Base Texture Making Tutorial

[null45]

From the error code I guess that GDI+ may be crashing.   

Could you PM me all of the Exception Information?

[mrbisonm]

From the error code I guess that GDI+ may be crashing.   

Could you PM me all of the Exception Information?

I don't know if this is possible, where do I find that report? Because taking a picture of these 100 + pages that is on that report is too much of an effort to be worth the trouble.

Unless you know exactly what you're looking for and give me a hint where to find it.

Fred

[null45]

Just copy and paste all of the text from the dialog in your screenshot with the green title bar starting with where it says Exception Information into a code block and PM that to me (you may have to attach it in a text file as there is probably a limit on how much text can be sent in a PM). 

Hopefully the cause of the crash is somewhere in all that text.   

[mrbisonm]

Well, I'm sorry to say this but the report cannot be copied and pasted. I cannot even underline anything on that page. If you look at the pulldownbar on the right on th picture below, you can see that there's easily more than 100 pages in that report, showing mostly numbers etc.
So, let's say we have tried, but the program does NOT work on my computer.
The same thing happened once before a few years back with wouanagaine's Mapmaker and Terraformer, which I was never able to open and make it function without crashing. (even after re-installing windows)

I thank you very much for trying to help Null45, plus all the others, but I think I'm going to ask someone (hopefully I find someone) to "render" or transform my 5 textures for me. What else could I do...... (funny, or should I say strange thing, it doesn't work on my laptop, neither on my office computer, so it's not the computer, right?)

Could someone help me with this please? Thank you all, much appreciated.


Fred

[null45]

If you have a copy of Photoshop 6 or later did you try the Fsh Format Plugin?

That does not rely on GDI+, unlike my other tools so it should be able to convert your files.

[mrbisonm]

If you have a copy of Photoshop 6 or later did you try the Fsh Format Plugin?

That does not rely on GDI+, unlike my other tools so it should be able to convert your files.

I only have Photoshop 5.....

Fred

[null45]

All of the text in the error dialog is contained in a file with a .mdmp extension in your Temp folder,
one of the dialogs should give the path to this file which I can check to get the location and hopefully the cause of the crash  (I believe SC4 uses the same format for it's crash-logs, all the ones I remember seeing were caused by the game accessing invalid memory addresses  ).

I only have Photoshop 5.....

I could send you a private build of that plugin that would work in Photoshop 5, the only thing is you could not save overlay textures as saving transparency was added in Photoshop 6.

[Lowkee33]

Sorry it didn't work out for you.  There is a FSH plugin for GIMP too you may want to try at some point.

Could someone help me with this please? Thank you all, much appreciated.

Glad to.  E-mail?

[null45]

Sorry it didn't work out for you.  There is a FSH plugin for GIMP too you may want to try at some point.

That might work, although if the problem is with some part of the .NET framework it will probably fail like Png to Fsh Batch. 

[mrbisonm]

All of the text in the error dialog is contained in a file with a .mdmp extension in your Temp folder

I couldn't find any of these files in any temp folder on my computer. I guess it didn't save.

I could send you a private build of that plugin that would work in Photoshop 5, the only thing is you could not save overlay textures as saving transparency was added in Photoshop 6.

Well, that is actually very kind of you, but for the moment I think I have partially solved the problem with Png to Fsh Batch.
I don't actually know what exactly I did correct, but now I am able to open the program, choose the bmp and save it as a datfile.

I have been changing things so much, like changing programs to change my jpeg's to bmp's, now I'm with irfanview. Then I changed the location of the program, now it's in Programfiles, I also changed the save location, now it's in MyDocs, and many other small changes. One of them , or maybe several, have triggered the program to function all of sudden.
It works fine, I've tried several textures and they all come out fine in the datfile , which I can easily open with the ilive reader (see picture)



Only one problem.....lol...would have been too nice if there wasn't....I put the datfile into the Plugins folder, open the LE, but it does not show under basetexture or anywhere else. What's wrong now?

Glad to.  E-mail?

Thanks Lowkee33, very much appreciated your offer, if nothing works, I might pm you with my e-mail or upload the files somewhere to download.

Fred

[null45]

I couldn't find any of these files in any temp folder on my computer. I guess it didn't save.

I believe they are deleted when the dialog is closed.

I have been changing things so much, like changing programs to change my jpeg's to bmp's, now I'm with irfanview. Then I changed the location of the program, now it's in Programfiles, I also changed the save location, now it's in MyDocs, and many other small changes. One of them , or maybe several, have triggered the program to function all of sudden.
It works fine, I've tried several textures and they all come out fine in the datfile , which I can easily open with the ilive reader

If it was GDI+ that was failing changing the format of the image may very well have fixed it, GDI+ is somewhat unstable and prone to giving generic / cryptic errors.   
I may have to move to the new image loading functions in .NET 3.5 which hopefully might be more stable.

I personally would not put it in Program Files, it should work fine in other locations and that would fail on non-admin accounts.

[vortext]

Only one problem.....lol...would have been too nice if there wasn't....I put the datfile into the Plugins folder, open the LE, but it does not show under basetexture or anywhere else. What's wrong now?

