Hard Light Productions Forums
Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: Admiral Nelson on December 09, 2005, 10:13:19 pm
-
Hi folks,
I have created nameplates for every ship in the main FS2 campaign which belongs to a class which supports nameplates -- Fenris/Leviathan, Aeolus, Deimos, Orion and Faustus. The link includes all the required nameplates in addtion to edited main campaign missions with the nameplate replacement included. The missions include the nameplates Galemp created for the two Hecate class destroyers in the campaign. You will need the latest media VP and patches, specifically Stratcomm's nameplate fixed models and the new Hecate model.
http://www.fileh.com/NelsonAndBronte/FS2Nameplates.zip
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/Warspite.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/Cato.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/Pax.jpg)
This wasn't supposed to happen! :)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/phoe1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/phoe2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/phoe3.jpg)
Of course, let me know of any feedback.
-
Erg, only one problem with sticking it in the mediaVPs...it doesn't look like you used the mission files from mv_effects to start from, so these missions don't have the skybox.
I don't know how to fix that, it probably only requires filling in a field in FRED for each mission.
-
Woot. This is the kind of stuff that I like - the little details which make the campaign that much more real.
-
Excellent work. No doubt boring and time consuming but this is the sort of thing I like to see too.
-
Awesome work mate. Exactly what I'd hoped they'd be used for. :)
-
Would the NTF really have had the time or resources to repaint their nameplates? In "The Mystery of the Trinity," The NTC Trinity had only been AWOL from the GTVN for three weeks, for example.
-
With the standards and technology that far ahead, it probably would have been simple to do while it was under repairs. No more difficult than hoisting a new flag while in port; it's only one letter, not a full repainting.
If you wanted to be picky you could just call it "%TC Trinity" where the first letter has been partially stripped away and is unrecogniseable.
-
Erg, only one problem with sticking it in the mediaVPs...it doesn't look like you used the mission files from mv_effects to start from, so these missions don't have the skybox.
I don't know how to fix that, it probably only requires filling in a field in FRED for each mission.
D'oh -- my bad. I did use the standard missions. It's just copy and paste work to put them in the mv_effects missions, though. Shouldn't take me too long.
I did wonder about the Trinity in particular, whether to put G, N or a painted out G under the N, and finally just said the heck with it. The rebellion was in progress for a year and a half so many if not most NTF ships would have had plenty of time to repaint.
-
Good point on the length of the rebellion. I forgot about that. The NTC Trinity is about the only ship in game that might not have had the time.
-
Erg, only one problem with sticking it in the mediaVPs...it doesn't look like you used the mission files from mv_effects to start from, so these missions don't have the skybox.
what skybox? :wtf:
anyway, i like this (re)release. but i'll wait until whatever the problem is is remedied. :)
-
OKay, I have updated the file in the first post with the mv_effects missions for media vp compatability.
I see that Taylor does not recommend the use of TGA nameplates. What would be the best thing for me to do with the TGA nameplates included here? To what format should they be converted?
-
Pcx or dds
-
I see that Taylor does not recommend the use of TGA nameplates. What would be the best thing for me to do with the TGA nameplates included here? To what format should they be converted?
Install NVIDIA's DDS utilities and use the nvdxt command line program (or whatever other program you have that supports DDS) to convert the images to DXT5. Then just make sure that the compression didn't mess them up (I doubt it would for those things).
Actually I'll convert them if you want and post a link to the DDS versions. Most of them aren't power-of-2 anyway and that's a no-no given how much extra memory they would use.
The good thing about DXT5 versions of the nameplates is that they will render faster, use a 4th of the memory of TGA (and one-half the memory of PCX) and work without the -jpgtga option.
-
If you don't mind converting them, that would be great! :)
That would ensure I don't screw up anything... :)
Edit: I made a typo in the Monitor's nameplate. Fixed and re uploaded.
