Download:High Quality Blasters

[Sithspecter 909]

 

usually the trouble with using filters is you have to be aware of the direction of shadows, and this can be problematic depending on the orientation of the texture island. in photoshop there is more fine cotnrol over that. in gimp you almost have to make it neutral (shadow both sides of details) because there is no fine control.

 

Another thing that I did was model the weapons with UV mapping in mind, and I UV mapped them with texturing in mind. When you model, you should be creating the model in a way that makes it easier to UV map. I can probably describe some of how I do this in better detail later. When I UV map, I typically start with a square, planar UV map from the side. This orients all the components in the same direction (for applying filters, embossing and such), and makes the scale the same for all of them. Then I adjust each individual component so that there is no stretching.

 

The texturing will just take practice. Check out all the tutorials you can find, and not just for weapons. You can learn lots of techniques and then apply them to what you are doing. Look at all the filters in Photoshop, and see what they do. Also check out the different layer styles and see how different things look as overlays. A common mistake I used to make was an over-reliance on the "Add Noise" filter. I still use it, but not as heavily as I used to.

[sEcOnDbOuToFiNsAnItY 60]

Sweet. Are you going to be doing the same for TSL?

[xander2077 80]

Another thing that I did was model the weapons with UV mapping in mind, and I UV mapped them with texturing in mind. When you model, you should be creating the model in a way that makes it easier to UV map. I can probably describe some of how I do this in better detail later. When I UV map, I typically start with a square, planar UV map from the side. This orients all the components in the same direction (for applying filters, embossing and such), and makes the scale the same for all of them. Then I adjust each individual component so that there is no stretching.

 

yes, that is one way to do it, however if you want to use the vanilla model as a base and not a completely new one, it can mess up the UVs in blender to try and unwrap it in a square planar orientation. for example, the equivalent to that is unwrapping it like a box in blender, so it unwraps it like you said sort of... but all the islands are stacked on top of each other and in the center, very small, and it takes a lot of patience and work to get it all sorted out. but i can see your point in max or other programs, this is a good way to do it.

 

instead, when i try to retain the original UVs in that case, or very very close to them, i modify them with a few tricks here and there so the orientation is similar to vanilla, but not identical. and that is usually due to new geometry to smooth the model out a bit and make it less blocky. the only reason i would even consider that is for peple who want the original texture to work with older models, which is sometimes the case, but not always. and that is why i chose to do it that way for my masks overhaul, on the off chance someone could not handle the new models. i suppose a lower resolution can help in that case as well, but that is in the works. personally i would not recommend the new textures on old models, but it is an attempt to accomodate everyone i can.

 

another approach, when making a new model in blender to replace a vanilla one, is to use the smart UV project plugin, and this unwraps it more like what you described in your planar square map orientation, (my guess is max plugins like unwrella or similar ones do the same thing) but the islands often have to be combined, so if there is a mirror of one island in a different location on the UV window, then it has to be moved and rotated to stack over the other one the same size and shape, that way the texture budgeting is much better and a clearer texture results.

 

one i avoid usualy is the unwrap from view, which mirrors it, but stretches the middle.

 

however any unwrapping method has limitations as well. sometimes packing the UVs doesnt always budget the texture space correctly, and even when you move things and resize them, it can get hairy. so i usually end up manipulating the islands a lot manually before exporting the UV template. sure it is time consuming, but well worth it in the long run.

 

it just takes time and a little experimentation, like SS said. but once you get the hang of everything, it becomes second nature, and starts to be a lot of fun.

[Sithspecter 909]

Sweet. Are you going to be doing the same for TSL?

 

I'll try to port the weapons over to TSL because it doesn't seem as if TSL has very many unique weapon textures that aren't directly ported from KotOR 1.

 

yes, that is one way to do it, however if you want to use the vanilla model as a base and not a completely new one, it can mess up the UVs in blender to try and unwrap it in a square planar orientation. for example, the equivalent to that is unwrapping it like a box in blender, so it unwraps it like you said sort of... but all the islands are stacked on top of each other and in the center, very small, and it takes a lot of patience and work to get it all sorted out. but i can see your point in max or other programs, this is a good way to do it.

 

instead, when i try to retain the original UVs in that case, or very very close to them, i modify them with a few tricks here and there so the orientation is similar to vanilla, but not identical. and that is usually due to new geometry to smooth the model out a bit and make it less blocky. the only reason i would even consider that is for peple who want the original texture to work with older models, which is sometimes the case, but not always. and that is why i chose to do it that way for my masks overhaul, on the off chance someone could not handle the new models. i suppose a lower resolution can help in that case as well, but that is in the works. personally i would not recommend the new textures on old models, but it is an attempt to accomodate everyone i can.

