Tutorial : How to Make Your Own Textures [Major Update #2]

[Iced_Bullet]

- How to Make your Own Textures

Tools Required:

- Bnk Editor [Download]

- DXTbmp [Download]

- TDU Modding Tools [Download]

- .DDS Thumbnail Viewer (not neccessary, however very useful when trying to located converted .dds files) [Download]

- Image Manipulation Programs : Photoshop, Picasa, Microsoft Paint, The GIMP, Corel Photo-Paint etc etc. Any can be used, as the .dds plugin is not required now! :)

 

 

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Remember, for texture modding, only change the colour and texture, not the style or spoke amount or size etc. This may cause TDU to crash. Also, keep the image the same rotation and sections. As Some files are seperated into 3 parts for 3 different locations around O'ahu.

Remember with ALL rim files, you have to look for the .2db file which end in "_d", to modify. The other file, which could be "Murc_Rst_R_01.2db" is a reflections and general 3D file, and unless you know what you're doing stay out!

 

 

Video on Rim colouring:

[HQ YouTube Version]

 

 

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Things to Know :

1. I do not take responsibility for any files lost or damaged. However, the DXTBMP software automatically makes a backup of the original file.

 

2. This process can be done with other parts on the car. All files ending in "_d" are okay to modify, and its just a matter or experimentation to others you can modify too.

 

This means things like front and rear lights, grilles, and indeed interiors can be modified. however, the actual body of the car is saved as a 2DM file and cannot be modified..

 

The Tutorial :

 

1. Use the bnk editor and open the .bnk you would like to use. A list of different .bnk files is at the bottom of this post. Once the .bnk has been opened, the .bnk editor will display a variety of files including .2db. These are the texture files we will need for modding. However, we cannot manipulate these files without converting them first. This is an example of what you should be able to see:

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_1.jpg[/imglink]

 

2. Select the .2db file you wish to modify. Generally the file name will be an abreviation of what it contains ... so cock.2db means the cockpit from within the cars; lgt_rof.2db means the texture when the rear lights of the car are off. Once you get more into modding, the easier it is to recognise what the file names mean. Now, click 'Extract Selection'.

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_16.jpg[/imglink]

 

3. Now open the open the "TDU Modding Tools" program. Once it has opened, click on '2DB->DDS'

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_3.jpg[/imglink]

 

4. Now, you have to locate the file which has been extracted from the .bnk editor within step 3 (#1 in diagram). Now, to find this, it will be in the folder where the .bnk was located. So when I extract something from 'Common_car.bnk' which is located in 'C:\TDU\Mods\Cars' ; the extracted file will be in 'C:\TDU\Mods\Cars\Common_Car'. The .bnk editor automatically creates the folder if it does not already exist.

 

Now, find a location where you wish to save the .DDS file (#2 in diagram) once it has been converted. I recomend the same folder than the extracted .2DB files is. Keeping the same name.

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_4.jpg[/imglink]

 

5. Then, click 'Go' and 'OK' once the "Mission" has been completed'

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_5.jpg[/imglink]

 

6. Now, open up the program: DXTbmp. If this is the first time you've used this program, follow this step. If not, go to step 8. To actually modify the image, you need to select a program which will allow you to modify them. Firstly, go to 'Prefs' --> 'Select Editor'.

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_8.jpg[/imglink]

 

7. Mine will be Photoshop CS2. However, if you cannot afford to buy a Photoshop program, or just disslike it, or do not wish to purchase a bit of software for a bit of Game Modding. Then there is free software such as 'The GIMP' ; 'Paint.NET' ; 'Picasa2' ; 'Microsoft Paint' (Yes Paint would work, but doesn't have much flexibility). It does not matter which image software you use, as there are only modding .bmp image files. (as DXTbmp does the conversion for us - How handy!)

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_7.jpg[/imglink]

 

8. Now, in DXTbmp, open the .DDS file which you converted in step 5.

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_17.jpg[/imglink]

 

As you can see, within each .DDS file, there is 2 different "images". One is the 'Normal' and the other 'Alpha Channel' (The black and white image). Alpha Channel refers to the transparency. The more white the 'area', the more transparent it is. White = Transparent / Black = Opaque. This alpha channel allows images to be modded such as the 'McDonald's' sign 'M' above and this is what it produces here:

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thMcDonalds_3.jpg[/imglink]

 

For modding rims, you will only see a 'Normal', you will not see an 'Alpha' version. Therefore, you only mod the 'Normal Channel'. See [here] for a detailed video on how to mod rims.

