Mod:Create Reskins

Modifying PC Dead Rising 2

Dead Rising 2 PC Mods Forum Performance guide Index of all mods on forum Tutorials Opening files to edit (Gibbed's) Debug mode Swap characters (model swap) Import models   Dead Rising 1 models Placing characters   Enlarging/resizing characters Create reskins Adding & removing items   Coordinates/rotation   Resize/enlarge items Changing text Weapon modifications Remove missing prop box List of what each file does All game items (items.txt)   Item animations (PyroEffect)     Bigfile.xml All game text All missions and cases (missions.txt)   Times of all missions   Mission breakdown All major packed files (big files)   datafile.big   Character models (npcs.big) Sgraph - animations HUD (game player's interface) Camera.txt (camera view) Lighting Zombie models Game rules (frontend) Cutscenes (cinematics.big) Environment   Royal Flush Plaza   Safe House   Americana Casino   Fortune City Arena Collision - controls solid surfaces Excel coordinates of all areas Tools Gibbed's tools Hex editor Other Ubtri's Mod Infinity Mode mod Zombie mode mod

Dead Rising 2
Cases and Missions • Characters • Weapons • Stores • Endings

These instructions were made for Dead Rising 2 ONLY. They probably work for other games, but have not been tested.

Modify BCT files

A Dead Rising 2 PC player can edit the color and style of any object in the game. You can extract and modify the textures from the game. There are two ways to get these textures back into the game:

• HEX EDITOR METHOD With several programs.
  • Benefits: Once created, no programs needed, which means the file can be shared with others who do not have Texmod.
  • Drawbacks: Minor programming required. Several programs needed, more step involved.
• TEXMOD METHOD With a third party program called Texmod. The Proboards modding community no longer uses Texmod.
  • Benefits: easier, no programming involved, only two program needed, texmod and gibbed's tools.
  • Drawbacks: Need Texmod to run the modification every time. Have to scroll through the different textures. No longer used by the community.

Hex Editor

Required programs

Package of downloadable tools. Needed to create a reskin: Gibbed's DeadRising2 Tools - for unpacking and packing the files. A Hex Editor, for editing the file header/top. (such as Ultra Edit a text editor, a better version of notebook) WTV.exe (Woody's Texture Viewer) - for determining how to save the modified skin. quickbms and script - coverts .tex files to .dds files xnview - view textures All of these programs can be downloaded from this one link.

Optional programs

Photoshop with Nvidia plugin.

Modify .tex file example

Example of how to modify a .tex file, changing the colors of Chuck's jacket. Instructions from Proboards.

Location of npcs.big 1. Navigate to data/model/npcs.big 2. Back up npcs.big

Unpack files with Gibbed's tools

3. With Gibbed's tools unpack npcs.big.

a. drag and drop npsc.big unto the unpack icon of gibbeds (gibbed's unpack icon may look differently on your machine) b. A black box pops up while the npcs_big folder is being created by gibbeds. The black box will eventually close. It will take a little time to unpack. c. A new folder is created called npcs_big

chest_default.tex found in the newly created npcs_big folder

Chuck's jacket: cr_jacket_cm

4. Open the newly created npcs_big folder and find the file chest_default.tex This .tex file controls the style and color of Chuck's jacket. We will be reskinning this file.

Saving a copy of chest default to new folder

5. Copy and save chest_default.tex to another folder for two reasons:

a: as a backup in case there are problems,

b: to later open with a hex editor for coding header.

chest_default_tex folder contents when opened with gibbeds:
cr_jacket_nm
tshirt_cm
tshirt_mask
tshirt_nm
cr_jacket_cm
cr_jacket_mask