 

another approach, when making a new model in blender to replace a vanilla one, is to use the smart UV project plugin, and this unwraps it more like what you described in your planar square map orientation, (my guess is max plugins like unwrella or similar ones do the same thing) but the islands often have to be combined, so if there is a mirror of one island in a different location on the UV window, then it has to be moved and rotated to stack over the other one the same size and shape, that way the texture budgeting is much better and a clearer texture results.

 

one i avoid usualy is the unwrap from view, which mirrors it, but stretches the middle.

 

however any unwrapping method has limitations as well. sometimes packing the UVs doesnt always budget the texture space correctly, and even when you move things and resize them, it can get hairy. so i usually end up manipulating the islands a lot manually before exporting the UV template. sure it is time consuming, but well worth it in the long run.

 

it just takes time and a little experimentation, like SS said. but once you get the hang of everything, it becomes second nature, and starts to be a lot of fun.

 

It seems like most people don't usually use the existing models as a base for anything except for armor retextures, in which case they don't modify the UVs at all. In my experience, in most cases it is far easier to re-create a higher poly model if that is what you're going for and just texture it from scratch. I don't know much as far as UV plugins go, but I generally UV map everything by hand after the first side view planar map. It's easy enough to hand map most of the low-polygon models that one would create for KotOR or TSL.

 

If you want to continue this discussion further, perhaps we can make a new thread for UV/texturing techniques and others can chime in.

[Wystan 1]

When can i expect the TSL version? It would be awesome!

[VarsityPuppet 1,085]

When can i expect the TSL version? It would be awesome!

 

If SithSpecter allows me to, I could (hopefully) convert these all to K2, provided I have the time

[Todd Hellid 16]

Can you install this over Weapon Model Overhaul mod?

[xander2077 80]

It seems like most people don't usually use the existing models as a base for anything except for armor...

 

If you want to continue this discussion further, perhaps we can make a new thread for UV/texturing techniques and others can chime in.

 

well i can explain why i did in another thread, but like you suggested it would be best for another thread. sure lets do that!

[Sithspecter 909]

When can i expect the TSL version? It would be awesome!

 

In a couple weeks.

 

If SithSpecter allows me to, I could (hopefully) convert these all to K2, provided I have the time

 

I have the ASCII files ripe for a TSL conversion, and I do plan to convert them over soon. Just give me a bit to do it.

 

Can you install this over Weapon Model Overhaul mod?

 

As stated in the Readme and elsewhere in this thread, you can install over Toasty Fresh's Weapon Model Overhaul. It's best to remove any blaster related .uti files before you do the install.

[Salk 376]

Sithspecter,

 

I believe I am experiencing a bug that is related to this modification. And it's such a weird bug that I am not sure how easily it could have been identified before.

 

The bug happens when I reach the Tatooine Hangar and ONLY if I leave the Ebon Hawk with company (oddly enough it does not happen if I disembark alone).

 

What is causing this bug, somehow, are the w_ionrfl_004.mdl/mdx files (did not test them separately but I made sure that w_ionrfl_001, w_ionrfl_002 and w_ionrfl_003 are innocent).

 

Pratically what happens is that a ion rifle appears just under the Ebon Hawk as you can see from the attached image. It cannot be interacted with and for the life of me I would like to know how something like that could happen.

 

 

 

[Sithspecter 909]

I don't have any clue what is causing that. There is a similar thing that happens in the Sith Base on Taris, but it occurs in the vanilla game as best as I can tell. A repeating blaster appears just inside the long hallway that you enter after the first reception room.

 

I could do some investigating, but it's unlikely that I'll be able to figure out what makes this happen (especially since you say it only happens with party members).

[Salk 376]

Then the safest course of action is to remove those two files in the meantime (I suppose it is safe to do it?).

 

If you have the chance, would you check if the same thing happens in your own game?

Thanks!

[Sithspecter 909]

Why do you feel the need to remove the files? It's not breaking the game, so a small visual glitch shouldn't hurt anything.

 

Anyways, I did see it in my game. Try renaming the files to w_ionrfl_04.mdl/.mdx instead. This seems to make it go away.

[Salk 376]

Why do you feel the need to remove the files? It's not breaking the game, so a small visual glitch shouldn't hurt anything.

I personally have a very low tolerance for glitches. I'd sacrifice visual improvements to a glitch free game in most cases.

 

Anyways, I did see it in my game. Try renaming the files to w_ionrfl_04.mdl/.mdx instead. This seems to make it go away.

That did the trick, although I know nothing of what the consequences are.

 

Thanks for the assistance!

[Sithspecter 909]

That did the trick, although I know nothing of what the consequences are.

 

Thanks for the assistance!

 

Consequences are nil. The game looks for the AuroraBase, which is still named correctly to be used by the item. Since the game didn't already have a fourth version of the Ion Rifle, it still works fine.

