Unreal Texture UT site and S3TC releases

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Diehard

New Member
Following my previous post, I had a look and discovered that 3DBuzz has taken down their video training magazines for the original UT. I've asked if it's possible to have those videos available in streaming format. In the meantime, I found some information on the wiki but it's far from complete. What needs to be done is to export the uv maps of the game characters so the texture can be divided properly. This will make it possible to make some hi-res textures used with models. If you can achieve this, I'd be more than happy to cook up a mutator that swaps weapons and characters with their hi-res versions.


Yeah, sorry it took that long to replay (Christmas and such)


But if you could provide the videos somehow, and if it wont breach copyright, i might be able to host them on the site. The skins are almost all packed into utx files, unlike the weapon skins. To make those work, it indeed needs to poured into a mod to make it work. On OldUnreal there has been talk about the same subject not too long ago.

But to make UV mapping work, i need to have all the models for UT, and thats aside if i can do it. But in any case, i think those models should be on the site as well. To make sure they are not getting lost forever......


So whatever you provide, step oné would be adding them to the site, and step two would to see if i can get it to work.
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Diehard

New Member
In the meantime i have been working on another texture; device2b

Its a very complex texture with tons of tiny shapes and stuff on it, and i estimate it took me 30+ hours so far and here is an example from the current state:




And i still have alot of hours to go on it, but still, its near to completion. And it contsains that much layers, i kinda run out of names lol. The current PSD file i am working on is 703 Mb uncompressed and while open in Photoshop 892 Mb (and still growing).


And the ****ty part of it is not sop much the complexity from this texture, but more the fact that i have to make several equally complex textures :( That kinda freaks me out alright, the result is cool, but i aint looking forward to the amount of work involved to be honest.......



Edit, it shows the final version now, filesize reached 1007 Mb.
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IronMonkey

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Apr 23, 2005
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Slightly off-thread but of interest to those who follow this thread (I hope).

I've imported some of Diehard's textures into UT2004 and I'm interested in the general opinion regarding the use of detail textures for these textures.

The enhancements that Diehard applies to the textures do tend to give a detail texture effect.

Attached is a "with detail" and "without detail" texture shot (in editor).

I tend to the view that a detail texture is unnecessary for these textures (in general) but I'd be interested in hearing the opinion of others.
 

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Diehard

New Member
Slightly off-thread but of interest to those who follow this thread (I hope).


Not sure if its off topic, in one sense anything can be discused because its also about all downloads as a whole from the Unreal Texture site.


I've imported some of Diehard's textures into UT2004 and I'm interested in the general opinion regarding the use of detail textures for these textures.

The enhancements that Diehard applies to the textures do tend to give a detail texture effect.

Attached is a "with detail" and "without detail" texture shot (in editor).

I tend to the view that a detail texture is unnecessary for these textures (in general) but I'd be interested in hearing the opinion of others.


I always had my doubts on Detail textures, and i never got a final conclusion myself really, if its usefull or not. So i am still dangling in the middle :rolleyes:

Looking at your screenshots, its noticable that the oné with Detail textures does show more depth. Maybe in this case its not too bad using them. As said i am not much help here since i never was able to draw a final conclusion, but looking at the screens, Detail use there doesnt seem to be bad.


In what size are you adding them btw ?


Same thing there, i havnt tested it with UT2004, but i know Epic used a very safe size, a bit too much in my opinium. Theoretically UT2004 could handle 2048 with ease as well. And also keep in mind, its not so much oné texture being big, its the total amount of texture surface that counts. And i know Unreal and UT can handle alot, UT2004 i suppose as well.


As example :rolleyes: (if it would be possible) If a map has only 10 different 1024 textures than you could add an extra texture 16384 x 16384 with ease since it simply counts for 16 other textures each 1024 large. The total surface would be 26 x 1024 and that is what counts.
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IronMonkey

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Apr 23, 2005
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Don't try this in 32-bits, folks!

In what size are you adding them btw ?

The texture is the beta texture that you posted earlier in the thread. 2048x2048 scaled to 0.125.

Same thing there, i havnt tested it with UT2004, but i know Epic used a very safe size, a bit too much in my opinium. Theoretically UT2004 could handle 2048 with ease as well. And also keep in mind, its not so much oné texture being big, its the total amount of texture surface that counts. And i know Unreal and UT can handle alot, UT2004 i suppose as well.

As example :rolleyes: (if it would be possible) If a map has only 10 different 1024 textures than you could add an extra texture 16384 x 16384 with ease since it simply counts for 16 other textures each 1024 large. The total surface would be 26 x 1024 and that is what counts.
Some testing...

UT2004 will import 8192x8192 tga files but then dies out of virtual memory when one tries to compress it in-editor to DXT1. It doesn't really matter if the file is RLE-encoded or not.

Taking the same texture but compressing to DXT1 externally to UT2004 and prior to import does work and the file can be imported and the texture assigned to a surface and a level run.

Doing the same with a 16384x16384 texture, the texture can be imported as a DDS but the texture displays only as black in the editor. It can be assigned to a surface but it is still black.

I don't think Epic were concerned too much about the capability of the engine to handle large textures but more the texture memory size of consumers' graphics cards.

The minimum specification for UT2004 was 32MB of video RAM (16MB for UT2003). For retail maps, they would really have to respect those numbers.

On disk a 2048x2048 DXT1 with mipmaps is 2.6MB. The equivalent 1024x1024 DXT1 with mipmaps is only 682kb. 4 times as many textures without swapping on typical consumer hardware is quite an attractive offer. :)

16384x16384 DXT1 with mipmaps is 174,763kb on disk (131,143kb RLE TGA & 1,048,577kb TGA with no RLE!) Even a 1GB RAM monster video card isn't going to store many of those.
 

