Textures
Textures are pictures that get projected onto 3D models and on a 2D user interface in the game. ZenGin uses its own texture format .TEX, that actually is a container for the texture in one of available formats. This section will discuss how to work with textures in ZenGin.
Note
Technical documentation of the .TEX texture format can be found in the ZenKit documentation.
Basics
All created textures have to be located in the _WORK\DATA\TEXTURES\ directory. The compiled .TEX files are saved in the _COMPILED\ subdirectory.
Here are some tips for working with Gothic textures:
- Textures must have dimensions that are multiples of 4.
- Square textures (with some exceptions, like faces or some interface elements) are preferred for easier mipmap generation.
- It is recommended not to use textures bigger than 4096x4096.
- Avoid things like
_V0,_A1etc. in the texture name endings, as suffixes like this are used for multitextures.
Formats
When working with textures in ZenGin, it is recommended to use the default texture format if you are unsure about other options. Many of the other formats are either unsupported or buggy in gothic. For transparency, DXT3 format should be used. For pure RGB colors, DXT1 format is recommended.
Tip
Formats like RGBA8888, BGRA8888, ARGB8888 and ABGR8888 are properly supported with the zSurface32 patch. Learn more about it in the 32 Bit texture support article.
Mipmaps
Mipmaps are pre-generated versions of textures at different levels of detail. They are used, to improve rendering performance and reduce aliasing artifacts. When engine converts the texture it automatically generates mipmaps. Other tools may handle it differently, so it's better to check it before conversion.
How it works?
If you want to learn more about mipmaps in ZenGin there is a great article by Gothic Reloaded Mod Team.
Engine compilation
By default, .tga files with a proper resolution are converted to .TEX files by the engine, when they appear in the game or a game is started with -convertall parameter. Also, you can convert textures to .TEX manually using one of the available tools.
The engine compilation may be affected by keywords in the texture name or directory.
Color depth
Textures are compiled by default with a color depth of 16 bits per pixel and needs 4 bits of memory per pixel. To force the engine to convert textures with a different color depth, you need to add an ending to the name of the texture or directory _16BIT or _32BIT. Using 16/32 bit images makes sense when there are visual problems or noise after compression, but they take up more memory.
Example: _WORK\DATA\TEXTURES\SKY\NOMIP_16BIT\CLOUDS.TGA.
nomip
By default, Mipmaps are generated for all textures. However, if the texture path contains the directory nomip, then a Mipmap will not be created for such a texture. It makes sense to use if you experience visual problems or interference associated with the use of Mipmaps, and also to save memory if the texture is rarely used in the game, or the texture is too small.
Example: _WORK\DATA\TEXTURES\EFFECTS\NOMIP\LIGHTNING.TGA
Tools
There are some tools created by the Gothic community, that simplify working with ZenGin textures.
GoMan
Oldest texture tool, created by PyroX. Has a good viewer, but there are already better alternatives.
GoTex
Simple converter, written by ThielHater. Implements features like custom mipmaps and popular image formats support.
zTEXiPy
Latest tool, developed by Shoun. Offers batch conversion, an intuitive viewer, and Windows context menu shortcuts.