-
Had these done yesterday but wanted to test them first (some of the models I have don't use "nameplate" as the nameplate texture name so replacement didn't work at first). These are resized to be power-of-2, converted to DXT5 with 4 mipmap levels. The rest of the mipmap levels didn't really show anything since they were so small so I just skipped them. I didn't test every ship but I tested most, especially then ones that were resized or that originally had PCX nameplates.
http://icculus.org/~taylor/fso/misc/dds_nameplates.zip (just the maps, no missions)
-
Thanks, Taylor. A few questions for you: Would you mind posting the command line used to create the final files? I can then write a little blurb on the wiki explaining the current workflow for creating nameplates. I presume you just expanded the canvas to resize the non power of two nameplates? There is no issue in the model expecting a 420 x 61 pixel nameplate and then getting a 512 x 64 one?
I have again updated the ZIP in the first post with the new dds textures. Again, Stratcomm's fixed models in the mediavp thread are required for use. The missions are based on those in the effects vp so that one sees the skybox.
-
Thanks, Taylor. A few questions for you: Would you mind posting the command line used to create the final files? I can then write a little blurb on the wiki explaining the current workflow for creating nameplates. I presume you just expanded the canvas to resize the non power of two nameplates? There is no issue in the model expecting a 420 x 61 pixel nameplate and then getting a 512 x 64 one?
That's why I wanted to test before sending you the changes. It looked ok, but I originally couldn't decide if the map was to be centered in the proper place or aligned at 0,0. I enlarged the canvas size and centered the old layer before saving it back out. That appeared to work perfectly but someone else may say that was the wrong thing to do. I tested the resized images on several ships and it was lined up properly every time. Give it a test yourself just to make sure though.
For nvdxt I just used "nvdxt -nmips 4 -dxt5 -file *.tga". The "-nmips" option tells it how many mipmap levels to create. 4 would give levels down to 128x16 and 128x32 which is small enough. I didn't use the GIMP plugin for this since it makes all mipmap levels and you can't restrict it.
I'll be sure and grab the new models, I've been using original hi-poly releases for quite a few of them a bit too long.
-
I played mission"dunkerque" and went to look GTD mesana, only to notice it has some invisible textures around the nameplate.
I also noticed following wierdness...
Ertanax, Loyola and Malta both have GTC "Advocate" nameplate
Oberon, Rampart, Majestic, Refute, Alba, Cato, Conquest, Glorious, Impervious, Fortune, Maelstrom and Trinity are named "GTC Orff"
GTD Carthage also has missing textures around its nameplate
NTD Vindicator also has little piece of texture missing
-
Yeah I see that now. It seems that the nameplate didn't like being resized.
I have the non-dds files here:
http://www.fileh.com/NelsonAndBronte/FS2Nameplates_bak.zip
I am unfortunately about to leave for the airport so I can't do more testing.
-
I played mission"dunkerque" and went to look GTD mesana, only to notice it has some invisible textures around the nameplate.
Woops! :nervous: That was the PCX file that had to be resized. I'll have another go at it and update the previous dds files with the changes. Will update here when that happens.
-
"Missing texture" - problem is gone now, thanks for update.
According to the shiplab, "GTC Orff" nameplate is stuck with Leviathan and Fenris models...
-
That's why you need to download the "nameplate fix" package I put in the media VP patch thread. It will strip the Orff logo off of the Leviafenris, and I presume is needed for this change anyway.
And taylor, you should just be resizing the tga's themselves, not padding them with empty space. If you're just expanding the canvas, you will end up making the text itself smaller.
-
And taylor, you should just be resizing the tga's themselves, not padding them with empty space. If you're just expanding the canvas, you will end up making the text itself smaller.
The non-power-of-2 versions are 420x61 so I was trying to avoid stretching it horizontally if I could. It may not have mattered, I just wasn't sure. The problem with the PCX plates is that they include parts of the hull, is it still safe resize those and not cause seams? I can't tell if my current Orion model is up-to-date so I haven't fixed the texture yet. The one I have includes a real nameplate but the missions here use part of the hull for texture replacement rather than the old nameplate. One of the problems of using my own MediaVPs I guess. Trying to get everything updated to current (or at least more official) right now.
-
The problem with the Orions are that Galemp didn't realize what I had done with the nameplate texture when he did his reskin, and so the "extra" nameplate polys were removed and replaced with the old style on-hull nameplates. The one you should be using should work just like the retail Orion, as that's the way the "final" version ended up working. I'm not really thrilled about it as I changed it in the first place to ease the burden of making nameplates, but what's done is done.
