[help?] OK, I give up. What's the secret?

[Peeking Duck?]

I have seemingly tried every option with the nVidia DDS plugin to save/export files in the requisite DDS format for Stellaris with no success. Can someone post the correct settings? Maybe put it in theWiki?

I am currently modifying files in PS then opening and exporting with Gimp2. Would be lurvely to remove the Gimp.

thanks in advance,
Peek

 

[Swizzlewizzle]

32 bit ARGB format.

 

[ParasiteX]

To be more precise. The 8.8.8.8 ARGB option. Also for interface GUI stuff, like icons and such, you will not need mipmaps.

 

[Peeking Duck?]

To be more precise. The 8.8.8.8 ARGB option. Also for interface GUI stuff, like icons and such, you will not need mipmaps.

Thanks Parasite & Swizzle.

Do I need to generate mipmaps for flag backgrounds? I'm assuming no?

 

[ParasiteX]

Thanks Parasite & Swizzle.

Do I need to generate mipmaps for flag backgrounds? I'm assuming no?

For any GUI elements i would assume no. I think you will only need mipmaps for any 3d model elements. As that is where it would have any actual effect.

 

[Velorian]

32 bit ARGB format.

Oh?

I always just used ARGB 8 bpp with interpolated alpha. Truth be told I'm not sure at the difference but I haven't been able to detect any difference between a file saved like that and the originals.

For mipmaps you can just use the existing one if it's there or cut it off and generate new ones (because editing the MIPs as well sucks). If it didn't have mips already then it probably wasn't really needed, but beyond that I'm not sure they'd ever be required, it's just a way to make them appear prettier when they are shrinked I think. Or to save power when they are depicted. Not sure, just not essential.

Anyhow, does anyone know what the difference between ARGB 8 and 32 really is? I'd assume 8 is lower quality, but it doesn't shrink the original file.

 

[Dibujor]

Oh?

I always just used ARGB 8 bpp with interpolated alpha. Truth be told I'm not sure at the difference but I haven't been able to detect any difference between a file saved like that and the originals.

For mipmaps you can just use the existing one if it's there or cut it off and generate new ones (because editing the MIPs as well sucks). If it didn't have mips already then it probably wasn't really needed, but beyond that I'm not sure they'd ever be required, it's just a way to make them appear prettier when they are shrinked I think. Or to save power when they are depicted. Not sure, just not essential.

Anyhow, does anyone know what the difference between ARGB 8 and 32 really is? I'd assume 8 is lower quality, but it doesn't shrink the original file.

The difference, as you say, is quality, but color quality. 8 bits of color vs 32 bits of color (16.7 million colors). Originals are saved, as far as I can tell, with the 8.8.8.8 ARGB 32b version

I've made quite a few experiments but one thing you can do to see if you need mipmaps or not is to compare the resulting file size between your file and one of the originals, as they should match.

You don't need mipmaps for hairs and flags

You need mipmaps for clothes

 

[ParasiteX]

Oh?

I always just used ARGB 8 bpp with interpolated alpha. Truth be told I'm not sure at the difference but I haven't been able to detect any difference between a file saved like that and the originals.

For mipmaps you can just use the existing one if it's there or cut it off and generate new ones (because editing the MIPs as well sucks). If it didn't have mips already then it probably wasn't really needed, but beyond that I'm not sure they'd ever be required, it's just a way to make them appear prettier when they are shrinked I think. Or to save power when they are depicted. Not sure, just not essential.

Anyhow, does anyone know what the difference between ARGB 8 and 32 really is? I'd assume 8 is lower quality, but it doesn't shrink the original file.

8 bits is 256 colors only. as you cant have more than 256 values with only 8 bits.

Im guessing when you say you use 8 bit, you actually use the 8.8.8.8. Which is 32 bit in total when you add it up. It uses 8 bits per color channel (red, green, blue) and 8 bits for the alpha channel.

Which is what gives you values like 0-255 on red, green and blue. As well as 0-255 values on alpha transparency. And this is per pixel.

When you hear someone mention like it uses 24-bit color. It actually means it just doesn't use an alpha channel. And gives each color channel 8 bits of value.

Hope that clears things up for you.

 

[Velorian]

The difference, as you say, is quality, but color quality. 8 bits of color vs 32 bits of color (16.7 million colors). Originals are saved, as far as I can tell, with the 8.8.8.8 ARGB 32b version

I've made quite a few experiments but one thing you can do to see if you need mipmaps or not is to compare the resulting file size between your file and one of the originals, as they should match.

You don't need mipmaps for hairs and flags

You need mipmaps for clothes

When you say "need" what happens if you don't include mipmaps? I'm guessing it's just slightly less pretty-looking?

 

[ParasiteX]

When you say "need" what happens if you don't include mipmaps? I'm guessing it's just slightly less pretty-looking?

Well, the file size gets bigger than it needs to be if you include mipmaps. It's only used by 3d models when viewing the model from different distances. So kinda pointless for 2D GUI elements. Hence why none of the 2D GUI dds files in stellaris don't use any mipmaps.

 

[Velorian]

Well, the file size gets bigger than it needs to be if you include mipmaps. It's only used by 3d models when viewing the model from different distances. So kinda pointless for 2D GUI elements. Hence why none of the 2D GUI dds files in stellaris don't use any mipmaps.

If you were to remove the mipmap on a 3d model I assume it would just take more resources to render because it had to calculate it on the spot or will it produce visible problems?

 

[Dibujor]

The mipmaps on the clothes just renders the clothes on different sizes so then the game "knows" what size to apply depending on the different sizes for the portraits, as you know they are pseudo3D and appear at different sizes (generals being really small, scientist on research screen being "big".

I haven't tried to load any custom clothes without mipmaps so I don't really know what happens. I guess they'd simply appear with less quality given the game would have to render on the spot. Since ticking the "add mipmaps" is easy, I just do it . Just check to save some clothes without mipmaps, then you'll see the size of the resulting file is smaller than the vanilla clothes.

As @ParasiteX says it isn't needed for any GUI modding afaik

 

[ParasiteX]

If you were to remove the mipmap on a 3d model I assume it would just take more resources to render because it had to calculate it on the spot or will it produce visible problems?

Mipmaps is primarily used to reduce stress on CPU and GPU from having to rescale the texture itself when viewed from a distance. Also it will reduce shimmering effects on textures, improving visual quality.

For 2D elements it's mostly useless.