Would it be possible to upload these individually please? It'd be nice to select only a few (or choose what they replace as I like the original Paz poster). I only want to use 2 of them instead of all 4.
I got to the part where I have to build a structure in file proliferator but when I click the build button it flashes the text "no results for <file name>" for each file then says "Done!". After that, I am left with an empty output file. I checked the name of my files and looked for the files in the unpacked archive and found every file for each poster texture so that left me confused. Is there any reason for this to happen.
Are the textures still in .dds format, and if so, did you check the box to convert .dds to .ftex? That's what comes to mind, but I'm not sure what would be the issue otherwise. If that's not the case, could you post an image of your File Proliferator? I'd like to see how you've set it up, and what texture filenames are involved.
Hrmm Interesting. By all accounts I think it should be working. Those filenames are listed in the TppMasterFileList.txt so the tool should find directory results.
Here's a pre-release of the next File Monolith Build, I've added some error messages that will (hopefully) allow us to better understand the problem: https://github.com/JosephZoeller/FileMonolith/releases/download/v0.3.0.1/FileMonolith.v0.3.1.zip
Please run the new version with the same setup that you've been using, and then report back to me with what the error is saying. Also if you'd like to message me instantly, I'm active on my troubleshooting Discord server: https://discord.gg/uKTn7fy
Assuming the filenames are correct, that might be a bug with file proliferator actually. Hmm, try moving your input files to somewhere else and try to proliferate them. If that doesn't work, could you give me the filenames that you're trying to proliferate?
Hrmm I see. I'll see what I can do to get the error messages to display properly, since there should be some sort of pop-up to help me diagnose the problem that you're running into. In the meantime, It would help us fix this problem much faster if we used Discord to message (and send prototypes) directly. Not 100% necessary, but it'd mean the difference between a fix within a few days instead of a week. Here's a link to my debugging server: https://discord.gg/uKTn7fy
i've tried to modify the texture with the modding resource you provided, i've converted all of them to ftex and convert it to .mgsv and it didn't work when i installed it
If you can save your texture as a DirectDraw Surface (.dds) file in paint.net, then yes. As long as you can format the file as a DXT1 .dds file, any tool should be fine.
Could you tell me the steps to modify one? I have noooooo experience at all with modding any textures in any game so I'm completely lost lol I'm trying to change the vertical glamour model
I'll try to start from the beginning, but if you're confused by anything, let me know. For the sake of time, I'll try to limit the scope of this conversation exclusively to the Vertical Glamor Model. In addition, I'll try to keep the texture editing as simple as possible, so we'll take some shortcuts with the cardboard box.
To start things off, you'll need a copy of photoshop. There's a trial version on the Adobe website that you can use temporarily. Alternatively you can use GIMP, but I've never tried it personally so I can't provide much information about it.
Adobe Photoshop Trial: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/free-trial-download.html GIMP for Windows: https://www.gimp.org/downloads/
For photoshop, you'll also need the official Nvidia Texture Tools. I'm not sure what you would need for GIMP. I also recommend using the SageThumbs extension for Windows, which allows you to preview the .dds textures as a windows thumbnail.
Once you have those tools installed, you should be ready to edit .dds textures. Download the Poster Modding Resource file from the Miscellaneous tab, if you haven't already. the Vertical Glamour Poster has 4 texture files relating to it.
- 3b4ce6204bbee.dds is the texture for the poster itself, as it appears on the walls of buildings.
The three other textures are contained inside \Assets\tpp\item\cbx\Pictures\. The folders are important, but for the purposes of this tutorial, you don't need to worry about them. The pictures inside this folder are textures that affect the cardboard box:
- cbx3_main0_def_lym.dds is basic texture of the woman in the bikini. - cbx3_main0_def_lbm.dds is a predominantly blue texture, with a purple outline of the woman separated into 2 halves. - cbx3_main0_def_srm.dds is similar to the blue texture, but this time it's mostly yellow and has an orange outline of the woman.