To answer your question though, you should ALWAYS be scaling the whole image. If you rescale it so that the edges are still the edges then tiling will never be an issue. UV coordinates are relative to the normalized space of a texture, not pixel-specific. The corner that starts out as 0,0 will always be 0,0; the one that starts 1,1 will always be 1,1. Think about how the game handles upsizing internally; it's a stretch, not a fill.
-
The problem with the Orions are that Galemp didn't realize what I had done with the nameplate texture when he did his reskin, and so the "extra" nameplate polys were removed and replaced with the old style on-hull nameplates. The one you should be using should work just like the retail Orion, as that's the way the "final" version ended up working. I'm not really thrilled about it as I changed it in the first place to ease the burden of making nameplates, but what's done is done.
I think I remember some conversation about that before. What would be nice is if I could figure out which friggin Orion model I'm using now. :) I just don't remember who made it. It looked really good. I was happy. And that's all I needed to know. ;)
To answer your question though, you should ALWAYS be scaling the whole image. If you rescale it so that the edges are still the edges then tiling will never be an issue. UV coordinates are relative to the normalized space of a texture, not pixel-specific. The corner that starts out as 0,0 will always be 0,0; the one that starts 1,1 will always be 1,1. Think about how the game handles upsizing internally; it's a stretch, not a fill.
Gotcha. That makes more sense. I was looking at it more from the API side and not the g3 side, which is totally wrong of me to do since I'm seeing it in reverse code wise. I'll resize them correctly and then upload again.
Edit: File at previous link updated. Only tested the Orion and Deimos but both worked properly.
-
About the font used on the nameplates....are they available for download in somewhere ?
Also, is it possible to edit current nameplates in photoshop ? For exaple, "renaming" the current name instead of creating completely new one...
-
Check the modding section of my FAQ starfox. It links to Goober's page which will tell you all you need to know :)
-
oy, admiral nelson, you forgot the NTCv Belisarius. ;)
-
Belisarius should be there -- it was the first Deimos I did!! You sure its not present in the mission? Unfortunately I have another business trip, and am in a hotel typing on a laptop without access to FS2.
Edit: Note that the filename for BELISARIUS lacks the NTCV prefix. It should be there in the mission.
And thanks to everyone else for helping out in this conversion! :)
-
Good to see ^^. Good job.
-
Belisarius should be there -- it was the first Deimos I did!! You sure its not present in the mission? Unfortunately I have another business trip, and am in a hotel typing on a laptop without access to FS2.
Edit: Note that the filename for BELISARIUS lacks the NTCV prefix. It should be there in the mission.
I'm sure. check my 3.6.7 shots, i took a screenie of the NTCv Belisarius. no nameplate. ;)
-
The Trinity should definitely be GTC. Romig tries to pass his ship off that way when Zeta wing finds it, meaning he was hoping that the record of his defection hadn't been dissiminated to the fleet (before which, changing the nameplate would be really stupid as he could still pass the Trinity off as a GTVA vessel).
-
Coud someone explain me a little, how the nameplates are done...I catch this
A - Black Background
B - Green letters or White letters in 255 255 255 ? (I already have the Font)
C - A Mask (here comes my problem....)
What's is the way of apply the Mask selection, I have done with TGA Backgrounds, even using the Fusion effect for Atmospheres, but this seems to be different, it's seems simple but I can't figure it how.....
-
I havn't figured out the nampeplates myself. For my campiang I use normal PCX's (green background, whiteish letters). Doesn't look bad, but if the letters were slightly transparent, it would look better.
Is there a coprehensive tutorial out there on how to make such nameplates?
-
I just used GIMP. A fully transparent background layer of the size appropriate for the model in question. Add a text layer with the text in Stop font. GIMP has a transparency slider for each layer. I moved the slider to around 90% opaque to have some transparency.. I then save the file as a TGA. Last step is to use the nvidia utility to convert the resulting tga to dds -- there is no reason not to use dds for a nameplate.
