Maps- 2 retextures & 2questions

[may-bug]

Hello,
I'm currently working on a retexture for Moscow map, but I encounter a problem with a file format (I guess). I hope someone could help, because I have no clue:
On ground textures, bump and trees are displayed via associated files: nameofthetexture_nm.dds for bump (normal map), and nameofthetexture_f.dds for the trees.
Ground textures and normal map work ok, but I can't get the tree files working. The game still shows trees for default textures, seems it doesn't "see" my files. So trees don't match with the new textures. Not very nice, but there however are trees lol.
This file is a black&white picture (RGB and alpha channel) and seems to be DXT5.
I tried a lot of options in NvidiaTools for PScc and with DXTbmp, but I didn't success. What am I missing ? A small detail or an elefant ?
Another question: does someone know which file displays trees on " landtexturesquality " textures ? Even if I can't get it working now, i'd like to know...
Here are a few screens of this retexture. I try to give a more "european' look to the ground, since we have now the first planes for BoBp.
And another one, Moscow under early (or late ?) winter. I don't know if it is realistic, I wanted to get something like winter Slovakia map in Il-2'46.
Both "maps" are WIP, and they still need some work before first release (supposing I can make the tree files work).

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by may-bug

[Danziger]

I have no idea how to help but that winter one looks freaking awesome

[Feathered_IV]

Hi May-bug.  In this thread Bilou very helpfully mentioned the versionaccess.txt file and how you need to set "useBitmapAtlases to 0" to allow the game to defer to new bitmap textures.  I'd suggest trying that or do a search of the extracted game files with grepWin and search for Atlases as the keyword to see if there isn't a similar entry that also controls .dds files.

 

[Bilou]

So if I understand correctly, you managed to change the textures for the impostor trees (the ones far away), but not the mesh ones ?

If so, there are interesting parameters in the "textures.tini" file (located in the landscape folders), like "ForestContrastMid", "ForestContrastFar" and "ForestFarBacklight" that sound like they could globally influence the color of trees.

[=gRiJ=Roman-]

I absolutely love the half-snow covered maps!!!! 

It could make a softer transition in maps in the career mode from no snow - half snowed - full snowed maps

Edited June 28, 2018 by PA_Spartan-

[G_GART]

Hi!

May be this helps, the texture name for tress in the "graphics\landscape_moscow_a\trees" folder

is: foliage.dds and is 2048x2048 pix size 5.5 MB.

I added a red layer and load it i MB as a temporary MOD.

format: DXT5 ARGB 8BPP | interpolated alpha with 10 MIP maps.

 

[may-bug]

Hello,

thanks for your replies ?

On 6/28/2018 at 10:12 AM, Feathered_IV said:

Hi May-bug.  In this thread Bilou very helpfully mentioned the versionaccess.txt file and how you need to set "useBitmapAtlases to 0" to allow the game to defer to new bitmap textures.  I'd suggest trying that or do a search of the extracted game files with grepWin and search for Atlases as the keyword to see if there isn't a similar entry that also controls .dds files. 

 

Thanks. I set "useBitmapAtlases" to 0, but it didn't help. I searched for entries in atlasses, but didn't find anything releted to those *_f files or "surfacetex" or "landtexturesquality" ...

 

On 6/28/2018 at 3:24 PM, Bilou said:

So if I understand correctly, you managed to change the textures for the impostor trees (the ones far away), but not the mesh ones ?

If so, there are interesting parameters in the "textures.tini" file (located in the landscape folders), like "ForestContrastMid", "ForestContrastFar" and "ForestFarBacklight" that sound like they could globally influence the color of trees.

 

17 hours ago, G_GART said:

Hi!

May be this helps, the texture name for tress in the "graphics\landscape_moscow_a\trees" folder

is: foliage.dds and is 2048x2048 pix size 5.5 MB.

I added a red layer and load it i MB as a temporary MOD.

format: DXT5 ARGB 8BPP | interpolated alpha with 10 MIP maps.

 

Thanks for replies mates. What I'm trying to do is to edit the files that display the trees on each different texture (I already changed the mesh-trees and far-trees textures, it works ok, but my first tries with "textures.tini" were not very satisfying so I came back to default ones by now).

This map has a first layer of textures which covers all the ground. Textures stored in "landtexturesquality" folder. I don't know which  associated file displays the trees on these ones, I'd like to know...

Forests are another layer but are not concerned here, I won't change their location.

Other textures (special aeras and fields aeras, towns, etc)  are used like "decals" on this 1st layer, and each one has an associated file (nameofthetexture_f.dds) which displays the trees on this texture. Files stored in "surfacetex" folder. I created my own *_f files, but like I said in 1st post, the game still displays the default location for trees on the textures, as if the game couldn't "see" the new ones and use the old ones instead (you can see on the three first screens that trees, hayes or small woods don't match with the new textures. This is trees location for original textures). With "useBitmapAtlases" to 0, I suspect the problem is a file format saving problem ? I 'll continue to investigate, but I'm a bit out of ideas ...

Thanks for your help and interest guys ?

[Bilou]

Oh, you want to actually change the positions of trees !

So after some testing, it is clear that the *_f files doesnt control the position of trees (maybe they used to). It is instead the forest_map.wtr file that controls the visual position of trees.

I switched the forest_map.wtr of the Moscow map with the Stalingrad one as a test, and yeah I got Stalingrad's forests on Moscow map ?.

