Dealing with DDS Images

PenguinBuddha

Chieftain
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
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I'm currently working through Kael's Modder's Guide to Civ 5 and I've run across an issue. In his how to add a civ tutorial he takes a icon template provided in the civ files. The icon is in PSD format. He then alters it (using photoshop) and saves it as a DDS file. I don't have access to photoshop so I downloaded GIMP and a DDS converter plugin.

My problem arises in my lack of knowledge on alpha layers and game graphics in general. The templates are a grid of white circles and Kael creates his icon in the top left. When I open the PSD template GIMP shows 2 layers, though one is just the background. How do I go about creating my icon properly?

Ive tried simply drawing the icon over the upper left white circle and filling in any gaps with black. Ive also tried making an icon that fit fully inside the white circle. I'm guessing i need to do something with the alpha layer but I have no idea what. Another note is that the DDS converter gives me the following error:

"DDS: It appears your image may be a volume map,
but not all layers are the same type, thus a volume
map cannot be written (Perhaps some layers have
transparency and others do not?)."

I can bypass the error by deleting the background layer but im not sure if thats the proper way.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Okay, to summarise...

I have made GIMP XCF versions of the templates that are a little clearer to use (although you still need to learn a little what you're doing). I uploaded them here, but they've been in the mod queue for days... I also uploaded them here on Mediafire.

They are single layer, but that layer has a layer mask. The actual image shows white where the mask is open, and black where it is closed; when the mask is active, the areas outside the circles show as transparent and will be whatever you do (short of editing the mask). If you want your image to be perfectly circular, just make sure it is inside the white circle. If you want the transparency to vary from the circle, you need to edit the map. Make the areas you want to be transparent white and others black (in the map). GIMP will apply the layer mask as you save to DDS - let it. There won't be any multi-layer confusion.

If you right-click the layer in the layers control of GIMP, you can enable/disable the mask (make sure it's enabled when you save to DDS), or edit it (it will appear in the main window instead of the image proper).

I recommend you keep the XCF version of the image as well as producing the DDS for the game to read, as the XCF keeps the mask information and makes future editing much easier. Use "save a copy" to export to the DDS format when you're ready.

Update: XCF templates from right here on CivFanatics, thanks to getting through moderation
 
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