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Programs and Tools needed:
Step 1:
Assuming you have
Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, you will need to unzip the DXT_TOOLS.ZIP. Look
for the pluggin called "DDS.8BI". You need to place that
pluggin in your Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro pluggins folder. This
will allow you to edit .DDS files with the program. Those of you using
Photoshop, the pluggin goes in your "Formats" folder
located inside your Pluggins folder.
Step 2:
Unzip the XCC Mixer zip you downloaded. Run the.EXE program and it will
automatically search and open all the mix files available for all your
Westwood games you have loaded. Give this program time to find and extract
everything. It may take a while. Once the program has extracted all the
files, in your XCC
window click on file in the upper left corner, scroll down to
"Found", and then to Renegade. You'll see all the mix files.
You'll find the vehicle and unit .dds files in those mix folders. Most of
what you are looking for is in the Always.dat folder. Open that one
up. Below is an example of what the .DDS skin file looks like. This one is
Mobius. The name of the file is c_mobius.dds
While
your in the Always.dat folder, you can extract any file you want
by right clicking on the file name, choose extract, and then send it to your
desktop or create a folder on your desktop and place it in there
so you can find it easily.
Step
3: Now
we're ready to edit the .dds file.
I use Photoshop, so I'll use that program as an example. Fire up
Photoshop. Click on file, and then open and go to where you placed
your .DDS file. If you placed the pluggin in the correct folder,
Photoshop will be able to work with .DDS files. You'll get a small window prompt asking
the
following: Image has Mip Maps. Display them with the image? Select
NO. Ok...once
your .dds file is loaded on Photoshop, the rest is up to you to
edit it as you want. You can place layers over the skin
background, or just edit the skin background itself. Your only
limited by your skills and imagination.
Step
4: Once
you've finished your work, it's time to save it. Go to file, and
then "Save As". Your going to save this as a .DDS file.
You'll be getting a save options window display giving you a lot
of choices. Basically not much has to be changed, but on the 'Save
Format' section, which is the very first one, choose No
Alpha [DXT1].
NOTE:
Those of
you who get a black looking skin in the game, it is most likely
you didn't save the .dds file correctly.
Make sure
the other options below are selected. This example is for those of
you using Photoshop.
The
rest of the options should be as follows:
MIP maps
-select Generate MIPS
MIP map generation
-select box filter
Options
-none selected (do not select any options)
Fade mip maps
-none selected (do not select any options)
Select formats to preview
-all should be selected
Overide
-click on emulate xbox DXT1
Preview Options
-leave them as they are
Now
select "2D Texture" and your all done!
Step
5: Place
your finished skin on your Westwood/Renegade/data folder. Fire up
your Renegade game. You can use the Multiplayer practice mode to
see what your new skin looks like. If you've modified one of the
vehicle skins, just purchase the one you modified and check it
out.
Visit
Westwood's Official
Renegade Website for all the latest updates, or keep checking the
CNCDEN newspage where all of the latest news
concerning Renegade will be posted!
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