Editing Skins

[Mike Busutil]

So I am trying to edit skins in DCS world for the A-10 but have had no luck....

 

I'm not sure which step I am doing wrong but I suspect file placement or file naming may be the issue.

 

Steps I am doing which are failing.

1. First I navigate to C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Bazar\World\textures

 

2. I open A-10.Zip folder and copy the file I want to edit to another location

(Exaple a-10c_74th fs_1-a.bmp.dds)

 

(My other location for saved files is located in C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Bazar called "Test Textures")

 

3. I than open DXTBmp and open the .dds file I want to edit. (a-10c_74th fs_1-a.bmp.dds)

 

4. I "save as" a 24 bit BMP image to my test textures folder.

 

5. I open Photoshop and take care of business...

 

6. I select file\save as and rename the file as a .psd to my Test Textures folder.

 

7. Then I select file\save as a .BMP file to my Test Textures folder and close Photoshop.

 

8. I open DXTBmp and select my ORIGINAL .dds file I started with before I made any changes to it.

 

9. Click Generate Mips

 

10. Click on compress

 

11. Select compress in the pop up texture window.

 

12. Select File\Save Compressed as a .dds file to my Test Textures folder.

 

13. I then navigate to C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Bazar\Liveries\A-10C folder.

 

14. I copy "74th FS Moody AFB, Georgia (FT)" folder and paste in the same Liveries folder as the original and rename.

 

15. Open the renamed folder.

 

16. I right click over “description.lau”

 

17. Select “Edit with Notepad++”

 

18. I rename the file I edited ("A-10C_74th FS_1-a",true to read ""XXXXXX-a",true and save. That's it :D

 

 

When I launch DCS World My nose skin looks messed up like it has the tail skin wrapped around it :doh:

 

I think either I am screwing up step 8 or step 18 but not sure.... Any thought's?

 

Thanks for any info :thumbup:

Edited September 16, 2012 by Mike Busutil

[GrimDeath]

If you have the .dds file in the same folder as the description.lau, change the "true" statement to "false"

[_Heater_]

Try this ;)

Skin Tutorial.pdf

[Mike Busutil]

Try this ;)

 

 

Thank's Heater, This is the file I am referencing. This file was done before World so I am not 100% sure if any other steps are required.

[Michelange]

When I launch DCS World My nose skin looks messed up like it has the tail skin wrapped around it

you have a error in description.lua

 

you placed the same texture file (tail) at both positions tail and nose.

[Mike Busutil]

you have a error in description.lua

 

you placed the same texture file (tail) at both positions tail and nose.

 

 

 

I'm not sure how I could of done that....

 

The only thing I do with the description.lau file is edit the name of the first "a" file.

[GrimDeath]

Compare what is being done in the Fictional folders to what is being done in the named folders.

[Mike Busutil]

Ah, good point! Thanks.

[Mike Busutil]

Ok so I looked at the Fictional folders and noticed they had the edited .dds files in the folders with the description.lau, I had mine in my "test folder". BUT still this did not correct my issue.

 

Am I correct to assume in my step 8 I am supposed to compress the ORIGINAL .dds file that is unedited? This does not seem right to me...

[Mike Busutil]

How do I tell me description.lau file to look where my edited .dds file is located?

[GrimDeath]

First, the game will call your new liveries by what ever the folder is called.

i.e.if you make a folder named "11th test" it will show up in game as "11th test"

No matter what skin is in it.

 

Now make a folder and call it what you want.

Copy a-10c_74th fs_1-a.bmp.dds to the folder. rename it

 

e.x. a-10c_11th_test fs_1-a.bmp.dds

 

Copy the description.lua to the folder.

Open the description.lua with notepad++ and edit this line:

 

{"A-10C_PAINT_1-a", 0 ,"A-10C_74th FS_1-a",true};

 

Change the true, to false.

Now it looks like this:

 

{"A-10C_PAINT_1-a", 0 ,"A-10C_11th_test_1-a",false};

 

The true statement tells the sim to look in the zip file, a false statement tell it to look in the folder.

[Mike Busutil]

GrimDeath, still no luck. I still can't seem to get i right and need some help :helpsmilie:. Editing the skins is no problem, I just can't get them to load properly in the sim. I can get my edited liveries folder to show in the list of liveries but when I load a flight the nose textures look like the tail textures are layed over it. How do I take a in flight screen shot so I can show you?

 

Anyone feel like writing down the correct steps so I can compare notes and find my error? :joystick:

[CAT_101st]

Try this ;)

Thanks for this.