How-To Edit unit textures.

[Che]

Here’s a “How to edit unit textures and shields using Photoshop” tutorial.

- First you must have these:

1 .texture to .dds converter (to export .texture files to .dds files)
2 Adobe Photoshop
3 The .dds Plugin to be able to open .dds files.
4 .dds to texture converter (to get .dds files back in .texture files)

- The texture files (unit textures that you need to edit) are located here - data\unit_models\_units - there are about 20 folders, each containing different unit textures for different factions.
In each folder you can find .mesh files and a "textures" folder. What you need to edit is the .texture files in the “textures” folder.

- Example...

I'm gonna show how to edit the Venices’ Dismounted Feudal Knights...

Their textures are located here - data\unit_models\_units\en_lmail_hmail\textures

The files’ name is - en_lmail_hmail_venice.texture



Make a back-up file first, cuz anything can happen during the editing process.

Convert the .texture file to .dds using the “.texture to .dds converter”.

Open the .dds file with photoshop and edit it the way you want. When you open the file “photoshop” will ask you if you want to display the Mip Maps with the image. Select “No”.

Edit the texture the way you want…

- Here’s the texture editing example…

Before…



After…



Save the .dds file this way…



Convert the .dds (edited file) to .texture using the “.dds to texture converter”.

Copy the new texture to the same folder and overwrite it with the old file (data\unit_models\_units\en_lmail_hmail\textures\) … and everything is finished.

Results in the game…




- After this you can also change the Shields (if you want)

The texture files of Shields are located here - data\unit_models\attachmentsets\

The shield texture for Venices’ Dismounted Feudal Knights is - final heater_venice_diff.



It’s a .texture file so you have to follow the same steps. Convert it from .texture to .dds, open it with Photoshop, don't display Mip Maps with the image, edit the textures, save it the same way as you had to save the body texture file, convert it back from .dds to .texture and finally copy it (overwrite with the old file) in the same folder.

- Here’s the shield editing example…

Before …



After … [I desaturated everything (back & white) just for testing]



Results...



One last thing… if you’re not using a mod-switch then make sure you add:

[io]
file_first = true … in the medival2preferences.cfg file

or

--io.file_first … comand in the shortcuts target.

This is very important. You have to do this so the game will read the unpacked files first (this way the changes will show in the game).


Sir Lancelot.