Skins Not Coming Out Right?

Lazer

<div class="IPBDescription">hmmm...</div> I've been trying to finish up a skin for my M17 model, but whenever I compile the model or load the skin in hlmv, the skin always seems to switch to an even lower quality than 256 bitmap. Any idea what's going on here? It looks great in paint, but once added to the model the quality gets ruined.

ArgOnatH

erm got a pic? btw skins on HL models are ment to be saved as 8-bit bmps

Jezpuh

Yes, thats make it ugly.

Ollj

Your blahblah.qc file tells the compiler wich texture it used for the model.
the texture in the editor can be different.
the skinmesh is procentual and your texture resulusion is changeable, even after compiling with hlmodelviewqer2.0

Maus

There's a bit of a limitation with HLMV's rendering in that it doesn't seem to like textures above 256x256. If you're checking hi-res teextures in HLMV it'll shrink them down to a size it prefers before displaying it. Maybe that's what's causing the problem. If so, it'll look fine in-game.

Lazer

No, the problem is it doesn't look fine in game. 8 bit? I thought it was 256, but I'll try that.... What I was doing was saving them as gifs then saving them as 256. I'll show you screenshots...

This is good:

Lazer

This is bad:

Lazer

Actually, that's a pretty bad example of some of the really bad things that have happened...

HKK

Your not leaving it in it in RGB colour are you?

Maus

I don't know your drawing program, but in Photoshop (and most paint programs) there's a list of things to choose from when you go to an 8-bit image - selective, adaptive, uniform, &c. If you've got uniform, web, or system selected it'll use a predefined pallette, while if you use something like adaptive or selective it'll choose a much more suitable set of colours, based on what's actually in the image.

HKK

I left me m4a1 skin in local selective.

Lazer

I still don't quite understand...

neonfaktory

I think the problem is when you convert your nice 12737017 color image to an 8bit paletted one. The process of doing this depends on the program you are using, but whatever the situation, its gotta drop some colors. Photoshop has multiple ways to do this, as they stated, cause PS is sweet <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> . Anwyay, Photoshops different methods achieve different results. Some methods are optimized for web view, and others, like "adaptive" and "selective", disregard the images actual usage to produce better visual results - what you want. I've never modelled before though, so I'm not sure if this is right - just kind of echoing what those guys said <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> It kinda depends on what tools you have at your disposal I guess

Lazer

Look, I have the hi colored image, save it as a gif, which forces it to 256. Then I open it with paint, and save it as a 256 color bitmap. What could I possibly be doing wrong?

BTW, the first image is only 256 colors.

Jim

i think there's a command that must be in your autoexec for half life to display 512x512 textures, if that helps D:

blue2k

the full colour pallete your using is being reduced to a mere 256 colours, this means that the fine shading that you did in the 24/32 bit skin is becoming forcefully blended in the 8 bit version. this produced odd contrasts in your skin it is totally unovoidable, unfotunately as hl uses an 8 bit pallette. after youve saved your 8 bit version, turn it back into a 24 bit version and blur it a bit along the contrast lines, then re-8bit it. this should help the colour differentials some.

CrouchingHamster

Exactly which paint program are you using to make the skins in the first place?

Lazer

I am using photoshop. I make the image save it as a GIF which FORCES it to 256 colors. Then I open it with mspaint and save it as 256 color bitmap. That is 8 bit right?

Darkkiz

Save it as an 256 color bitmap in PHOTOSHOP.... Gifs have very low quality.

Maus

<!--QuoteBegin--Lazer+Jun 7 2003, 10:00 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Lazer @ Jun 7 2003, 10:00 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I am using photoshop. I make the image save it as a GIF which FORCES it to 256 colors. Then I open it with mspaint and save it as 256 color bitmap. That is 8 bit right? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why go through that middle step of converting it to a .gif? In the Image menu there's an option called "mode", and in its submenu there's an option for "indexed colour", which is your 8-bit setting. If you hit that, you'll get the dialog box I showed up there ^^^, and be able to save an 8-bit bmp no problem.

Your menu/dialog box might be a wee bit different (as it depends on your version), but it'll all work pretty much the same way.

---

(Darkkiz - a 256-colour .gif will be the same quality as a 256-colour .bmp. Gifs just store the information more efficiently)

Darkkiz

Actually I meant that it looses quality if you convert it to gif and then again to bmp.

Lazer

No it doesn't. Same palette.

Lazer

Ok, I think the problem is that i don't have it set to use 512x512 textures on the command prompt. Whats the command?

Lazer

Ok, it was my gl_max_size variable. Default is 256, so I put it to 512 and it worked.