NWN2 Tints Explained: by Heed
Alas, Heed seems to have left the building. I was trying to 'fix' the NWN2 Tints Explained link so I could link if for Banshe in the Official Forums and no dice.
Heed's website, Heed House 2 only says, "So long and thanks for all the fish."
So to that end, I am presuming that Heed has permanently quit the scene. His tutorial is not on the Vault. I happen to have a copy that I converted to a word file and I have just saved the images in it to .jpg from whatever they originally were.
With that said, I am posting it here, with full credit to Heed for making this.
Quote:
Heed's: NWN2 Tints Explained
NWN2 Tints Explained
Tinting of objects in NWN2 is handled through the application of a "tint map" to the model geometry. This map is a simple .dds texture. Not all models in NWN2 have a tint map applied to them or a tint map created for them. Thus, they will not be able to be tinted. We can create and then add tint maps for these objects, which will enable tinting functionality.
This document assumes the reader is somewhat familiar with image editing tools as well as command line tools.
The tint map texture:
This texture is a .dds texture where information is either included or omitted from one of the three-color channels (red, green, blue) that comprise all textures. Each channel corresponds to a tint option (tint 1, tint 2, tint 3), so you normally never want information overlapping between channels. If information overlaps, then the same area of the model will be affected by more than one tint and this is, on the whole, undesirable. Here's an image of a tint texture for an interior door:
Notice how we have 3 colour sections -- red, green blue. These sections will correspond to one of the 3 tint options you see in the toolset. Here's pictures showing the individual channels:
You can see how the texture information is separated out by channel and does not overlap. Each channel is like a puzzle piece that fits to the other channels and looks complete, as in the first picture above, when viewed as a single entity. Also notice that when viewing an individual channel the information is grayscale.
Anyone familiar with the NWN1 .plt texture system will see similarities to the NWN2 tint system. The main differences, of course, are that we have a maximum of three different tints in the NWN2 system, as we are limited by the number of color channels available on the image; and we are using color channels instead of layers.
Creating a tint map texture:
Creating a tint map texture is a relatively straightforward process. The first thing you want is the base diffuse texture for the model you want to tint. The diffuse texture will serve as a starting point and from there the image information can be separated out into the individual channels. Here's our base diffuse texture:
The idea is to take the areas of the texture that you want to share the same tint and have them on only one color channel together. This can be accomplished by navigating to an individual color channel and removing (deleting) the information you don't want on that channel. So, to get the green channel like the first picture above you would navigate to the green channel and remove everything but the two vertical door trim bands. You would then navigate to the red and blue channels and remove only the vertical door trim bands from those channels. This ensures that the door trim information is now only present on a single color channel -- the green:
Notice how the rest of the door has now changed color. This is because we have removed the green channel information completely for everything but the vertical door trim area. As we separate out sections of the texture to single channels it will eventually look like the first picture above -- each part will only exist on one channel and therefore will be only colored the same color as that channel.
Determining what information to group on the same channel is mostly a matter of choice. However, things like material type (wood, metal, stone) offer good ways to separate out your tints. Putting all wood on one channel, all metal on another or all stone on another ensures some consistency for the end user.
You may want to consider separating things that are "highlight" type of features. A decorative finish or pattern on its own channel can really bring that detail out when tinted against its background. You should see now why it's best to begin your tint texture from the base diffuse texture -- it's already laid out for mapping onto the model (or conversely, the model is already mapped to fit the texture), so simply separating out the texture channels means that you need not worry about also trying to make your tint map texture "fit" the model.
When your tint map texture is complete, save it as a .dds file (I use dxt3) with the same name as the diffuse texture appended with a "_t" . Case doesn't seem to matter, so you can use upper or lower ("_t" or "_T").
Tweaking your tint map:
You can play around with the brightness and contrast values on the texture to achieve differing results. Most NWN2 tints I've investigated have the brightness and contrast jacked up pretty high. If you do adjust these values be aware that you may also have to go through each channel and "clean" them up. Sections you deleted previously may now be brighter. The most common error this causes is that tint channels will affect more areas than they're supposed to. So, you may see 2 or more tints affecting the same area, which is generally a bad thing since they will "fight" with each other.
You can also use the alpha channel on the texture to exclude areas from tinting completely. Pure white allows tinting to be enabled and pure black will exclude tinting from any area it is applied to. I also believe you can control strength with a value in between those extremes, but I haven't experimented with that in some time.
Applying your tint map:
There are several ways to do this, but the most straightforward method is to use Adinos' excellent Retexturing Tool. The other method would be to use a 3d model program and apply the texture, through the material editor, to the model. This document will just deal with the use of Adinos' utility.
If you run the tool on a model or a directory of models it will output a list of the materials currently applied to the models in the form of a .MATERIAL file. This is simply a text file listing the texture names. You can open the file in a text editor and add to it. Most models will have, at the least, a diffuse map and a normal map (_n). Take the normal map line, copy and paste it to the next line, change the "n" on the end to a "t" and save the file. Now, when you run the tool a second time it will read the contents of the .MATERIAL file and apply those values to the model. That's it -- the model has now been updated to include your tint map texture.
You should now be able to alter tints for the object you were working on. Keep in mind that this is a system for tints and not coloration. A tint can shift the color of an object, but will usually never completely color it. A better range of tint options will be apparent on objects that have a light colored diffuse texture over objects that have a dark colored diffuse texture. A light tint generally works best on darker objects. On lighter objects you can get away with darker tints.
Advanced Tinting:
You can actually do some pretty cool stuff with tints once you understand them. For example, you can deviate from the base diffuse texture layout to make a more complex tint map. You can have hidden patterns present that only show up when tints are entered (like the walls of the standard interior tileset). You can use a grayscale diffuse map texture in conjunction with a tint map texture that will create an object that only gets its coloration from its tints. Here's an example of the diffuse texture and its tint map for a curb that's using some of these techniques:
Notice how the tint texture doesn't conform to the diffuse texture layout entirely and offers a more "free form" application of tints. I've found when working with this kind of tint that, after you have your tint texture ready, applying a slight blur to it can help blend the different tints. Of course, if you want a sharper delineation between tints, then you wouldn't apply any blur. You should also note that the diffuse texture is grayscale, which means the object will be getting all its color from the entered tints.
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Enjoy!
Heed.
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I apologize for the rather shoddy imagery
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02-06-2010, 07:59 PM
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