Introducing
As we learned in the last tutorial, WoW uses transition data to create the texturing. You can have 4 textures on every chunk and there are 3 transition layers between them. So if you edit the texture in noggit you change these transition layers.
For people with some skills in an image editing application like photoshop there is a way to do texture editing much faster. You can export this 3 layers to PNG grayscale images, edit them inside your image editor and import them again. In this tutorial we will learn how to do this. I will use photoshop but you can use any image editor you like that is able to work with PNG files.
ADT Preperation
If we want to do alpha texture editing we need an ADT where every chunk is filled with a texture. Also every layer must have the same texture. The easiest way is to use my ADT template included in the
toolsADTAdder folder if you create your new maps with ADTAdder. We will cover this task in one of the next tutorials. For this test we will just use the testmap test02 out of the modding pack.
Export the Transition Layer with FuTa
In the tools folder you find the tool FuTa. It can import and export the transition images.
Before you do your first export you should check if the export format is grayscale image.
If not set select:
>> Open FuTa
>> Settings > Alphamap > Format > Grayscaled
Now we will export all 3 transition layers of one of the testmap adts.
>> Open FuTa is not already done
>> Select MENU > File > Open
>> Load the maptile test02_32_32.adt
>> Click the plus icon in front of the ADT inside the file list.
>> Select the suboption Alphamap.
>> Hit the export button on the bottom right of the window.
FuTa will now extract the 3 images and store them inside the path your ADT is located.
They are named:
test02_32_32_layer_1.png
test02_32_32_layer_2.png
test02_32_32_layer_3.png
Edit the Images
We will create some marble grass layer all over the ADT build out of 2 different grass textures and blend them with photoshop filters. So let us think about this. We have dirt on layer 0, then grass1 on layer 1 and grass2 on layer 2. The top layer of rocks should just be invisible.
So we need to edit the transition layers between layer 0 (dirt) and layer 1 grass 1 and between layer 1 and layer 2 (grass2). As the layers are empty now we can leave the last as it is, because we dont want to see the rock texture now.
So lets start.
>> Open Photoshop.
>> Load the test02_31_31_layer_1 alpha image.
>> You now get a 1024 x 1024 pixel image that is just black.
The exported alpha images are grayscale images. That means they only contain "colors" between full black and full white. On black parts of the image the underlaying texture shines true. On white parts you see nothing of the underlaying texture. Only the texture above.
So the Layer we have opened now is the transition layer between grass 1 and dirt. So black means you see dirt and white that you see grass. We will now use a photohsop filter to auto generate a basic marble transition.
>> Make sure you have selected black and white as foreground and background color. To get this 'save' just press the small black/white icon beside the current selected color box.
>> MENU > Image > Image size > Set new size to 4069 x 4069 pixel
>> MENU > Filter > Render Filter > Clouds (1)
>> MENU > Filter > Render Filter > Different clouds (2)
>> Press CTRL + L to open levels
>> Changing the levels like this should result in something like image (3)
1
2
3
>> MENU > Image > Image size > Reset image size to 1024 x 1024 pixels
>> MENU > Layer > duplicate layer
>> Selet layer on top if not already done
>> CTRL L to open levels
>> Changing the levels like this should result in something like image (4)
4
5
>> MENU > FIlter > Blur > Gaussian Blur
>> Set value to 5 and press OK. Should look like (5)
Now we have created the 2 transition layers we need.
Save them both somewhere. The first as 1 the second as 2 in PNG format.
Import the Layers Again
Now we have to reimport the 2 transition images again into the ADT.
>> Open FuTa.
>> Load the ADT again. You can use the recent file list in the file menu.
>> Open the Alphamap view where the first layer is now selected.
>> Click the import button and select the image of Layer 1.
>> Repeat this with the second.
>> Save the ADT over MENU > File > Save
We dont need to import the third one because we dont want to see the rock texture at the moment.
Now lets have a look at this. Open Noggit and load the test02 map.
You should now see something like this.
This guide has been completely proof-read and corrected in grammar by Mountainlion. Feel free to message him.Next >> 08 - Holes and impassable tools