 

9) i) Now, to get the image into your Image Manipulating Program, you can either double click on the image, or click on this icon:

 

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/General_Tut_10.jpg[/imglink]

 

9) ii)

For Car Glass Windows

Glass windows don't work in the same way as the normal textures. Therefore, this bit is off-set to make it stand out it is different! When in DXTbmp, you must use the icon (^ above) which is underneath the Alpha Channel Image, not the Normal one on the left:

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_9.jpg[/imglink]

10) i) Once in the Image Manpulation Program, you can do as you please. However, you can really only edit colour and brightness. You can import your own images from your PC or Google Images. Heck, you can even add Carbon Fibre images to make the texture ingame look like carbon fibre.

 

What you need to do is add or change the image, but keep it to the same size. I find just selecting the area you want and change the colour or brightness to be alot easier. Visit Flux-Graphics for a variety of different tutorials for within Photoshop. (You may need to register, but there are goodens there :))

 

10) ii)

For Car Glass Windows

This is the glass.2db file for the RS4. Each glass file looks slightly different which is understandable seeing as they have to make different shapes ;) Anyway ... When ths image is in your manipulator, you are really only limited to changing the brightness off the image. Now, with a level headed mind, you'd think that making the image darker, would mean the glass becomes darker ingame. Now, as you've probably guessed, that is not the case. As with the weirdness of TDU modding, the brighter you make the glass.dds file, the darker it becomes ingame.

 

Before manipulation:

[imglink]

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/General_Tut_13.jpg

[/imglink]

 

The feature used to make it brighter:

 

Click to Enlarge:

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_12.jpg[/imglink]

 

After manipulation:

[imglink]

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/General_Tut_14.jpg

[/imglink]

11. Once you're done, you MUST make it all one layer. By doing this, go to 'Image' -> 'Flattern'. Now Click 'Save'.

 

12) i) Go back into DXTbmp and click this icon, to reload the image after you saved it in your Manipulation:

 

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/General_Tut_11.jpg[/imglink]

 

For a normal Texture mod, you should see that the normal image changes, yet the Alpha Channel does not, unless you know what you're doing and have edited that and saved.

 

12) ii)

For Car Glass

Now, this is what you should see when you click the icon (^above), the normal image has not changed, yet the Alpha Channel has.

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_15.jpg[/imglink]

13. Now, goto 'File' -> 'Saveas' -> 'DDS Texture'. Select where you wish to save it, then chose a name. However, you MUST NOT change the 'Save Type as' otherwise your texture will 90% of the time go crap when you go into TDU.

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_18.jpg[/imglink]

 

14. Now, back within 'TDU Modding Tools', click 'DDS->2DB'

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_19.jpg[/imglink]

 

15. Locate the original .2db file you extracted in step 5 (#1 in image). then locate the .DDS file which you saved in DXTbmp in step 13 (#2 in image). Then find a location where you wish to save the new .2db file you're about to convert. Do no overwirte the 'Original 2DB File'. Then click 'go' (#4). Click 'OK' (#5). Click 'OK' (#6).

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_23.jpg[/imglink]

 

16. Back in the '.bnk Editor' select the file you originally extracted. Then click on 'Replace selected file ...'

 

17. Then locate the .2DB file you converted in step 15 and click 'OK'. then, this warnign message shold occur. If you get a similar one, which says '............ is 0bytes smaller than .......', then everything is fine. If not, then something went wrong. If it is too large or too small, then go back to step 15 and try again. If it happens again, go back to the beginning of this tutorial, as something went wrong :(

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_21.jpg[/imglink]

 

17. Now, click 'Save BNK', then go into TDU and your mod should be there waiting you

 

Click to Enlarge

[imglink]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thGeneral_Tut_22.jpg[/imglink]

 

 

List of .bnk file locations:

 

i) Interior Property .bnks: [Extensive list chart here]

ii) Exterior Property .bnks: [Extensive list chart here]

iii) Car Interior and Exterior .bnks: C:\Program Files\Atari\Test Drive Unlimited\Euro\Bnk\Vehicules

iv) Car Rim .bnks: C:\Program Files\Atari\Test Drive Unlimited\Euro\Bnk\Vehicules\Rim

v) Avatar Clothes .bnks: C:\Program Files\Atari\Test Drive Unlimited\Euro\Bnk\Avatar\CLOTHES

vi) Common_Car.bnk: [same location as iii) however this contains tire textures and number plates etc)

 

 

I'd like to thank the various creators of the programs which make this possible! Also to marshmarsh16 for this original tutorial [here] which was on TDU:C, but I updated to this.

[Speed]

Very Nice.

 

Contribution by Me...

 

- Photoshop .dds Plugin [Download] or DXTBMP [Download soon]

 

Download of DXTBMP here.

