Hi.

Anyone know of any tutorials lurking around the web which describe the creation of a multipurpose map for the HEK?

Specifically a tutorial which leans towards creating one for a vehicle or weapon?

Maybe, This can help you : http://hce.halomaps.org/index.cfm?fid=6222

Much obliged dark & frosty but I'm already aware cheddars tut i'm looking for something a little more detailed and advanced..

I guess I'll check a few other halo modding sites.

That's for you : http://forum.halomaps.org/index.cfm%3Fpage=topic&topicID=38275

That helped.

Anything else that anyone knows of? (It doesn't have to be from this site)

Links if you please.

^this

Also

That's how I make multipurpose map: beware, I use Paint.NET, not Photoshop, and this is not the best method around, it is just one that I use because I discovered it and it works somehow, and the result pleases me. There are far more efficient methods, probably, but I have never seen them

1) Take the bitmap you use as texture
2) Turn it to black and white.
3) Adjust luminosity\contrast to what you like (remember to set it a bit high, for the final outcome will be darker than this)
4) Use the "curve" function to drop down the green channel to 0 in every pixel

This is for basic settings. For a better looking multipurpose, follow the next steps

5) Open your bump map
6) Turn it to black and white. Again, adjust luminosity and contrast
7) Paste it in a new layer on the old bitmap; as fusion method, I usually choose "darken", but there are many others: this will grant you a fake, though nice, bumping effect
8) Open the illumination bitmap in a new layer; fusion method depending on how is set (if the illum comes from Halo Reach, "normal" will work fine)
9) Use the curve function to remove both red and blue from this channel; only red will stay

After that, I make by hand all the adjustments are left to satisfy my taste (alpha, for example), and that's how I make my multipurpose bitmap. The final result is something like this for the Space Banshee from Halo Reach


Edited by rododoonceagain on Jan 25, 2015 at 12:46 PM
Edited by rododoonceagain on Jan 25, 2015 at 01:11 PM

Regular color change, reflections, intensity and self-illumination.

A good multipurpose map can really make an object outstanding.

Every pixel's color is made up of four parts, each one that goes from 0 to 255: a part of red, a part of green, a part of blue and a part of alpha (which controls how much transparent will that pixel's be); everything to 255 means pure, visible white, everything to 0 means transparent black.

In the multipurpose map, each component of the pixel's colour fills a role:

the red component controls how much the detail map will be visibile on that pixel (from 0 to 255, where 0 is not showing at all and 255 is perfectly showing)

the green channel controls how much is the pixel lit (pixels will be darker or lighter depending on the radiosity of the place they are in; an object in The Silent Cartographer will be lighter than the same object in the Truth and Reconciliation, because the latter's environment is darker; environment's light are created during the radiosity process described in the manual that comes with the HEK); a green channel of 255 means always lit, and thus its color won't scale with radiosity, a green channel of 0 means that it will always scale according to radiosity.

the blue channel controls how much the cubemap will be visible on that pixel, where a value of blue equal to 0 means not showing at all and a value of 255 blue means all, perfectly showing (for glossy effects)

the alpha channel controls how much the color of the base map in that pixel will scale according to the "change color" in other tags. In the unit's tag (biped and vehicles, for example) right down the "functions" section there is the "change color" section and the "permutation" section; an alpha of 255 (perfectly visible) means that there the color will be exactly set to what you set in the unit's tag (or actor variant tag, too), whereas an alpha channel of 0 means that its color won't be affected by any color permutation.

Truth. Here we have a multipurposed banshee vs a non multipurposed banshee. If no multipurpose map is set, the game thinks every value to be 1, which means always lit, always details showing, always fully reflecting and always fully changing colors, and you can clearly see the difference

I have to say guys.

Thanks a bunch for the wealth of info you guys have given me. Really it means alot for you guys to take however long it took for you to post for 1 random guy who you've never met before.

Thanks guys!

Oh btw. I know that cube maps help simulate reflection. But anyone know how to make one? And do they enhance the quality of a shader?

(Apart from simulating a little realism do they add to multipurpose maps in anyway?)

Again I'm flattered with what you have shared, I guess what I am reaching for is an updated HEK shader tutorial series which covers structures and objects.

I'd hate to seem like some sort of brat demanding more pudding, it's just I want knowledge.

But I have more than enough to think about with what has been and hopefully what will be posted in this thread so thank you again.