[MP-Ryan]

See title. =)

[Water]

Font
http://www.3dactionplanet.com/hlp/hosted/fsport/extras/stop.ttf

For transparency -
pcx use pure green (8bit not 24bit)
tga + dds use alpha channel

[Zacam]

I do, because I just did up nameplates for every nameplate capable ship listed in the FS2 Notable Ships Wiki listing.

NewNameplateTemplates.7z has the TGA files I used for every one. The font listed above by Water is also necessary.

TestNameplates.7z shew the examples of the font in use and the finished product. (Generic non-ship name templates, using "SPCv Nameplate" "SCPs Nameplate" and two "SCP Nameplate" (one for Orion, one for everything else.

For the Orions, there is no alpha channel, so I would set the transparency for the text layer (80% visible) before merging. However, the nameplate texture on the orion has a shine map that is going to render it almost unreadable if you do, so leave the font at Full White for the orions at this time.

For the other nameplates, I copy the finished layer to the alpha channel an turn the White down by 20% to make a nice masked grey. Full mip mapping and DXT3 (Explicit Alpha) with the font anti-aliased makes for nice legible text.

Also, if you find while typing in a ship name that it is too large to fit, change your font size and retype, don't just resize the font layer or bitmap manipulate it. It looks ugly that way.

Average GTD/GTCv/GTC ship names used size 60 font (with one exception).

[Goober5000]

Voila.

[MP-Ryan]

Hrmm, Zacam I can't seem to get a useable archive out of your links, even when I correct the link so it downloads.

I was being especially lazy and hoping someone had created templates for all the terran ship classes so I can drop a name in, hit save, and off I go.  You guys are making me actually do some work

(The ship I need is the GTC Nicolas, for Warzone).

EDIT:  Trying it from scratch, I'm also having a great deal of trouble getting the GIMP to save it in DXT3 format (says it can't compress non-power of 2 sized images) and preserve the file dimensions.  Keeps shrinking it down to the dimensions of the text rather than preserving the 512x64.  Haven't tried PCX, I'd prefer to stick with DDS as that's what literally all the other new ones are using.

I'm quite new to this whole thing, help is appreciated =)

[Zacam]

NameplatePackage

Don't know why, but the corruption is coming from the filehost. So I packaged the above 2 linked into one package and put it on MediaFire.

Nameplates are (with the exception of the Science01-name which is 256x128) sized at 512x64.

*Edit and 20 seconds later: GTC_Nicolas.dds

On another note, switching to a MediaFire account for SCP related. UEUO is pissing me off and is probably going to get dropped. It'll mean finding a new hosting server. I'm thinking Dreamhost. PM me with suggestions people.

And Goober: While those are really good instructions, and they have served well, they are uneccesarily complicated (Especially the parts on dragging the text box to resize, which is also messy as hell and kills anti-aliasing) it also makes a file of the wrong size.

Zacams steps for Nameplate Creation: (when you don't have a template)

New Image, canvas size 512x64 (or 256x128 for Science Vessels), background black.
Center text tool with Stop font selected, start with 60px w/anti-aliasing turned on, color: FFFFFF.
Type in GTD/GTC/GTCv Whatever.
Drag (but do NOT resize) to center in the middle.
If necessary, reduce font size and retype if you need to fit a longer name. Always reduce by 2 points at a time until it fits.
When done, merge all layers (there should only be two) into a background image.
Select all, copy.
Create a new Channel for Alpha.
Paste, de-select all.
Flood Fill, color: CCCCCC. Fill in all the white.
Save-As: DDS DXT3.

For the Orion:
Open Capital01-05.
If not already sized to 512x64, resize it.
Center text tool with Stop font selected, start with 60px w/anti-aliasing turned on, color: FFFFFF.
Drag (but do NOT resize) to center in the middle.
Type in your GTD Nameplate.
Set the font layer to 80% Visible (or %20 Transparent) <-- Currently not a good idea, as the shinemap causes a LOT of fading to the white already)
When done, merge the image into a background image.
Save-As: DDS DXT3 (I know there is no alpha, but this keeps colors sharp).

Hope this helps. With the templates, just Type, Copy, Paste, Color, Save, or for the Orions, Type and Save.

[MP-Ryan]

I'm using the GIMP, so the interface may be a little different...

You've lost me with the Alpha channel business.  What exactly am I trying to accomplish with the copy/paste?  Here's what happens:
-I copy the entire selection, text merged into a black background.
-I go to Channels, and we already have an Alpha channel.  I can't paste into it, I can't modify it.  When I create a new channel, I have options to set opacity and the colour of the channel.
-If I paste at any point I end up with a pasted layer, floating selection on the layers tab.

I'm sure I can figure this out if I know what I'm trying to accomplish.  What am I filling with the grey colour and what is it accomplishing?

I haven't played with alpha channels for transparency before, hence why I'm rather lost.

EDIT:

I think I've found another way to do this, at least in the GIMP.
-Background black, create layer with white text.
-Reduce text layer opacity to desired level.
-Merge layers.
-Go to colours, select colour to alpha.
-Enter 000000 (black).
-Save.

Seems to work nicely.  Now I just have to see if it works in-game.

[Zacam]

Sorry, my instructions were in Photoshop. I'll fire up GIMP and see what is different. You _should_ be able to paste to the alpha.