For the "texture shortcuts" that I mentioned earlier, open the 'Modder Resource' folder. In there, you'll see a "Paz Example' folder as well as 4 resource textures. We'll be using 3 of those four.
- cardboard backdrop.dds: this will provide you with a cardboard texture to copy/paste on the 'lym' texture. - Water and Filled Outline Backdrop.dds will replace the 'lbm' texture. - Shine backdrop - No Gloss.dds will replace the 'srm' texture.
Let's start with the 'lym' file. To edit this texture, All you need to do is cut out your own texture into the same dimensions as the woman, and then paste the cardboard backdrop texture in the layer between your picture and the woman. When you have your picture set, you'll need to save it as a .dds file. Go to File -> Save as -> Format: D3D/DDS (*.DDS;*.DDS). An Nvidia menu will pop up with a couple of options, but the only important option is the top-most bar. Choose the "DXT1 RGB 4 bpp | no alpha" option, and then click save.
I believe that's the hardest part of the process. To modify the wall poster, you would do the same thing, but you don't need to use the cardboard backdrop. Just use a background that you like for the poster.
For the 'lbm' and 'srm' textures, all you need to do is: - rename the "Shine backdrop - No Gloss.dds" file to "cbx3_main0_def_srm.dds" - rename the "Water and Filled Outline Backdrop.dds" to "cbx3_main0_def_lbm.dds"
At this point in the process, you should have your own versions of the 4 textures. It's important that they're all named correctly, so double-check to make sure that they're named the same as the original Vertical Glamour textures.
Let me know when you get this far and I'll explain how to install your mod with SnakeBite.
Thanks so much for the help! I have a question though, in the files for the original vertical poster the girl doesn't have a carboard background. Do I have to put the cardboard background in my picture or can I just leave it blank like that one? Edit: Nvm I got everything set up, now I just need to install it with snakebite. How can I install it?
To begin, unzip the files and launch the Archive Unpacker.exe. As the name implies, this tool is used for unpacking the game's data files. Normally I'd recommend unpacking all of the game's archives, but for this mod you'll only need to unpack 3 of them.
1. In the tool, click the '...' button beside the 'Archives' text bar. 2. Navigate to your game's install directory (by default it's installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\MGS_TPP\). 3. Open the \master\ folder. Inside will be a number of .dat files. 4. Of these files, select a_chunk7.dat, chunk2.dat and chunk4.dat. These archives contain files that the tool will need for later. With those 3 selected, click Open. The files should appear in the Archives text bar. 6. Click the '...' next to the Output folder and choose where to output the archive files. Create a new folder for this step and call it something like 'Archive Files Folder'. Click 'Select Folder' and the directory will appear in the Output Folder text bar.
If you did it right, the tool should look like this:
7. Click the Unpack button. This will begin the unpacking process for the 3 archives, which may take ~5 - ~10 minutes for all the files to unpack. The folder will be almost 11GB in size, which is a lot, but the files are very useful.
Once that unpack is finished, you can exit out of the Archive Unpacker.exe. The next tool we'll use is called "File Proliferator.exe", which will format the files automatically for us.
1. In File Proliferator, click the '...' button next to the Files text bar. 2. Select your 4 modified .dds poster textures and click Open. The filenames should appear in the Files text bar. 3. Click the '...' button next to the Output Folder text bar. This is where the formatted files will be built. For this step, create a new folder and name it something like "Makebite Build Folder". Click on the folder and then click Select Folder. The directory path should appear in the Output Folder text bar. 4. Skip down to the "Texture Options" settings. Check all three boxes ('Pull Vanilla .ftex | .ftexs to _pftxs', 'Convert .dds to .ftex' and 'Pack _pftxs'). 5. Click the button that reads "Set Texture Directory...". In this prompt, Select the folder that you unpacked the game archives to, in the previous Step 6 of the Archive Unpacker (the folder you named 'Archive Files Folder'). Click Select Folder and the directory path should appear in the Output Folder text bar.
