TexMod Tutorial

Started by StoneHeart, Feb 19, 2013, 03:20:21 PM

Author
TexMod Tutorial (Read 16,162 times)

StoneHeart

StoneHeart

Hello all,
     First let me say that I think the effort everyone is putting in to make this game look better is awesome.
The .ini edits and SweetFX make the game so much more atmospheric. However as we all know,
they do little to nothing about the low res textures in the game. So I found a solution. And to prove that it works Here is a screencap.
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     Sorry for the huge picture. That is directly from my steam gallery.
I also apologize for the quick 3 second texture I applied.
But after all it was just a test.
--
     So you are probably wondering how exactly I managed to export/import textures to A:CM.
It's actually surprisingly easy all thanks to a program called TexMod. I remember I used to use
this mod when I played Guild Wars. It felt so great to get custom textures into that game.
Anyway for some reason or another it dawned on me that if I could use TexMod to retexture Guild Wars, Why wouldn't it work on A:CM?

------------>NEW VIDEO TUTORIAL THANKS TO fac7orx ON THE GEARBOX FORUMS!<------------
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0a4s3B6j4M

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The following is a written tutorial on how to use TexMod with A:CM.
**************************************************
==================
Setting Up The Program
==================
Before you can even begin texture editing it is essential that you download the TexMod Program.
The program can be found here
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STEP 1
-------
After downloading texmod.zip, extract the contents to your desktop.
You should have Texmod.exe and a readme.txt

****The folowing is important for all windows users after Windows XP****
If you are on Vista, 7, or 8, it is very important that you run TexMod as an administrator.
If you do not you will get a steam error (Error 41) when launching the game.
To do this, right click on texmod.exe and click properties.
Go to the compatibility tab and check 'Run As Administrator' then click 'Apply'


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STEP 2
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Run TexMod (if on any windows higher than Windows XP see above notes)
When the program launches it should appear like this:


We must first set a target location for TexMod to run.
Click on the folder icon.
A browser window will appear.
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Aliens: Colonial Marines\Binaries\Win32
or if on 64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Aliens: Colonial Marines\Binaries\Win32
and select ACM.exe


Now since we are going to be exporting textures first,
Click the 'Logging Mode' button.
Your Texmod should now look like this:


Leave everything as default and click run to launch the game.
****Make sure you are signed into steam!****

=================
Exporting Textures
=================
If texmod launched successfully,
you should see red text in the upper left corner.


Now for ease of access, the texture we will be exporting will be the lurker's body.
Navigate to the Xeno Appearence menu and select the lurker.
--
To scroll through the textures, use the '+' and '-' keys on the numpad.
Once you find the texture you want, it will glow green ingame.


To export the texture, simply press 'enter' on the numpad.

Now we are done ingame for the moment. Exit the game and go to the desktop.

=================
Editing Textures
=================

Now it is time to edit the texture we have exported.

Look for a folder named 'Out' on your desktop.
This is where TexMod exports the textures you've selected.

Open the folder. Inside we should find a .BMP file named 'ACM.EXE_0x7AC756AC'


This is our lurker body texture.

Open up the file in your favorite photo editor. I use Photoshop but feel free
to use whatever you like.



Now this is where you get creative. Color your texture however you wish.
For testing purposes I simply typed the word 'TEST' on the torso
and changed the saturation.



Now save the image as a .BMP with the exact same name as the original
(In our case the file is named ACM.EXE_0x7AC756AC)
and make sure you replace the one in the 'Out' folder.

==================
Importing Textures
==================

Ok now that we are done editing we need a way to get this texture back into the game.

Launch TexMod again and click on 'Package Build'
Your TexMod should now look like this:


Click on the folder icon next to 'Definition File' and select 'Browse'
This should automatically go into our 'Out' Folder.
Select 'TexMod.log'


Now we can edit the author of our package, and add some comments.


When we are done with that, click build.
A browser window will come up. Name your package what you want
(I chose TEST.tpf) and click save.


Congrats! You made your first ACM Texture Package!

Now we must run the game with it turned on.

Click 'Package Mode' and reselect your target location for ACM as in the Setting Up The Program section.
Your TexMod Should look like this:


Click the folder icon and select browse. Locate your package and select it.
Make sure it is listed.


Click Run, and if you did everything correctly.....
Your lurker should look like this:


******It is important to note that for any texture changes to appear ingame,
the game MUST be launched through TexMod with the package selected. The edited textures WILL NOT
show up if the game is just launched normally.
******

Thanks all for taking the time to read this! Here's hoping for some HD Texture Overhauls!

-Stoner

RedHood

RedHood

#1
How do you do this on Xbox?!?  :P

StoneHeart

StoneHeart

#2
Sadly without a modded Xbox (which will get instantly banned when online) you cannot :( Sorry

WinterActual

WinterActual

#3
Quote from: XenoMAC on Feb 19, 2013, 04:22:17 PM
How do you do this on Xbox?!?  :P


RedHood

RedHood

#4
I actually do have a modded Xbox and the tools to play the games online. But I'm guessing if I tamper with the game they might be able to tell and ban me.

