Creating Overlay Textures

[Rott]

Does anyone know how I can easily convert an image file or FSH into a DAT file or whatever it is to get it into game to create base and overlay textures? I tried using the SimCity 4 tools program but it will not save for whatever reason, is there another method? I also have GoFSH but I cannot figure it out...

[Tyberius06]

Hi Rott,

If you would like to create custom textures, first you need to request a texture range in this thread:
BSC Texture Index

Once you have your range, you can use that with tools like GoFSH or Batch PNG to FSH tool.

Well I have limited knowledge regarding textures so I can share only what I learned and was working for me. You can manipulate or create images in PhotoShop or GIMP (or other tools which likely can handle different layers and able to flatten the image). GIMP is a free tool and could be quite effective.
The biggest difference between base and overlay textures, that the BASE textures fill up/cover a tile completely, while the overlay textures have transparent parts.

To create a base texture you need to "flatten" the image before you save it as a *.PNG. Preferably you should give the saved image the ID number what you want to use from your texture range. One ID per texture.

To create an overlay texture you must NOT flatten the image because it would remove the transparency (filling it up with the chosen background colour in the image editor). For overlay textures you need the transparency. When you ready with the editing, you just save it as a PNG and give it an ID number from your range.

You can use the PNGs then to load them into the above linked tool and create DAT files. For using this tool follow the instructions which comes with it.

- Tyberius

[N1_2888]

I tried using the SimCity 4 tools program but it will not save for whatever reason

Tried this? => Options - Program - Tab "Common settings" - untick "create backup file"

[Rott]

It seems like when I try to use any tab options in SC4 Tools the program freezes/doesnt respond...

As for the batch FSH to PNG tool, I dont understand hot to use it, I dragged the PNG files into the list and made a DAT file but I couldnt find them in Lot Editor. Is there not a very basic drag and drop program to create overlay/base textures?

[Tarkus]

As for the batch FSH to PNG tool, I dont understand hot to use it, I dragged the PNG files into the list and made a DAT file but I couldnt find them in Lot Editor. Is there not a very basic drag and drop program to create overlay/base textures?

To my knowledge, that is the only drag-and-drop program out there, and from ample experience, it's the easiest and fastest tool for FSH importing (I've used it regularly since 2009--only pulling out GoFSH when I need to do larger, more complicated projects), though it may require a bit of configuration initially to get going.  The one thing you may need to do right out of the gate is set the Group ID, which is done via the Group box on the lower left.  For Overlay Textures to be properly configured (and thus, usable in the Lot Editor), the value in that box should be 0986135E.

There is also a thread about the PngToFshBatch tool as well, which can be found here.  It contains quite a bit more info.

-Alex