Orange and Purple TF2 Skins -- WIP

[cougarmint]

Hey all --

I figured out how to rip vtfs so I am working on designing the skins for a request I made in this forum a few days ago... I apologize for sounding like a noob and not having the skins ready. Heh. ^_^

To make up for it, I put that project aside and started working on new skins. I know several people here have asked for the Orange and Purple TF2 skins, and to contribute to the community I've made that my top priority.

However, I would like feedback before I go on, mainly on the hues. Here is a WIP (Work In Progress) pallete of the Orange and Purple skins I am working on. My "victim" is the Demolitions guy with normal and invulnterable skins:

[IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cougarmint/e30654c6.jpg[/IMG]

Note this is low-qual. Photobucket has a nasty habit of that.

My first question is this: how do these look? I'd like to know before I skin the rest.

My other question is: can someone help me set these to a model when they are all done? I have no idea how to model or hex, but I can modify the skins and would be appreciative if you could help me with that, please.

Thanks,
Cougarmint.

[Hecates]

It looks to be going on the right direction.
The only thing I have to say to you is that you should not make the textures of the invulnerable characters from the 'invun.vmt' of them.
Haven't you noticed that they use the old BETA skins to make it? it will show up horribly and miss-matching as the originals do, 'cuz sometimes the drawing doesn't match the model. The same goes to the invuln heads.
Make them from your new reskins you're making. They will be much more clean.

For the model previews, download the Half Life Model Viewer. It's free and you can use it with all TF2 characters, weapons and props you would like to reskin.

[editline].[/editline]
I've decided to make a quick preview to you. I swamped the image you've posted and make them textures. They can look a little low quality, bu it's because of the original image been so small.

[img]http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5310/purpleu.png[/img]

[img]http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/7332/orangee.png[/img]

Notice that the invul effect still have a little blue/red on it.
You will need to make new cube maps to change this. They're the textures on the 'materials\Effect' folder (cubemapper.vtf and red_invul.vtf).
There's also two invul effects on the 'materials\models\efects\invulnerability' folder that you may also need to change. Not very sure about it.

[editline].[/editline]
Also, before I forget again, you should make them gibs skins to match the new team colors.

[cougarmint]

Thank you so much for your advice! I will look into the invulnerability thing and get that fixed; I think I have an idea as to the direction. As far as gibs, those will be the last I do particularly because they are going to be very hard to work around the blood with.

Do you think you could help me with with my own custom skins as well to port them to G-mod ragdolls?

Oh! And should I go ahead and do the weapons/hats/etc too?

[Hell-met]

purple is good, but orange looks far too much like red

might be my monitor though

[cougarmint]

It does a little, doesn't it? I'll tweak it a smidge... I just don't want to over-do it.

UPDATE:

Alrighty! I have the new work in progress sheet ready to go. Again the Demo was my test subject and taking your suggestions to heart, here's this:

[IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cougarmint/4c1edbc5.jpg[/IMG]

Again, please forgive the low quality. When I have them done I will be uploading the full hi-res tga and vtf files for you to set to the models.

Let me know what you think and I will start on the next character. (I can't wait until I can start on the medic one! hee hee! ^_^)

[Mikaxsus]

even though its low quality, i support this.

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=MiKaXsUs;24955411]even though its low quality, i support this.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! My final version will be the high quality stuff. All that needs doing is to set it to a model, which I am clueless on how to do.

Edit: Okay... this was the hard part for me: the Demo's gibs sheet. I had to resort to adjusting the color balances to keep the blood from turning green or something stupid like that. The colors are a tad brigher; I will try to tweak that. In the mean time, how is this?

[img]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/cougarmint/dd0553e6.jpg[/img]

Yeah, it's low quality... again. Stupid photobucket >_<

[Mikaxsus]

high def gibs...also u can try dev art for uploads. saves time and definition.

[Hecates]

You know that the gibs are also made off the Beta skins too? Well since the gib's models are Beta models too, we can say they fit it...
You could make a new skin for them using the clean one. it will have a much better quality too.
Take a look at this as reference: [url]http://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/89549[/url]

Aside it, they look really great IMO.

