Noob question, can you color an object? For example could I make a grey rock, red or blue? My problem is I like the object models, just some of the colors don't go well together. I know you can paint and color the ground textures, but was just wondering if you can do the same with objects. Thanks

WaspFlow wrote:Noob question, can you color an object? For example could I make a grey rock, red or blue? My problem is I like the object models, just some of the colors don't go well together. I know you can paint and color the ground textures, but was just wondering if you can do the same with objects. Thanks

Yes you can. Each mesh (.msh) has an accompanying .tga file of the same name. The tga is the color/texture of the mesh. Tga files can be edited in image editors such as Photoshop and GIMP. There is a tutorial here that talks about skinning objects (which is basically changing the color, lol). It's important to note that sometimes the tga and the msh don't share the same name or aren't in the same folder. If you can't find the right skin, open the .msh file with notepad and look for a file ending in .tga.

http://www.gametoast.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13806

The above link should contain helpful info for pretty much anything you need. Good luck!

You can't color objects from within Zero Editor, if that is what you are asking.

Thanks for the replies. I wanted to color geo_bldg_stonespire_5.odf to a dark brown. I found its MSH file, but not its TGA. Other TGA's I am able to edit in GIMP. Was just wondering how I would color it. Would I need to convert MSH to TGA? Or look in a different place other than ODF/MSH in Assets under GEO? I opened the MSH file in Notepad++, and it displayed random characters. Thanks

if you search (ctrl f) for tga or .tga when you open the .msh in notepad it will show you what textures the model uses. The .msh is the model and the .tga is the texture and they are both found in the msh folder.

WaspFlow wrote:Thanks for the replies. I wanted to color geo_bldg_stonespire_5.odf to a dark brown. I found its MSH file, but not its TGA. Other TGA's I am able to edit in GIMP. Was just wondering how I would color it. Would I need to convert MSH to TGA? Or look in a different place other than ODF/MSH in Assets under GEO? I opened the MSH file in Notepad++, and it displayed random characters. Thanks

ODF stands for Object Definition File. It tells Zero Editor what mesh to use. The mesh, in turn, calls for a tga. If you open up geo_building_stonespire in notepad++, you will indeed get random characters. However, in the first few lines, you should see this:

HEDR© MSH2ô¨ SINFh NAME geo_bldg_stonespire_17 FRAM d ŸÂïABBOX, €?ÀßM?*R–B¨s´¿-÷A*R–BÆÇßAÒâ«BCAMR@ NAME Camera DATA( ñClúBVüCNA=À¢EBkKA )¨o?ÍÌÌ= GMATL MATD| NAME Material40 DATA4 333?333?333? €? €?š™™>š™™>š™™> €? HBATRB TX0D geo_bldg_spire_01.tga MATD€ NAME Material50 DATA4 333?333?333? €? €?š™™>š™™>š™™> €? HBATRB TX0D geo_bldg_spire_01_blend.tga MATD„ NAME Material0 DATA4 333?333?333? €? €?š™™>š™™>š™™> €? HBATRB TX0D geo_bldg_spire_02_lowrez.tga MATD\ NAME Material10 DATA4 333?333?333? €? €?š™™>š™™>š™™> €? HBATRB MODLìZ MTYP MNDX NAME geo_bldg_stonespire_1 TRAN( €? €? €? € € € €? GEOM|Z BBOX, ÅU<&'¼8è~½öw?` AE֐BÑó?MöAä”™BûŸÞA5“®BSEGM° MATI POSLH ›

I've highlighted the tga files that are used by this mesh. So now all you have to do is look in the same folder for geo_bldg_spire_01.tga. Coloring it in GIMP is simple: select all and then go to the Color tab, then click Colorize. This will allow you to change the color without losing the gradients. Then export, and overwrite the original. Most importantly, you must uncheck the RLE compression box, otherwise the .msh won't read the .tga.

I highly recommend having a look in the 'everything you need' thread, under the skinning section. There is tons more info there. Hopefully this helps.

Thank you! I found the files and was able to color them. I downloaded a 3D Mesh (msh) Reader: http://www.gamefront.com/files/15627929 It laid out the TGA files I needed for the msh. Is it normal for the objects I colored to be their original color at a distance? When I zoom in or go near them, they fill with the color I picked. (This is in BF2, in ZE they same the color I picked) Thanks again for helping me out

Glad it's working out. The reason your object is the original color at a distance is because you also need to edit the tga that has "lowrez" in the name. This is the smaller resolution skin that the game engine looks for when the player is far away.

Awesome thanks it worked. I cannot say how happy I am. I really appreciate the help.