Help with textures.

[Nocens]

All right, I’ve been fretting back and forth, and I’ve finally decided I need to be able to create new face textures, tattoos, and similar for my own game and if it works out, release them so others can enjoy. Alas, while I’m an experienced texturer, I am absolutely awful as far as the technical side goes. Games just keep getting more complicated and I imagine I'm not clever enough to texture for them for much longer, hehe.

 

What I tried was applying my freshly painted texture to a downloaded one (having replaced it entirely, I just wanted to use their DDS file to figure out how it would work in this game) and then save it through photoshop’s exported DDS plug-in, but unfortunately, it’s looking horrendous. For some reason, in the editor it turns super-glossy and shiny, like the face is covered with lard and I’m barely able to see the texture at all. Never having had this problem with other games I’ve textured for, I’m well aware of the fact that there’s something I’m missing that I need to figure out but I can’t quite figure it out.

 

Are there any specific settings I need to use? Do I need to edit both files (there was one ending with _0n.dds and one with _0d.dds, I edited the one that looked like an actual face rather than the map one)? Will it make a difference if I skip using the DDS converter in Adobe and download a separate program (though I can’t see why, Adobe’s always worked for me before :/ )?

 

Anyway, I’m asking too many questions, I know. Just feeling a bit frustrated here. Any help is welcome! It might be that this is very simple and I'm just missing some integral part, or it might be it's just too complicated for me (in that case, dang, oh well...)

[Luchaire]

It sounds like maybe you didn't save it with a proper alpha channel. Face textures (the _0d.dds, or diffuse, texture) need to be saved in DXT5 format.

 

Don't mess with the normal or specular maps (_0n.dds and _0s.dds) unless you have specific reason to and know what you're doing.

[Nocens]

That sounds like it might be it. I'll try again (apparently I kept my psd though I thought I tossed it in anger, hehe), and see if it works (if I can figure out how to do it). Thank you!

[Nocens]

This is... this is driving me absolutely insane. I never had any problems with any of the other games I've modded for but in spite of clicking DXT5 option, I'm getting the very, very glossy look on my face. It's a little less glossy now but she looks oily. My texture itself isn't oily by any means so I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

 

If you have a moment, talk to me like you'd talk to an idiot (hey, that's me! :D ):

 

in a DDS converter (using DDS converter 2.1 now or photoshop's inbuilt filter, getting same problems), which options do I need to click or unclick? I know I'm being difficult it just feels like I've tried every single option. I'm not touching anything but the 0d.dds files, gah... :/

 

I'll keep trying after dinner. I've got plans to do a really nice freckled texture as well as a femme fatale, alas...

[Nocens]

Oh wow, I fixed it somehow, nevermind... but wow, the lips I'd painted looks awful... back to the drawing board, ha ha.

[Nocens]

Not that I think anyone's actually reading the topic now, but the texture is turning out quite nice. I started out too complicated and it didn't get across at all, but now I'm just working on making it higher quality and enhancing features, such as the lips, nostrils and eyelids (lower and upper) as well as adding a small birthmark, because this is mainly the texture for my own character. There's more shading in the face and more highlighting.

 

Attached is a comparison between original texture (left) and the improved one (right), the eye texture isn't mine though (couldn't make any that didn't look blurry as heck and I don't even know what I did wrong, hehe, will try later). No makeup used.