Easy way to change textures??

Xerses

Hey guys can you explain me how i can change the textures of destroyable asteorids and bases easily. I read in an other Forum that i need UTF-Editor and Gimp with the DDS-Plugin.

For testing i want to change the Ice-Asteroids behind the planet erie in the Discovery Mod, and the dockstation to the planet, just for example, because i think its hard to find the right textures in the game-tree.

I hope you can help me guys…

Quarks

For the asteroids:
data\solar\asteroidarch.ini

There you will find a entry for each asteroid used in fields. They look like this:

[Asteroid]
nickname = rock_asteroid90
DA_archetype = solar\asteroids\models\ast_rock_90.3db
material_library = solar\ast_rock.mat

nickname: the name under which this asteroid is referenced
DA_archetype: pathe to the used model
material_library: the material file that is used

So to change the texture which all of the rock asteroids use you have to export/import the textures from this material file with the utf-editor. You can edit them with any program you like.

You find the asteroids that are used in the field you want to edit by opening it’s file in data\solar\asteroids\

For the docking ring it’s nearly the same, exept that you have to look into the solararch.ini

[Solar]
nickname = dock_ring
ids_name = 261158
ids_info = 66141
type = DOCKING_RING
DA_archetype = solar\dockable\docking_ringX2_lod.cmp
material_library = solar\Solar_mat_ring.mat
material_library = fx\envmapbasic.mat
envmap_material = envmapbasic
LODranges = 0, 2000, 15000
mass = 10000.000000
loadout = DOCKING_RING
open_sound = ring_open_sound
close_sound = ring_close_sound
docking_sphere = ring, HpDockMountA, 40, Sc_open dock a
docking_sphere = ring, HpDockMountB, 40, Sc_open dock b
solar_radius = 600
shape_name = NAV_dockingrings
hit_pts = 999999961690316250000000000000000000.000000

The first material_library is the one you have to edit.

Note: if you want to use the old texture and your new one at the same time, you also have to change the texture’s name and clone the model with different group names and referencing the new textures to avoid conflicts.

Note2: As far as I know all asteroids in one [cube] block have to use the same material file.

Xerses

it not work i did….look

in the file```
\Freelancer\DATA\SOLAR\ASTEROIDS\LI12_erieicefield_01

i found the asteorid i searched for

[DynamicAsteroids]
asteroid = DAsteroid_ice_crystal_small1
count = 10
placement_radius = 150.000000
placement_offset = 90.000000
max_velocity = 10.000000
max_angular_velocity = 3.000000
color_shift = 0.700000, 0.700000, 0.700000

now i searched **DAsteroid_ice_crystal_small1** in the file _asteoridarch_

there i found

[DynamicAsteroid]
nickname = DAsteroid_ice_crystal_small1
DA_archetype = solar\asteroids\models\ast_icecrystal_dynamic.3db
material_library = solar\ast_ice.mat
explosion_arch = dast_badlands_explosion

so i opened the ast_ice.mat with the UTF
[![](http://s10.directupload.net/images/101020/temp/m2pwpysy.jpg)](http://s10.directupload.net/file/d/2318/m2pwpysy_jpg.htm)

i export the ast_icecrystal.tga/MIPS and edited it with gimp.
i just made it all blue, then saved it, by the side i got an error message

[![](http://s10.directupload.net/images/101020/temp/ext4cyxb.jpg)](http://s10.directupload.net/file/d/2318/ext4cyxb_jpg.htm)

and in the end i oversaved the file, but i copied the original

and it dont work, i see the same texture on the destroyable Asteorids??!

wheres the mistake ??

Gisteron

in general, it pretty much depends on whether you have edited the texture you think you have edited. probably some asteroids you have not checked yet are changed now. but also, you see, there are multiple maps, layers for the texture. you only edited the largest which you see when the asteroids are nearest to your camera. from certain distances defined in your asteroid archetype file you see the smaller images. to see the asteroids blue always you’d have to edit all of the layers.

Xerses

but if i wanna save it, i get this error message and gimp dont save all layers then…

Xerses

ok i get it to save all layers, but i see the old texture ingame, maybe the wrong one??

Xerses

now i oversaved all textures for the ice asteorids

and ingame i see the static one in my colour but the destroyable one have the old texture

that mean that i had the wrong textures??

if yes how can i find the right one?

Gisteron

you have to look into your system file, which asteroid field file it uses. than you have to look in the field file, which dynamic asteroid it uses. in your asteroid archetype file you have to find, which mat file your dynamic asteroid uses and there you have to seek for the right texture… yes, sometimes not everything is like it seems in Freelancer. some things are not obvious and have to be found the classic, manual way.
good luck

Xerses

unbelievable, i opened every asteorid-mat-file and i dont found the needed texture file……

can somebody try to found the texture for the dynamic asteorid behind the planet erie in the Discovery Mod, please

TheDvDMan

Its easier with Solars then it is with Ships

Gisteron

it could be every mat. easiest way to go sure is really to look up in the files.

Xerses

ok i get it, but the static asteorids have the same texture as the dynamic one, how can i change it??

Quarks

This dynamic asteroid use the texture ast_icscrystal.dds for sure, so it’s quite strange that it does not appear in plain blue after your edit…

TheDvDMan

Quarks wrote:
This dynamic asteroid use the texture ast_icscrystal.dds for sure, so it’s quite strange that it does not appear in plain blue after your edit…

Its the “Diffuse” part, which can only be done with Milkshape (as much as I know).

Gisteron

you can actually delete the dt_flags and dt_name nodes within the material node in the mat file and make a single Dc node where you enter four floats of your color (the last one being 0.0 always). like this:```
0.000000
0.000000
1.000000
0.000000


btw:
Dc = Diffuse Channel
Dt = Diffuse Texture (to use with _flags and _name due to it obviously refers to a texture)
Et = Emissive Texture (to use with _flags and _name due to it obviously refers to a texture)
Ec = Emissive Channel
Oc = Opacity Channel
so, you can edit surface properties independently from the cmp creation.

Quarks

His goal was not to make them plain blue, that was just for testing I think.