A weird texture issue.

[Luckmann]

Thanks to lordsoulstrike, I've finally gotten my retexturing of NCR armour up and running. I've even added it to a vendor and everything checked out.. but, of course, I've run into a really strange issue.

 

The insignias I manually removed from the original texture (the bear, the red star and the text "NCR") are still "there". Not in their entirety, but rather as a shimmer. The red star and the bear is just barely noticeable, but the text "NCR" is almost as visible as always. When I look at the models and texture inside NifSkope or GECK, it checks out just fine. But when I equip the item in-game, it's still there, as if there's some kind of superimposed layer that can't be edited.

 

Examples:

 

Original, modless.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4972/armour1.png

 

 

Modded; Note that how visible it is varies depending on the lightning - the NCR text and the silhouettes of the bear is really visible from some angles.

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/831/armour2.png

 

 

How it is actually supposed to look, and do look, in NifSkope and GECK.

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/1038/armour3.png

 

Anyone have any idea what causes this?

 

Also, sorry for the big images. I could've resized them, but I didn't want quality to suffer, since the issue can be sorta hard to see out of the game (but trust me, it's really annoying).

[lordsoulstrike]

Did you happen to change the normal maps as well? If you didn't then that will do something as well. Normal maps are marked with an n. (example: armor_n.dds). That should solve your problems. Either that or create new normal maps. Editing normal maps are opened the same way. Just be careful not to darken/lighten the whole thing too much or the effects are changed. :)

[Luckmann]

Did you happen to change the normal maps as well? If you didn't then that will do something as well. Normal maps are marked with an n. (example: armor_n.dds). That should solve your problems. Either that or create new normal maps. Editing normal maps are opened the same way. Just be careful not to darken/lighten the whole thing too much or the effects are changed. :)

 

No, I didn't change the Normal map, because it doesn't appear to have anything remotely text-, star- or bear-like on it. I probably should have mentioned that I did (double-)check it, in my original post. :|

 

For comparison, straight from the .dds', in Photoshop:

 

Unedited.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3790/text1.png

 

Edited.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/93/text2a.png

 

Normal Map (Unedited).

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1176/text3normal.png

 

Or are you saying that duplicating the Normal Map and creating a new one could help?

[humantis]

Did you happen to change the normal maps as well? If you didn't then that will do something as well. Normal maps are marked with an n. (example: armor_n.dds). That should solve your problems. Either that or create new normal maps. Editing normal maps are opened the same way. Just be careful not to darken/lighten the whole thing too much or the effects are changed. :)

 

No, I didn't change the Normal map, because it doesn't appear to have anything remotely text-, star- or bear-like on it. I probably should have mentioned that I did (double-)check it, in my original post. :|

 

For comparison, straight from the .dds', in Photoshop:

 

Unedited.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3790/text1.png

 

Edited.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/93/text2a.png

 

Normal Map (Unedited).

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1176/text3normal.png

 

Or are you saying that duplicating the Normal Map and creating a new one could help?

 

Did you check the Specular Map, sir? :)

It's almost certainly a different .dds - I'm not sure how this stuff is stored, but an errant highlight like that is almost certainly from a specular map. Specular highlighting is what makes surfaces "glint" when struck at certain angles with light. So it might not be called "Specular Map" but that's what you're looking for. Maybe it's called Shiny Map, for all I know. But I think you'll find that's the problem.

[Luckmann]

Did you happen to change the normal maps as well? If you didn't then that will do something as well. Normal maps are marked with an n. (example: armor_n.dds). That should solve your problems. Either that or create new normal maps. Editing normal maps are opened the same way. Just be careful not to darken/lighten the whole thing too much or the effects are changed. :)

 

No, I didn't change the Normal map, because it doesn't appear to have anything remotely text-, star- or bear-like on it. I probably should have mentioned that I did (double-)check it, in my original post. :|

 

For comparison, straight from the .dds', in Photoshop:

 

Unedited.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3790/text1.png

 

Edited.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/93/text2a.png

 

Normal Map (Unedited).

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1176/text3normal.png

 

Or are you saying that duplicating the Normal Map and creating a new one could help?

 

Did you check the Specular Map, sir? :)

It's almost certainly a different .dds - I'm not sure how this stuff is stored, but an errant highlight like that is almost certainly from a specular map. Specular highlighting is what makes surfaces "glint" when struck at certain angles with light. So it might not be called "Specular Map" but that's what you're looking for. Maybe it's called Shiny Map, for all I know. But I think you'll find that's the problem.

I've been looking for something like that, but I can't actually find a reference to anything like that anywhere. Granted, it is already established that I am completely blind (based on another problem I had earlier), but I can't find it in the relevant .nif:s, nor in any setting on the item(s) in the GECK.

[Rocketlombax]

If you check the color channels for the normal map in Photoshop, the one labeled 'Alpha' would be the problem most likely. The normal map's Alpha channel controls the specularity of the texture. The closer to black some parts are, the less shiny something will be, the lighter white it is, the shinier it will be. Y'know, in case that info helps you in the future. :thumbsup:

[Luckmann]

If you check the color channels for the normal map in Photoshop, the one labeled 'Alpha' would be the problem most likely. The normal map's Alpha channel controls the specularity of the texture. The closer to black some parts are, the less shiny something will be, the lighter white it is, the shinier it will be. Y'know, in case that info helps you in the future. :thumbsup:

Hah! Just seconds before I saw this post, I figured it out. But thanks a lot, anyway.

 

Turns out that the Alpha Channel in the Normal maps show lightening, which isn't apparent in NifSkope or GECK.

 

Sorting it out now. :)

[Luckmann]

Done and done. Up and running.

http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35395

 

Thanks for the help, all. :)

[lordsoulstrike]

I had not thought of the Alpha. I was responding sort of late at night so..... Glad you found what the problem was. :)