Q: How to introduce new palette categories......

[Legacy_TheStoryteller01]

               ....and make new items appear there.

I've done several hours of reading tutorials, most natably the CC Guide by Sacatecca.

While all tutorials are really good at explaining how to create CC they mostly end with something like "and now you can use these ressources in your module with the appropriate creation wizard".  I t's probably just me but I still have no clue whiche files I have to edit to make new models appear in the custom palettes, less how to create new palettes. I have my placeables.2da file ready but obviously it does not contain column referencing to the palette.

I know I could always do an .erf file for me and others to use but that's only plan B.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               The question is are you wanting to know how to add new items to the palette or are you asking how to add new categories to the palette? By this I mean as an example do you wish to add say a new sword to the weapons or do you want to add a new class of weapon say siege engines that your new weapon is displayed under. Note it doesn't have to be anything weapon related, I have just used those to illustrate the question I am asking. It could be you want to add a new placeable or category of placeable. the question would still remain the same.

TR
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TheStoryteller01]

               In fact I would prefer to introduce a new custom palette category because I am working on a d20 hak but if thats too much effort and/or to dangerous to mess things up with, I'd go for adding placables/items to existing custom palettes. '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Step 1: Tool
To edit the palettes you need a special tool: GFF Editor
I think this is found in the Util directory of your NWN install. If it is not there, you can download an enhanced version from the Vault: Modified GFF Editor

Step 2: Getting a Palette Definition File

• There are ways of getting the palette to work on. I usually open up a module in the toolset, then look in the temp0 directory and copy the files I want out of there. You can also look for the palette defintions in NWN's game data using NWNExplorer.
• The first thing to know is that you want an .itp file type
• The next thing to know is that the file name should end with pal. This is a convention used for palette definitions.
• For item palette defintions grab itempal.itp

Step 3: Edit the Palette Definition File in GFF Editor

• Grab itempal.itp and drop it on GFF Editor
• The file will open and display as a hierarchical tree
• You may want to read various threads if you are afraid of experimenting
• Once you are done you stick the palette definition file in the Top HAK of your module, then rebuild the module with the Palette option checked.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               Sorry about the delay but the battery in my mi-fi ran out and I had to recharge. Anyway here is a link to the tutorial that I used when I created Map Mats. The tutorial is by MDA on his The Brotherhood of the Realm site.  The only change I would make is to use the  Modified GFF Editor that Henesua suggested (and has provided a link to).

TR
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TheStoryteller01]

               Thanks for the answer, both of you. The GFF Editor is really neat and I think I will be able to create my own palettes now.

But somehow it still seems to end with "Now you can add all your stuff int the new palett entries in your module"

What I really want is to edit all the necessary files without even opening the toolset (apart from testing). The hak will have 150+ placables in the end and I hope there is a way to do the editing without  creating a module first.

 I thought there is a connection between the StrRef in the placeables.2da and the StrRef in the plceablepla.itp but obviously there is none, most 2da entries from d20 have no number in the StrRef at all.

So where in Oghmas name is the place to tell a placeable in which palette it should show up?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par TheStoryteller01, 21 septembre 2013 - 07:03 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Storyteller, my instructions were for palette category defintions. It sounds like you also want to recreate the Palettes themselves.

BTW:
STRREF is a reference to the index of a TLK file. It is short for String Referrence. If you don't want to use TLK referrences you have to use cexostrings and not have any STRREF's in that particular entry on the palette.

However if you want to create a standard or custom palette and fill it up with blueprints, you need to edit a different file of type ITP. The Stamdard palettes can be your guide. Check out itempalstd.itp. This is full of the standard bioware items. You can add to that one if you want.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               TheStoryteller01 you will *have* to use the toolset in order to create the item blue prints that then go into the erf that you create to go along with the hak. Also as you are making placeables you will need to edit placeablepal.itp to get your new categories in the first place. You can use the module that you create to test each item as you add it into the placeables blueprints. You ask where is the place to tell the placeable where to show up. The answer is the toolset as each item blueprint has a reference which tells the toolset where it is to be displayed as far as I know.

TR
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Tarot Redhand, 21 septembre 2013 - 07:56 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_TheStoryteller01]

               I am sorry, I probably posed my question in the wrong way putting all the emphasisis on creating custom palettes.

What seems to be much more complicated is this:

I have renamed and renumbered the nwncq-scifi placables and merged them with the placeable.d2a from the d20 hak. I can use them all with the wizard and then store the newly created placeables in existing custom palettes (or new ones, now I know how to make them). I can then make a module or an .erf file for me and everybody else to use (provided they use the D20 2.0/CEP and nwncq-scifi hak as I do while creating the erf/module).

But I would rather create a hak that allready lists all the placeables in (new) custom palettes. So there has to be a file somewehere, that I can edit to make the placeables appear in the palettes. But I can't seem to find it....
               
               

               

                     Modifié par TheStoryteller01, 21 septembre 2013 - 07:59 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Anyone who imports the ERF will get the blueprints you filled the ERF up with.

However if these blueprints are in a custom category, and the end user does not have your palette definitions, They won't be able to see your work, as far as I know.

If you are delivering these in a HAK, you need to put the custom palette defintion and the blueprints in the HAK.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               You make all your blueprints as part of a module in the toolset with your new/updated haks.  Save often. '>

Once you have all your blueprints made, keep the module open in the toolset.  Open your NWN/modules/temp0 folder.  It contains all of the module resource files for the currently open module.

If you sort the list by file type, you can find all of the .utp files...these are the blueprints for placeables.  Copy all of the files you want to another folder, then close your module.

Open your hak with the new palette file(s) in it, then put all those blueprint (.utp) files in the hak and save it.

Now, any module you add that hak to in the toolset will (after you do a "build") should have both the new palette(s) and the blueprints you made in your original module.

Just keep in mind that while you can open hak-stored blueprints in the toolset via the "edit" option when you right-click on them, the changes won't be saved to the versions in the hak...and the game will use the hak version rather than the updated version in the module itself.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TheStoryteller01]

               

henesua wrote...
However if these blueprints are in a custom category, and the end user does not have your palette definitions, They won't be able to see your work, as far as I know.

It workes for my .erf files in NWN2 but NWN is probably different.

However that was not my first choice anyway. I've been checking out  the d20 haks with GFFeditor, NWhak and NWNexplorer for over ab hour now, I just can't find a file that connects the placeables with the corresponding palettes.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               The file is the custom pallete, but you shouldn't worry about that. Do as both TAD and I have suggested.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TheStoryteller01]

               Excuse me if I sound like a complete noob but assuming I don't create any new palette categories and just want to add new placeables to existing (custom) categories, I still don't find any hints (neither in the posts nor the tutorials) how to make the new placeables appear in the palette without adding them inside the toolset.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               If you import via ERF, the placeables will show up on the palette.

If you put the blueprints in a HAK, and then rebuild the module (including the palettes) they will show up in the palettes.