high resolution view of 3D LH?

[davidlallen]

The graphics subforums seem to be for art announcements, not questions, so here is an art question.

I have a mod with 18 3D animated leaderheads, but the total size of the file is huge (150mb) even zipped (70mb) it is a large download. So by default, the mod installation file has 2D leaderhead art. I have basically taken an in-game screenshot of each 3D LH and then stretch/resized it to be a DDS file. This is all working, but the screenshots are limited by the pixel size of the 3D LH when it is displayed in-game.

My question is: how can I get a high-resolution (512x512 or more) preview of the 3D LH, with its background? I have nifskope and sceneviewer, but they don't associate the background kfm/nif/dds with the character nif.

Related question: when I take the screenshots, in order to make the views come out with the right aspect ratio, I take a 192x256 screenshot and then stretch it to 256x256. Is this the right approach? It seems weird to have to make this edit, but otherwise the views look way too "skinny".

My current LH screenshots are at this link and some discussion of new LH art for the mod is at this link.

 

[Refar]

Take a LH screen shots in nifscope using a "blue-screen" type bg color. (You can set it from the preferences menu).
I usually take that eye cancer inducing pink (255/0/255).

Its important the screenshot is in a loss-less format - otherwise artifacts - even invisible to the eye - might make the next step a bit more tedious.

Open the Lh screenshot in PS. Use the magic-wand selection tool (continous mask, low tolerance) to create a selection of the BG only - with that pink color you are guatanteed to get exactly what you want in 99% of all cases.
In the rere case, where the selection does not match, you will have to help it by hand...

Delete the selected part, so you now get a high res LH with a transparent BG. You can lay it over the BG DDS, or over another BG picture of your choice.

Before you collapse layers, select the LH layer (Ctrl+Click). Selection->Modify->Shrink the selection by maybe 2 or 3 pixels. Invert selection. Now you have only the edge of the LH picture selected - the BG will be unaffected, as it is in another layer.
Aplly Gaussian Smooth fileter - maybe 1 pixel radius.
This way you will smoot only the boarder of the LH (where it meets the new BG) taking out the sharp edge.

Collapse layers, save.

-----

The stertching issue from your related question is in-avoidable i think - the dds image has to be square (say 512"), but it is displayed in the game in a non-swuare window. So in order to make it look right in the game, you need to stretch the image a bit.

 

[davidlallen]

I was kind of hoping to avoid this layer cut, align, paste step. If I have 12 of them to do, and for each one I need a tight crop, square 128x128 for buttons and a wider angle, 384x512, it gets tedious.

 

[C.Roland]

Take a LH screen shots in nifscope using a "blue-screen" type bg color. (You can set it from the preferences menu).
I usually take that eye cancer inducing pink (255/0/255).

Its important the screenshot is in a loss-less format - otherwise artifacts - even invisible to the eye - might make the next step a bit more tedious.

Open the Lh screenshot in PS. Use the magic-wand selection tool (continous mask, low tolerance) to create a selection of the BG only - with that pink color you are guatanteed to get exactly what you want in 99% of all cases.
In the rere case, where the selection does not match, you will have to help it by hand...

Delete the selected part, so you now get a high res LH with a transparent BG. You can lay it over the BG DDS, or over another BG picture of your choice.

Before you collapse layers, select the LH layer (Ctrl+Click). Selection->Modify->Shrink the selection by maybe 2 or 3 pixels. Invert selection. Now you have only the edge of the LH picture selected - the BG will be unaffected, as it is in another layer.
Aplly Gaussian Smooth fileter - maybe 1 pixel radius.
This way you will smoot only the boarder of the LH (where it meets the new BG) taking out the sharp edge.

Collapse layers, save.

-----

The stertching issue from your related question is in-avoidable i think - the dds image has to be square (say 512"), but it is displayed in the game in a non-swuare window. So in order to make it look right in the game, you need to stretch the image a bit.

But Nifskope screenshot do not display the shaders in case of a shaded LH ?

 

[Refar]

I was kind of hoping to avoid this layer cut, align, paste step. If I have 12 of them to do, and for each one I need a tight crop, square 128x128 for buttons and a wider angle, 384x512, it gets tedious.

Yes, i see what you mean. Overall i have to say, i did not feel the images you use look bad, so maybe just keeping them how they are now makes most sense.

If feel a higher resolution is needed, then this is actually the simpliest procedure to get higher res images i can think of right now (I might of course miss something...)

But Nifskope screenshot do not display the shaders in case of a shaded LH ?

NifScope has a different rendering engine than Civ, but it does apply Shaders and overall the previews do not look bad in there.
It does apply ambient and diffuse lightning, specularity and normals maps.
It can not handle Shader Enviroment maps.
It uses its own ligtning, rather than the scene lights - which can be a boon also - for example if you want to make everything a bit darker.
Here i added some Red-isht tint to the lights, to make the effect more noticeable. Left is the Nonshader and right the Shaded of the same LH.

You can do the same in NifViewer - its render engine is closed to Civ i think, it can handle the enviroment maps as well. Left NonShaded, Right Shaded:

The main advantage of NifScope is the possibility to easily pose a LH on its own animation (Spells->Animation->Attach .KF)

-----

Everything else i can think of right now involves importing the LH's in a 3D software, re-setting a BG, Materials and Lightning (as those inavoidable get screwed by the importer), Posing and then rendering it.
It will most likely deliver superior quality of renders and could give you any ludicrous resolution, but it is a lot more work.

 

[C.Roland]

Yes, i see what you mean. Overall i have to say, i did not feel the images you use look bad, so maybe just keeping them how they are now makes most sense.

If feel a higher resolution is needed, then this is actually the simpliest procedure to get higher res images i can think of right now (I might of course miss something...)



NifScope has a different rendering engine than Civ, but it does apply Shaders and overall the previews do not look bad in there.
It does apply ambient and diffuse lightning, specularity and normals maps.
It can not handle Shader Enviroment maps.
It uses its own ligtning, rather than the scene lights - which can be a boon also - for example if you want to make everything a bit darker.
Here i added some Red-isht tint to the lights, to make the effect more noticeable. Left is the Nonshader and right the Shaded of the same LH.

You can do the same in NifViewer - its render engine is closed to Civ i think, it can handle the enviroment maps as well. Left NonShaded, Right Shaded:

The main advantage of NifScope is the possibility to easily pose a LH on its own animation (Spells->Animation->Attach .KF)

-----

Everything else i can think of right now involves importing the LH's in a 3D software, re-setting a BG, Materials and Lightning (as those inavoidable get screwed by the importer), Posing and then rendering it.
It will most likely deliver superior quality of renders and could give you any ludicrous resolution, but it is a lot more work.

Or simply bake the Shaders in a good nonshader texture and go with this . The main advantage with shaders, it's that shadows and higlight don't look like they are painted on the face, but on an image it's not as important as in game.