(I have adapted these instructions from here)
Adding Custom Emblems/Portraits (DDS Textures)
A simple step-by-step guide for creating a DDS Texture from an existing image for an emblem (ie with a transparent background) and adding it to your game as a mod.
Prerequisites
Creating the graphic file
Creating the DDS texture file
Creating the Mod (Emblems)
spongebob_0000,Sprite,emblems/player/spongebob_0000.dds,0,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,,,False,0,False
(Texture2D)
spongebob_0000,Texture2D,emblems/player/spongebob_0000.dds,0,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,,,False,0,False
Notes: "spongebob_0000" is the name of the file which needs to be at the beginning and also in the folder call path that you see on each line - this part ",0,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,,,False,0,False" is not unique (I simply copied it from another emblem entry)
Creating the Mod (for Pilot Portraits)
Testing the Mod
1. Pretty simple
For Single Player, Go to Captains Quarters -> Click on Customize Company
For Multiplayer, Go to Manage (Under your Player Profile Name) -> Click on Heraldry
Get creative! Technically this will allow the community add in every single historical BattleTech emblem, from House Units to Mercenary groups, or just make up your own.
Adding Custom Emblems/Portraits (DDS Textures)
A simple step-by-step guide for creating a DDS Texture from an existing image for an emblem (ie with a transparent background) and adding it to your game as a mod.
Prerequisites
- Download and install Gimp 2 from http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ (the installer will detect whether you are running a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows)
- Download and install the DDS plug-in from https://code.google.com/archive/p/gimp-dds/downloads
- IMPORTANT - Select the DDS Plugin for 32-bit or 64-bit, you must know what OS type you are running
- gimp-dds-win64-3.0.1.zip is 64-Bit
- gimp-dds-win32-3.0.1.zip is 32-Bit
Creating the graphic file
- Using your preferred image manipulation program (such as Photoshop) create your graphic, any areas to be transparent should ideally be white
- For the purposes of these instructions, if you are using Photoshop go to File->New->
- Dimensions must be: 256x256
- Background Contents: Transparent
- Save as a PNG (don't worry about setting transparency if you are unsure how to do this)
Creating the DDS texture file
- Start GIMP (If you are not using GIMP and have a DDS plugin for Photoshop, skip to the "For Photoshop" Section)
- Create a new image, the same size as the PNG, with the Color Space set to RGB (under Advanced Options), and click OK
- Open the PNG image in separate window, Go to Edit and Copy
- Select the new image you created, Go to Edit and Paste
- In the "Layers, Channels, ..." window, right click the Floating Selection and select "Anchor Layer"
- From the Layer menu, select Transparency and then "Color to Alpha ..."
- If the areas to be transparent are not white (or any solid color that does not exist in your emblem/portrait), click the color bar between "From:" and "to alpha"
- Click OK
- Go To, Image->Transform->Rotate 180 (NOTE: If you are using Text or if the image is Offset/Non-Symmetrical you may also need to flip Horizontally)
- Save the graphic as an xcf file (this is just in case you make a mistake and need to reload the file in GIMP, however you will need xcf file to save as DDS)
- Open the XCF file
- Select File -> Export As... and expand the Select File Type and click on (DDS image) item
- Scroll down and select "DDS Image" (if there is no option check you installed the DDS plug-in correctly!)
- Click Export
- In the Save As DDS options pop-up panel, Format to "RGBA8", set Compression to "BC3 / DXT5", set Mimaps to "Generate Mipmaps" and ignore the "Advanced Options" section
- NOTE: These options are Important and must be selected or the game will not load the completed dds file
- Click OK to save the dds file
- If you have already created a new graphic file, start here.
- Ensure the background is transparent (delete the background layer or when creating a new image, have the background contents as transparent)
- Go To, Image->Image Rotation->180 (NOTE: If you are using Text or if the image is Offset/Non-Symmetrical you may also need to flip Horizontally)
- Go To, File->Save As->Select "Format" as "D3D/DDS"
- In the NVIDIA dds format pop-up window, select the following settings: In top drop-down "DXT5 ARGB 8 ppp | interpolated alpha" ; "2D Texture"; Leave "Generate MipMaps" selected
- Click "Save"
Creating the Mod (Emblems)
- Copy and Paste the dds file (named as whatever you want); example "custom_emblem_007" into your "X:\...\steam\steamapps\common\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\emblems" where X is the hard drive. For GoG this will simply be where-ever you set GoG to install your games to, example "X:\...\Games\GOGGAMES\BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\emblems"
- Navigate to your "...BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\data" folder and open "VersionManifest.csv" (Recommended to use Notepad ++)
- For Emblems, you will need to create two new lines (one for "Sprite" and one for "Texture2d" so the custom image will be selectable in SP and MP
- Go to the end of the VersionManifest OR find emblem sections which start at "envTxrHrld_000"
- The lines you will create must mimic what you see below
- After creating the lines "save" the VersionManifest (WARNING: Make sure you have a backup of this file or remember where you entered any new lines in case you need to delete them)
spongebob_0000,Sprite,emblems/player/spongebob_0000.dds,0,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,,,False,0,False
(Texture2D)
spongebob_0000,Texture2D,emblems/player/spongebob_0000.dds,0,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,,,False,0,False
Notes: "spongebob_0000" is the name of the file which needs to be at the beginning and also in the folder call path that you see on each line - this part ",0,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,2018-04-21T11:38:11.9043442Z,,,False,0,False" is not unique (I simply copied it from another emblem entry)
Creating the Mod (for Pilot Portraits)
- This works pretty much the same as described on the Modding Wiki at this link, except the image must be 512 x 512. It is saved as PNG and saved in the "BATTLETECH\BattleTech_Data\StreamingAssets\sprites\Portraits" folder.
- Follow the instructions in the link for creating the pilot.json file that needs to go with it.
Testing the Mod
1. Pretty simple
For Single Player, Go to Captains Quarters -> Click on Customize Company
For Multiplayer, Go to Manage (Under your Player Profile Name) -> Click on Heraldry
Get creative! Technically this will allow the community add in every single historical BattleTech emblem, from House Units to Mercenary groups, or just make up your own.
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