I need help with GIMP SAMBC template and unit flags

[Mantose]

I am trying to create a proper unit flag icon that will work with any civ. I assume it is possible with the cool templates sambc provided us. Here is what I do and the results.

I open the template , in one of my windows I see 2 images ... when I click on the left one is says main surface , the right one says main surface mask.

I select the main surface mask and copy and paste an image into the white circle. (I assume it doesnt matter if the image I copy and paste is green blue or purple... does it have to be a certain color?)

Then I try to save as a dds, with default settings. I get a pop up that says ,

Your image should be exported before it can be saved as DDS for the following reasons.
DDS plug in cant handle layer masks.
Apply Layer Masks

The export conversion wont modify your oridinal image

So at this point I hit the export button and then go in game to see what my flag looks like.



I am getting a little frustrated because I am dealing with masks and I have no idea what they are or how to use them.

Add that to the fact that every time I want to make a change to the DDS file to see what it looks like in game , I have to leave game completely and reload ... I cant just exit to main menu and reload the mod.

Any help would be great ... please , thank you

 

[DasGuntLord01]

The simple fact of the matter is that DDS files (or at least the DDS gimp plugin) do not support layer masking. If you have a layer mask in your image, it won't save properly.

When you copy something, do not copy the layer mask.

If you have layer masks in your image, delete them.

If you need trasparency, you use an Alpha Channel.

 

[SamBC]

Okay, with the layer mask, it will save properly, it just has to be applied, which it does automatically (with a warning). That part is fine. I have tested it thoroughly. What does matter is that the image has only a single layer - that's why the mask is implemented as a layer mask, not as a separate layer with a clever type.

The image has to be applied to the main surface, not the mask. The mask selects which bits of the main surface will be visible. If you're editing the main surface and the mask is not disabled, you'll see this as the areas that are black in the mask being unalterably transparent in the main view.

As a final point (I'll go into more detail later, possibly with a tutorial post on doing Icons generally with the GIMP), unit flag icons need to be white on transparent. It's an exception to the general rule. So, you want to (temporarily) disable the mask, replace the white in the circle in question with transparency, and add your icon as white only onto that transparency.

I may one more template file (of the appropriate size for unit flag icons) that has transparent circles rather than white ones, to facilitate this.

 

[Mantose]

Ok, that was my issue when using your template. I knew the white background was an issue , the pic makes it obvious. My lack of understanding of masks was my downfall. Funny , I just figured out that I needed to use white as my color to make unit icons work for any civ , I updated my little post I made that The_J moved to the tutorial section.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=390101

I ended up just making a 32x32 transparent file and used white as my icon. It works fine ... but I think it might possibly create issues .. I am not sure. I wonder if I cant use the same icon number other units are using... the reason I wonder this is because when I create my own icon all the icons in the strategic map become messed up ... or maybe it is because I added a new unitclass.

Anyway it is a new issue on my road to creating a new unit and flag icon. I am testing things out now to try and figure why the flag icons on the strategic map are messed up in my mod.

Gazebo thinks this might be the issue http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=390530
but I dont even have that file , I think my computer had some issues when I unpacked the fpk files. I think I will have to do that again.

EDIT
Just remembered , I am such a newb at gimp , I originally tried to make the white on your template clear like you just said but I couldnt figure it out ... thats why I went back to my original way with just making a 32 x 32 pixel file. So an extra template for icons only would have worked great for me