-
I then save the file as a TGA. Last step is to use the nvidia utility to convert the resulting tga to dds -- there is no reason not to use dds for a nameplate.
Or you could just get the DDS plugin for GIMP (http://nifelheim.dyndns.org/~cocidius/dds/) and skip the TGA->DDS step.
-
GIMP?
Can anyone explain how to do the same in Photoshop?
-
Photoshop works more or less in the exact same way. Create a new image with a transparent background and sized the way you want the nameplate texture to be, add a layer for text and put the name for the plate in there, and reduce the opacity of the text layer. Collapse the text layer into the base, save as TGA (and convert later) or DDS if you have the plugin for it, and you're done.
-
It's a bit more complex than that...
http://sectorgame.com/goober/nameplates.html
IMHO merely reducing the opacity on a single layer doesn't make a satisfactory effect.
The good news is that my Photoshop template can be used for any nameplate... just resize it. :)
-
While I agree, the basic effect Trashman is going for here isn't of the complexity of the Orion nameplate method. The plates he's wanting to make would be derivatives of the pure green background map. Ideally you would use a noise overlay of some kind to keep it from being too uniform without having to custom tweak the image.
The larger question, however, the difference between Gimp and Photoshop, is more a matter of interface, optimization, and available plugings. Their core operation is really more or less the same, at least on the level that most of us use them at.
-
Teh naemplates on my ships are invisible planes flaoting a few mm above the hull.
And I think I figured it out in photoshop.
You make a transparent Layer.
Add a new layer.
Write the text on it.
Reduce the transpareny of that layer to 90%
merge layers
Save as DDS or tga.
Just one thing, I used the auto-generate mip maps option when making the DDS. (DTX5 setting).
Someone said you should use only 4 mip map levels. (note -my nameplates are 256x256)
-
Thanks. I was wondering if I did something wrong, the problem is that I using PhotoPaint (Corel), so maybe it didn't work because it was old, but I'll see, if not, then I'll use GIMP.
-
I was afraid that you were going to make square nameplates. There's really no reason for them to be that way; you can make them 512x64, for example, and have the same filesize but occupy much more of the available space with text. But otherwise, that's exactly right.
-
Could someone explain me how to do the NamePlates which uses Alpha (Leviathan/Fenris/Deimos/Hecate) using PhotoShop, I can't really figure out how to do it.
-
http://www.sectorgame.com/goober/nameplates.html
-
If you're applying a nameplate to a ship, do you have to do it in a text editor?
If I try to do it through the texture replacement thing in FRED, it goes all illegal-op when I save the mission.
-
That's a bug in FRED. Text editing should work.
-
I am not talking about the Orion and Faustus nameplates which are made through Blur multiple Layers, that's tuturial is excellent but it doesn't really help me.
What I mean are the Leviathan nameplates, also used for Fenris/Deimos/Hecate models. The RGB layer uses white letters with a Black Background, while the Alpha Layer uses a Black background also (means 100% transparent), bu the the letters have a 10% transparency. That's what I don't know how to do, I understand it, but I can't really do it.
RGB Channel:
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c254/Shadow0000/RGB.jpg)
Alpha Channel:
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c254/Shadow0000/Alpha.jpg)
The only way that I can think of doing this, is to save the the same image as a Bitmap but with the Letters at 10% Oppacity, then I use the option to load an Alpha Channel from a Bitmap. That way seems to work, but it is wrong there should be a simple way to do it.
-
I'm not 100% sure, but I think you might be able to get away with using the tutorial but just deleting the Orion nameplate layer. Then you end up with a transparent nameplate with no background, which you can then use in the model.
-
I did these in GIMP, in which you just can just set the transparency of the text layer to 90% and voila. I have only photoshop elements, so I'm not sure exactly how it can be done in photoshop itself, but I would think you can just put the text on its own layer and then adjust the opacity of that layer.
-
hi,
normaly in the newer versions you can edit the opacity of the textlayer, but i doesnt know if it with older version possible, too.
but i not, make a new empty layer and merge down the text layer to the empty layer, now its the text a normal layer and the opacity can edit.
Mehrpack
-
Hey could you fix the links for these? that would be sweet.