i'm sending you an email with the newest version of the UTF editor(v3) attached - hopefully it works better.

Sorry forgot to update my e-mail. Updated now.

Thanks got it!

Nope still dose it!


http://home.comcast.net/~imanchored/image01.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~imanchored/image02.jpg


Edited by - -{Yeti}- on 11/23/2006 11:00:00 PM

Edited by - -{Yeti}- on 11/23/2006 11:01:04 PM

*Scratches head*

Why are you hand building a MAT file The MAT Exporter creates the basic "DcDt" type for your textures saving you from having to hand built it. I only have to edit mine now if I'm adding something fancy to it (glow maps, transparencies etc).

@ Cold_Void, could you mail me a copy of the new UTF Editor seeing as Colin's been a little slow in releasing it, addy's in the profile. Those new features could come in handy to fix the wireframes on a pile of clones I've got.

**shuffles of with a new headache**

The mat exporter is all fine and dandy, But you still have to manualy edit the 3db file for your icon the same way. Unless there's another way that I don't know about?

_____________________________

Experience is the worst teacher!
It gives the test before the lesson.

Try the 3DB Exporter plug-in, it comes with an icon template. You can make brand new icons with it rather than rehashing the old ones.

**shuffles of with a new headache**

ugh- another thing to write a tutorial for

the simple way to make perfect icons:
1. download freelancer model cloner (look for it, i'm lazier than thou )
2. open an icon, and rename its vmesh and material references to your new unique ones.
3. save the icon as your new icon and open with UTF edit. import your texture to the texture library, and rename the materials manually - there are three entries to rename; the material name, the dt_name string, and texture name. copy&paste the same name to all three, save and you're done

k sending you the v3 UTF editor, Bejaymac

p.s. Yeti - sorry the new editor didn't help. you might try 'acquiring' (wink) a copy of XP pro w/ SP2 included. it seems to be the only edition of XP that works as advertised. *Never ever ever use windows update - ever.* you might try removing the updates, or using a restore point.

@ Bejaymac, Sorry but could not figure out all the settings in the 3db exporter. I guess you could say i'm from the old school! lol

@ Cold_Void, 3. save the icon as your new icon and open with UTF edit. import your texture to the texture library, and rename the materials manually - there are three entries to rename; the material name, the dt_name string, and texture name. copy&paste the same name to all three, save and you're done. This is where the problem is. It's dose the same thing. It's like it requires a 6 or 7 didget extention like this (red.tgaxxx). Witch freelancer dose not understand. I'm not sure why it's doing this now. I have Xp pro with sp2. But I do do my security updates. and that was the last thing I did when I noticed this happening.


_____________________________

Experience is the worst teacher!
It gives the test before the lesson.

Thanks for the prog Cold_Void I'll try it out later.

I'm not a fan of the ModelCloner as I have the same problem with it as Yeti has with the UTF Editor, it garbages names in CMP's and corrupts every cloned 3DB I try and make. I now clone all of my 3DB's with a hex editor, UTF Edit and CRC calc.

Yeti I'm old school as well but I find the 3DB Exporter to be far simpler and quicker than Osprey's methods, and as I've already said I can't use the cloner on 3DB's. The best bit is that the texture is the most work you'll do as Colin (bless 'im) has done all of the hardwork with the icon template for us. With the plug-in in place and your texture ready open the icon2.ms3d file in milkshape, select "Materials" and replace Colins cobra texture with yours, rename the material to match your ships name (easiest way). Select "Groups" and rename to match your ship ie "SHIP_myship" (always keep the SHIP_ part for ship icons), start the Exporter and select "new 3db file", name your 3db and then select "load", use the Icon2.3se file for the settings and select "continue", select it again on the UTF screen and your icons done. Believe me it takes longer to write down the steps than it does to do them, I did icons for jsncalif11's ships (the ones on turbosquid), it took me 3 or 4 hours to make the textures and 15 minutes to do all of the icons.

**shuffles of with a new headache**

Thanks Bejaymac,

That worked. I would like to see about glowing textures as well. But will wait and see if the utf editor can do that at a later date.

_____________________________

Experience is the worst teacher!
It gives the test before the lesson.

If I want a specific item icon, I'm not going to use an existing file.
I'll create a simple one sided icon in Milkshape and import the texture for the item it's going to represent. (oriented "front to back".
When I'm done creating it, I export it as a cmp file.
I then use the Hard Cmp to open that cmp file and then the mat file so I can save it as a 3db file (FROM the mat file).
Then, I give the icon the name it should have and store it in the NN_icons folder for reference by the program.
(You'll notice that standard freelancer ship icons are also stored in this folder).
If you want you're custom capital ship to show up in it's true beauty as an icon, this is the only way it can be done that makes sense.
Sure, most custom ship icons show up because the reference to the ship icon is that particular ship 3db file. But, it is not the best way to do it since large ships icons tend to show up as only a portion of the ship.
As of this date, the only thing I've used the UTF editor for is changing the color, opacity and transparency of glass on my ships.

Getting off soap box now.



Edited by - Rankor on 11/25/2006 9:35:51 AM