Diehard

New Member
16384x16384 DXT1 with mipmaps is 174,763kb on disk


Keep in mind i was merelly using that size as an example.


The reason i told all that was, looking at the UT2004 editor most textures do not really exceed 512, if lucky they are 1024. While for the URP and UTRP they are concidered lower !! than the Low End packages since they have an averidge from 1024. Which means on averidge the Low End packages are already 4 times larger than averidge default in UT2004, High End is even 16x larger than UT2004, and most people use those those textures.


And my conclusion is that UT2004 really is far, far, far on the lower end. While i suspect that UT2004 can handle alot more like Unreal and UT does with the projects. Engine and handling are pretty much the same. So if i were you i at least go for the Low End specifications, and if you feel for it test it with the High End specifications.


Hopefully i am done with DecayedS early februari, and on release i will also introduce a new line being Extreme End for testing purposes. Only to be use by people having a rediculous rig :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
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IronMonkey

Moi?
Apr 23, 2005
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Keep in mind i was merelly using that size as an example.

Indeed. I was merely intrigued to see what the game could handle. I didn't think you were seriously proposing a 16384x16384 texture for production use. :)

if you feel for it test it with the High End specifications.
Tee-hee! The map that I'm working on is a remake of a 5-brushes map. There are so few surfaces that one could apply a texture to that I can afford to go extreme everywhere.:D

You can see what I mean from the original map here: http://www.zen37847.zen.co.uk/UT/DM-5Cubes-CliffyB.unr


Hopefully i am done with DecayedS early februari,

Cool!


and on release i will also introduce a new line being Extreme End for testing purposes. Only to be use by people having a rediculous rig :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Me! Me! Me! :) I need a good excuse for more ridiculousity in my PC.
 

Zur

surrealistic mad cow
Jul 8, 2002
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But to make UV mapping work, i need to have all the models for UT, and thats aside if i can do it. But in any case, i think those models should be on the site as well. To make sure they are not getting lost forever......

It looks like it's possible to export models. I just need to figure out if I'm doing things right and put them in file format that everyone can use :
http://forums.beyondunreal.com/showthread.php?t=182695
 

Dark Pulse

Dolla, Dolla. Holla, Holla.
Sep 12, 2004
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I love the work this is doing. Short of a engine source port, this is the next best thing. I hope Diehard can eventually get these working completely - not just online, but in the editor as well.

I'll give it a test, too. I think my videocard's up to the task, and I might be getting a new one in the spring anyway. :p
 

Diehard

New Member
I have been ill since december 28 till last saturday, and it was alot worse than usual. I lost entire Januari as wel as parts from December and Februari, and i havnt been able to do anything. Crawling bit by bit on my feet again, but its still very hard for me to concentrate on anything really, except for making a few posts here and there.


This also means that the release is at least postponed till the middle of March, and i am not even sure now if i can do the entire package. In that case i will do a release which still has close to 150 Mb of updates, so lets just see how it all goes.


As for the skins, i lost so much time that i cannot attend it at all, sorry for that. I simply have to much work lying around that needs to be finished as well, like the SGC project. The guys from Stargate Unreal are getting closer and closer to the release, and all the work for the SGC project needs to be ready upfront that release so both projects can benefit from eachother.


But ill do my best to work on the DecayedS package as soon as i am able to concentrate on it.
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Zur

surrealistic mad cow
Jul 8, 2002
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Make sure you get rest ;) . What do you mean by "alot worse than usual" ?
 

Diehard

New Member
What do you mean by "alot worse than usual" ?


Without going into specifics, i am pretty much ill 24 hours a day, theres always something in my body that breaks down. I just have a total crap body which is useless. And in december my condition worsened, and on top of that i got the flue, which worsened everything even more. And after a week or so everything in my body collapsed. I was very close to get hospitalised. And lots of mental **** (due to my poor health) comes on top of that. And its simple, one day i will loose the battle and it will kill me.... It was bad alright....


But i had one postive thing this week. I had to see the governemental doctor, and he is gonna advise permanent disabillity. I reality uncool it has to come to that, but in the long term its prob the best solution.
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Edit by NeoNite: Please don't bypass the forum censor Diehard.
 
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Zur

surrealistic mad cow
Jul 8, 2002
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Sorry to hear that mate. We can't all be born fighting fit. I don't know how old you are but I have an uncle that has had to retire on grounds of ill health. It's nothing to be ashamed of and, if anything, people should look up to you for keeping a stiff chin up despite your troubles ;) .

P.S: I happen to be down south in Belgoland :p .
 

Diehard

New Member
+1

Your first duty is to your health, not UT projects.

Don't let our expectations harm your health.


Thanks, but in alot of respect it distracts me from all the **** i have to go through. Though most of the time i hate to make those textures to be honest, because i am only redoing whats already there, instead of making my own brandnew never seen before stuff. Which than is why the SGC project is so important to me. But like you guys i like my Unreal (thats Unreal not UT ;) ) to have cool graphics, and thats why i do it :) , and of course i know i make people happy with my work :)



since i live in The Netherlands

Lol, that was a pointless remark it already says so in my avatar :rolleyes:
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Exus Tecius

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Sep 24, 2003
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@ diehard: i hope you will feel better soon again :)

@ ecv: best avatar i've seen so far ;)

Edit: hi neighbours..from germany here.
 
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