SIMPE SimPE + Nvidia DDS Tools

I wish I knew more of what I am getting myself into with the cloning and recolouring of objects but for where I am right now I think I'm doing pretty well for myself. My main problem is that no matter what I do when my new textures appear in the game they are always much more blurry/smudged looking than what I had created initially and I would like to know why that is?

I have also heard of using DDS Tools with SimPE and that is supposed to help with the blurriness but I have no idea what settings to use.

Got the DDS Tools installed and SimPE knows where they are, but I don't really know how to use them. Tips, advice, links I'm game for any of it. Thank you.

X

Yeah, the textures turn out that way when you just replace them in the resource list. I assume that's how you've been doing it thus far?

With the DDS Tools, you use Build DXT instead. You do this by first selecting your texture in the resource list and then right-click on it in the Plugin View and choose Build DXT. Then you click "open image" and navigate to your texture as usual. Hit "build", wait for SimPE to do its thing, and then hit "commit" and save once the window has disappeared. When you check out your new texture in game, you'll see that it's no longer blurry.

One thing you'll want to pay attention to with Build DXT, is the format. DXT1 is used for solid textures; if you want your texture to be transparent, you'll have to use DXT3 (and also change the AlphaBlendMode in the TXMT to "blend"). DXT1 is compressed harder than DXT3, though, so personally, I prefer to use DXT3 for non-transparent textures as well.

oooooo. I missed this one - bah - coulda got an answer in. Anyway - just to add to the post above - even though the option is there, if you use Build DXT as you should, then DO NOT update all sizes. It erases all the Build DXT goodness you just added to the object.

Ah, is THAT how I screwed up my overlays? Ach, I should keep with the coding stuff... that's my thing!

Well that probably solved the problem, because I was just replacing the texture and not using DDS as well as updating all the sizes. DXT3 doesn't make file sizes too big does it?

well, it depends how big the object is really. If its a sofa or a crib or an object with a lot of texture detail go with DXT3. If its a small object you can usually get away with DXT1 - like a kiddy toy or something.

So say for example the default book or the money Sims use. I would use DXT1 and not 3? Would it also be safe to say NEVER update all sizes?

Unless you are making door or window wallmasks NEVER update all sizes.

On the money thing - as long as there are no alphas. Like NixNivis said - alphas = DXT3 or above.

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PS - I think NixNivis deserves the best answer (curses.......)

Sorreee, Lee. I just got so excited I knew the answer to this - I wanted to redeem myself for not being able to fix my lamp on my own. I'll back off now, I promise.

Nah - I just gotta be a faster fish off the block. I think you are just making these issues up to make me feel good . Wait til I try and animate something ...OMG.

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* leefish ponders making a helpers scoretable.... once we have twenty threads I will