If you did it right, the tool will look like this:
6. Now you're ready to build the directory structure. Click the button that reads "Build Directory Structure..." and the tool will do its work. 7. After a moment, a message box should pop up, which reads "The _pftxs folders have been packed into .pftxs files. Would you like to delete the leftover _pftxs folders?" Click Yes.
Now the tool should have built the Makebite build folder. The size is a bit larger than it really needs to be (about 94.3MB), because File Proliferator is thorough about what is included in the folder. Since this is a quick tutorial, I won't go into how to minimize the folder's size by trimming the excess files. It gets complicated very quickly if I start to explain.
The final step to creating your mod is using Makebite. Makebite is a companion app for SnakeBite, and it was installed automatically when you installed SnakeBite. You can either find it by searching your installed programs, or launching SnakeBite:
In Makebite, do the following: 1. In the top-right corner, click the '...' button. Then, Navigate to your Build Folder that you created in the previous step 3. of File Proliferator (The folder you named 'Makebite Build Folder'). Click on this file and click Select Folder. A list of files should show up in the Makebite menu, and most of them should start with /Assets/. 2. Fill in the text boxes on the left of the menu with your mod information. Give it a name at least, but all the other details are optional.
After you've filled in the information, Makebite should look like this:
3. When you're ready, click the button that reads "Do it (build archive)" in the bottom-left corner. Give your mod file a name and click Save. 4. After a moment, Makebite will pop up "Build Complete".
Now, finally, you have your very own .MGSV mod file. You can install it to SnakeBite like any other mod file, and your textures will appear in-game. If you need to make adjustments to your textures, just reopen File Proliferator after you've edited your .dds files. The tool should remember your last output folder and your Texture Directory, but you'll need to reselect your .dds files and check the 3 Texture Options buttons.
@Hakanai312 I'm not sure which material template you're referring to, or what you mean by "didn't work". Could you elaborate further? Create a new comment chain so this one doesn't get confusing.
Help me repack the files, what i'm saying is that i managed to extract the pftxs and then i edited the paz example dds files with my custom images, but how do i repack the folder where all the texture files are? the col_common_tpp_pftxs to be specific
Firstly, you should convert the modified .dds files to .ftex/.ftexs files, by dragging and dropping them onto FtexTool.exe. After that, You could either:
- drag and drop the "col_common_tpp.pftxs.xml" file onto GzsTool.exe or - drag and drop the "col_common_tpp_pftxs" folder onto the AutoPftxsTool (https://github.com/BobDoleOwndU/AutoPftxsTool/releases/download/v0.2/AutoPftxsTool.v0.2.zip)
For your purposes, they do the same thing.
(The AutoPftxsTool is useful if there are texture files that weren't already in the pftxs file when you unpacked it.)
Alright i managed to do it, it kinda works but i have another question. What is the use of the backdrop textures, like the gloss and shine ones, if i make the outline or edit them is there any noticable difference on the image? because as far as i have seen, it looks good right now
If you angle the lighting right, you'll see that the posters appear "shiny" against the cardboard box. The backdrop textures edit that "shine". Yeah, It's not very noticeable.
70 comments
Here's a pre-release of the next File Monolith Build, I've added some error messages that will (hopefully) allow us to better understand the problem:
https://github.com/JosephZoeller/FileMonolith/releases/download/v0.3.0.1/FileMonolith.v0.3.1.zip
Please run the new version with the same setup that you've been using, and then report back to me with what the error is saying. Also if you'd like to message me instantly, I'm active on my troubleshooting Discord server: https://discord.gg/uKTn7fy
1. 3da9af04076bc
2. cbx4_main0_def_lbm
3. cbx4_main0_def_lym
4. cbx4_main0_def_srm
I'm trying to change the vertical glamour model
To start things off, you'll need a copy of photoshop. There's a trial version on the Adobe website that you can use temporarily. Alternatively you can use GIMP, but I've never tried it personally so I can't provide much information about it.
