SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

SimCity 4 General Discussion and Tutorials => Tips, Tricks and Tutorials => Tutorials on Custom Content Creation => Topic started by: BarbyW on November 05, 2006, 09:17:36 AM

Title: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: BarbyW on November 05, 2006, 09:17:36 AM
SC4Tool has made the making of base and  overlay textures for SC4 a much simpler process but in so doing has made the possibility of conflicts and errors much more likely. Anyone who wants to make textures needs to request a personal IID range from the BSC Texture Index and to ask how to use the range in the program. If this is not done then conflicts can occur with multiple people using the default range. The Texture Index has now been running for over 2 years and is a valuable community resource that had kept the likeliehood of conflicts to a minimum. Unfortunately there are still people who do not heed the warning at the base of the Texture Creator screen. The following image shows the screen and I have annotated it for your information.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi5.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fy171%2Fbarbyw%2FtexturesSC4Tool.jpg&hash=231aa92c1b2804374535ecbab7bb3276714bb4cf)

Once a range has been allocated there are other considerations as have been explained several times but the first posts in the BSC Texture Index thread are quite important. The individual digits within an IID have different meanings and it is very clearly explained in the first post. I am copying a simple paraphrase that simgoober did of that below.

Your Family Number is the first four digits assigned in the BSC Texture Index.  These numbers define the creator of these textures You may have a "series" of family numbers, depending on the size range that was allocated to you.  IE : Range BA000000 to BA5FFFFF has the range of number BA00 to BA5F as family numbers.

Wealth Level - digit 5 - defines whether or not a texture shows up only at one set wealth level in game.  Use caution with this setting, as you should have one texture per wealth level (0,1,2,&3) if you choose this setting.  4 and above are safe to use in all other circumstances, and can be combined with the "Texture Number" to extend this range.

Texture Numbers -digits 6 & 7: Digit 6 appears to be the one that determines the abandonment texture but these two digits are not fully understood.

Zoom Range - digit 8 : 5 Consecutive numbers, one for each zoom level. The first number in this series must be a 0, 5 or A.

The reason for the need to send the information regarding how to use the range in a PM is to prevent anyone deciding on their own Texture IIDs and using them which could also cause conflicts.

I urge ALL potential texture makers to read this carefully. Request a range if you do not have one and request the details on how to use the range in SC4Tool by PM to geoffhaw.

Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: freedo50 on November 06, 2006, 01:43:03 PM
Stickied and edited to reinforce the crucial last sentence, nice one Barbyw :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: Alfred.Jones on November 06, 2006, 04:05:20 PM
I'll keep this thread in mind when we need textures for SMP. Thanks Barby ;)
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: TheTeaCat on November 17, 2006, 02:34:12 PM
More Helpful and cucial advice. Thank you barbyw
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: bat on November 18, 2006, 03:16:03 AM
Very helpful, thanks!
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: Strechnitz on May 18, 2007, 03:38:56 PM
Hi Barby

I wanted to make some custome basetextures to use ingame. I downloaded the SC4Tool, and opened the texture editor. But I get an entirely different screen from the one you depict above. Has the tool been altered since the last update? are there any easy turorials on making ground textures? I have made a few bitmaps of 128 by 128. just to test the possibilities.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg524.imageshack.us%2Fimg524%2F763%2Fscreensc4toollk0.png&hash=c8f5e1f181a5307a7dc7df17a9ba9fa8026735f8)

Strech.
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: Andreas on May 19, 2007, 06:27:17 AM
Click on the icon with the yellow star, and you should get the screen pictured above. ;)
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: Yoder7652 on May 19, 2007, 09:32:13 AM
Quote from: Andreas on May 19, 2007, 06:27:17 AM
Click on the icon with the yellow star, and you should get the screen pictured above. ;)
of course after you give it a save name....
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: soulstealer on March 16, 2008, 04:04:24 PM
Is there a place in SC4Tool to enter my range and it will remember it or do I do it manualy for each texture?
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: RippleJet on March 16, 2008, 04:31:02 PM
If you want SC4Tool to automatically allocate IIDs from your personal range, do the following:

1. Open Notepad

2. Enter your range in the first line, like this:
        0xf3e80000,0xf3efffff

3. Save the file as Range.txt in the System folder of SC4Tools

After that, every time you open the Texture Creator part of SC4Tools, it will only allocate IIDs from your range.
And please keep a list of which IIDs you have used, as it will be very useful after a while.
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: soulstealer on March 16, 2008, 05:40:10 PM
Thank you! And you know my range too  :P
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: soulstealer on March 18, 2008, 05:09:23 AM
I ran into some problems with this. I did as you said and it seems it does allocate me numbers from my range. But after I made some textures and added them in the LE, when I went in game they didn't show properly. Instead of the proper texture I would get a different texture from my own set.

I noticed it does not add the 5th digit as 4 rather as 0. like f3e80000, f3e80010 etc' And also it creates 3 different texture iid's with the same 7th digit f3e80010, f3e80015, f3e8001a etc'

Anyways I just redid them all for the 4th time  /wrrd%& manually and it's ok now.

The problems noobs have to go through. :D
Title: Re: Textures - Base and Overlays - and SC4Tool
Post by: Pat on February 20, 2009, 09:14:12 AM
Barby thank you for pointing me in this direction!! I have a better grasp now on my texturing adventures, thank you soo much....