 

Not sure about forest_cut.wtr though, I couldn't see any visual change. Maybe it stores collision boxes for the forests? (I guess the game doesnt check collisions for each individual tree)

[J2_Oelmann]

I pretty much prefer that winter version over the stock one.

[Semor76]

@may-bug  any news on the winter map project? maybe a release date?

[LizLemon]

Looking at the woods.wds file I've found something interesting. The game is currently using 2 different sets of textures for trees, but in this file there are entries for 6 different tree groups. Editing this file and creating an additional 4 textures sets for trees produces this result.

 

So there are really 6 "blocks" used for trees but with the way things are set up now they are duplicated, so its only 2 visually different "blocks" in game. I suspect that the layot.bmp file that is only present in landscape\trees and landscape_stalin_w\trees is the pattern for these tree blocks on the stalingrad map. However editing this file doesnt change anything. I believe that the woods.wds file actually has this layot.bmp data in it and editing that file will possibly change the pattern, but I havent tried this yet and it will probably be loads of trial and error.

 

The good news with the above finding though is that the "tree diversity" of this game could be greatly increased. One of the problems currently is that the forests are pretty homogeneous and look too samey from the air, especially the autumn map where there should be lots of obvious color variations.

[G_GART]

21 hours ago, LizLemon said:

Looking at the woods.wds file I've found something interesting. The game is currently using 2 different sets of textures for trees, but in this file there are entries for 6 different tree groups. Editing this file and creating ....

How do you edit the woods.wds files?

[LizLemon]

A hex editor

[may-bug]

Hello all,
sorry for late reply and many thanks mates for advices and comments.

First, thanks Bilou -I think you're right about the trees files, I was wrong but I couldn't investigate more about them.
Thanks LizLemon, very interesting finding. Adding diversity to forest is a really needed point.
Big thanks everyone for help and sharing your investigation results.

For now, I still don't have a clue about trees implantation system so I'll have to make the textures  in a different way for the "europeanized" map. That may take some time, so don't expect it very soon.

Unfortunatly, I won't have much time to work on the textures in the next weeks, so i give you the links of my unfinished work so you can use it .
They are for green moscow map (reworked fields and other details) and the "semi-winter" map (I post the links in the green Mocow topic too).
Don't expect the same quality that on stock maps, I'm not a graphist artist... But in flight they look good enough from the cockpit.
Remember that everything is still WIP, so you will find some bugs etc. Hope you will like them anyway.

 

Green Moscow: http://www.mediafire.com/file/1m3s77ojmfcq519/MOSCOW3.7z
Winter Moscow: http://www.mediafire.com/file/uek2qy5vndk32sy/MOSCOW_W2.7z/file

 

I need your feedback, so don't hesitate to revert on me and to show your feelings about. Thanks for interest.

Edited July 30, 2018 by may-bug

[jollyjack]

On 6/28/2018 at 10:50 PM, G_GART said:

Hi!

May be this helps, the texture name for tress in the "graphics\landscape_moscow_a\trees" folder

is: foliage.dds and is 2048x2048 pix size 5.5 MB.

I added a red layer and load it i MB as a temporary MOD.

format: DXT5 ARGB 8BPP | interpolated alpha with 10 MIP maps.

 

 

Now i am trying to remove some trees from the Rheinland summer Map, to enter a canal instead (a fault on the Rheinland map).

On the green stroke is actually a canal and some sluices, been there for 2 centuries at that location.

 

Where are they stored? i found a nature.mesh (31.659 KB), and a forest_map.wtr (128.256 KB) file im Maps7.GPT, not in the trees folder but the root of

LANDSCAPE_Rheinland_su. (exported to \data\graphics\LANDSCAPE_Rheinland_su folder)

.

Stupid me: I guess they must be in there maybe, but how can you edit these out?

wtr files seem to be used a lot in various programs and the ME can only export mesh files i understand.

Pic from the ME, Surface Edit active:

 

Edited November 26, 2020 by jollyjack

[jollyjack]

POSTED elsewhere too:

 

Found this for IL2 1946. http://www.mediafire.com/file/jf7gz1opb0qc923/Map_Building_Tutorial_v5_IL1946.rar/file

A bit enlightening, but GB uses different types of files, f.i JPG should be .dds, maybe interlaced?

You can convert it with Photoshop, with the NVIDIA plugin, maybe with GIMP as well.

 

MicroDEM is  a free map making tool i think, capable of editing heights ?

https://freegeographytools.com/2007/microdem-a-swiss-army-knife-of-terrain-and-gis-tools

 

ADDED INFO on Map Editing:

 

i found where the forest_cut.wtr, forest_map.wtr probably are pointing to.

Alas i think that somewhere the edit parameter in some configuration file must be set from 0 to 1, because the brush etc tools won't activate ...

Now where-o -where?

 

 

And what's this then?, only in Ortho View your mouse pointer changes in to a useless menstrual stain.

I found no way that it adds, edits or erased any selected forest_map, forest_cut or water ...

 

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by jollyjack

[jollyjack]

You can edit heights: created some dunes along the Dutch coastline, alas i cannot find a way to save these edits for use in the game,

only added roads via Surface Edit will show, but i am  not sure if you can use them as with the preset roads.:

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by jollyjack

[DN308]

Using which icon?

[jollyjack]

activate heights editing, in the ortho view map, arrow changes to a special tool ...

[blue_max]

Wow, very cool work!