Adobe Photoshop Trial: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/free-trial-download.html
GIMP for Windows: https://www.gimp.org/downloads/
For photoshop, you'll also need the official Nvidia Texture Tools. I'm not sure what you would need for GIMP. I also recommend using the SageThumbs extension for Windows, which allows you to preview the .dds textures as a windows thumbnail.
Texture Tools: https://developer.nvidia.com/gameworksdownload#?dn=texture-tools-for-adobe-photoshop-8-55
SageThumbs Extension: https://sourceforge.net/projects/sagethumbs/
Once you have those tools installed, you should be ready to edit .dds textures. Download the Poster Modding Resource file from the Miscellaneous tab, if you haven't already. the Vertical Glamour Poster has 4 texture files relating to it.
- 3b4ce6204bbee.dds is the texture for the poster itself, as it appears on the walls of buildings.
The three other textures are contained inside \Assets\tpp\item\cbx\Pictures\. The folders are important, but for the purposes of this tutorial, you don't need to worry about them. The pictures inside this folder are textures that affect the cardboard box:
- cbx3_main0_def_lym.dds is basic texture of the woman in the bikini.
- cbx3_main0_def_lbm.dds is a predominantly blue texture, with a purple outline of the woman separated into 2 halves.
- cbx3_main0_def_srm.dds is similar to the blue texture, but this time it's mostly yellow and has an orange outline of the woman.
For the "texture shortcuts" that I mentioned earlier, open the 'Modder Resource' folder. In there, you'll see a "Paz Example' folder as well as 4 resource textures. We'll be using 3 of those four.
- cardboard backdrop.dds: this will provide you with a cardboard texture to copy/paste on the 'lym' texture.
- Water and Filled Outline Backdrop.dds will replace the 'lbm' texture.
- Shine backdrop - No Gloss.dds will replace the 'srm' texture.
Let's start with the 'lym' file. To edit this texture, All you need to do is cut out your own texture into the same dimensions as the woman, and then paste the cardboard backdrop texture in the layer between your picture and the woman. When you have your picture set, you'll need to save it as a .dds file. Go to File -> Save as -> Format: D3D/DDS (*.DDS;*.DDS). An Nvidia menu will pop up with a couple of options, but the only important option is the top-most bar. Choose the "DXT1 RGB 4 bpp | no alpha" option, and then click save.
I believe that's the hardest part of the process. To modify the wall poster, you would do the same thing, but you don't need to use the cardboard backdrop. Just use a background that you like for the poster.
For the 'lbm' and 'srm' textures, all you need to do is:
- rename the "Shine backdrop - No Gloss.dds" file to "cbx3_main0_def_srm.dds"
- rename the "Water and Filled Outline Backdrop.dds" to "cbx3_main0_def_lbm.dds"
At this point in the process, you should have your own versions of the 4 textures. It's important that they're all named correctly, so double-check to make sure that they're named the same as the original Vertical Glamour textures.
Let me know when you get this far and I'll explain how to install your mod with SnakeBite.
I have a question though, in the files for the original vertical poster the girl doesn't have a carboard background. Do I have to put the cardboard background in my picture or can I just leave it blank like that one?
Edit: Nvm I got everything set up, now I just need to install it with snakebite. How can I install it?
There's a couple of ways to do it, so I'll try to explain the most automated method. I'll be using some tools from File Monolith for these next steps.
File Monolith: https://www.nexusmods.com/metalgearsolidvtpp/mods/739
To begin, unzip the files and launch the Archive Unpacker.exe. As the name implies, this tool is used for unpacking the game's data files. Normally I'd recommend unpacking all of the game's archives, but for this mod you'll only need to unpack 3 of them.
1. In the tool, click the '...' button beside the 'Archives' text bar.
2. Navigate to your game's install directory (by default it's installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\MGS_TPP\).
3. Open the \master\ folder. Inside will be a number of .dat files.
4. Of these files, select a_chunk7.dat, chunk2.dat and chunk4.dat. These archives contain files that the tool will need for later. With those 3 selected, click Open. The files should appear in the Archives text bar.