The grey text in the alpha rides over the white text in the graphic, resulting in a gradient alpha transparency that makes the letters look more like they are painted on to the models texture that is behind the nameplate, vs. simply dashed on with bevel ignoring white-out.

*Edit: Okay, so in opening the nameplate I made into GIMP, doing a Template open and then doing as a new image, I cannot believe that GIMP is this painfull to use.
I have to be missing something, so I will try and figure out Gimp friendly instructions for Nameplates. It's not an application that I tend to like or use, but not everybody has Photoshop, so it's better if everybody has a way to do this.

[Herra Tohtori]

Sorry, my instructions were in Photoshop. I'll fire up GIMP and see what is different. You _should_ be able to paste to the alpha.

The grey text in the alpha rides over the white text in the graphic, resulting in a gradient alpha transparency that makes the letters look more like they are painted on to the models texture that is behind the nameplate, vs. simply dashed on with bevel ignoring white-out.

*Edit: Okay, so in opening the nameplate I made into GIMP, doing a Template open and then doing as a new image, I cannot believe that GIMP is this painfull to use.
I have to be missing something, so I will try and figure out Gimp friendly instructions for Nameplates. It's not an application that I tend to like or use, but not everybody has Photoshop, so it's better if everybody has a way to do this.

Hmm, well... here's how I would do it: First make the ship name on transparent background, in whatever colour (white or near-white gray - #dddddd-#ffffff, somewhere on that scale I think). You can do this by for example writing the name on black, then making black transparent.

Now, if you want the text to have, say, 70% opacity, select Eraser, set transparency to about 30% (in te Eraser's tool options in GIMP main window) and use the eraser on the text. The Eraser tool does exactly what you want in this case - adjusts alpha channel intensity. The surrounding background is already at 0% alpha intensity, so the eraser won't affect it - but the text is at 100% intensity, so 30% transparent Eraser will subtract from the alpha channel and leave it at about 70% alpha intensity.

Mind you, you need to do the whole text in one sweep because if you stop in the middle, then try to continue, it will subtract the 30% from the already 70% alpha intesity areas, and leave it at about 50%.


Another way is to break the image up to grayscale components in four layers (red green blue and alpha), then adjust the alpha channel so that the text in the alpha layer is not white but instead something like #999999, then re-compose the image into a single RGBA layer...

My personal opinion is that GIMP's channel management sucks and the Channels window itself is pretty much useless. There's also some strange behaviour in the way the alpha channel affects the other channel thumbnails in the Channels window - if you make the alpha channel black, the other channels' thumbnails change black too! Which sucks because they aren't black...

[MP-Ryan]

Sorry, my instructions were in Photoshop. I'll fire up GIMP and see what is different. You _should_ be able to paste to the alpha.

The grey text in the alpha rides over the white text in the graphic, resulting in a gradient alpha transparency that makes the letters look more like they are painted on to the models texture that is behind the nameplate, vs. simply dashed on with bevel ignoring white-out.

*Edit: Okay, so in opening the nameplate I made into GIMP, doing a Template open and then doing as a new image, I cannot believe that GIMP is this painfull to use.
I have to be missing something, so I will try and figure out Gimp friendly instructions for Nameplates. It's not an application that I tend to like or use, but not everybody has Photoshop, so it's better if everybody has a way to do this.

The GIMP is aptly named for its interface

Like I said, this is the way I ultimately ended up doing it:
-Create a 512x64 pixel image, blackground set to black.
-Use the text tool to add your text layer, type ship class and name.  60pt STOP font in white.
-Tools -> Transform Tools -> Align.  Set it to align to image, and center horizontal/vertical.
-Set the text layer opacity to desired level (I used 80%) on the layers pane.
-Merge layers.
-Go to Colors -> Color to Alpha...
-Set the alpha color to black and click OK.  It should render the entire background behind the text transparent and as the text is 80% opacity you should faintly see the pattern through it.
-Save as DDS, DXT3 format, enable mipmaps.

You could probably even use 70% opacity instead of 80%

It did work well.  Here's the finish product:

[attachment deleted by ninja]

[Zacam]

It's idea of "centered" is a little off and the horizontal and way aff an the vertical.

As well, it doesn't look like any anti-aliasing was used. The letters also seem, I dunno, a litttle fat.

GiMP is obviously not a tool for me though. I've given up trying to achieve results with it, and I am now even more impressed with the work Herra has done. (VA as well if he is using GiMP).

[MP-Ryan]

It's idea of "centered" is a little off and the horizontal and way aff an the vertical.

As well, it doesn't look like any anti-aliasing was used. The letters also seem, I dunno, a litttle fat.

GiMP is obviously not a tool for me though. I've given up trying to achieve results with it, and I am now even more impressed with the work Herra has done. (VA as well if he is using GiMP).

The centering is a little faulty, this is true (the vertical centering of text is based on something other than the midpoint of the text field).  AA was active, though hinting may have caused other problems.  The difference is negligible between the two different programs though (it's not that obvious, and certainly won't be flying by in-game ).

It's a difficult program to master certainly, but its free... which is the only reason one would ever choose it over PhotoShop.  Unfortunately, not all of us can afford PS or are willing to do a little pirating =)

[Goober5000]

*ahem*

Voila.

You can adapt the same steps to other size nameplates as well.