[Tutorial] DDS Image File Editing

Note: This is just something basic for those who have no idea what to with a .dds file. I am a newbie when it comes to trying and editing whatever files there are. Google is my best friend. I am writing this for those who wish to edit any .dds file in the SpaceEngineers\Content folder to their liking with as less hassle as possible.

The program I will be using using is Paint.NET (which you can get here: link). I read somewhere Photoshop is also possible but Paint.NET is more user-friendly and in every way waaaay simpler to use.

For this tutorial I will be looking at 2 files for ore, namely the 2 texture files for Platinum Ore as it appears on asteroids, and the main menu image (the title + astronaut image)

I found Platinum very much alike to Stone and Silver so I decided to change it to bright red. The 2 files are found in the Content\Textures\Voxels directory of wherever you have SE installed. The 2 files are named Platinum_01_ForAxisXZ_de.dds and Platinum_01_ForAxisXZ_ns.dds. The story about the main menu image is... different. Just for fun.

1. Good news first. The second files, _ns.dds, is something related to how light reacts on the ore. I have no idea how that exactly works, but since almost all the _ns.dds files of all ores look pretty much the same to me, I left it unchanged. I will experiment with this later however.

2. Next, the _de.dds file. This is the actual texture file of the ore and contains the correct color. I have experimented with just changing the whole area of the image to a single color (black, white and red) to see what works best in terms of visibility. Just erase the image as it is and fill it with another color. White and black produced weird results, not really bumping visibility up at all. Bright red produced a somewhat darker, crimson reddish ore that is easily distinguishable from any other.

3. The saving part is important. If for whatever reason you have 2 layers, select the first one and press Ctrl + M, which will combine the layers into 1. A .dds file has one layer only otherwise you will not be able to save it as a .dds. When saving, you will be prompted with many options on how to save it, I just clicked OK and it worked fine (this will be different for the main menu image).

4. The image has been properly saved, load up the game and enjoy easily findable ore! You can see this as a cheat, but well, that's up to you.


1. Again, load it up in Paint.NET and select anything you want deleted or replaced and just, well, delete it.

2. I used a fancy font I found on dafont.com and just made a fancy word instead of Space. You may have noticed the image has a faint shadow/glow/whatever surrounding it, for that you can go to Effects -> Photo -> Glow and adjust the sliders to your liking. I used Radius at 20, Brightness at -100 and Contrast at 100. You could use a new layer for the text but again don't forget to merge the layers into one again when done.

3. The saving part here is a little different. Just clicking OK will save it, but let's say the image on the main menu was a little f*cked up. I experimented with options and you have to select either DXT3 or DXT5 in the dropdown menu and also check the box labeled "Generate Mip Maps". This made the image display properly.

Enjoy your newly found editing skills and edit anything that has a .dds extension to your liking. Any menu element, block type, item type and just any texture are in .dds format, so experiment.

M.

 

Just so this thread is more fully fleshed out. Here's the GIMP side of things. I sent this PM to an individual.

It's a wee bit trickier than that. Assuming you're wanting no glowing, just recolorable, you need to also have it a certain level of transparency. I personally use GIMP. If you use either PhotoShop or GIMP, you require a DDS export plugin. Go to this page: For the export plugin, download the plugin you require at the bottom of the page.

What I do in GIMP is the following:

1. Open image in GIMP
2. Go to "Colors" on the toolbar
3. Go to "Components" and click on "Decompose"
4. I change "Color Model" to RGBA and "Decompose to layers" is checked, press OK
5. You should now have 4 layers on the layers tab. red, green, blue, alpha.
6. You change the red layer to be gray value 56/100 (On the left side of the latest GIMP, there is a button that looks like two little sliders, click that to change to a tab that shows 6 lines, it should have H, S, V, R, G, B lines. You're going to change the "Value" line to 56, I just use bucket fill. I delete the layer so it looks completely transparent (no UV lines) then bucket fill)
7. Change green layer to be 11/100 (You have to click on the layer to change that layer. If you stay on the red layer and intend to change the green layer, but you don't click on it, you'll only change the red layer.)
8. Change blue layer to be 41/100
9. Change alpha layer to 45/100
10. Go to "Colors" on the toolbar
11. Go to "Components" and click "Compose" (Do not click "Recompose")
12. Make sure "Color model" says "RGBA", press OK. (All 4 should be selectable, red, green, blue, alpha, but don't change them)
13. Go to "File", click "Export to" (just in case)
14. Locate where you'd like to export the file, I export directly in the MODS/ShaoCorp folder where my textures are, name your file something relevant, if it is a recolorable image, the end of the file name should be _me, if it does not need to be recolorable _de is fine. (For example: SC_LandingSkid_me.dds, SC is for Shaostoul Corporation)
15. Select "Select File Type" and locate "DDS image".
16. Click "Export"

 

Well if you were the writer you could've used another. I find it rather humorous at times. I am no neo-nazi or anything like that, but using the same cheap humor all the time does get boring at times. It's not that I paint swastikas on everything I find.

 

Poll deleted. Yes/No polls are against the rules.

Then, locked, first post edited.
metalsynkk, if you read this contact me ASAP.


edit:
Reopened.