Midnightphoenix123's Skinning Tutorial!

[Midnightphoenix]

Ok, Ive gotten a few requests to make this so I thought why not?

Please comment below and tell me if this process worked for you, and if you have any questions at all please feel free to ask!

Step 1: To begin you need at least Gimp, but I use both Gimp and Photoshop. You can download Gimp here: http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Step 2: You will need to the .dds Gimp plugin, in order for .dds files to open in GIMP, you can download that here: http://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/downloads/detail?name=gimp-dds-2.1.0.tar.bz2

Step 3: Now you need to download this, or at least ths is what I use: http://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,4715.0.html

Step 4: To use the MUAPS2 Skinner above, you will need to download this. This file although large, has tons of PS2 skins in it, which are the only skins that work for MUAPS2 Skinner. http://www.mediafire.com/?yl21tmc1yd4

Step 5: Now you are ready! In the MUAPS2 Skinner folder, there is a word/ notepad document. This has tons of offsets in it. Just open it up and see what skin you want to make!

Step 6: Ok for example I am going to use skin 9601.igb, which is Medusa. The big MUA1 PS2 Skins and Skeletons pack you just downloaded has that skin included. Take it from that file and drag it into the MUAPs2 Skinner folder.

Step 7: Now open the MUAPS2 Skinner program, it looks like this:


Step 8: Now that you have that open press 1, and then hit enter. After that type the name of the skin number you want to use. So I would put, 9601.igb and the hit enter (*note* do not forget the .igb part!) Then pick a name for what you want the dds to be called. So I will do, Medusa.dds (Dont forget the .dss part) and then hit enter.

After you hit enter this should pop up:
After that pops up just hit enter and it will close.

Step 9: Now open up Gimp. Once Gimp is open, go to File Open and open up the .dds we just made. So Open up Medusa.dds, if something pops up saying load mipmaps just make sure the box is checked, it should look like this once opened:


Step 10: Now go to, Image>Mode>RGB, then go to Image>Transform>Flip Vertically. After you do that it should look like this:


If you want to make you skin in Photoshop please scroll down, if not and you want to use Gimp just read the next step.

Gimp Users!

Step 11: Now you are ready to color and all that fun stuff! I just put green on her just so you can see!


Step 12: Now what you want to do is flip it back to the way it was, and change it back to indexed so, Image>Mode>Indexed, something may pop up I just hit convert, then Image>Transform>Flip Vertically so it should look like this again


Step 12: Now go to file save as, but change the .bmp part to .dds and save it! Something will pop up say Generate Mipmaps, make sure that box is checked and then click save

Step 13: Now open up MUAPs2 Skinner again, this time instead of pressing 1 press 0 and then hit enter, then everything else is the same as long as you didnt change what the .dds fiel was called when you saved it after editing. So 9601.igb enter Medusa.dds enter. It should be like this:

Then hit enter and this should pop up


Step 14: Now test your skin in game, I always test my skins on Phoenix because its a skin number I can remember so I take the 9601.igb that the skin is now compiled to, change the number to 12302.igb and then put it in the actors folder

Your skin should now work in game


Photoshop users!

Now picking up where step 10 left off!

Step 11: (*note you are still in Gimp*) Go to file save as and change the .dds to .bmp and click save.

Step 12: Open up photoshop, and then open up your .bmp, should look like this in Photoshop


Step 13: Now Color it up! I added yellow so you could see what it looked like:


Step 14: Now we want to change it back to normal, Go to Image>Rotate>Flip Vertical and then go to Image>Mode>Indexed color and save it, when you save it something will pop up that shows you the different ways you can save the file, it will most likely be set on a photoshop file change that to a bmp file and save. It should now look like this:


Step 15: Now open up Gimp if you closed it, then open up the Medusa.bmp, all you have to do is go to File>Save As> And then change the .bmp to .dds and your good.

Step 16: Now open up MUAPs2 Skinner again, this time instead of pressing 1 press 0 and then hit enter, then everything else is the same as long as you didnt change what the .dds fiel was called when you saved it after editing. So 9601.igb enter Medusa.dds enter. It should be like this:

Then hit enter and this should pop up


Step 17: Now test your skin in game, I always test my skins on Phoenix because its a skin number I can remember so I take the 9601.igb that the skin is now compiled to, change the number to 12302.igb and then put it in the actors folder

You skin should now work in game!


Congrats you are now a skinner

[MystiCosmic]

awesome tutorial !!!!! It is the best tutorial of skins it has many pictures and examples, and the way you explain it makes   sense !!!!!

[fox456]

I haven't read it really closely yet, but your tutorial does appear to be very good.  Thanks for taking the time to compose all this for everyone.

