HaloMods "Classic" Read-only Archive

This tutorial is for people who ask how to make skins and stuff.

***IMPORTANT***
You'll need a Photoshop .dds plugin http://www.bhmotorsports.com/file/6088

***IMPORTANT***
First off, you will need an image editing program, i suggest photoshop or a software that you purchased and that didn't come with your computer.

***IMPORTANT***
Secondly you will need DirectX 9.0 SDK October 2004 update for image file format conversions. http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... ct2004.exe


Locations of bitmaps: (All bitmaps are under the [bitm] tag, so all of these start under this tag)
HUD (on screen status bars) - ui\hud\bitmaps
Reticles (crosshairs) - ui\hud\bitmaps\combined\hud_reticles
Blood Splatters - effects\decals\bloodsplats\bitmaps\
Vehicles - vehicles\ (that's hard)
Weapons - weapons\ (duh)
-I think the rest are just as obvious-


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SAVING BITMAPS

1. Open HMT
2. Select the [bitm] tag
3. Find the texture or image you would like to change
4. There may be multiple images in the tag, select the image you want...
5. Click save texture, when it asks you for the file name, rename the end of the file to the corresponding file format that appears in the box above the 'Save Texture' button (ex. DXT1, A8R8G8B8, etc.), and type that in.
6. Once you have saved the images in the folders you want, close HMT.

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EDITING BITMAPS

1. Open your image editing software program.
2. File/Open As... In the open browser set the Open As box to *.DDS

3. In Photoshop, it will most likely tell you that the image you are opening has MIPMAPS (which are miniature images contained inside the file that make hardware rendering smoother like in Halo, when you are a certain distance from an object the computer only has to render a smaller image to skin the object.)
4. Anyways, click NO.
5. The image should appear on the screen by itself.
6. Do what you must with the image
7. Once you are finished click File/Save As...
8. Rename the file to whatever your heart desires, as long as you'll remember, make sure Aplha channels is selected, then click save.
9. A box should come up if you click save AS. This box contains the .dds extended file options
10. Look in the backround at the name that you previously re-named to the file format (ex. DXT1, DXT3, etc.) and choose that in the options *{If it is DXT1, then click the DXT1 (1 bit Alpha). If it is DXT2/3, Select DXT3. And DXT4/5 As DXT5 and if it is A8R8G8B8 select DXT1}*.

11. Select the 'Generate MIP maps' circle and click 'Save"

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CONVERTING DXT3's to DXT2's, DXT5's to DXT4's, and DXT1's to A8R8G8B8 - **THIS IS ONLY REQUIRED IF YOU ARE INJECTING THESE FORMATS**

1. Make sure that you have installed the Direct X 9.0 SDK kit
2. Browse to the folder that has the images that you wish to convert
3. Select the file and right click
4. Find the option that says 'Convert to file format...' and click it

5. In this box click on the dropdown list for file formats and select the image type that you will need to inject.
6. Save, replace the file if you wish or rename it before saving.


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INJECTING IMAGES INTO HMT!

1. Open HMT
2. Locate the texture
3. Select which image (in case there are multiple)
4. Click 'Inject Texture'
5. If asked to update the size click ok!
6. YOUR DONE!!! yay!

Does anyone even apreciate this?! I spent a long time to do this and there are still people with questions asking how to edit hud and stuff. Someone please reply with a comment or something.

Its an ok tutorial. But the fact that you refer to people as noobs. I just dont like that. Its not "friendly". People that dont know how to skin, are just in-expierenced modders. You use the term Noob as the equivilent or mentaly retarded. But none the less, theres too many stickeys in here. And this should be in skinning section.

There, better. Sorry and thank you.

this is great tutorial. it has good deatils for new modders that join us every day! okay a little dramtic but hey, great tut dude, good job, keep moddin.

Thanks

I made the AR have longer lines on the reticule. but i cant see them. Is it my resolution or photoshop or something else

Thanks

That is because if you extended the lines outward, Halo will not pick it up because the reticles are set to certain boundaries of what to select from the bitmap. If you draw a mental square just fitting around the reticles, inside that square is your boundaries and anything in there, you can change.

*ot* Inhuman, you used my tut of make the bg?

I think that he did use a tutorial.

i chose no on mip maps and then clicked the generate mi maps box, but it still is all black from distances

Could you restate that?

ok i duno whats goin on. every time i go to open up that bitmap it wont show anything but black. how do i get to see them

Are you using Photoshop and have the dds file plugin installed?

Well I think its a good tutoril. But I use MS paint to make my texters. Its not that hard to do the warhog. I have to say you did a good job. Im not a noob at modding.

has anybody heard of ACD Fotocanvas?

it is really a cool program but i do not know where to get the plugin for a .dds.

or

does anyone know where to download a .dds to a .jpg or .bmp converter?

There's one in the files forum. Search for "convim".

I got the .dds plugin, but what are you supposed to do with it? I pasted it in my photoshop plugins folder, but I still can not open .dds file with photoshop. help!

When i come to use the skin on Halo, the game lags then crashes

so u put the plugin in adobe/photoshop(if its like mine photoshopeselements2.0)/plugins then u doubleclick on it and start skinning :D