By the way I was joking with my first comment.

StoneHeart

StoneHeart

#5
Well if you do tinker with it add some VSync somehow because on console that screen tearing is nuts.

AcidGlow

AcidGlow

#6
Not patch, update, skin pack or mod will save this game..

Le Celticant

Le Celticant

#7
Quote from: AcidGlow on Feb 19, 2013, 06:37:17 PM
Not patch, update, skin pack or mod will save this game..

Depends what you call "mod".
If it is something that involves the source code then yes, it can be saved.

Aceburster

Aceburster

#8
so can you replace a graphic in texmod with one of a higher res or does it have to be the same dimensions with the graphic you are swapping?

StoneHeart

StoneHeart

#9
Quote from: Aceburster on Feb 20, 2013, 05:08:15 AM
so can you replace a graphic in texmod with one of a higher res or does it have to be the same dimensions with the graphic you are swapping?

I'm assuming you can. Try it! No harm in experimentation :)

----
Also, added a video tutorial courtesy of fac7orx on the Gearbox Forums to the OP

ikarop

ikarop

#10
Quote from: Aceburster on Feb 20, 2013, 05:08:15 AM
so can you replace a graphic in texmod with one of a higher res or does it have to be the same dimensions with the graphic you are swapping?

It doesn't need to be the same res.

Xhan

Xhan

#11
The max texture size is 8192x2.

Be warned that texmod can only handle 2048 textures per instancing, and this includes ALL textures. normals and specs are separate and must be counted if you inject them as well. You can use CFF Explorer to make texmod Large Address Aware, if you don't, the most it can inject is ONE gig of textures; if you make it LAA, it can inject two.

This will also substantially increase the game's initial loading time if you were to say, inject two gigs worth of textures.

I have two gigs of ME3 mods and it takes 7 minutes to load the game. It would take a non-ridiculous system about 20 minutes to load the same amount of data.

Whisky

Whisky

#12
This is a move in the right direction at least.

I've already got my hands on the games base assets, it's getting them back in the game that proves problematic. This at least affords us an option at the very least. Unfortunately the pipeline of UE3 and the cooking process it's packages are next to impossible to strip and rebuild. At least the last week of searching hasn't yielded any results.

At the moment using 3rd party tools to inject new data is going to be the only way for now.

Speak to Hemi or I if you want some help on your project, I'll keep the community informed if we make any progress on a more permanent solution.

Whisky

Aceburster

Aceburster

#13
Thanks for the Info guys, ive never messed with texmod before so every bit counts. I didnt try messing with the resolution, but I did mess with quite a few things. I picked the "hope for Hadleys" mission for a buncha reasons and just ran around exporting everything I could see, and making color adjustments. Got the ground, sky, lightning, buildings and a buncha doodads including some lights.

I didnt really try to blend them and some of the textures are obnoxiously saturated or bright but I just wanted to make sure I had the textures i need. It appears that (atleast this level) has a pea green haze over it and most of the textures are just nasty green and brown. Ive got Xhans config set right now and my settings maxed on my cards profile. I adjusted my brightness in game down to about 35% or so and this is what I came up with.

Before:
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After:
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The little yellow vehicle always looked way too bright and ugly in vanilla, and I found a texture that didnt appear to be mapped to anything in texmod. it didnt look quite right so I messed with its normal map (just played with the contrast and brightness) and it started to pop. Got a lot of playing around to do, but the more blue I can make the game the happier ill be lol

Heres a third from today. I found the overlay that was wrecking the lighting in the level and toned it down. The pic is at the brightest it can be since lightning is going off and the overlay was "shining" light down on the textures. I also dimmed some lights. still dunno how to fix the ugly green haze, and for some reason my glare effects are extra green and brown now. otherwise it looks better to me...
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one more for fun on the umbilical...
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EvilPraetorian

EvilPraetorian

#14
Although Texmod itself does NOT natively support batch exporting,  I have found a way around this with the implementation of Autohotkey.

Using autohotkey,  You can create a script which will press the + key then F1 every half a second, which is a much easier way of extracting textures from the entire game.

To batch export,  do the following.
1.Download and install AutoHotKey - Link > http://www.autohotkey.com/download/AutoHotkey104805_Install.exe
2.Download my Autohotkey Script -> http://www.filedropper.com/autohotkey
3.Double click "autohotkey.ahk" to load it.
4.Load TexMod with ACM
5. In the campaign or multiplayer in any level,  Press F2,  Autohotkey will now do the + and F1 key presses for you every half a second and save the textures to your chosen directory


:note:
You must do this while playing through the game as new textures are loaded into memory as you progress into the game.

To stop the texture batch export script,  Press F2 once more to pause the script,  Or press F3 to stop and exit Autohotkey.

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