 

4. Double click it, and photoshop should open up.

 

When installed, and you open the image, the above guide says double click it. However when I did this it opened MS Paint, so to fix that, go to "Prefs" then "Select Editor" and find the Photoshop or similar program .exe you wish to use and open that :)

 

And as always, very helpful guide Iced :)

[MCiN7]

DDS Thumbnail Viewer.

This saves alot of time, trust me!

(Directs to nvidia page.)

[Download]

[Andreas¹]

Will sure try this tomorrow :)

[Iced_Bullet]

Very Nice.

 

Contribution by Me...

 

 

 

Download of DXTBMP here.

 

 

 

When installed, and you open the image, the above guide says double click it. However when I did this it opened MS Paint, so to fix that, go to "Prefs" then "Select Editor" and find the Photoshop or similar program .exe you wish to use and open that :)

 

And as always, very helpful guide Iced :)

Thanks. I hadn't read through it with a fine toothed comb, I just tweaked obvious errors from the original :)

DDS Thumbnail Viewer.

This saves alot of time, trust me!

(Directs to nvidia page.)

[Download]

Thanks mate! :D This is very useful!

[Iced_Bullet]

woop woop!

Click to Enlarge

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thgtr_rims.jpg http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/thzonda_rim.jpg http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/20080420130707.jpg http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s79/IcedBullet/Test%20Drive%20Unlimited/Mods/20080420130457.jpg

[MCiN7]

You love your black rims hey, I think the Zonda looks best with black rims out of all of those cars.

[Andreas¹]

Hmm, after trying to change the Charger rims to lime green (just to try! :p) I ended up with some wierd stripy green/red/grey-ish things :D

 

Q: Is there any other _d files you can modify? I can just find rim _d's :S

 

E: Ah, I found some in the _I files

[The Queen]

Wow that looks bloody amazing! Especially the Zonda! I must try that when I get time and also download the ones you have done :D

[hesonly5]

Ooh, looks fun :D

[The Queen]

Iced. I'm gonna try to blacken some wheels. What did you do to do it? I can't seem to figure it out and I might make a mess of it. Can you reply or speak on MSN?

[Andreas¹]

Oiiihh IT WORKS :D

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii239/Spitfire_RT/4f1dffa9.jpg

[hesonly5]

XD They look horrible :p

[Andreas¹]

Well thanks randy :rolleyes:

 

Can someone tell me where the files for windows, rear lights and front lights are? I can only find rims ones

[hesonly5]

They'll be inside the car files, not the rim files :p

 

Although I think windows are in common_car.bnk

[Eudemon]

Hmm I wonder if this means you guys on PC can turn off the Rturbo's high level brakelight! Also I saw the guy you are crediting with this is working on some interesting lights for the Rt12.

[Iced_Bullet]

They'll be inside the car files, not the rim files :p

 

Although I think windows are in common_car.bnk

Nope. Windows are in the individual car files. so ... zonda_cpe.bnk not the sound one, or rims or zonda_cpe_i.bnk (interior). I shall go get some quote froms vroom about modding windows. I think they're tricky. When I find some, they'll be in this post, i wont posta again :p

 

Yeap, brighter, darker glass, black, gray, fully transparent or half transparent

 

OK, darker TEXTURE ( full black for example ) with dark gray ALPHA, will result FULL BLACK GLASS, lighter ALPHA on same texture will result still BLACK but more shiny glass. Light green TEXTURE, with gray ALPHA will result full TRANSPARENT glass almost without shine. But watch out what you painting, cause you also have lights glass textures within glass texture.

[hesonly5]

Oh, okay. My bad :p

[Andreas¹]

Nope. Windows are in the individual car files. so ... zonda_cpe.bnk not the sound one, or rims or zonda_cpe_i.bnk (interior). I shall go get some quote froms vroom about modding windows. I think they're tricky. When I find some, they'll be in this post, i wont posta again :p

I found some file called "glass" in there, it looks wierd when I open it, it's not a _d

[Iced_Bullet]

*Updated instructions, to be more applicable to any type of file*

 

Also Stickied. as this does seem fairly important, as it can now apply to any .2db file in TDU for modding ;)

[Captain_ClutchKick]

Nice, but what about small coloured text in the wheels? They just seem to turn white/grey :eek_blue:

[Iced_Bullet]

Which file are you trying to mod and in which bnk file?

[Captain_ClutchKick]

I'm trying ford_d in Ford_F_GT_01, it works fine but the text is grey instead of orange :oook:

[Iced_Bullet]

Major Update #2

 

w00p w00p. Now you can mod glass windows. I've been slowly making this tutorial better over the past few days. In the hope that more people will start to mod, now programs such as Picasa and even Paint can be used!!!

[Andreas¹]

OMG Iced, you rock :D A vereh nice new set of tutorial there