What is more important? A Texture Replacer mod OR a Custom Bridges mod?

[Skypaul 26]

Just subscride to it. I'll take a look right now

 

I have the exact same issue. Really weird. We need to refer to CO

  Edited October 5, 2015 by Skypaul  

[boformer 3,169]

The first version of texture replacer is almost ready for release. Features so far:

• Replace any building texture (including illumination map, color variation map etc.)
  • If multiple buildings share the same texture, all textures will be replaced
• Change the color variations of a building
• Texture Pack Mod support
  • Players can enable multiple texture mods at once
• Support for vanilla and custom assets
• Probably incompatible with cloning feature of Building Themes

Here is a picture which demonstrates both features (by default these houses have a green and blue roof):

I will probably release it tomorrow.

Planned features after first release:

• Add missing texture maps to buildings (e.g. for the buggy euro buildings)
• Change prop textures and colors
• Change vehicle textures and colors
• Change tree textures
• Change road textures
• Change ground textures
• Change skybox?
• Minecraft-like texture selection screen (with priorities)

[Cool_Z 1,547]

I voted texture, but I knew people would vote bridges, bridges are more "visible" but in the end it's the textures that do the job.

[Shroomblaze 320]

I voted texture, but I knew people would vote bridges, bridges are more "visible" but in the end it's the textures that do the job.

I voted bridges but both are good.

[Feindbold 1,190]

This is absolutly amazing, cant wait to do some winter themed textures.

[boformer 3,169]

The mod is ready: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=530816521

Short tutorial how you can create your own textures:

1. Get Mod Tools
2. Click on any placed building in the game.
3. Click the "Find in scene explorer" button
4. Expand the "BuildingInfo Info" node (first entry in scene explorer)
5. Scroll down and expand "UnityEngine.Material m_lodMaterial" (that's the LOD texture)
6. On the right click the "Dump .png" button to save the LOD textures you want:
   1. "_MainTex" is the diffuse map
   2. "_XYSMap is the normal map
   3. "_ACIMap is the combined Alpha, Color, Illumination Map
7. Now scroll down further and expand the "UnityEngine.Material m_material" (that's the detailed texture)
8. On the right click the "Dump .png" button Save the detailed textures you want

You will find the dumped textures in "Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Cities_Skylines". The textures are prefixed with "rt_dump_".Example:

• Detailed: rt_dump_3x2_Blockhouse.png, LOD: rt_dump_3x2_Blockhouse_LOD-3x2_Blockhouse_LOD-rgb.png
• Detailed: rt_dump_4x3_Blockhouse.png, LOD: rt_dump_4x3_Blockhouse_LOD-4x3_Blockhouse-rgb.png

Now edit the textures using Photoshop or Gimp. I recommend you to use alpha masks and multiple layers to separate the regions you want to edit. That will save a lot of work if you want to create another texture pack. Save the texture as psd or xcf.

To get the textures into the game, create the folders textures\buildings\ in the game directory, so that the path to your textures is "Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Cities_Skylines\textures\buildings\"

Save the textures as png.

For vanilla assets, use the same name as the dumped textures, just without the "rt_dump_". Example:

• Detailed: 3x2_Blockhouse.png, LOD: 3x2_Blockhouse_LOD-3x2_Blockhouse_LOD-rgb.png
• Detailed: 4x3_Blockhouse.png, LOD: 4x3_Blockhouse_LOD-4x3_Blockhouse-rgb.png

For custom workshop assets, use the workshop id of the asset (e.g. 530816521, found in the title bar of your browser)

• Detailed: 530816521-rgb.png, LOD: 530816521_LOD-rgb.png (diffuse)
• Detailed: 530816521-xys.png, LOD: 530816521_LOD-xys.png (red + green channel: normal, blue channel: specular)
• Detailed: 530816521-aci.png, LOD: 530816521_LOD-aci.png (red channel: alpha, green channel: color, blue channel: illumination)

Restart the game. Your textures should now appear ingame.

