HUD editing

  • Programs Needed
    UTF Editor 1.0.0.4
    FLMM 1.3
    Image editing program of your choice (MUST support TGA files)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Some small things you need to know beforehand.
    For some very odd reason, Digital Anvil decided to get as many CRC conflicts in the HUD as possible, what this has resulted in is the same texture is used in each individual file youll be adding to (of course, that comes after editing them ;) youll get what I mean more clearly about there been so many duplicates of the same texture when you open up a few files in UTF)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The files youll be editing
    *NOTE*
    ALL of these files are in TGA format so you will need an application that is able to edit these, there are plenty of free ones available for download GIMP for example (I think)
    refreshtest2.tga
    LOAD_gradientblue.tgaLOAD_widebar.tga
    HUD_gradientbluefinal.tgaHUD_glowedgefinal.tga
    HUD_gradientblue.tgaglowedge10.tga
    HUD_gradientblue.tgaglowedge8.tga
    HUD_gradientblue.tgaglowedge5.tga
    HUD_darkblue.tga
    frametexture1.tgaagain4.tga
    edgecolor.tgaglowedge8.tga
    edgecolor.tgaglowedge5.tga
    edgecolor.tgaagain4.tga
    backgroundpattern.tga
    30.tgaframetexture.tga
    Now, as you can see there is quite a number, usually the BEST thing to do is just to open up the file and edit the HUE / SATURATION of the image and simply save (Photoshop users) if you are using a different program just look for something similar.
    All of the files here are in TGA format for a specific reason, they all have alpha maps (a special type of channel that controls transparency on a texture) so if you make any changes to the way it LOOKS then youll have to check the alpha map to make sure its the same outlining shape (youll see what I mean ;))
    Now, two of these files in particular are actually unique and only appear once and that is:
    LOAD_gradientblue.tgaLOAD_widebar.tga
    AND
    frametexture1.tgaagain4.tga
    LOAD_gradientblue.tgaLOAD_widebar.tga <<< This is that little gradient you see when the loading bar appears that moves sideways.
    frametexture1.tgaagain4.tga <<< this appears ONCE in the gameoverwindow.cmp file, the version of the file I am giving you is for the MIP0 node (more on nodes and MIP0 later)
    Also, as well as those two files, when you reach the file gameoverwindow.cmp (that is the one that contains frametexture1.tgaagain4.tga, the same rule applies to the backgroundpattern.tga as well, apply it directly to the MIP0 node and nothing else. I do not cover the uses of the other files but if you export them, youll see what is meant by the term MIP mapping (smaller and smaller textures for certain distances)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The Folder and File Structure!
    I have laid this out as it would appear to be in FL, with the added addition of this being in an already laid out Freelancer Mod Manager Format so when you download the pack, you install it into FLMM and you edit the files directly (saves time ALOT). Youll notice that the textures have long names; this is so you can simply look at one of the nodes in UTF, click on the MIP0 node and simply import the texture that corresponds to the node above the MIP0!
    So, once you have made your changes to the texture files, its time to place them back in! Now, dont be disheartened at about what Im about to say - This part will take some time - mainly due to the fact you have to replace each texture in all 59 files each of which has more than 2 textures alone (the highest is 6 and thats in 7 or 9 files) just plod on going thru each individual folder and it gets done (Ive got the same system in place and I can replace all textures in about 15 minutes)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Getting the Textures back into the files
    This will be visual to show you how to replace textures
    First open up UTF Editor 1.0.0.4
    This screen will appear, now go to File then Open
    Now browse for the first file to edit, I recommend you edit files in the first folder you come to so in my case its in DATA\INTERFACE\BASESIDE
    So open up your file and the files contents will appear in a small window inside UTF Editor
    Next click the little plus button to the left of the tree and this will happen (yours MAY be different DONT WORRY!)
    Youll see a bunch more plus signs and some text, these are called branches, and the branch we are interested in is Texture Library (this is where all textures are stored) so click on the plus sign for Texture Library and it will again show more branches.
    So you can see it better, Ive zoomed in a bit. Now, as you can see youll notice the new branches have the same names as the textures! This is why keeping the texture names the same as the branches makes allocating your new textures easier  so click on a textures plus sign to open it up.
    Youll notice that this time the plus sign has revealed something different, this is a node, it contains data, more specifically, the texture file. MIP0 node indicates a TGA Texture. There is another type of node relating to textures and that is MIPS (DDS Textures) but we wont go into that now as it is a pretty big area
    To import the texture you modified earlier back into this file, click on the MIP0 node and make your way to the right and click on Import
    Once you have clicked that, a window will open up, browse to the folder where the textures you edited are and click the file that relates to the branch that the MIP0 is stored under, in my case, this is - edgecolor.tgaglowedge5.tga once you have done that click open, next go to the top left and hit the save button
    And thats it! You have imported your first TGA texture into a file, have fun doing it for the next 58 files hehe >: D

    signew.jpg


    cfmoddblogo.png5904.png5904.png
    http://www.moddb.com/scripts/topsite.php?ts=4766


    Only dead fish swim with the stream.
    Don't discuss with idiots. They only drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience there.


    This is ten percent luck,
    Twenty percent skill,
    Fifteen percent concentrated power of will,
    Five percent pleasure,
    Fifty percent pain,
    And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!