Zasleh Texture problem

[Iron+Cross 0]

Hey well its another zasleh prob, but this time its a texture one.. this is linked to this post, (Click)

Basicly im trying to make my own Zasleh (muzzleflash) but the damnd ting comes up All black..

Now whenn i use tex view to look at Vilas Zasleh texture it comes up at the bottom,

Quote[/b] ]128x64 A4R4G4B4

now in Kegety's Photoshop Plugin that done show up ANY where in the exporter (save as..)

now i looked at the SWISS ARMY mod FlashS files.. (same thing basicly a zasleh)

& it says

Quote[/b] ]128x63 DXT5

now thats in the exporter for photoshop, but when i do it its damnwell same problem....??

now if i put both of those textures in as my Zasleh they work perfectly, but when i edit em a little they dont but if i use another texture with DXT5 settings from an old addon that go's black aswell do these guys have a tool im missing? or is it somthing im doing wrong any help??

Vilas? Kagety? Swiss guys?

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UPDATE

well im starting to think Vilas & the other chaps are using a Hex tool for editing there .paa to 128x64 A4R4G4B4

Which to a novis is a whole new learning curve i dont get any advice on the following?

reason is i found this on WW3 mod site in russian.

Quote[/b] ]Description by Flea (May 2005). PAA/PAC. File of image, texture, Operation Flashpoint. There are 5 sizes: DXT1 R5G5BД1, packed A4R4G4B4, packed R5G5BД1, packed I8O8 (1 channel of alpha and 1 channel brightness) and 0x4747(o it separately). File in itself stores not only image itself, but also MipMapsy (MipMaps), maximum quantity of mipmapsov 16. In any size of stored MipMapsy there is a limitation, a height and width must be divided into 2 to the end without the remainder (in Flashpoint to 4). Types: • short whole of 2 bytes • sizebyte whole of 3 bytes • int whole of 4 bytes • long whole of 8 bytes the structure: in sequence Hex address is size the type of the value of additionally 1 00000 2 int signatures, the size of file. Versions: 0x4444 packed A4R4G4B4 0x1555 packed R5G5BД1 0x8080 packed I8O8 0xFF01 DXT1 2 00002 sums of all begun to operate TEG long TEG of description. "GGATCGVA" (RGBA statistics) after it the description of channels. to 2 parts, the first int dimension of block, usually 4, the second flag that consisting of 4 bytes, statistics, average statistical color of entire picture, i.e., the sum of all it is color it is added (each channel separately) and to be divided into a quantity of pikseley. (size 12 + 4 bytes), the presence of TEG depends on the quantity of tsvetokanalov, if channels two, then TEG is not written (example: I8O8). "GGATGALF" he speaks about the description of alpha, first int this is size of block, the second int - flag, more than 0 mean, to eat alpha, if there is no alpha - this TEG is not written. (size 12 + 4 bytes)"GGATSFFO" offset TEG, in it are described the addresses of the beginning of all mipmapsov. The first flag int stores in itself the size of offset information (quantity of mipmapsov)*ya, further indicators int storing space from the beginning of file at the beginning of mipmapsa. (size of 12 + 4*(kol- in mipmapsov, until maximum 16) byte), tag is required. At the end go compulsorily two bytes 0x00(3to a quantity it is color in the palette, but there is no palette so that equally to zero). 3 further 4 int the overall sizes of mipmapsa store in themselves width and height, the first part short width the second part short - height 4 +4 3 sizebyte the physical size of the following block (image itself) 5 +3 size is indicated in the preceding point bytes image itself in the pakovannom form. Further everything is repeated (from 3 through 5 point) thus far will not end MipMapsy. Self-contained "AK" 0x4747(v of the stage of working) Secret Of oRKov Note: For the work with DXT1 you look msdn.microsoft.com, so it is possible to use NVIDIA DXT library, © 2003 nvidia Corporation. Packed sizes are packed analogously PBO, after their unpacking so can open NVIDIA DXT library as ARGB size.

P.s if Vilas, Swiss, & the other guys are using HEX editors to edit the format of the .paa's why did they not mention it in there read me's when they were listing tools they used....

[vilas 473]

i use HEX editor to replace texture prefix in reskined addons

but this the only use of this software for me

[Iron+Cross 0]

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UPDATE

hate to be a paint on your goggels, but would it be to mutch trouble to ask for some elaberation on how you went about this vilas? (more of these if you do)

but if its to mutch to start learning, uhm.. just say,

on the other hand HEY SWISS MOD! (i prefer Austrian smoked cheese)  

Could the SWISS  guys please tell me how the heck they got

Quote[/b] ]FLASHF Zasleh's to work at DXT5 encoding?

i just dont get it.. or is it more hexing...?

[mr.Flea 0]

FIRST:

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Paa_File_Format

SECOND:

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Paa_File_Format#Bibliography

THIRD:

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Community_Tools#Texturing

[Iron+Cross 0]

cool but

Quote[/b] ]FIRST:

]http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Paa_File_Format

Nice thanks that fills in a few blansk although.. i dont do hexing... (cant spare time at mo   )

Quote[/b] ]SECOND:

]http://community.bistudio.com/wiki....]

cool but

Feersum's original posting on BIS forums: Paa/pac texture format documentation

not much use..

Quote[/b] ]MSDN documentation on DXT1 textures: DirectX: Opaque and 1-Bit Alpha Textures

page/file not found..

&

Quote[/b] ]Squish Compression DXTn compress/decompress

uhmmmm

Also

Quote[/b] ]"THIRD" PAAplug Photoshop plugin for reading and writing PAA textures with DXT1-5 support (by Kegetys)

dont work.. but your Texview work, as thats what ive been using for basic pac/paa textures in DXT5 so far thanks! but it dont help when it comes to converting edited TGA's back to .paa/pac for muzzle flashes (zasleh) .. or am i missing somthing?

   

[mr.Flea 0]

Quote[/b] ]

Quote[/b] ]128x63 DXT5

now thats in the exporter for photoshop, but when i do it its damnwell same problem....??

resize to 128x65, then after export ->texture size 128x64

[Iron+Cross 0]

thanks again but i tried it, & it was still black..

well incase im doing somthing stupid (probable) ill explain exactly what i do..

1st i start in photoshop 8, & with a 128x64 TGA with alpha, 32bit (exact same compared to regular zasleh converted from arma .paa to TGA using paa plugin)

so i make my texture just plain red to test, then make sure its white in alpha channel & black around it. (default)

then export i tried exporting it in DXT1-5 RGB444... & so on all ot paa & tried it in game but they always show up black & they are all connected properly in the config, & addon texture paths.

[mr.Flea 0]

My English is bad. I cant wrote how to help you in English

[Iron+Cross 0]

Thanks ALL i cant thank you chaps enough for the help!

solution to my texture prob mite help others!

it was the damnd paatool11 i was missing see when it said it was the same as paa plugin in kagetys tools pack i thought why bother d/l it, but it actuly fixes my prob some how! & i dont care how    (infact i dont want to know how! lol)     thanks all   @flea i will keep a special little hair for you to crawl on hehe..

     

 

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Update

Vilas did you use "paatool11" ? or a mixture of hex & paatool11 & kagetys paaplugin?