• Sure you already saw that the PCX file format is not used any longer as the preferred standard in UT2004. This is because it is in fact a very poor quality format compared to Targa (TGA) and Bitmap (BMP).
    Targa and bitmap support 24-bits, where PCX only supports 8-bit. AS another thing here, we used PCX because it had some mask option used from within the color table. Compression is not supported either. So it is time to move on to a new image format and compression, that also supports mask and even translucence like glass.

  • Before i will talk about, and explain the DDS format, i will tell you what are the formats you may import to use in the new and fresh UED3 and UT 2004 engine, the engine has been enhanced considerably and has almost nothing to do anymore with the old engine, well i mean for the players at least, the mapper will see that the base is same-looking, but far better now, and techniques have been changed that much, that you could alomost say that it looks like a complete new engine.

  • The file formats supported for import are BMP, PCX, TGA, UPT, DDS. UPT beeing the U-Paint files from the skinmaker for UT 2004. Now, what is the format DDS.
    DDS is a format of compression made with a compression tool you can download for use within your Photoshop and created by NVidia.

    These tools will allow you to edit and save to DDS formats in few formats i will explain the different formats later. The other tool is a simple Windows eplorer exntender that allows you to see the actual DDS fileformats in thumbnailview as any other image format.

    • NVIDIA Texture Tools
  • As you may have noticed in UED3, not only mask is aloowed but also translucens. What is the difference between translucense and mask ?
    Well look at it this way, masked areas in an image are in fact areas that are left out or cutted out like a fence.
    Translucense is more something like glass opacity. you can see through it in a certain degree. Just like with the crosshair, the more white the area is, the more opac, the more black this area is, the more it appears like the masked area. If grey values are used, they act like colored glass.

  • Back to our DDS format, this format allows all the options i explained above plus compression levels, depending on the format needed.
    Let's have a look at the compression ratios for our example HealthBaseTEX.bmp 
               Type of image        Image Size
           HealthBaseTEX.bmp    770 Kb
           HealthBaseTEX.pcx    496 Kb
           HealthBaseTEX.tga    769 Kb
           HealthBaseTEX.dds    170 Kb
  • As you can see the compression is important even with small images.
    Now time to see what different formats of DDS exist and what theare for. The 2 most used formats will be DDS1 or DDS3.

  • The DDS5 which is an Interpolated RGB model plus an Alpha channel, mostly used on special textures like those used for skyzone decoration (don't use the term skybox any longer, because you may use other shapes than a simple box).

  • The first simple DDS1 format without alpha channel or DDS1 with alpha is the most used format for simple textures that don't need any supplementary information of alpha channels (don't use DDS 3 or 5 if no alpha is needed, it will only increase filesize and this is useless).

  • The DD3 best format for Textures with an alpha channel and good compression is used for most special textures like glass, mirror, texture adding effect layers and such. The following table shows you the various settings from which to chose when saving an image to DDS from original format. Sepaking here when you save from within Photoshop. 
               Type of imageImage Size
           DXT 1        174 Kb
           DXT 1A       174 Kb
           DXT 3        349 Kb
           DXT 5        349 Kb
    Where to compare this with original RGB models like this 
               Type of image       Image Size
           16 Bit RGB-4:4:4:4  699   Kb
           16 Bit RGB-1:5:5:5  699   Kb
           16 Bit RGB-5:6:5    699   Kb
           32 Bit ARGB         1.398 Kb
  • Now, it is possible just to import any of the specified formats immediately in the texture browser and to compress the texture from here. all the DDS formats will be available from DDS1 to DDS5.
    All you will have to do is rightclick the texture and select from it's contextual menu > Compress, follow it's small arrow and select the format you need according to the texture type it has te become.

  • WARNING !!!!!!
    DO NOT compress RGB8 textures used on terrainmaps or procedural textures, you would destroy the data they need within. Terrain map textures contain lighting data made when the light is rebuild. It should remain greyscale. DO NOT touch this format. It's automaticly produced when creating terrain.
  • DO NOT use detail textures on terrain used textures, they wont be used, but if they exist in an existing texture, just leave it.
  • from contextual menu on a texture, DO NOT select Detail Hack if not realy intend to make a detail texture from this texture, it will be greyscaled for use as a detail texture.

  • More information is to be found in the Shader section.