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Modding Tutorials Information and tutorials related to modding BF2. |
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Thread Tools | Display Modes |
2014-01-19, 17:36 | #1 |
Retired PR Developer
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DDS format in BF2 explained
(if you find any errors, feel free to let me know, I'm just trying to help people on their way)
This tutorial will try to answer the following question: When to use what DDS format? Okay, we have the following topics:
Image dimensions DDS image dimensions must be a power of 2. Formats and differences There are different formats. We'll highlight only a few in this tutorial:
Mipmaps Mipmaps are pre-calculated, optimized collections of images that accompany a main texture, intended to increase rendering speed and reduce aliasing artifacts. Yes, that's a mouthful. Just take a look at this image, it'll explain 1000 words: If you're close to the object using this texture, it will use the biggest mipmap. The further you get away from the object, the smaller the mipmap is that will be displayed, which ultimately is better for performance. Alpha With or without alpha. Alpha layers are used to set transparency for example. Ask yourself, is any part of my image transparent? Atlas An atlas is nothing more than a collection of image files, combined into a single image. If the atlas image is 'full', you'll end up with multiple atlas files. That's no problem, performance wise it's still better to let the system open, read and close 1 or 2 (atlas) images, rather than hundreds of small images. If you're not using an atlas, you may have to take an extra step when saving your images. This counts only for menu files though (images stored in the menu zipfiles). Example of an atlas: (click to enlarge) When to use what format Minimap Location: levels/your_mapname/hud/ Format: DXT1, no alpha, no mipmaps Map overview Location: levels/your_mapname/info/ Format: DXT1, no alpha, no mipmaps, rename to PNG Map loading screen Location: levels/your_mapname/info/ Format: DXT1, no alpha, no mipmaps, rename to PNG Weapon icon Location: menu/hud/texture/ingame/weapons/icons/hud/selection/ Format with atlas: 32-bit TGA Format without atlas: 32-bit TGA, flip image vertically, rename to DDS Weapon selection icon Location: menu/hud/texture/ingame/weapons/icons/hud/selection/ Format with atlas: 32-bit TGA Format without atlas: 32-bit TGA, flip image vertically, rename to DDS Vehicle icon Location: menu/hud/texture/ingame/vehicles/icons/hud/vehicleicons/ Format with atlas: 32-bit TGA Format without atlas: 8.8.8.8 ARGB, no mipmaps Minimap icon Location: menu/hud/texture/ingame/vehicles/icons/minimap Format: DXT1, 1-bit alpha, no mipmaps Object textures Information: statics, vehicles, weapons, etc. Location: objects/... Format: DXT5 (in most cases), interpolated alpha (in most cases), generate mipmaps Sky texture Location: common/textures/sky/ Format: DXT1, no alpha, no mipmaps Flags (minimap and scoreboard) Location: menu/hud/texture/ingame/flags/icons/hud/score/your_teamname/ Location: menu/hud/texture/ingame/flags/icons/minimap/your_teamname/ Format: DXT1, 1-bit alpha, no mipmaps How to save DDS files using Photoshop First you need to have the Nvidia DDS plugin. You can download it here. Select 32- or 64-bit, depending on what version of Photoshop you're running. If you save your texture as DDS file, the following window will pop up: With the knowledge you now have, you should be able to save your texture in the right format . |
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Last edited by [R-DEV]Outlawz7; 2017-05-07 at 11:32..
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Tags |
bf2, dds, explained, format |
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