#4451542 - 12/03/18 08:30 AM
Bitmap juggling
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 12,497
MrJelly
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Montagnac, L'Herault, France
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To test the multi-skin maker I chose one of Ray's planes that had no BMP files. It worked, so I wanted to add the BMP files because they can be edited directly without the need to convert them. So I unpicked the TPC files to make PCX files and used a converter to make BMP files. They did not work as one which I has edited seemed to show the original and not the edited version. Investigation showed that the converted files were 8-bit BMP and the 160 exe is programmed to read 24-bit. As a result they were not being read So I made a 256x256 blank 24-bit BMP file and pasted my edited file into it using MSPaint. It retained the 24-bit format, and worked when I ran the exe. However, some patches of additional colour appeared which were not in the original. I could see them in the BMP file after pasting. So I looked for another solution. I loaded the 8-bit BMP into MSPaint, and saved it as a JPG. Then I saved the JPG as a 24-bit BMP. It worked perfectly Jel
Fly EAW online at GameRanger: GameRanger SiteFaceBook Pages UAW 160 downloadsEAW ClubMark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
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#4451559 - 12/03/18 11:10 AM
Re: Bitmap juggling
[Re: MrJelly]
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,859
Rotton50
3DZ / campaign designer
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3DZ / campaign designer
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,859
Cape Charles, Virginia, USA
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So here's a question.
Can you mix BMP's and tpc/pcx's.
I ask because the BMP's are a lot larger in size than the tpc files
A little background.
I'm working on a B-26 multi-skin project and I've come up with a way to make the folder size quite a bit smaller.
Since the game will use the main plane's skin if it doesn't find any multi-skins we don't need duplicates of some parts such as the cockpit, shadow and in some cases, the props, fuselage and wing views.
So I made a "B.3dz" with only one transparent element which points to PLANEB.pcx. This pcx is nothing but a single picture made up of nose art. Then I attached the "B" with a hardpoint to the appropriate spot on the "C.3dz", which is the left half of the nose.
It shows up perfectly in the game and it works for the multiskins too. The advantage is that I don't need many of the 3dz and tpc files as long as the basic skin is the same. So, for instance, if the third, fourth, fifth and ninth plane are sliver, as is the lead plane, I can leave out the fuselage 3dz's and tpc's for those planes.
The "B".tpc is pretty sharp since it takes up the entire pallet but I'm limited to the 256 color pallet and with that limitation skin tones are tough to get correct. (And as we well know, lot of the nose art involves scantily clad women).
So, could I make a "b".bmp to replace the B"B.tpc, without converting the entire set of files?
Heck, even paranoids have enemies.
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#4451560 - 12/03/18 11:12 AM
Re: Bitmap juggling
[Re: MrJelly]
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 12,497
MrJelly
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Montagnac, L'Herault, France
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Mark: The point is that the BMP made from the PCX is 8-bit, with the same colours as the PCX, so it is not high quality in the first place. The goal is just to get a 24-bit version with exactly the same colours, which can be duplicated from plane01 to plane02-15 by the multiskin utility. This would then give the modder some BMPs to work with. It is not intended to be a finished product, but something that creates 24-bit BMP files from the PCX in the case where no BMP files exist. Ray: You can mix BMP with TPC files If there is a "Plane01TX.TPC" and a "Plane01TX.BMP" then the "Plane01TX.BMP" will be used as the texture file. If there is no "Plane01TX.BMP" then the "Plane01TX.TPC" will be used. Jel
Last edited by MrJelly; 12/03/18 11:17 AM.
Fly EAW online at GameRanger: GameRanger SiteFaceBook Pages UAW 160 downloadsEAW ClubMark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
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#4451618 - 12/03/18 05:02 PM
Re: Bitmap juggling
[Re: MrJelly]
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 12,497
MrJelly
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Montagnac, L'Herault, France
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I just did a test to get a definitive answer to your earlier question, but I will use it to ask for ideas on another matter that I raised at the Gen earlier today. This was my skin folder with just the primary files. I made copies of my "Plane01" BMPs and re-named them to match the names of the primary TPCs It worked, as we can see the "Plane01" BMP textures on the primary 3dzs: What I mentioned at the Gen is the rear wheel and the aerial. In the "PlaneAEX.TCP/PCX" there is a pink area which is a transparency. The colour is the same in the BMP, but it does not work as a transparency. Is it possible to fix this?Just a reminder that this is part of a project which is meant to go like this: 1. A player has a good single skin in 160 format, but no BMP files. He wants to make a set of multiskins, with editable BMPs using the editor I have just made. 2. He "unpicks" the TPCs, and converts the PCX files to 24-bit BMPs so that now he has the BMPs. 3. Using the editor he makes the Plane01 files, modifies one of the Plane01 BMPs, and tests them. 4. If he sees that the modification shows on the Plane01 he knows it is working, and on a couple of mouseclicks he can make the Plane02-Plane15 files. At a very simple level a player could create 24-bit BMPs for a single skin and edit them in MSPaint just for a bit of fun. The TPC files are not changed so nothing can be lost. So I would like some means of fixing the transparency problem, that players can use. Jel
Last edited by MrJelly; 12/03/18 05:03 PM.
Fly EAW online at GameRanger: GameRanger SiteFaceBook Pages UAW 160 downloadsEAW ClubMark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
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#4451653 - 12/03/18 07:04 PM
Re: Bitmap juggling
[Re: MrJelly]
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 12,497
MrJelly
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Veteran
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Montagnac, L'Herault, France
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Fixed It worked if I edited the palette in PShop with the PCX loaded to your values of Red - 252 Green - 0 Blue - 252 Then I saved it as a BMP, loaded it in MSPaint and re-saved it as a 24-bit BMP. The "PlaneCEX.TCP/PCX" had the same problem which I fixed using the same method
Fly EAW online at GameRanger: GameRanger SiteFaceBook Pages UAW 160 downloadsEAW ClubMark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
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CD WOFF
by Britisheh. 03/28/24 08:05 PM
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