Correct dds standards

[dominic2005]

Good evening.

I've been trying for several days to figure out the correct standards for the dds files for textures.

 

I've worked out through extensive searches both on here and Aunty Google that the diffuse maps are saved in dtx1 (I tend to use dtx5 out of pure habbit, still seems to work ok either way)

Normal maps I discovered need to be tweaked and saved in 3dc. (Levels > Input Levels > Left slider to 100...then saved using 3dc)

Spec maps have been a nightmare to work out.

Does anyone know what the correct format is for spec maps?

For the benefit of others having the same problem, I've came up with a work around using a method similar to normal maps. Levels > Input Levels > Left slider to 100 > Output Levels > Right slider to 100. Then saved as 3dc. This tends to balance them back out to the original vanillar spaculars for whatever it is I am editing.

 

 

I hope someone can help me ?

 

Thanks

[throttlekitty]

Firstly, you should be working with correct files from the start, there's no good reason to make adjustments like that.

 

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/3446725-specularmap-channel-setup/

 

Normal and spec maps are both BC5u/ATI2

 

For diffuse maps, stick with DXT1 unless you need an alpha channel:

 

DXT1a has a 1bit alpha (black/white) for anything you don't need to do expensive alpha blending on.

DXT3 has 128 levels of gray in the alpha, not always so useful, but better performance than dxt5 when the need arises.

DXT5 for a full 256 levels of alpha.

[dominic2005]

Firstly, you should be working with correct files from the start, there's no good reason to make adjustments like that.

 

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/3446725-specularmap-channel-setup/

 

Normal and spec maps are both BC5u/ATI2

 

For diffuse maps, stick with DXT1 unless you need an alpha channel:

 

DXT1a has a 1bit alpha (black/white) for anything you don't need to do expensive alpha blending on.

DXT3 has 128 levels of gray in the alpha, not always so useful, but better performance than dxt5 when the need arises.

DXT5 for a full 256 levels of alpha.

 

Thanks. I'd read that post and if you look at the 3rd comment the PS nVidia DDS tools dont seem to work with those compression types (?)

 

I'm using the original files extracted using BAE, it's when the dds tool imports them it all starts to go wrong, again from reading that topic.

 

Is there a photoshop plugin that will import/export them correctly without, as you say, having to make adjustments like that?

[throttlekitty]

And if you read my reply to that post I explain that the PS DDS plugin doesn't handle those files and offer a working solution using nvidia's Texture Tools 2.

 

And no, there isn't a working way to do it entirely in Photoshop at the moment for normal and specular maps. All the diffuse maps are good however.