then delete out everything but that first Light Armor A line, rename ID from 1 to 30, rename LABEL "Light Armor A" to "Light Armor K" and change MODELVARIATION from "a" to "k"Then compile the xls file (it's explained how in the wiki, it's late, I'll come back and link it I promise)Take the armor_light_variation_KILO.gda file and put it in your mod's core\\override folder (more explanation is needed here about what a core\\override folder is, also on how to make a mod, and also on how to make the mod give you the item once you are in the game)The DDS file you modified now has to be renamed (for Dalish armor it was pm_arm_lgtb_0d.dds for the male and pf_arm_lgtb_0d.dds for the female), in my Dalish example I changed it from pm_arm_lgtb_0d.dds to pm_arm_lgtk_0d.dds (notice I just changed the "b" to a "k", to match the "Armor Light K" we did earlier)Then I extracted the em_arm_lgtb_0.mmh em_arm_lgtb_0.phy (and the other 4 files with similar names) out ofC:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\data\\modelhierarchies.erf(And that was just for elf males! need to give out how to get all the other races and genders, basically it's the same files but starts with df dm ef em hf hm qm)Then I used DATool http://social.bioware.com/project/41/ (I closed the message about "This program is obsolete", I'm not sure why that keeps coming up)Then File>Open File and point it to em_arm_lgtb_0.mmh then did Files>Save All and just saved it into any random folder (I don't think these files matter after we get done with the next step)Then in DATool I clicked "Edit>Retexture" and pointed it at my modified dds file pm_arm_lgto.dds (the name has to be different from the file that comes in the game or DATool will act like you didn't change anything)
(Oh yeah, there's info about what DDS files are and how to get the plugin from NVidia in the wiki, thanks Nvidia. I only really know of how to edit these files in Photoshop, but I'm sure the wiki points to some kind of open source alternative, anyway i'm getting offtrack)
Once you see your new dds on top of the rotating headless body in DATool, click File>Save Modified and place it into the Core\\Override folder of your mod. It will ask you for a new name, we are going to type exactly what the name is, but instead of "lgtb" it will be "lgtk" etc.(included screenshots here would be good)
Then in the toolset, where you have made your new mod, do the Insert>Item and make it be "Item Type" = "Armor Light" then "Item Variation" = "Light Armor K" and your modified armor should pop up in the toolset. Also change some setting like "armor metal" from the default "Grey Iron" into something more appropriate, for my Dalish armor it was like Drakeskin or something.(oh also, if you change a gda file while the toolset is open, it won't notice this, i'll add that to the wiki)Export everything. (because if you change something and then look in the game, it won't be different, you have to export to see it)
Close the toolset.
This might not make sense: "Where do you get these DDS files in order to modify them?"C:\\Program Files\\Dragon Age\\packages\\core\\textures\\high\\texturepack.erfFor a male character it was pm_arm_lgtb_*.dds (* is a wildcard, meaning "all possiblities", it's like 8 files in total I think) pf_arm_lgtb*.dds for females.
Place all those dds files into core\\override and rename them from "lgtb" to "lgtk"
I have to consult the artist on this next step to be sure, but I think the tint file pm_arm_lgtb_t.dds , was set to all black so that it wouldn't retint the changes made to the _0d.dds files.
Okay in your mods core\\override folder(core\\override is:C:\\Documents and Settings\\%username%\\My Documents\\BioWare\\Dragon Age\\AddIns\\%moduid%\\core\\override )you should find files ending in .mao like pm_arm_lgto.mao for males, pf_arm_lgto.mao for females (these files were created by DATool when we did the "File>Save Modified)Open the file and for the lines where you see it say:ResName="pm_arm_lgtb_0n.dds" change the "lgtb" to lgtk" for all the instances of ResName(The first ResName is probably correct because DATool made it for us, but we are modifying it for the Normal Map and the TintMask)
Save those .mao files and close them.
I might have done a step out of order. Open Toolset and see if it looks good in there, probably re-export everything. 
Test it out in game.
If you put the armor on a character and it's just a big black space where the body would be, check that the armor_light_variation_KILO.gda file is in the override folder and is proper. You should actually get this "big nothingness" in the toolset as well if it happens in game. So I guess you would fix it in the toolset first.
Wow i should not try and write this stuff when I need to go to bed, but I'll refine it later my friends, you have my word.