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Greetings my friends! I assume that if you are reading this then you want to learn the art of skinning, no pun intended.
Someone just recently posted that they want to learn how to skin and that none of the tutorials worked so here is one that hopefully will work.
You will need a good program to do this like GIMP. Search it on google and download it.


First let's start off with something easy to skin, like the rep side.

Copy the rep and common side to your sides folder.
Go to the rep's msh folder and open rep_inf_ep3trooper.tga with GIMP.
Now get the color tools and skin away!
When you are satisfied go to File>New. Make the new file 512 by 512 pixels and press ok.
Now you have a new blank file.
Go to Layer and click Delete Layer. Your file now looks like a chess board.
Then go back to Layer and click New layer. make sure the layer is 512 by 512 pixels.
Now go back to the original clone skin you had and under Edit click Copy.
Now go back to your blank skin and under Edit click Paste.
Then go to Layer and click Anchor Layer.
Now save it as rep_inf_ep3trooper.tga and where it says All Images, change that to targa file or tga.
click Save and yes you want to replace. Now turn OFF RLE Compression!
after your skin is saved you go to your clone wars lua and put dc: infront of side\rep.

thank you for reading and hope this helps.
Please post for comments/suggestions

Why all the work with layers? All you have to do is make your side (in Data_***/Sides) and copy the common side from Assets/Sides (into Data_***/Sides), open the skin you want to change, edit it in an image-editing program, save it as a .tga (with RLE Compression and Origin At Bottom Left unchecked), put the "dc:" in your LUA (which is calling for your side), create a folder in Data_***/_BUILD/Sides with the same name as your side, copy the two .bat files from another folder in Data_***/_BUILD/Sides, paste them in your side in Data_***/_BUILD/Sides, open up VisualMunge, choose your side in the dropdown menu,and munge.

Mmm...sounds like a lot, but it really isn't .

would that work with any side or just a custom one. Like could you do that with the rep side and have the rep folder with just your skin in it?

Trust me, this guide is the best one on gametoast on skinning. All the layer stuff works. This should probably be added to the everything you need thread. Thanks elfie!!!!

What Challenger said -- Why all that stuff with layers and anchors and chessboards and whatnot?

The_Emperor wrote:What Challenger said -- Why all that stuff with layers and anchors and chessboards and whatnot?

Especially since skinning is all of what, like 3 steps?

Make new side.

Open .tga file, edit .tga file, save .tga file (RLE Compression off!)

Munge.

Look, a simple tutorial!

would you be able to munge just a rep skin instead of the entire side, like you copy it to the sides folder munge it and it shows up in game?

elfie wrote:would you be able to munge just a rep skin instead of the entire side, like you copy it to the sides folder munge it and it shows up in game?

If you want a .msh's texture to munge, you have to munge a .msh, too. So you do need to make a side. There's no reason why you have to munge an entire Republic side, but because people don't read the documentation they take a long time to learn this.

I like Mav's tut the best.

then I just munge with that side right?

sorry, but which skins do you mean by original skin and blank skin?

jedimaster745 wrote:sorry, but which skins do you mean by original skin and blank skin?

Original being the one you just edited, the actual skin of the trooper, and blank skin being the new white one you made by going to File...new and creating a new skin file.

ok cool. thank you

Sorry nearly a bump but do you need to have the bf2 mod tools to use this?

if you want to get the skin ingame, you do

yea you cant do it through script editing and whatnot.

Ok thx guys

thanks for helping me cuz im using these things for custom sides

Just so everyone is clear on two things relating to skinning:

1. I have heard people saying that skinning requires a custom side and that is not true. You do not need to make a custom side, even though it may be more helpful for some and others it causes their map to crash for some reason.

2. If you do not chose to make a custom side and are editing a stock side, please for our sake remove the lines of units/vehicles you are not using.

I just thought I mention this before someone ask it.

Where are the effects on Gimp? Because all I can find is smudge, bucket fill and paintbrush?