How you can make a alpha textur (cod2)

Hello Guys,
i want to show you how you can make a Textur with alpha in Call of Duty 2.
For this tutorial you need DDS Converter 2 and GIMP.
DDS Converter 2 Download: http://www.gamefront.com/files/files...verter_v21.exe
GIMP Download: http://gimp.softonic.de/


Open your GIMP and click on File -> New
Now you will see this:
Attachment 257

you must click on "More Settings"
and then there stay: Felling: Background colour. You must change it to: transparent
Attachment 258

you will see now the alpha texture (invisible textur)
Attachment 259

now you can paint something what you want :)
Attachment 260

Save this picture.

File -> Export -> your Desktop -> name it to myalphatextur.png -> save.
Attachment 261
then..
Attachment 262

Now you have the file on your Desktop
Attachment 263

Now open the DDS Converter 2. You write there your file (myalphatexture.png) or klick on that.
Make from (input format:) .PNG to (Output format:) .TGA
Then you click on the button .\ (next to c:\users\computer name\desktop)
Attachment 264

Now click on Convert, now its converting to your desktop.
Attachment 265

Put your .TGA file in c\programme files(x86)\activision\call of duty 2)
Attachment 266

Now you click on bin and then on asset_manager.exe
Do this settings for a alpha textur:
Attachment 267

Click on File -> Save as

write there myalphatexture.gdt
and then on save.
Attachment 268

Click F10 (PC Convert -> Current asset only)

Now you will get a material and a image name: myalphatexture(.iwi)

Nice detailed tutorial :)

Thank you :)

FYI: There is a DDS plug-in available for GIMP. Eliminates the need for the external DDS Converter.

I got a problem trying to create a working TGA.
I'm defining killIcon\gfx/icons/hud@airstrikebomb.tga in my airstrikebomb_mp. The tga was made according to the tutorial.
Any help? I've been on it for hours now.

CoD2 uses two different kind of textures: iwi + material and @.tga files. Those @.tga files are leftovers from CoD1 can and should not be used as modding source. You should create a simple tga in Gimp and convert it to iwi + material file via the asset manager, as this will work in all cases.

Well I followed the steps over and over and over, tried changing a few things, it will still give me 50 bytes iwi and material. I'm done with it, thanks anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by serthy

CoD2 uses two different kind of textures: iwi + material and @.tga files. Those @.tga files are leftovers from CoD1 can and should not be used as modding source. You should create a simple tga in Gimp and convert it to iwi + material file via the asset manager, as this will work in all cases.

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COD2 uses ONE kind of texture - .IWI. The materials files are image parameter files. They inform the engine what parameters to use when drawing the shader types. As such, they aren't actually textures themselves.

COD2's materials files are paralleled in COD1 in the .STYPE files (found in the "shadertypes" folder). .STYPE is a file format used in early versions of 3D Studio Max, which is the 3D modelling program used in COD1 and United Offensive. As we know, COD2 used Maya 6.0 but Maya's materials files are not the same as COD2's materials files. So, the materials file format in COD2 is proprietary but it is based on Maya's one.

The .TGA files in COD2 are not left over from COD1. They are in fact the first prototype of materials files. The file extension is thus misleading - it is not a targa file at all. It is a materials file, with a strange file extension (i.e. .TGA). All the .TGA files in COD2 are in the materials folders. Not the image folder. Hence, this is a dead give-away that they are not in fact image files at all.

Very early in the development of COD2, when all the engine functions had not been finalized, Infinity Ward abandoned using this form of materials file, and developed the one we are most familiar with. This is why the game only has a few .TGA files in it. The .TGA materials files reference the .DDS files also found in the materials folder. Again these are not standard .DDS files. They are in fact prototype .IWI files, as the .IWI file header is included in COD2's .DDS file. You cannot open these .DDS files in standard image programs like Photoshop or GIMP. This is because of the proprietary header. Again, these files are from a very early build of COD2, before they finalised the .IWI format they would use up until the present.

Very nice !!! so i made that logo for my game server now. Do you know where i can find a tutorial on how to fix the logo in the right top corner?:P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Loveboy

Hello Guys,
i want to show you how you can make a Textur with alpha in Call of Duty 2.
For this tutorial you need DDS Converter 2 and GIMP.
DDS Converter 2 Download: http://www.gamefront.com/files/files...verter_v21.exe
GIMP Download: http://gimp.softonic.de/


Open your GIMP and click on File -> New
Now you will see this:
Attachment 257

you must click on "More Settings"
and then there stay: Felling: Background colour. You must change it to: transparent
Attachment 258

you will see now the alpha texture (invisible textur)
Attachment 259

now you can paint something what you want :)
Attachment 260

Save this picture.

File -> Export -> your Desktop -> name it to myalphatextur.png -> save.
Attachment 261
then..
Attachment 262

Now you have the file on your Desktop
Attachment 263

Now open the DDS Converter 2. You write there your file (myalphatexture.png) or klick on that.
Make from (input format:) .PNG to (Output format:) .TGA
Then you click on the button .\ (next to c:\users\computer name\desktop)
Attachment 264

Now click on Convert, now its converting to your desktop.
Attachment 265

Put your .TGA file in c\programme files(x86)\activision\call of duty 2)
Attachment 266

Now you click on bin and then on asset_manager.exe
Do this settings for a alpha textur:
Attachment 267

Click on File -> Save as

write there myalphatexture.gdt
and then on save.
Attachment 268

Click F10 (PC Convert -> Current asset only)

Now you will get a material and a image name: myalphatexture(.iwi)

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