Almost there 

Do they have the right TGI? In particular the Group needs to be 0x0986135E. This can be changed in the reader with the TGI editor.

Maybe the images still have transparancy, in which case they would be located in the overlay textures department.

Or sometimes, in order for the LE to recognize the textures or something, it helpes to put the dat file into a seperate folder instead of the plugins root.

[mrbisonm]

Almost there 

I hope so.....

Do they have the right TGI? In particular the Group needs to be 0x0986135E. This can be changed in the reader with the TGI editor. 

What does TGI mean and what is the TGI Editor? I changed the Group numbers with the reader as shown on the picture below, but when I saved the file, it goes back to the original numbers which are 0x1BAE787D. Unless I didn't change them in the right case, or the right matter.?

Maybe the images still have transparancy, in which case they would be located in the overlay textures department.

Or sometimes, in order for the LE to recognize the textures or something, it helpes to put the dat file into a seperate folder instead of the plugins root.

No, they are not in the overlay texture menu neither, and I also tried to put them in a subfolder, nothing seems to make them appear. I even tried to open them with the SC$Tool, and as supsected, they do not open with it neither. Besides, the SC4Tool in my case, does not open any file at all in the texture creator.


EDIT:  Ok, forget the the question where the TGI Editor is, I found it, changed the group to 0x0986135E, saved and opened the LE. Wow, Now the texture appears on the menu, but still not on the lot, it's just plein white.....lol.....Geeez, what's wrong now?
Ingame, nothing shows.



Hey thanks guys for following me with this, otherwise I would have given up long time ago.

Fred

[Simcitler]

Maybe the textures don't like you?  Can't believe that there can be so much trouble with the programms/textures. a bit unbelievable. 

If you want, i could try my luck with your textures. Just mail the texture files to simcitler(at)hotmail.de
I would have a look on them in the evening.

[null45]

You probably did not set the group ID to use in "Groupid.txt" which defaults to 1ABE787D.

[vortext]

Wow, Now the texture appears on the menu, but still not on the lot, it's just plein white.....lol.....Geeez, what's wrong now?
Ingame, nothing shows.

Well well, now this is unusual. My best guess would be it has to do with the original images, which need to be in RGB color mode and have 8-bits per channel. In photoshop, open the texture and go to IMAGE->MODUS. Here you'll see a bunch of options, including the aforementioned RGB color mode and 8-bits/channel.

Also, for base textures make sure the texture is background only. Go to LAYER-> MERGE ALL (which is different from the 'merge visible' by short-key option).

See if this helps, if not. . well, you can always send your files to Lowkee, Simcitler or myself.

[mrbisonm]

You probably did not set the group ID to use in "Groupid.txt" which defaults to 1ABE787D.

Now what does that mean? Where is Groupid.txt and in what program? I set the group nr to 0x0986135E with the TGI Editor in the reader like Vortext told me. I have to change it to 1ABE787D?. That doesn't work, the program does not accept it, maybe it is 0x1ABE787D?
Without touching it, once it comes through the Png to Fsh Batch, it is 0x1BAE787D........,looks almost the same as 0x1ABE787D. 

Honestly, I am totally confused and don't know what to do anymore....so many numbers and so mixed up, which are right and which are wrong and where goes what. That's enough to get me a headache. I can't believe that it is or was like that for everyone.
I guess I am not made for this. Like I said, BATting with 3d Max or gmax is hell easier.
Shame that it doesn't work, I had some nice ideas and asking someone to do it for me everytime I need some textures, is not really my thing.

So, Thank you all and sorry for having taken your time, but I give up.

Fred

[vortext]

null45 essentially asked the same as I did; if the Group ID was set to 0x0986135E, which it is so it's nothing to be confused about.
Furthermore, in the PNGtoFSH folder is a text file which is called Groupid.txt. Change it to read 0986135E, without the 0x prefix.

Like I said, BATting with 3d Max or gmax is hell easier.

once you get the hang of it that is 

[mrbisonm]

Ok, I did exactly what you said (I think and hope)
After creating the image dat with the PNG to Fsh Batch, I changed the Groupid file to:



Then I opened the file in the ilive Reader and changed the group number to :



Sofar, so good.....Finally I put the file (dat) into my Plugins folder under MyDocuments and opened the LE and found the image that I used to make the file and which is clearly visible, chose it as a ground texture, put it on the lot and voila.........same f******* white texture that doesn't show ingame. Youpie!!!! (F******* means Freaking, ok)



I suppose that is all right, step by step?

I only wonder, do I have to resize the image before I open it with the Png to Fsh Batch, and to what size? It is 700x 700 right now (bmp).

All this is still confusing for me, because this is a mess and nothing works. Strange that I have tried it on three different computers and always the same problems, either the crashing of the program while saving or the white textures appear.
I cannot understand why it works for you folks and it doesn't for me.

Thanks for all the help, just answer my last question please (the size of the original picture) and I am about to thing of using 3dmax or gmax to make the lot that I want, hoping that it will be possible to do with it, because a prop does not slant like the texture.


Fred

[vortext]

It is 700x 700 right now (bmp).

Try 128x128 pixels and save it as a PNG file.

Also, since you've changed the GroupID in the text file, there's no need to do it again afterwards.