Hanging Banner Requests??

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:58 pm

Also- did you have time to upload them anywhere? I wouldn't mind getting them into the haks sooner than later...

Thangorn · Post by **Thangorn** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:28 pm

I'll see what I can do..

Damart · Post by **Damart** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 1:30 am

So you did it how?

Wynna · Post by **Wynna** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:25 pm

Hey, did these get in yet? I'm dying to use that Silvy Uni banner. Thanks.

Thangorn · Post by **Thangorn** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:11 pm

The banners are on the hard drive of my build rig which is coming to New Zealand with my wife in less than a week. The only problem is, I won't have a monitor for a little while...

I want to tweak that Silvy banner to reflect Ed's answer too Wynna. My photoshopping skills have improved since I made that one too so I reckon I can do better..

I'll send the files and 2da lines to acadius as soon as I can.

Damart: I can't remember since its been months since I did one. I'll have to go back through the process again but its not difficult, just involves having a level of skill with photoshop and familiarity with how haks and stuff work.

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:29 pm

Thangorn wrote:Damart: I can't remember since its been months since I did one. I'll have to go back through the process again but its not difficult, just involves having a level of skill with photoshop and familiarity with how haks and stuff work.

The short version is: taking the flat "skin" image file (dds or tga format, IIRC?) out of an existing placeable, editing it in photoshop (or other image manipulation software of choice) to your liking, then making a copy of the original placeable resources with some changed pointers in the hex code, so it has a unique name, and uses it's original model/shape/tintmapping but with the new "skin" (silverguard instead of neverwinter nine crest, for example).

The hak side of things is then giving the new placeable it's own line in placeables.2da, and making a blueprint builders can import as an erf.

The image editing is the bit that requires some artistic talent/skills- the rest are just minor busy-work for someone handy with how hak resources work.

That sound like a good summary, Thangorn?

Wynna · Post by **Wynna** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:15 pm

Thanks for the answer, and for the creativity!

Thangorn · Post by **Thangorn** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:14 am

That sound like a good summary, Thangorn?

Yep that sounds good mate..

I take the tga texture files and the mdb files that reference them and edit them and then make a 2da line that points to the new mdb reference which points to the new skin.

Yes the tga bit is the hard bit. the mdb just involves changing some references around with a command line utility and it is no way difficult.
In addition I have a plug-in for photoshop that makes normal maps for the textures, thats the hardest part to get right although before I had the normal map plug-in I just messed around with the filters to make my normal maps and that worked a treat on some of them.

I know it was taking on me on average (with a good photoshop image I could manipulate into a multi-layer texture) about 30 mins per banner.. so I can churn them out once I have the build rig back up and running.