[venom64]

not to brag but i gave him the idea to make the tutorial once he tought me to use MUAPS2Skinner

[Midnightphoenix]

Thanks everyone it means alot I hope it helps you make tons of amazing skins!

And yes Venom64 did tell me I should make a skinning tutorial, I have had others tell me aswell, and I know others on this site were planning on making their own but they never did so I thought why not me?

[PhEoNiXRoSe]

QwQ i love you !!!!! this is actually rlly simple thanks  now i understand how to make skins xD

[Midnightphoenix]

QwQ i love you !!!!! this is actually rlly simple thanks  now i understand how to make skins xD

Glad it worked

[Zilar]

This is such a great tutorial that I am feeling able to start skinning! Thanks a lot!

[Midnightphoenix]

This is such a great tutorial that I am feeling able to start skinning! Thanks a lot!

Yay, I'm glad it is working for people

[MARVELfan:D]

i cant make step 2 i cant download it! help pls.....

[MARVELfan:D]

i mean this is what i do:
1) openning NRskinner
2) pressing 1
3) (put storm) 0401.IGB
4) write Storm.DDS
5) it writes that it cant find the CFG file
what should i do?
and when i doesnt write it i cant open it in Gimp

[Zilar]

MARVELfan, would you help me?

I`ve got Daredevil  offsets here in the Forum and opened in MUAskinner. It opened the file and gave me a bmp (not in BGR, but in RGB, is it right?)

I`ve saved the bmp and edited in psd. ( ok, this is my first skin, this is a learning experience I`ll live by myself lol)

The problem is:

When I open Muaskinner, go to skinner option, load the IGB (ok)...when I import my new skin bitmap it comes (visually)
a little bit stranger. The top part of it ( where legs and other parts are) comes with a strange "mini-skin" copy on it, actually two copies.

Nevertheless, I accepted and tried to play with the skin, normally replacing my new 0201.igb file for the original 0201.igb file from Actors folder ( normal, replacing Daredevil`s first skin)

...
However...the skin just comes up into the game. Does not load.

What am I doing wrong? I must confess since I`ve started here in Marvel Mods I learned a LOT and after learning how to skin/ add or remove skins boltons and effects...I hope until july I release a mod...so...I think my 1st lesson is " skinning"

Please, could you help me?

Thanks a LOT! : )

[MARVELfan:D]

I dont know what to do......why are you asking me?
i need help because the NR skinner writes that it can't fing the .cfg file...

[Zilar]

I don`t know if it helps you, but in MUAskinner this .cfg file is that you MUST put the offsets ( a specific line, alike the herostat texts) in the .cfg file. To do so, you must get the offsets, open via Skinner the .cfg ( edit) , insert this line and save. After the program got this "direction"  he will be able to open your skin.   I hope I could be of some help!

[4elementsefww]

i mean this is what i do:
1) openning NRskinner
2) pressing 1
3) (put storm) 0401.IGB
4) write Storm.DDS
5) it writes that it cant find the CFG file
what should i do?
and when i doesnt write it i cant open it in Gimp

What I do, is I copy and paste the skin I want into my Muaps2skinner folder, then I rename it to whatever, then open the cgf file and add your offset, so for instance say you want to make an alternate storm skin, get the skin, copy and paste, rename it to something like stormalt.igb, then go to the cgf, add the offset, so for storm's 0401 offset, it looks like this 0401.igb ps2 256 256 9419 79067 .  copy and paste it to the top of the file, and delete the part that says 0401, and replace it with stormalt, just like what you did with the actual igb.  Then save and open the kinning program, hit 1 type in the igb name for this example it is stormalt.igb (don't forget the .igb) then hit enter, then type the dds name, which will also be stormal.dds (don't forget .dds) and hit enter.  I always decompile/name the dds file the same as my igb file.  Then just do the rest of the steps.  That is how I do it.

@Zilar

It sounds to me like your using Skinnerui not Muaps2skinner.  Skinnerui is for pc models, and custom meshes.  Muaps2skinner uses ps2 skins.  This topic is about muaps2skinner.

When I open Muaskinner, go to skinner option, load the IGB (ok)...when I import my new skin bitmap it comes (visually)
a little bit stranger. The top part of it ( where legs and other parts are) comes with a strange "mini-skin" copy on it, actually two copies.

This is what makes me think that it is skinnerui  the "mini skin" as you put are most likely different sizes of the skin, which is required for skinnerui, when using texturefinder.  When you have the wrong size, the muliples of a size will show up, for instance if you were looking for the 256 offset, but you were at the 128 spot in the skin, then there would be 2 skins pictures, but when you find the correct size for the right spot in the skin, then you would just have one skin picture, and it would be in a square shape.


Hopefully this helps you guys.