6. Click the '...' next to the Output folder and choose where to output the archive files. Create a new folder for this step and call it something like 'Archive Files Folder'. Click 'Select Folder' and the directory will appear in the Output Folder text bar.
If you did it right, the tool should look like this:
7. Click the Unpack button. This will begin the unpacking process for the 3 archives, which may take ~5 - ~10 minutes for all the files to unpack. The folder will be almost 11GB in size, which is a lot, but the files are very useful.
Once that unpack is finished, you can exit out of the Archive Unpacker.exe. The next tool we'll use is called "File Proliferator.exe", which will format the files automatically for us.
1. In File Proliferator, click the '...' button next to the Files text bar.
2. Select your 4 modified .dds poster textures and click Open. The filenames should appear in the Files text bar.
3. Click the '...' button next to the Output Folder text bar. This is where the formatted files will be built. For this step, create a new folder and name it something like "Makebite Build Folder". Click on the folder and then click Select Folder. The directory path should appear in the Output Folder text bar.
4. Skip down to the "Texture Options" settings. Check all three boxes ('Pull Vanilla .ftex | .ftexs to _pftxs', 'Convert .dds to .ftex' and 'Pack _pftxs').
5. Click the button that reads "Set Texture Directory...". In this prompt, Select the folder that you unpacked the game archives to, in the previous Step 6 of the Archive Unpacker (the folder you named 'Archive Files Folder'). Click Select Folder and the directory path should appear in the Output Folder text bar.
If you did it right, the tool will look like this:
6. Now you're ready to build the directory structure. Click the button that reads "Build Directory Structure..." and the tool will do its work.
7. After a moment, a message box should pop up, which reads "The _pftxs folders have been packed into .pftxs files. Would you like to delete the leftover _pftxs folders?" Click Yes.
Now the tool should have built the Makebite build folder. The size is a bit larger than it really needs to be (about 94.3MB), because File Proliferator is thorough about what is included in the folder. Since this is a quick tutorial, I won't go into how to minimize the folder's size by trimming the excess files. It gets complicated very quickly if I start to explain.
The final step to creating your mod is using Makebite. Makebite is a companion app for SnakeBite, and it was installed automatically when you installed SnakeBite. You can either find it by searching your installed programs, or launching SnakeBite:
In Makebite, do the following:
1. In the top-right corner, click the '...' button. Then, Navigate to your Build Folder that you created in the previous step 3. of File Proliferator (The folder you named 'Makebite Build Folder'). Click on this file and click Select Folder. A list of files should show up in the Makebite menu, and most of them should start with /Assets/.
2. Fill in the text boxes on the left of the menu with your mod information. Give it a name at least, but all the other details are optional.
After you've filled in the information, Makebite should look like this:
3. When you're ready, click the button that reads "Do it (build archive)" in the bottom-left corner. Give your mod file a name and click Save.
4. After a moment, Makebite will pop up "Build Complete".
Now, finally, you have your very own .MGSV mod file. You can install it to SnakeBite like any other mod file, and your textures will appear in-game. If you need to make adjustments to your textures, just reopen File Proliferator after you've edited your .dds files. The tool should remember your last output folder and your Texture Directory, but you'll need to reselect your .dds files and check the 3 Texture Options buttons.
- drag and drop the "col_common_tpp.pftxs.xml" file onto GzsTool.exe
or
- drag and drop the "col_common_tpp_pftxs" folder onto the AutoPftxsTool (https://github.com/BobDoleOwndU/AutoPftxsTool/releases/download/v0.2/AutoPftxsTool.v0.2.zip)
For your purposes, they do the same thing.
(The AutoPftxsTool is useful if there are texture files that weren't already in the pftxs file when you unpacked it.)
What is the use of the backdrop textures, like the gloss and shine ones, if i make the outline or edit them is there any noticable difference on the image? because as far as i have seen, it looks good right now