To make them into the models, you have just to import the files to the [url=http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/index.php?c=178]VTFedit[/url] and save with the same name of the original skin you're substituting.
Then, just put them on the right folders and go look on the HLmodel viewer.
But you should already know about it... ^^

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Hecates;24970251]You know that the gibs are also made off the Beta skins too? Well since the gib's models are Beta models too, we can say they fit it...
You could make a new skin for them using the clean one. it will have a much better quality too.
Take a look at this as reference: [url]http://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/89549[/url]

Aside it, they look really great IMO.

To make them into the models, you have just to import the files to the [url=http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/index.php?c=178]VTFedit[/url] and save with the same name of the original skin you're substituting.
Then, just put them on the right folders and go look on the HLmodel viewer.
But you should already know about it... ^^[/QUOTE]

I have VTF edit and that's how I ripped them. But I would like them made into separate ragdolls all together so that i wouldn't have to lose the original skins. Can you help me with this, or do you know of anyone who can?

[Hecates]

Oh. You want to import them to use them in Gary's Mod?
Well, unfortunately, if you want new separated models/ragdolls, I can not help with it. You will need someone to Hex them for 'ya.
You can also try to take a brief at Garry's Mod download content page and search for some pack of hexed t2 players as an addon. Maybe you will be able to use them.
Or I may be talking bullshit right now... :(

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Hecates;24980666]Oh. You want to import them to use them in Gary's Mod?
Well, unfortunately, if you want new separated models/ragdolls, I can not help with it. You will need someone to Hex them for 'ya.
You can also try to take a brief at Garry's Mod download content page and search for some pack of hexed t2 players as an addon. Maybe you will be able to use them.
Or I may be talking bullshit right now... :([/QUOTE]

I tried modifying a tf2 ragdoll download I found but to no avail.

Okay, I am a complete noob, and I apologize... but what exactly does hexing mean?

[Silver Spirit]

[QUOTE=cougarmint;24981052]I tried modifying a tf2 ragdoll download I found but to no avail.

Okay, I am a complete noob, and I apologize... but what exactly does hexing mean?[/QUOTE]

Hexing is changing the code within an MDL so that it can be named something different so it doesn't replace another file with the same name or so you can change the material paths so you can use different textures (or both).

[url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=880556[/url] - Tutorial

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Silver Spirit;24981975]Hexing is changing the code within an MDL so that it can be named something different so it doesn't replace another file with the same name or so you can change the material paths so you can use different textures (or both).

[url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=880556[/url] - Tutorial[/QUOTE]

Oooooohhhhhhh! I see! I feel stupid. I will look into that tutorial and possibly be able to hex them myself.... or ask Jason to help me.

I'm new to ALL of this... so forgive me if I seem like a n00b.

EDIT: Okay... I don't have the program for hexing. I will send my request to Jason and see what he has to say. Thanks, Silver. It makes so much more sense now (I have another thread that I'm trying to get help on but I guess I didn't have it worded right.)

[Silver Spirit]

[QUOTE=cougarmint;24982320]EDIT: Okay... I don't have the program for hexing. I will send my request to Jason and see what he has to say. Thanks, Silver. It makes so much more sense now (I have another thread that I'm trying to get help on but I guess I didn't have it worded right.)[/QUOTE]

np :D I did put a link to the hexing program I use in the tutorial.

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Silver Spirit;24982906]np :D I did put a link to the hexing program I use in the tutorial.[/QUOTE]

Okay... what files would you need to hex a set of skins I am ready to set to the model? I know you need the vtfs but do you need vmts as well?

[Silver Spirit]

[QUOTE=cougarmint;24988126]Okay... what files would you need to hex a set of skins I am ready to set to the model? I know you need the vtfs but do you need vmts as well?[/QUOTE]

I would suggest this:

-Alter the model names so they don't overwrite the original models.
-Alter the material file paths so they go to a different folder which you then put the material files extracted from the GCF in this new folder and change the paths in the VMTs to reflect the folder change (but not the names of the VMTs unless renaming the VMTs would be easier, but this is rarely the case).
-Then you put your new VTFs in the folder with the VMTs and if you have named them the same as the files the VMTs originally pointed to they should work.

