Question to the graphics designer

[NCrawler]

Just a quick question to the games graphic designer. I noticed that there is an alpha channel in the texture .xnb files. Is there where you stored your specular map for the graphics?

[rrunnheim]

Since we're using both a color and normal texture, the textures are packed as follows
Color : r g b a -- where alpha here is only used for crystal/glass/fencing etc..
Normal : x y z s -- and here is the specular term you were asking about. It's only a global specular (so always white)

Great question!

[still crosshair]

We have been trying to make a texture pack but are having trouble imputing in new glass and things like diamonds and crystals. Also lights seem to be a big one that is hard to do.

[Gristmill]

Yeah, the normal mapping is gonna get you. GIMP has a normal mapping tool for coverting a texture to a Normal. As far as making it into a normal, turning the texture into a white is high, black is low heightmap image is an easy way to do it at first. Specular is pretty much white = shiny, gray = plasticy and black = dull. Obviously the shades between them are a gradient of those attributes.

[still crosshair]

Yeah, the normal mapping is gonna get you. GIMP has a normal mapping tool for coverting a texture to a Normal. As far as making it into a normal, turning the texture into a white is high, black is low heightmap image is an easy way to do it at first. Specular is pretty much white = shiny, gray = plasticy and black = dull. Obviously the shades between them are a gradient of those attributes.

Yea I use Gimp for my normal mapping

[BriarFae]

How are light emitting blocks made?

[NCrawler]

Yeah, the normal mapping is gonna get you. GIMP has a normal mapping tool for coverting a texture to a Normal. As far as making it into a normal, turning the texture into a white is high, black is low heightmap image is an easy way to do it at first. Specular is pretty much white = shiny, gray = plasticy and black = dull. Obviously the shades between them are a gradient of those attributes.

Yeah, I understand all that it's just that I pull the images out of the .xnb as a .png and .png format treats the alpha layer as a transparency layer thereby screwing the image up. Same for the normal map, especially if there was a specular in the alpha channel. I can fix the texture sheet by flattening it in photoshop and just redoing the transparency but will probably have to redo the normals manually.

I'll send you a 'fixed' texture sheet tomorrow crosshair. May be a day or so on the normals.

[still crosshair]

Yeah, the normal mapping is gonna get you. GIMP has a normal mapping tool for coverting a texture to a Normal. As far as making it into a normal, turning the texture into a white is high, black is low heightmap image is an easy way to do it at first. Specular is pretty much white = shiny, gray = plasticy and black = dull. Obviously the shades between them are a gradient of those attributes.

Yeah, I understand all that it's just that I pull the images out of the .xnb as a .png and .png format treats the alpha layer as a transparency layer thereby screwing the image up. Same for the normal map, especially if there was a specular in the alpha channel. I can fix the texture sheet by flattening it in photoshop and just redoing the transparency but will probably have to redo the normals manually.

I'll send you a 'fixed' texture sheet tomorrow crosshair. May be a day or so on the normals.

Its okay more then half of the textures are modified already so the normal map will also me modified.

[NCrawler]

Since we're using both a color and normal texture, the textures are packed as follows
Color : r g b a -- where alpha here is only used for crystal/glass/fencing etc..
Normal : x y z s -- and here is the specular term you were asking about. It's only a global specular (so always white)

Great question!

Thank you very much! Is there any chance at all that we could get a copy of the original textures and normals?

[still crosshair]

Since we're using both a color and normal texture, the textures are packed as follows
Color : r g b a -- where alpha here is only used for crystal/glass/fencing etc..
Normal : x y z s -- and here is the specular term you were asking about. It's only a global specular (so always white)

Great question!

Thank you very much! Is there any chance at all that we could get a copy of the original textures and normals?

Yea especially if they are 2.5.1 or after since I have the feeling we will have to update because of the new blocks.