Converted XML2 Skins Galore

[durfal]

After trying to get them from others which didn't work. There was no other option then to do my noobie modding best to get them myself.
It took me half a day to get through the proces of what it was I had to do. And it was much more complex then you think (expert modders will LOL by my experiences but it was all new for me  ).

If you don't care how I made these or got them go to the bottom of the post and you find the place to dl the lot!!! 8) :'(

But I couldn't have done without the programs made by: Nba2kstuff. His programs are great, if you get the hang on it. Even if they didn't do the job completely the way I wanted. But that is over 'cause I figured it all out now.

The problem is they can't be directly imported from XML2 because the collor scheme is wrong. BGR (Blue/Green/Red) in stead of the standard RGB in which the XML2 skins are.
So first I had to learn how the Texture finder (one of nba2kstuff's programs)works, and what the #€!! I was looking for in the first place. (and that most XML2 skins are in dxt3 and most MUA in dxt1, wherehence the black spot problems came from, now I understand that too Tommy )

After locating the art in the Skin files (search and write down the location of the 256x256,128x128 and the 64x64 art files)from the actor map with this program , you have to extract the biggest art file (sometimes like with Angel there were seperate art files for his costume and for his wings, then both)from the file. They made fractured smaller images from one bigger file mostly. The big one 256x256 sized (mostly in MUA the big one is 512x512 thats why the MUA files are bigger!) you have to extract with nba2kstuff's "muaskinner" (another great program which took me hours to understand).

OK small thing in between I found out about the sizes. Nba2kstuff said I only needed the big one to convirt, because the smaller are for testing perposes. Maybe with the MUA files (haven't tried that) but not with the XML2 files that is most certainly not correct!. The program selects which sized skin of the ones available he uses in certain situations. In the character select screen it uses for the body, arms, legs and the front of the face the 256x256 file, But for the sides and back of the had the smaller 128x128 file already. In game when zoomed in the body stays 256x256 but the arms/legs and head complete come out the 128x128 version. Zoomed out even 64x64 has influince on the color scheme. (I found this out during importing the art back into the skin files)

In his instructions he didn't know if his instructions would also work for XML2 files. And the awnser is yes and no (see above and later more about that).
First I had to put the exact location of the file you want to extract in the "muaskinner.cfg" file. But I had to find out how by myself. You have to open that file with a texteditor (wordpad from windows works fine) and begin with the name of the file the dxt (dxt3 in these cases) the size of the file (256x256 mostly) and the exact point the art starts from found with the above mentioned texturefinder.
All seperated with commas and the line ends with a dot. This has to be verry exact otherwise the muaskinner program won't work (even if the letters are written in capitals or not and even for the .igb or .IGB like I found out, must all be exact the same). The file you want to extract the art out must be together were you run the muaskinner from.
You extract the art file (the biggest) as dds file (but you could also extract them as bmp I believe but I didn't try that). If all worked exactly like it shouls I still/always got a message to put the "dev in". But if you got the dds file you can ignore it. Then I opened the dds file in "Photoshop" (for which you need a dds plugin but luckaly for me I got that one already ( ;D ??? ;D)). I use 7.0 , mybe the following is different in other versions.
The rest i had to figure out myself. Because now I had the art but I had to reverse the colorscheme. Also I'm not a photoshop wizard so it took me while again to work that out.
After the file opened in Photoshop go to the third tab on top named Image and from there open Adjustments and then "Channel Mixer". You then get a new small window with opens with scheme for red, on there put red to "0" and Blue to "100". push Ctr+3 and you get the scheme for blue on which you have to it the other way around (red to 100 and blue to 0) push OK (leave the settings for green alone) and you have a verry strange colored picture. (So if you want to reskin an xml2 file you do that before you this color thing, if using a MUA skin you first have to put the colors back in the correct order then reskin and then put the color settings back)
After doing that you go to "save as", another window opens how you want to save this dds file. Which bewildered me the first time with all the possibilities. Save as dxt3 (at the top) and with 1 MIP (and not like in nba2kstuf's advice with 6! (later on why). After saving this file (and naming it differently then correct colorscheme version you already have!) you go back to the dds file loaded in Photoshop. Go to Image again and pick "Image size" it stands on the size of the picture (mostly 256 long and 256 wide) and make them now both 128 and execute, save that one too (again named different) and repeat it for the 64x64.