6. with Gibbed tools in the newly created folder, unpack chest_default.tex, the following files will be in the newly created chest_default_tex folder:

cr_jacket_nm

tshirt_cm

tshirt_mask

tshirt_nm

cr_jacket_cm

cr_jacket_mask

Quickbms

7. Open quickbms.exe and find Dr2TextureConvert.bms. Click on Dr2TextureConvert.bms.

Quickbms

Dr2TextureConvert.bms

Quickbms

8. Select the file you want to convert, in this case chest_default.tex.

chest_default_tex folder contents when converted by quickbms.exe
cr_jacket_nm.dds
tshirt_cm.dds
tshirt_mask.dds
tshirt_nm.dds
cr_jacket_cm.dds
cr_jacket_mask.dds

quickbms.exe creates the chest_default_tex folder, the chest_default_tex has the following dds files:

cr_jacket_nm.dds

tshirt_cm.dds

tshirt_mask.dds

tshirt_nm.dds

cr_jacket_cm.dds

cr_jacket_mask.dds

If creating an environmental textures the files quickbms will not automatically convert these files into .dds files. See Mod:Enviroment#How to reskin environment files

Photoshop modify skin -- WTV determine file type

9. If you have Photoshop open the .dds and modify the skin, in this example we will be modifying cr_jacket_nm.dds.

File >> Open

Select the file to open

10. Before you save the modified Photoshop .dds file, open Woody's Texture Viewer (WTV.EXE) and see if the original dds you are modifying is DXT5 or DXT1.

DXT1

At the bottom left of the open Woody's Texture Viewer (WTV.EXE) it will have DXT5 or DXT1.

Photoshop save as dds	All possible Photoshop dds save settings
Dxt1 very top white box	Dxt5 very top white box

11. This is assuming you have the Nvidia plugin for Photoshop. If you have not downloaded and installed the Nvidia plugin, do it now. Then, in Photoshop, save the modified skin with the same DXT5 or DXT1 settings you determined with Woody's Texture Viewer.

The correct file type is DXT1.
Shown is the:
First: original file,
Second: DXT1 file, the same size as the original,
Third: DXT5 file, double the size of the original.

12. After saving the modified dds file, check the .dds file size to see if it is the same. Do this for every .dds you reskin. If it is a significantly different size, you choose the wrong DXT1 or DXT5 file type.

Hex Editor change header

13. Now with a hex editor such as UltraEdit:

cr_jacket_nm.dds, created by quickdms and

cr_jacket_nm created by gibbeds in your new folder you created.

cr_jacket_nm opened by gibbeds, copy the header

14. Copy the header of cr_jacket_nm.

15. Replace the cr_jacket_nm.dds (modified) header with the cr_jacket_nm (original) header.
16. Remove the .dds extension from cr_jacket_nm.dds, the file becomes cr_jacket_nm. Again check the filesize to make sure they are the same size. If it is the half or double the size you saved the dds with the wrong DX5/DX1 settings.

17. Copy and replace the modified cr_jacket_nm into the new folder you extracted with Gibbed tools, replacing the original cr_jacket_nm.

Gibbed's repack file

18. With Gibbed's tools repack the new chest_default_tex folder you created

19. Cut and paste the newly created chest_default_tex.big file in the npsc_big folder.

20. Change the file to chest_default.tex, Changing the extension from .big to .tex.

21. With gibbeds repack npcs.big and place it back in data/model

22. Restart the game.

Tip: If the skin looks more left or right inside the game you didn't copy & replace correct the header.

Texmod

The Proboards modding community no longer uses Texmod.

Required programs

• Gibbed's DeadRising2 Tools - for unpacking and packing the files.
• Texmod - Used to download textures and play the modified texture files in the game
• xnview - view textures

Gallery

Select the quickbms script to use. Dr2TextureConvert.bms

Select the .big or .tex file to convert

Select the folder where the extracted images will go

The script will run, unpacking all the .bct files and turning them into .dds files

If you have the Nvida extension on Photoshop, you can open the file in Photoshop.

See also

• data/datafile.big/outfit.cvs and clothingdatabase.csv in spreadsheet, lists the locations of all clothes on Chuck

External links

Tutorials

• Create direct skins without Texmod, Dead Rising 2 PC Mods
• (Temp Tutorial) How to make Reskins, Dead Rising 2 PC Mods, (2010).

Discussion

• Dead rising 2 mods Forum (TOOLS) Extract .BIG & Texture Rip, Dead Rising 2 PC Mods
• Extract .BIG & Texture Rip using QuickBMS, Dead Rising 2 PC Mods

Extensions

• NVIDIA dds extension for Photoshop, Nvidia.