[Kexikus 995]

I've had pretty much the same issue with the Weapon Model Overhaul for TSL on M4-78 and Coruscant. I just thought that the mod authors had used a placeable that was accidently replaced by a blaster model from the mod, but I guess it has to be something else if it appears in a vanilla module here.

[Salk 376]

What is baffling is also that the glitch does not appear if you disembark alone.

[Sithspecter 909]

Updated to version 1.1, fixed a couple of very minor issues.

[Salk 376]

Thanks for the update!
 

One question: the readme says that version 1.1 can be installed over 1.0 but that one needs to remove a number of files from the Override to fix the Bith instrument. In the list there are also the following files:

 

    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdl
    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdl
    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdx
    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdx

 

but version 1.1 installs those very files. Does it mean that we do not really need to delete them, after all?

 

Thanks!

[Sithspecter 909]

Thanks for the update!

 

One question: the readme says that version 1.1 can be installed over 1.0 but that one needs to remove a number of files from the Override to fix the Bith instrument. In the list there are also the following files:

 

    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdl

    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdl

    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdx

    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdx

 

but version 1.1 installs those very files. Does it mean that we do not really need to delete them, after all?

 

Thanks!

 

Ah, I remember what I did. Silly me. So you can't remove files with the TSL patcher, and the original mod replaced the Bith items that have those file names. So I included the original Bith items in the new mod and the patcher would override the old ones, fixing the problem. However, I had a brain fart and completely forgot that I realized how to do that, and wrote in the readme that you still needed to delete those files. Silly me.

[Salk 376]

Okay... So how should the read me be amended?

 

I have already deleted all those files except the four listed above.

[Sithspecter 909]

Okay... So how should the read me be amended?

 

I have already deleted all those files except the four listed above.

 

I'm fixing it now. I also forgot that the new installer can't change the name of that pesky ion rifle that keeps appearing, so I addressed that as well. You've already got that issue taken care of though, so you're fine on that front. You shouldn't need to do anything else to be (as far as I know) bug-free.

[Salk 376]

Oh okay, thanks a lot!

 

I did have all those files mentioned in the first draft of the Read Me file so I eliminated them from my Override (after installing version 1.1):

 

    •iw_blstrpstl_006.tga
    •iw_blstrpstl_007.tga
    •w_blstrpstl_006.tga
    •w_blstrpstl_007.tga
    •w_blstrpstl_006.txi
    •w_blstrpstl_007.txi

 

while I am keeping:

 

    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdl
    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdl
    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdx
    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdx

 

and yes, the Ion Rifle bug should be taken care of already here!

 

I noticed you updated a texture too: x_rptnblstr_001.tga! Well done!

 

Thanks again for the update!

 

By the way, did you notice what a poor job they did on the Adhesive and Ion Granade icons looking the same? I have dabbled with Gimp trying to make them look as they should by using their texture as reference but I am truly unskilled.


 

[Sithspecter 909]

Oh okay, thanks a lot!

 

I did have all those files mentioned in the first draft of the Read Me file so I eliminated them from my Override (after installing version 1.1):

 

    •iw_blstrpstl_006.tga

    •iw_blstrpstl_007.tga

    •w_blstrpstl_006.tga

    •w_blstrpstl_007.tga

    •w_blstrpstl_006.txi

    •w_blstrpstl_007.txi

 

while I am keeping:

 

    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdl

    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdl

    •w_blstrpstl_006.mdx

    •w_blstrpstl_007.mdx

 

and yes, the Ion Rifle bug should be taken care of already here!

 

I noticed you updated a texture too: x_rptnblstr_001.tga! Well done!

 

Thanks again for the update!

 

By the way, did you notice what a poor job they did on the Adhesive and Ion Granade icons looking the same? I have dabbled with Gimp trying to make them look as they should by using their texture as reference but I am truly unskilled.

 

 

 

 

For most, those files will just stay in the override, but won't do anything. Essentially extraneous files. You can delete them, and you can delete that second set of files too if you like, since they're vanilla models from the game. It was just a sort of cobbled together way so that people can install the new one over the old and still fix the bug.

 

I updated that texture file, which now is applied to the Assassin and War droid blasters. I had initially tried to replace the models, but that crashed the game. It's still not as good as the new model, but most won't be able to tell.

 

I have noticed those icons look similar, but I haven't been inclined to do anything about it so far.

[DarthParametric 3,795]

I updated that texture file, which now is applied to the Assassin and War droid blasters. I had initially tried to replace the models, but that crashed the game.

Based on my prior experiments, replacing the war droid model (using the same rig) is a complete no-go. Replacing the assassin droid model is possible, but it completely breaks its combat functionality because for some reason blaster bolts are no longer generated, so it deals no damage.