OK so now you have the original color scheme dds 256x256 and three with the new color scheme (256x256/128x128 and 64x64). You don't need the correct colored dds file anymore but I mostly kept it until I imported the files and tested the skin in game. Just rename it !

OK before importing files make sure the file you are importing the new stuff into is a copy and the original is secured if things first go wrong!!!!!!!!!
In his instructions nba2kstuff said that if you write the exact locations of the 256x256, 128x128 etc. after each other in the muaskinner.cfg file it would import them all in ones. (the reason he said to save them with 6 MIP's) Unfortunately that doesn't work for the XML2 skin files (probably it does with the MUA skins I haven't tried that)
That's why you have to import them back in seperately!  :-\.
So in the muaskinner.cfg file still stands the location for the 256x256 file so I put those first back in. Rename the dds file 256x256 with the strange color scheme to the name the one with the correct color schem had before!
probably something like "0000.IGB.dds" (zeros are the numbers of the skin you used)
And use the rest of the instructions like written by nba2kstuff to import it with MUASKINNER.
After doing this go back to the muaskinner.cfg and overwrite for the location of the 256 file with that of the 128x128 artfile! and repeat the importing and then again for the 64x64 artfile.
After importing you get a .bak file of the original skinfile and the skinfile is updated (watch if the time changes when last changed!, sometimes you get a .bak file but the skinfile doesn't change if you did something wrong (mostly by incorrect renaming files and/or if in the muasskinner.cfg file something is wrong).

Now test the new skin in game. Just replace a skin of one of your characters with the newly made one. And go in game to this character and change (if you have too) to this skin! If everything is correct you have converted a skin (or a reskinned one).

Unfortunately by converting the skins I had to keep the original dxt3 colorcoding (don't know exactly what it is) and couldn't save them as dxt1 like the rest of the original skins (tried it 'cause that worked for Tommy's skins, but didn't work. It didn't crash the game but your characters had the most wild colors everywhere).
So here and there are still some small black spotson some skins. Strangely most on the ladies for some reason ??? ??? ???. But on most skins they are neglectable. Only on the Scarlet Witch and Emma Frost the most notable.

Most skins come directly from XML2and found even a few that weren't used n game for gambit and forge for example.
And I added a few of the great  ;D reskinning done for XML2, made by Tetragene, kinstryfe, wil1142, and Youngblood0000 and Darkmythology. Of which most come here on this board to I believe.
So I didn't make any of these skins myself, I just converted them to be used in MUA.

I made a big load of skins for everyone who wants them. Just rename them to a skin you would like to replace in MUA. Or you can use them in mods (the reason I added two Cyclops skins in here) For obvious reasons they are mostly mutants and friends. I'm proud on the (arch)Angel skins in particulair he looks spectaculair with his wings in MUA.

http://www.momoshare.com/file.php?file=ff6824d3c8fa2d760918834ad2d332de

The ones with * where reskins made by the guys named above. (on this site you can see who made which one http://drath.explodehost.com/gamersjournal/rpg/pc/xmenlegends2/skins.php
In the file are Angel, Archangel, Beast, Bishop, Blink, Cannonball(*), Cyclops 2x, Dazzler 4x (*3x), Emma Frost, Forge 2x, Gambit 2x, Guardian, Havok, Juggernaut, Mimic (*), Morph (*), Northstar (*), Polaris, Quicksilver, Rogue, Sabertooth, Scarlet Witch 3x, Shadowcat 2x (1*) and Sunfire 2x.
And it took me a while (hours) to convert them. I'll probably do more (like profX, Pyro, Magneto and Mystique) but this is it for now. I put my attention mostly on other characters who haven't gotten any skins already in MUA like Nightcrawler and Jean have.