I will create another tutorial how to publish a texture pack and how to modify the color variations of the game soon.

  Edited November 7, 2015 by boformer  

[Darf 1,439]

Awesome work! 

[boformer 3,169]

I started working on a Winter pack: https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/66883-show-us-what-youre-working-on/?do=findComment&comment=1593926

[dedgren 830]

Amazing stuff.  It would be great, though, if there was a straightforward place (read: non-techgeek friendly) where the internals of modding like this could be posted for those interested in giving it a try.  I was lucky enough to have Tarkus as more or less a personal coach when I learned to do SC4 transit puzzle pieces, but C:S seems much less accessible in that regard.

[boformer 3,169]

I reported the missing textures bug: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/missing-textures-and-wrong-corner-settings-of-vanilla-buildings.889336/

[boformer 3,169]

Here is a little use case of the mod:

I added an illumination texture to Naskko26's Empire State Building (which was now deleted from the workshop).

These kind of nightlights can be added to any building. The quality depends on the texturing technique that was used when the asset was created.

I'm still too lazy to write the documentation, but I updated the brief tutorial with some new infos how to modify custom assets.

What is still missing is the documentation how to create texture packs. I will write it on request.

Here are the 2 ACI textures used for the illumination below.

Unfinished LOD:

 

  Edited November 7, 2015 by boformer  

[Kaschperl 92]

I don't like bumping old topics but I have a question I'd like to ask concerning the Resource Replacer mod: I want to use it for merely changing some of the vanilla building's colour variations rather than replacing textures, but I'm quite lost since there are no instructions on how to do so. I tried editing the mMaterial "_ColorVx" variables using Mod Tools, but without success, and I'm not aware of where the Resource Replacer would come into play to make changes permanent. I'd be happy to get some advice!

(Moreover I hope it isn't just me suffering from temporary blindness not seeing the obvious answer, but I've spent some time on trying to figure out what to do :P)

[boformer 3,169]

On 17.12.2015 at 4:30 PM, Kaschperl said:

I don't like bumping old topics but I have a question I'd like to ask concerning the Resource Replacer mod: I want to use it for merely changing some of the vanilla building's colour variations rather than replacing textures, but I'm quite lost since there are no instructions on how to do so. I tried editing the mMaterial "_ColorVx" variables using Mod Tools, but without success, and I'm not aware of where the Resource Replacer would come into play to make changes permanent. I'd be happy to get some advice!

(Moreover I hope it isn't just me suffering from temporary blindness not seeing the obvious answer, but I've spent some time on trying to figure out what to do :P)

There is no documentation. Right now I don't have the time, but here are the basic steps:

Raw text of all files: https://gist.github.com/boformer/cbb48900700f74ea8d27

In your local mods folder, create a new folder "ResourcePackXYZ123". In that folder, create a file named "RessourcePack.xml" with content like this:

I think it is quite self-explaining how it works.

Now create a new folder "Source" and create a file "Mod.cs":

The .cs file creates a minimal mod (similar to creation of building theme or terrain theme). The name and description are displayed in the content manager.

To add custom textures to your theme, create a folder "textures". Inside of that, create a folder "buildings" and place the png files in the folder.

Here is a complete example mod as a zip file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/g9poummh5u1a061/ResourcePackRealisticEuropean.zip?dl=0

 

[Kaschperl 92]

Great, that'll help, thank you so much. I'll try it tomorrow!

