Tutorial: How to create your own billboards

[Carda]

 

Yeah, how to create your own billboards! It's been tricky finding out how to do it and more difficult will be reproducing my first result and writing it in a tutorial.

 

So far I found 16 shiny billboard adds in the CommonWorld.Bnk and the CommonWorldDiv2.Bnk. (pb_a1.2db to pb_a16.2db)

 

What to know about the difference between CommonWorld.bnk and CommonWorldDiv2.bnk?

*) CommonWorld.bnk has all the .BMP pictures in high resolution.

*) CommonWorldDiv2.bnk has the same pictures but in a lower resolution.

When editing a file out one of these 2 banks, you need to edit the same file from the other bank as well.

 

What do you need: A lot really.

*) Adobe Photoshop (no can do without)

*) The NVidia public Plugin for Adobe Photoshop (see my KM/H roadsign post for the link)

*) MS-Paint but that's standard

*) DJEY TDU Modding Tools (no modding without this one)

 

Here goes:

The billboards are called pb_a1.2db to pb_a16.2db in Commonworld.bnk

1) Load the extracted and then from .2DB converted .DDS billboard file (great work here by TDU Modding Tools) into Photoshop.

Load it with these settings:

2) It will look like this for one of the billboards:

3) Yep. 5 times the same picture, but each time 1/2 the size. The further away you get from the billboard, the smaller picture TDU uses.

4) Copy and paste this picture completely (511x128 pixels) into MS-Paint or any other paint program and proportionally replace all 5 billboards. Each time the one to the right is 50% smaller. (256x128 .. 128 x 64 .. 64 x 32 etc. etc.)

5) Copy your modified billboard completely (511x128 pixels) out of MS-Paint, and paste it into Photoshop over the TDU billboard. Only use PASTE (not paste into or anything, just Paste)

6) Save the .DDS with these settings in photoshop

7) Convert it back with TDU Modding Tools and put it back into the BNK where it belongs.

8) Don't forget you have to work on CommonWorld.bnk and CommonWorldDiv2.bnk as well!

 

Testing:

I'm gonna try change that Ammu-Nation billboard following the steps of this tutorial and see if it works.

 

Did exactly each step and I think it works:

Keep your eyes on the road!! (used pb_a9.2db billboard in Honolulu)

 

Greets and have fun,

Carda

[rollingtheboy]

amazing tuto, really great work!!!+rep

[uniquesilver]

Thanks for this! I am starting to release my own billboard mod :D

[Carda]

Thanks for this! I am starting to release my own billboard mod :D

 

That's how I like it!! More mods. :thumbsup:

 

BTW, the pictures are 511x128pixels. (also added this in my first post). My first try changing the billboards I assumed 512x128, but that really didn't work (software never makes mistakes, only the human mind)

[uniquesilver]

:) ok

[tweetty]

Why when I am starting 2nd step in Photoshop I see 6 not 5 versions of image? It is a big difference?

 

PS1: Ok, I solve this problem.

PS2: Sorry, but this tut doesn't work for me and I don't know why... Finally, I replaced 2db files and save both BNK files, but in the game there still is an old billboard. How it is possible?

[////AMG V12BiTurbo]

i cant replace why =(

[skyvelzz]

.DDS converted .2DB I get error.

Original 2DB file not specified

WHY?

[Djey]

Because you need original 2DB file ? 

Conversion won't work without it. That's how the tool is intended to be.