I'm currently trying to figure out how most of a HUD goes together, sort of a side-project in case I ever want to make one from scratch. I'm using the CMT SPv3 HUD as a reference, and trying to customize it a little bit - mainly add weapons that they didn't have, like the pistol or rocket launcher.

Well, I have the hud_icons images all set up and changed to what I want, but in the original .bitmap tag, it shows as a sequence of bitmaps (similar to the original, or to hud_reticles_combined). I was always under the impression that a sprite had to be used to get a sequence of bitmaps?

I tried compiling this .tif



as a sprite, since it being vertically aligned (and yes, the blue border is 0,0,255) should mean it is sequenced, but I get the "cannot extract sprites without valid plate" crap, even though I have a complete border around every image individually as well as a whole, and it's the correct color. Dafuq?

Also, I'm not even sure if I should use it as a sprite, since in the original CMT .bitmap, it's set to 2D texture and not to sprite or interface bitmaps at all - but the overall size of the sequenced bitmaps together is 256x740, which definitely is NOT a power of two....

I'm very confused, any help would be awesome, thanks
Edited by NeX on Jan 20, 2014 at 02:11 PM

I don't think you need it as a sprite.

and cut off that white spot on the bottom and fill it with blue

I fixed the white with blue, compiled it from scratch as 2D texture, and wind up with a non-sequenced bitmap - it's just the image you see there that I posted (with white->blue)

and I just get the non-power of 2. I understand the concept of powOf2, but why is it that the original is the same size with the same format, and somehow was able to be compiled? THat's what I really am not getting. I'm trying to figure out how it went together, not jerry-rig it to "work" per se. I want to use the same size .tif to get the same resulting .bitmap tag.

So if I wanted two images of 256x64 on top of one another, it would be an overall size of 258x131, two pixels of width for the two 1px blue borders on the sides, and three 1px blue borders both on top and bottom and one to separate the images?

When making cubemaps I just have each face in its own layer, with no blue borders.
They always compiled fine. Do sprites act the same?

I've always made cubemaps using the T-shape design. I've never heard of anyone doing it with layer per face, but that's probably a hell of a lot easier to do with photoshop than to lay them out in a T. I'll have to give that a shot as well!

In my experience, the T shape gave me the least number of problem to deal with.

The layers were positioned in the halo style "T" as opposed to the standard horizontal cross.
But there was no blue borders .
1 background layer all blue.
6 image layers all positioned properly.
Compile.
Change type in guerilla.
Compile again.

This is how i have my cubes set up.
http://youtu.be/lljljRsF8oQ

Ok so for sprites you have to make sure the width and height are power of 2. Example is 256 x 64. Then you got to make sure each bitmap you have is power of 2 with at least 1 pixel between each bitmap that is 0,0,255 blue. Now, compile in tool as tool bitmaps (directory of bitmap folder like hud/ui/bitmaps/weapons). After that if there is no bitmap there it'll give you a error to which you have to open the bitmap in gurella, and change to sprites 32 bit, bitmap size the size of your width. And then how many bitmaps all together you have. And finallybthe mimmap count to 1. Recompile and if you did it right no errors should happen.

As these are icons on the HUD I'll make them with 0 mipmaps, that way people running at a lower texture quality won't see fuzzy bullcrap on their screen. With shader environments/shader models that's fine, but not on the HUD

I have to check more on mipmaps but I always put it to one because I don't want to create more memory, if I remember setting to 0 is giving it a unlimited range. Meaning creating a lot of mipmaps. Idk I have to explore it more.
Edited by Choclate Thunda on Jan 21, 2014 at 03:53 AM

Alrighty. Here we are again, I fixed the image appropriately so that each icon was its own 256x64 image, surrounded by a 1px blue 0,0,255 border on every side.

Here's the image:


Same issue.

Skipping bitmap with non-power-of-two dimensions (#258x#716#1)

That's the exact scenario I presented (and was met by a collective "duh, do that"), so I'm a tad perplexed as to what the issue is now.

From what I've read (here and elsewhere, even on this thread) it does NOT need to be a sprite - the blue borders should do the trick because "tool doesn't even recognize 0,0,255 as being part of the image". Well, the fact that it pulled the two 1px borders to know that it was 258 suggests otherwise, so...

now what? I'm more lost now than I was, since those solutions made sense, but after doing everything that was recommended I'm still at square 1

Did you try my way?

your way? You asked if sprites acted similarly to cubemaps, and then went on to how you compiled cubes. I didn't realize you actually wanted me to try a 2D texture compilation like a cubemap. I'll give it a shot, sure...do i save the .tif with layers?

so: 11 weapon icons = 12 layers?

background solid blue, all the icons on their own layer, meaning the rest of the layer is just the blue of the background? I'm just not sure on specificity, what you said was pretty interesting, but going about it is hard with such ambiguous instructions

Yes make 1 blue layer and have all images on separate layers.
don't make a border , have the layers completely cover the blue background

Sweet! I shall report back good sirs with results

Then ill post again so i won't have to check for edits

Newp. No go. Same problem. It has 12 layers, the background layer is solid blue (0,0,255), with the other layers positioned overtop so that with all layers active the blue cannot be seen.

skipping bitmap with non-power-of-two-dimensions (#256x#704#1).

More specific: do I need alpha layer, do I save the .tif with layers or as a copy, etc?

Nevermind, tried as a copy (without layers, etc) and still no go. I honestly am at a loss again. It kills me
Edited by NeX on Jan 21, 2014 at 02:31 PM

Did it actually make a .bitmap though?
I know it says it is skipping but it lies sometimes
no alpha is needed and yes save with layers
Edited by Maniac1000 on Jan 21, 2014 at 02:36 PM

No. well, It made a .bitmap but the preview shows blank box, no image was actually compressed, it just made an "empty" bitmap tag.
Yes I saved with layers, no I gave no alpha. So far the instructions have been followed to the letter

Looking at CMTs .bitmap for this, in the preview it's 11 images, all seperate "bitmap number"s in the dropdown, all with the blue border around them.

This is making me rage...why is something so simple such a pain in the ass. It's ridiculous, I can do this with PC tools in way less time. Unfortunately it's a lossy method. I find it odd that something as common as "hud icons" as a series of bitmaps is so hard to find a tutorial or resource for. Not mentioned in any of the tutorials on HUDs I found, everyone goes lazy and does it individually. Sure, I can just do that, but it's sloppy.

Change the bitmap type and recompile

To what? Sprites?
Tried that and got the whole "no valid plate" crap.

EDIT: Mootjuh says 1px blue border, 2px between sprites. I'll try that one too
Edited by NeX on Jan 21, 2014 at 03:31 PM

OK back to what i was saying before, you gotta go into Guerilla and edit the bitmap. Here:



Do it like that and recompile and it should work.

Nah, I got it. Just needed that 2px line between the images themselves, and a 1px border. Thanks for the help though, but all rep to Mootjuh for that. I would never have thought such a tiny little thing would make such a huge difference