HD Unreal skin problems

[Kajgue]

Currently, I'm trying to make higher detailed Skaarj skins for TSB, my clan, consisting currently of 5 512x512 variants, and 1 1024x1024 resolution texture so far.

However, after importing my 1024x1024 skin into the game I notice that the skin looks alot lower resolution than it's supposed to. It just looks about the exact same resolution as the default skin:





The second image is what the skin is actually supposed to look like, I'm sure it looks much more detailed than the result does in game. You usually notice such a difference when you import higher textures immediately. It definitely looks like it's been downsized to the common 256x256 texture resolution.

This is only the diffuse map I'm showing here, I'm also trying to do alot more to them than this.

Could anybody here help me to get my higher resolution skins appearing in the game properly? By the way, I have s3tc textures already enabled, and I'm not sure including other people why this is happening.

Thanks in advanced.

[Turboman.]

I don't really know what would be causing that problem, but you could fiddle with the tlod/mlod commands in the console to increase texture quality on models a bit.


However if you're still using 224-226 it might be usefull to import your skins with the flag LODSET=2 (in ucc), as anything else gets horribly blurred for some reason in those versions.

Tho just an advice, looking at your texture, i wouldn't really recommend just putting a photoshop filter over a low res standard texture, you might also want to work on redefining the actual details (veins, muscular details, the eyes and other decals) as such a result is much more effective and noticeable, the current texture still shows jagged pixels from upscaling the original texture.

[Kajgue]

This is just a leathery base artificially baked bumpmap material right now to give the overall flesh more detail, it's not supposed to remain like that, and also with having basic shaders such as luminosity maps and simulated reflectivity on the metallic parts (overlays).

you might also want to work on redefining the actual details (veins, muscular details, the eyes and other decals)

And yes, although that's not really worthwile on the diffuse texture, since such structural details would go on a normal map (which Unreal doesn't 'currently' have), and wouldn't really look right on a diffuse.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm doing this in 227.

I don't really know what would be causing that problem, but you could fiddle with the tlod/mlod commands in the console to increase texture quality on models a bit.

TLod/mlod commands in the console? Do you mean the in game console or the editor? I'm not sure what that is, sorry.

[GreatEmerald]

Looks pretty right to me. It's just you use the small base upscaled, so it looks as small in the game as well.

[Turboman.]

tlod/mlod commands work ingame, they define the lod processing, default they're at 1, lower then 1, there will be less lod processing (textures will still render at full scale rather then just a mipmap), i'm not so sure if these still have an effect in 227 though.

as for your texture, i was mostly just referring to the jagged edges you can still see from the original texture upscaled, for example that blade has gigantic pixels, rather then smoothly defined edges and curves.

[Kajgue]

Ah, i see. Although I am not sure how to improve that without messing the texture itself up; but personally, I don't see that many problems with jagged edges on the blades when the skin is imported in game; unless you mean in the middle of the blade itself rather than the edge?

And although, if that command works in the console; wouldn't that only affect me personally rather than everybody who uses/sees the skin?

Edit: @GreatEmerald, it's mainly the intensified skin material that I'm refering to at the moment, since I haven't done much else to the skin yet.

[DieHard SCWS]

A couple a years ago i did do some testing for S3TC skins and that seemed to work just fine. I used a random texture that had alot of detail and colorvariations in it to test it, and i used below texture for the test:





Resulting in these sceenshots:




S3TC_Playerskin01.jpg
S3TC_Playerskin02.jpg



And if correct there is a hardlimit of 512 x 512 pixels for skins wheater its player of weapon skins, but in this case S3TC seems to be able to override that unlike procedural and HUD textures.


And i asume you did assemble a new texturepackage for it. If so sent me the high resolution textures(having the correct names you want to use), and ill process them to a proper normal and S3TC package. Just to see if that solves the issue.


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[Kajgue]

I 'think' I have solved it.



But the problem was, mipmaps being enabled, which blurrs out pixels to improve lower resolution textures, but I'm not sure.

And i asume you did assemble a new texturepackage for it. If so sent me the high resolution textures(having the correct names you want to use), and ill process them to a proper normal and S3TC package. Just to see if that solves the issue.

If the mipmaps aren't the case, then I guess I can send them to you. Alright, thanks for the help, I will send them.

[DieHard SCWS]

Just make sure to name the textures to the name they are supposed to have in the package(including Capitals and smallcaps). Also provide me what name the package needs to have.


As for the files themselves preferably pack them in a zipfile. And use a filetype that does not compress like jpg does, so better use  BMP, PSD or TIFF.
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[Kajgue]

They are already packaged as .bmp, but do you mind if every time I made an addition that I'd have to send it to you to convert to s3tc? The other maps such as shaders which will go on the skins aren't attached to these yet.

[DieHard SCWS]

As you might know my health is very bad at the moment, and on itself its not too difficult to do, so lets just see how far we get.
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[Kajgue]

Alright, that's unfortunate and same here.

I could always send you the current package now, and then send the next when it's finished since this would be more of an experiment.

Edit: Sent you the file.

[DieHard SCWS]

I got the package but i am unable to process it due to its nature. The first thing i encountered is that you cannot extract the textures using UnrealEd, so i used the UTPtool for that.


After that i resaved them as dds(DXT1) files and tried to run the mergertool. But the resulting package is the same as the original, which means for whatever reason it cannot break into the package.





But you need to go another route anyway if you want the S3TC package.


The normal package needs to contain normal sized textures, and this case they all are skins, which means 256 x 256 pixels. To create the normal package you have to save the original files according the settings from this page: Creating Normal Textures

If you dont, than the risk is simple, it will create the skating player glitch while playing online with the S3TC textures. So its mandatorial to follow the instructions on that page, and in particularly the save options for BMP files.


In case your textures are already index colored, than change the mode back to RGB and than index them again according the instruction on that page. Use those textures to assemble the normal package and have MipMaps checked on import.

I wanted to create a test package myself, but the texturenames exceed the 15 character limit for import. I asume you "ucc"ed them into the package, which is something i cannot do myself.
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[GreatEmerald]

Skating bots glitch in Unreal? It actually happens outside UT?

[Kajgue]

I got the package but i am unable to process it due to its nature. The first thing i encountered is that you cannot extract the textures using UnrealEd, so i used the UTPtool for that.


After that i resaved them as dds(DXT1) files and tried to run the mergertool. But the resulting package is the same as the original, which means for whatever reason it cannot break into the package.





But you need to go another route anyway if you want the S3TC package.


The normal package needs to contain normal sized textures, and this case they all are skins, which means 256 x 256 pixels. To create the normal package you have to save the original files according the settings from this page: Creating Normal Textures

If you dont, than the risk is simple, it will create the skating player glitch while playing online with the S3TC textures. So its mandatorial to follow the instructions on that page, and in particularly the save options for BMP files.


In case your textures are already index colored, than change the mode back to RGB and than index them again according the instruction on that page. Use those textures to assemble the normal package and have MipMaps checked on import.

I wanted to create a test package myself, but the texturenames exceed the 15 character limit for import. I asume you "ucc"ed them into the package, which is something i cannot do myself.
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Sorry to get back to you so late, DieHard. I have currently been inaccessible due to the state of my own illness.

I was going to say that I'm not sure what you mean, these skins are entirely dedicated for multiplayer for use in TSB. Would this mean that players couldn't see these skins as the correct resolutions over multiplayer? That is what these skins are for.

Sorry, I'm not entirely sure what you mean, I have never worked with s3tc textures before.