[Lookii 2]

Is the Better Bridges Mod now dead or will you continue working on it? I would really like to make custom bridges 

[boformer 3,169]

No. I'm working on it right now. It will be a part of the Network Skins mod:

 

[boformer 3,169]

Resource Replacer has been updated for Industries. There is also a new Live Reload feature. It's still experimental, but could be useful for people who want to improve their textures without reimporting the asset all the time.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=530816521

 

 

[Bad Peanut 826]

On 27/12/2015 at 10:19 AM, boformer said:

No. I'm working on it right now. It will be a part of the Network Skins mod:

 

what would be the difference between this bridge mod addition to network skins and say making a mod that's more like a UI that finds the bridge/elevated versions of networks (like we can create in the road editor) it would be cool to say make a network with the usual number of elevations inside the 1 prefab but have a naming policy for a secondary/tertiary etc "elevated" elevations and the mod would pick up on the extra elevations inside the one subscription/similar names and pop up a UI menu that allows you to select which bridge/elevated prefab to use.

eg:

make a network called "Highway expressway" and it has ground, tunnel, slope, elevation, bridge. This would be a single upload to the workshop as a normal item that people can download. It would remain singular if people chose not to add additional bridge versions.

Then asset creators come along and upload another workshop item that acts as an addon to the original network. this would comprise of a prefab that is only elevated or bridge and is set to "procedural" placement so it doesn't turn up in the normal menu and clutter. When asset creators upload this additional bridge they add an xml that the bridge UI mod reads, which states which original network the bridge is compatible with ie: "[steamid].Highway expressway_Data" and so when the original network is chosen the UI pops up and has a drop down list that you can select any addon network that has an xml for that road and it will replace the default bridge version with the addon selected.

xml file could also specify vanilla roads by name so you could have addons that would pop up for the vanilla roads too.

I'm aware that you probably don't need xml files anymore and could create a script or something to write the necessary data into the addon network in the editor...

[AmiPolizeiFunk 446]

lol 3-yr old thread necro has me reading about better bridges 

[Avanya 2,605]

Now to remember what buildings I wanted to replace textures for some months back. I never got around to check if the mod still worked, so never did anything further. Now that it's updated, there's no excuse!

[boformer 3,169]

There's a a collaboration between me and Lennep on Steam. He's been working on a retexture for the euro high density assets. I hope that we will be able to release a memory-optimized texture pack (doesn't increase RAM consumption, loaded within a second, shared textures, applied to default assets) some time in the future. The mod is just a toolbox to create such a texture pack.

If you want to help, please contact me. Only some basic Photoshop/gimp skills are required. And a lot of time...

 

[boformer 3,169]

@BadPeanut

Such a mod would definitely be possible and could even be a part of NetworkSkins. XML files are not required because we now have the ability to save the extra data in the crp file.

It would be awesome to have a a tool that also supports advanced bridge networks that consist of multiple distinct segments, like the golden gate bridge.

It's a good idea, though after all the only benefit would be reduced clutter in the menu. Is it worth it?

[Bad Peanut 826]

10 hours ago, boformer said:

@BadPeanut

Such a mod would definitely be possible and could even be a part of NetworkSkins. XML files are not required because we now have the ability to save the extra data in the crp file.

It would be awesome to have a a tool that also supports advanced bridge networks that consist of multiple distinct segments, like the golden gate bridge.

It's a good idea, though after all the only benefit would be reduced clutter in the menu. Is it worth it?

Probably not worth the time in coding it no.

[bsquiklehausen 190]

On 1/5/2019 at 9:32 PM, boformer said:

 

It would be awesome to have a a tool that also supports advanced bridge networks that consist of multiple distinct segments, like the golden gate bridge.

It's a good idea, though after all the only benefit would be reduced clutter in the menu. Is it worth it?

I'll gladly help out as much as I can with my current Golden Gate for testing! Not only would it help with reduced clutter, it would make sure people are able to build their bridges properly, easily - I see a lot of people who have missed out on some of the features of my bridges like the anchorage segments, and an automatic way to make the extra large bridges buildable would be great. It'd also allow even more complex and large structures - the current Golden Gate and Bay Bridges are at about 2/3 scale, to allow for more simple construction (Golden Gate to scale would require A, B, C, D, E, and F suspension segments, which is way too complex!)

Let me know if I can help, and how much I can help!