1 - Beginner Retexturing existing W3D models

[moonsense715]

Author: Ripper86

Skill level: 1

 

 

This tutorial will show you how to modify a texture of any ingame W3D model.

 

 

1. Get the texture

 

Extract a texture file (dds) from the always.dat file found in the Data folder of any game.

I`ve chosen w_c4-r.dds, that`s Third person Remote C4 in Renegade.

Important thing to remember, the pixel format, pending on what texture you mod it will change.

Game objects will usually be DXT1, hud objects will usually be DXT5.

 

 

2. Modify the texture

 

Open the file in Photoshop. On the popup asking to load Mip Maps, click no.

 

Edit your texture to your taste, the easiest thing I do is change the Hue/Saturation.

If you are doing this, use the marquee select tool to select what you want to change, then go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, make sure you have Colorise ticked.

Pick a colour using the hue bar then tweak the colour using the saturation bar and if needed the brightness bar.

I have chosen the "Pimp" purple.

 

 

3. Save the texture

 

Go to File > Save as

Make the file save as a DDS and click save.

 

Remember that important thing I told you to remember? now we`re using it.

If it was DXT1 follow these options and click save. If it was DXT5 change save format to Interpolated Alpha (DXT5) and save.

 

 

4. Finish

 

Now put your DDS file in your game's Data directory. This makes the engine use your new texture file here instead of the one in always.dat. If you want to use the original texture again, just move the file out of your Data folder or delete it.

 

That`s it!

Now the fun part, testing!!

 

Heres my final result:

 

Well I hope you learned something.

Thanks for reading, Ripper86.