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Silver Spirit;24989143]I would suggest this:

-Alter the model names so they don't overwrite the original models.
-Alter the material file paths so they go to a different folder which you then put the material files extracted from the GCF in this new folder and change the paths in the VMTs to reflect the folder change (but not the names of the VMTs unless renaming the VMTs would be easier, but this is rarely the case).
-Then you put your new VTFs in the folder with the VMTs and if you have named them the same as the files the VMTs originally pointed to they should work.[/QUOTE]

Okay... So.... alter the path name, but not the file names themselves.
So, for example:
Rename the path: "models/materials/MySkin/medic/medic_red" for the path.
Keep the skin files "medic_red.vtf" and "medic_red.vmt" the same.
Modify the vmt file itself to reflect: "models/materials/MySkin/medic/medic_red"
Then, go to the model itself to alter that path: such as from models/player/medic/medic.mdl to models/myskin/medic/medic.mdl
then rename the model like this: models/myskin/medic/my_medic.mdl

Then send to you or someone to hex.

Correct?

[KnightLight]

There's totally an offensive joke that could be made about the way demo looks like with the orange ubercharge.

I'm not saying it.

[Silver Spirit]

[QUOTE=cougarmint;24993793]Okay... So.... alter the path name, but not the file names themselves.
So, for example:
Rename the path: "models/materials/MySkin/medic/medic_red" for the path.
Keep the skin files "medic_red.vtf" and "medic_red.vmt" the same.
Modify the vmt file itself to reflect: "models/materials/MySkin/medic/medic_red"
Then, go to the model itself to alter that path: such as from models/player/medic/medic.mdl to models/myskin/medic/medic.mdl
then rename the model like this: models/myskin/medic/my_medic.mdl

Then send to you or someone to hex.

Correct?[/QUOTE]

That would work, but only if you were actually hexing it, if your getting someone else to do it you could specify to do that I suppose. Also the new names have to be the same length as the names you are changing, if they are then thats ok ^^

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Silver Spirit;24999457]That would work, but only if you were actually hexing it, if your getting someone else to do it you could specify to do that I suppose. Also the new names have to be the same length as the names you are changing, if they are then thats ok ^^[/QUOTE]

EDIT: Silver... Silver, I can't thank you enough. I am crying as I write this. You have not only given me the tools to complete the skin patching I need for my fanfic but also for the OTHER projects I am working on. If I had known it was so simple as to download a hex editor (and a pack of TF2 Ragdolls that someone uploaded to Garry's Mod) I would have done this long ago. If there is any static prop, such as a small poster, you would like, feel free to ask. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you so much.

Forgive me if I seem like a noob. All I know at this point is how to modify skins, not hex or modify models. The only thing I can do is create static props in KHED, and even then they aren't all that much -- I am creating custom logo posters for my fanfiction story.

[Silver Spirit]

np :D Happy to help, glad you've found a good use for it ^^

[cougarmint]

[QUOTE=Silver Spirit;25003196]np :D Happy to help, glad you've found a good use for it ^^[/QUOTE]

I also have a possible enhancement to your tutorial, I kinda discovered it after breaking one of my models by hitting backspace. heh. I am going to try it out and if it works, I will send you a PM on the enchancement. :)

And now that my personal project is done, I will be continuing my Orange and Purple project for the community... you can expect to see the Orange and Purple models up soon!

[cougarmint]

Update: I apologize that I haven't been working on these skins as I promised you guys -- I got very sick over the past few weeks and I just learned my dad's terminally ill, so I kinda buried myself back in my private project to take my mind off of it. It's been hectic here the past few weeks but I will have them done as soon as I can. Besides, I will need them for my own project soon enough.

Now, my question for everyone is... do you all want them hexed or do you want the textures to replace the ones you have currently? Or both?

[EksCelle]

I want them hexed, because these would be lovely for some GMod videos
Or is this dead?
If this is dead I'm going to break out on a fit of sadness >:c

[Slim Charles]

[QUOTE=EksCelle;30836585]I want them hexed, because these would be lovely for some GMod videos
Or is this dead?
If this is dead I'm going to break out on a fit of sadness >:c[/QUOTE]

Of course its dead, look at the last post date ITS FROM LAST YEAR OCTOBER, also you've bumped a dead thread, next time you see thread and you want to make a reply P.M. the OP