[Noelemahc]

I'm actually toying around with XML1-only characters, like Magma, Marrow and Psylocke for the model conversions. Had to take'em from the X-Box version of the game since it uses the same formats as the PC one -- and, of course, the X-Box being what it is, most of the textures are indecently low-res (128x and lower as the HIGHEST size available, with small exclusions like Marrow or separate 128x head textures like Emma Frost).

When (if?) I'm done playing with those, I might also up them for everyone's enjoyment. Till then... Keep wishing

[THX]

woohooo a juggernaut skin! ;D  Thanks for this.

Can you take a couple screenshots so I can throw this on the main page?

[Joshco]

I can't remember, but is Iron Man's armor different in XML2 than any of the armors in MUA? That skin would rock, giving people an option of adding a different armor!

[BliZZ]

Can you post exactly which skins you converted? Because I was doing some myself, and there is no point in doing the same skin 2x.

[durfal]

woohooo a juggernaut skin! ;D  Thanks for this.

Can you take a couple screenshots so I can throw this on the main page?

I wish I could but for some strange reason they all show up on photo's as big white holes. As if someone has cut them out of the picture.

Probably has something to do with the dxt3 they are saved in, but I haven't got a foggiest idea why. I tried it again from the character selection screen, But everyone has abeautiful white silouette on the pictures.

[durfal]

Can you post exactly which skins you converted? Because I was doing some myself, and there is no point in doing the same skin 2x.

OK sometimes I don't know the original names but here it goes. (I leave the ones who have only 1 skin and the reskinnings out of this)
Bishop, the bald one.
Cyclops, The Ultimate and the full blue one with two yellow lines.
Gambit, the modern one and one that wasn't used in game for some obscure reason ???.
Juggernaut , the traditional one , Brwown with helmet.
Rogue the most tradional one, Green, Yellow with the Black Leathercoat.
Sabretooth the Age of Apocalypse or Exiles one.
Scarlet Witch all three!
Sunfire the Traditional and the Age of Apocalypse one.

But I'm gonna make more of them though. Which ones are you working on?

[BliZZ]

full blue one with two yellow lines.

The Astonishing one or the Classic one?

[durfal]

The Astonishing one ;D

[Noelemahc]

I wish I could but for some strange reason they all show up on photo's as big white holes. As if someone has cut them out of the picture.

Did you use a screen grabber program, the Print Screen key or the in-game screenshooter (F11 by default)? Each has different results under different conditions

[BliZZ]

But I'm gonna make more of them though. Which ones are you working on?

I've done Cylops' classic blue uniform and Beast's original. I'm going to do Sabretooth's other two costumes, AoA Gambit, Rogue's other two costumes, and Magneto's three costumes. Should have them done tomorrow or the day after.

[durfal]

Did you use a screen grabber program, the Print Screen key or the in-game screenshooter (F11 by default)? Each has different results under different conditions

I only tied the in game F11 one. Gonna try the Print Screen one and see if that gives better results
Thanks for the advice.

[spectre_lance151]

I replaced a colossus skin with Juggernaut, works great  ;D the black spots are barely noticeable.

[darkmythology]

Thanks for converting mine. I was gonna get around to those eventually...

[Charlie_Murphy]

After trying to get them from others which didn't work. There was no other option then to do my noobie modding best to get them myself.
It took me half a day to get through the proces of what it was I had to do. And it was much more complex then you think (expert modders will LOL by my experiences but it was all new for me  ).

Welcome to my world. It took me like 6 hours to convert my first skin and I kept screwing it up and crashing the game. When I finally got one to work, it had black spots all over the place (DXT3 instead of DXT1 thingy). :o

I can now find the offsets and convert the skins in like half an hour tops, using texture finder, photoshop, and of course a hex-editor since muaskinner doesn't work for me.


PS: I freakin love you man.


Next Charlie Murphy project - a Gambit movelist with explosion effects of MUA.