Halo .dds texture converter

This program requires mwgfx.dll in order to run. If you have
Bmp2000 or one of my other Graphics programs installed then
you will probably have it already. If not download the latest
mwgfx.dll self-extracting archive from http://fly.to/mwgfx/
and run it to install the dll in your Windows\System folder.
Check first to see if the program mwgfxdll.exe is included
in this DXTBmp package. If so you can run that to install
the latest version of mwgfx.dll

Setup :-

The default Editor is set to MSPaint but you will probably
want to change this first thing. The Images are passed to
the Editor in 24 bit format so most Paint programs will
work. Change the Editor from the Prefs menu


Using :-

Viewing/Editing an existing Texture :-

From the File Menu select "Load Extended 16 bit Image" and
browse to select a texture. If this is a valid Extended
image then it will be loaded for view. To Edit select
"Send to Editor" from the "Image" menu. Do your editing and
Save (not Save As) from the Paint program then select 
"Reload after Edit" from the "Image" menu and the edited
image will be loaded as a Normal Bitmap.

Saving out in Extended Format :-

Currently 4 options are available (more to follow)

"Save DXT Texture" 

      will save in the new CFS2 compressed format.
      If "Include Mips" is selected in the Prefs->DXT Settings
      then it will include mipmapped sub-images. 
      If "Include Transparency" is selected then any areas
      painted Pure Green (0,255,0) will be set Transparent

"Save 16 bit Extended (565)" 

      will save in the FS2000 Extended 16 bit 565 Format
      This is the same format used in the CFS2 Beta and is
      supported by CFS2. It will create files 4x Bigger than
      the DXT format.

"Save 16 bit Extended (555-1)" 

      will save in the FS2000 Extended 16 bit 555 Format with
      1 bit to signify if a pixel is transparent or not. 
      This is the same format used in the CFS2 Beta and is
      supported by CFS2. It will create files 4x Bigger than
      the DXT format. Transparent Pixels are indicated by pure
      green (to assist editing) but are saved as transparent black.

"Save 16 bit Extended (444-4)" 

      will save in the FS2000 Extended 16 bit 444 Format. This has
      12 bits for the RGB and 4 bits for a transparency channel
      (giving 16 levels of transparency). This will only be available
      when you have an image that was loaded in that format so if you
      want to create your own then you will need to load an existing
      one then paste your image over it when in the Paint Program.
      The Alpha channel is loaded separately from the main image and
      can be viewed and edited independantly (Image->444 Transparency)

Note on Transparency :-

Transparency comes in several forms in 16 bit Textures. Where
possible these are converted to pure Green (0,255,0) on loading
to facilitate the editing of transparent areas.

DXT - Transparency is either on or off. Transparent areas Green

16 bit 555 - Transparency is either on or off. Shown Green

16 bit 444 - 16 levels of transparency. Editable separately


Notes on Repainting :-

It is best to do all your editing from within DXTBmp. Avoid using
Images that have been reduced to 8 bit at any stage as the dithering
this usually involves will affect the quality of DXT Compression.
If creating images elsewhere to pass through the program at the final
stage then work in 24 bit at all stages if possible.



martin@mnwright.freeserve.co.uk

Read More