How do you make icons?
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Well my mod is coming on nicely. I’ve several new systems, weapons and commodities. I’ve even managed to add a new faction and I’m even succeeding with patrols! What I am stuck on though is icons. I had a look at creating ships and downloaded Milkshape and Gmax (gmax not from the original host for it as it’s full of malware) but at the moment that’s beyond my capability, something I will come back to later.
So, to add new ships I’ve downloaded some very nice models from various places and have placed some in the mod complete with their hardpoints and all are working correctly. The only problem is that some of the models didn’t come with a .3db file and I have no idea, and cannot seem to find (other than a broken link), where to start in creating one.
Any pointers much appreciated. -
Hidamari wrote:
this was a question i asked recently for my own mod.I was helped a little here but mostly on Skype.
the way I do it is
open Milkshape 3D 1.8.2.
import a pre-existing icon file (.3db) into the scene,
at the top right click to the “Groups” tab, where it says “Root” rename this to something else like Root_gold_new and then press the Rename button.
go to the Material tab and change the name of the Material group, might be something like “COMMOD_gold” just change it to “COMMOD_gold_new” or something.remove the existing texture from the material by pressing “none” then click the long button next to it and it will ask you to put in a new file, select your new file from wherever you have it saved (Make sure the image in the file is upside down and .tga format before you add it to the Material because the game will flip it round vertically)
press okay and then export it as a freelancer .3db file,
once in the export menu. drag the scale slider all the way to the left, and press “new 3db file” it will ask you to give it a name, do so and then press continue. your file is now ready to put ingame, just put it in the folder where all the other icons are and add the file path name to the commodity you want to have with the new icon and save.
jump ingame, and there you go… new shiny icon.
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Thanks for that, I have used your info to have a bash at it and have sort of succeeded. I actually needed the bit before this, where you create the .tga file.
Anyway, I had in one of the ship downloads a .tga file which I opened with Paintshop Pro Photo X2. I then cloned the background to hide the ship model and saved that as Icon_Background.tga.
Then I drew a smiley face on it, flipped it vertically and saved that as Icontest.tga and proceeded with your instructions.
It sort of works but it appears as if rotated slightly to the left and the colours are not right (only one used).
Any thoughts? -
I found .tga files very awkward at times, with no apparent reason they would be upside down even though I had inverted them correctly, and sometimes offset, and other problems.
It was probably my own inexperience, I very soon got tired of repeated failures and switched to using .dds and my problems disappeared!
If you would like to know the whole technique of creating icons, here is the original Ship Icon guide by Osprey which I learned from. Once you understand the structure you can use it for all icons.
http://www.fileswap.com/dl/cOIp1fxBY3/Ospreys_Ship_Icon_Tutorial.pdf.html
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It’s a lot of pleasure when you get the first “proper” one to work from scratch and understand it. Then the next ones become easier and faster to make.
