NWNExplorer will not open Skyrim .DDS files

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Hi all

 

I have some Skyrim .dds textures and I tried to open them up using NWNExplorer but I get the following

Error Loading image

What can I use to open these .dds files?

I have Photoshop and got the .dds plug in for it but the look jacked up, they dont seem to be displaying correctly using my photo shop.

I tried using an online .DDS to .TGA converter but the texture didnt come out right.

 

Has anyone already done this? Am I wasting my time? I could use some help.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MerricksDad]

               

Have you tried the GIMP 2 plugin? It might support multiple codex.

 

https://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zwerkules]

               

Bioware dds is not standard dds. You can view the Bioware dds textures with NWNexplorer, but not standard dds.

You can view other dds textures with Irfanview. If it doesn't display them (like Bioware dds) chances are that those Skyrim dds textures also differ from the standard ones.

I have a program called ddsconv.exe which I downloaded with other software that enables windows preview of dds images. I got it long ago though and have no idea where it came from (might have been from nvida or ati). If you find it and install it, that program will appear in the context menu if you right click on a dds image and you can use it to quickly convert dds to tga.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               

You also might try xnconvert.  Simple to use and converts a huge number of image file format -- including dds.   Oh, and it's free.

 

http://www.xnview.com/en/xnconvert/

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Thanks for the help Merrick's Dad, Zwerkules, and 3RavensMore. I can now view the Skyrim .dds files, however the ones with _n at the end of the name isn't showing up correctly.

 

Example:

 

 

 

On the other hand the ones without the _n at the end of the name seem to show up just fine.

 

 

 

I'm not sure why this is happening, but I will be able to get about half of the .dds files any way.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Proleric]

               

The Skyrim textures with _n suffix are normal maps. Each is paired with a corresponding regular image to create a pseudo-3D texture in Skyrim. What you can see in the viewer looks correct.

 

I don't know if it's possible to convert normal maps to NWN bump maps, but the images you can convert are the important ones.

 

For completeness, here's my response to the same question on the vault:

 

   Spoiler
   

There is a subtle difference between the Bioware and Skyrim dds formats.

 

Now that Photoshop no longer supports tga or dds, I recommend XnConvert, a very general tool for reformating images.

 

XnConvert will convert Skyrim dds to almost any format you like (e.g. jpg, tga).

 

I also use it to convert tga to formats Photoshop can read (and vice-versa).

 

To convert from Skyrim dds to Bioware dds, use XnConvert to reformat as tga, then use the Bioware tool:

 

http://neverwinterva...dds-converte...

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

For completeness I also recommend XNView for actually looking at images and textures. It is better than irfanview in that it displays transparency (eg alpha) properly. In fact that was the main reason I switched to XNView. It handles just about any image file format (except nwn dds) you can throw at it and it is free and is made by the same people as XNConvert. This is the link to their website. It comes in flavours - minimal, standard and extended. I use the latter.

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Well I got 313 skyrim textures.

 

The Skyrim Textures are 1024x1024 in size should I keep them that way for NWN1 or resize them to 512x512?

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zwerkules]

               

Well I got 313 skyrim textures.

 

The Skyrim Textures are 1024x1024 in size should I keep them that way for NWN1 or resize them to 512x512?

That depends on how you're going to use them. If for example you texture a whole 10x10 meter ground plane with one texture, 1024x1024 is barely enough and 512x512 would look horrible. If you texture a small wooden box with a wood texture that is 1024x1024 that's too much and 512x512 would be more than enough.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Well I changed 313 Skyrim textures from .dds to .tga and packed them in a NWN1 .hak that is now 1.31GB in size. I was thinking of uploading this hak full of skyrim textures to the vault for others to use if they wanted.

 

So should I upload them to the vault? If so should I resize them to 512x512 before uploading them?

 

If not I can just keep them for myself, but I don't mined helping the NWN1 community in any way I can and I'm always willing to share any work that I do for NWN.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               

IMO, you should put them on the vault, but not in HAK format. I would group them into folders by type (e.g. "ground," "stone," "walls," etc.) Then package the folders into another "master" folder and package them into a .7z or .ZIP archive. That way people can just look at the TGA files and not have to worry about extracting them from a HAK.

 

I would also leave them in their original 1024x1024 size, allowing the end user more flexibility in deciding how best to implement them.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

Can I suggest that you also convert them to png. That would help with the file sizes. I always do all my texture work in png anyway, only converting to tga when I actually use them with models. the png format is lossless, is accepted by all the image viewing and editing programs and handles transparancy (whereas jpg does not).

 

I agree with Pstmarie with regards to keeping them the original size. If I need a smaller texture I can always either cut a section out or reduce the size. On the other hand there is a good chance that having to inflate them could degrade the image quality.

 

TR

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Thanks for all the help, insight, and suggestions.

 

Here is a link to the Skyrim Textures that I uploaded to the vault.

 

Skyrim Textures

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               

Nice collection of textures.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

Just one thing, a better link for paint.net is to the makers download page. No pups (pups = Potentially Unwanted Programs) on there. No dubious browser add-ons to untick.

 

TR