How to: Change EA Painting Image & Default Patterns & Add New Images by orangemittens

What this tutorial covers:

1. Change the default image on an EA painting.
2. Change the default pattern settings on an EA painting frame.
3. Add new images to the painting for a painting with multiple images.
4. Create a new painting with your images based on a custom content painting.

There is no meshing involved in any of these processes. The same steps described here can be used on objects other than paintings.

What you will need:

1. s3oc - Get it here: http://www.simlogical.com/ContentUploadsRemote/uploads/190/index.htm  Pick the Easy Installer Version and install according to the directions.

2. Texture Tweaker Tool (TTT) - Get it here in the third post in the thread: http://www.simlogical.com/ContentUploadsRemote/uploads/625/index.htm  Install according to the directions.

3. An image editor of your choice.  I use Paint Shop Pro but Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET and others will work just as well.  This tutorial assumes you know how to use your image editor to save images as .dds.

Cloning the Painting

1. Open S3oc and click Cloning in upper left corner.  Choose Normal objects from the drop down menu.



2. Once the list assembles scroll down until you find PaintingModern and then left click on it so a blue line shows up across it.



3. Click the Clone or Fix button on the lower right side of the screen.



4. On the right hand side fill in the new catalog name and description you want for your painting and change the price if you want.  Leave the other boxes alone and do NOT click the Replace button by the thumbnail.



5. On the left hand side make sure your Renumber/rename internally box and your Enable compression box are both checked.  Change the Unique name of the painting to something...well...unique.  Most people use their creator name followed by the type of object it is and the name of it.  To be extra safe you could add the date.  Once you've finished click the Start button.  When the pop-up box shows up, navigate to your working folder and click the Save button. Close s3oc.



Changing the Painting Image

1. Open up the Texture Tweaker Tool(TTT) and in the upper left corner click File and choose Open from the drop-down menu.  Navigate to where you saved your painting and double click on it to open it.  Your screen should now look like this:



Select the CASt presets tab:



and the upper left portion of your screen should now look like this:



2. Click the blue pencil that is to the right of the word Overlay.  Click on the Export to edit button when the pop-up box appears.  Navigate to your working folder and save the IMG .dds there.  You can name it whatever you want. Click Ok in the pop-up box to close it.  Close or minimize TTT.



3. Open the IMG .dds in the image editor of your choice.  Figure out the size of the EA painting image by cutting out the part you want to replace.  In this case the size is 189 x 263.

4. Resize your image so it is the exact same size and paste it onto the .dds.  Move it so it lies directly over the EA painting image.



5. Merge all layers and save as a .dds interpolated alpha (DXT5)



6. Open or bring up the minimized TTT.  Click on the box over the EA painting image to get the pop-up box again.  This time select the Import to overwrite box.  Select your saved, edited .dds and click Ok on the new box that pops up.  Then click the OK button in the lower right corner of the pop-up box.



7.  Click the Commit button and then File and Save.



Now you can either move on to changing the default frame pattern or put your painting in your mods folder and check it in the game.

Changing a Default Pattern 

1. Open up TTT and then open the painting .package as before.  If you haven't closed TTT after changing the image you can simply proceed to step 2.

2. Click on the preset you would like to change in the upper left hand corner.  Preset 0 is the one you see when you buy the painting without making a specific selection of frame.  For this tutorial we're going to change Preset 1 which is the second choice of frame pattern in Buy mode.  To do this first left-click the arrow next to the words Preset 0 and left-click on Preset 1.



3. Over on the right side you will notice that the wood square has changed color.  Click on the little box to the right of it that has 3 dots in it.



4.  A large pop-up box will appear.  Left click on the box that says Pick on it.



5.  The ComplatePicker pop-up will appear and has all the EA patterns you can choose from listed on it.  If you want to browse by category you can click the Category button.  If you prefer an alphabetical list you can click the Name button.  To pick a pattern you left click on it and hit the OK button.



6.  The ComplatePicker pop-up will then close and the larger pop-up shows the new pattern.  If you don't like it repeat step 5 to find one you want.  If you would like to change the color you can play around with the HueShift, SatShift, and ValShift numbers until you get one you like.  You must click out of the box you've changed to see what color results from your change. It will be reflected on the square pattern swatch to the left of the numbers you're changing.



Note: some of the patterns have a number in the Color box instead of in the HueShift, SatShift, and ValShift boxes.  To change these colors you must left click on the Color number and pick a new color or create a custom color using the Color popup box.



7.  When you have the pattern you want in the color(s) you want it in click Done in the upper right corner.  The large pop-up will close and you will see your new pattern has replaced the EA default pattern that was there.  Before making any other changes click the Commit button and then click File and Save.  If you do not Commit before moving on to another pattern choice your work will be lost.  In the case of this painting there is only one default pattern per Colorway.  Other items will have up to 4 default patterns you can change.

8.  After saving all your pattern changes close the TTT and check your painting in game.

Adding Multiple Images to a Painting

1. Open Texture Tweaker (TTT) and open the tutorial painting you made using the first painting tutorial.

2. In the upper left corner, click the down arrow next to the word Preset 0 to get a drop-down menu.  From that menu select Preset 1 and then click the blue pencil to the right of the word Overlay as you did in the steps above.



3. The image editor pop-up will appear.  First click Use Copy then, right after that, click Export image to edit as before. Navigate to your working folder and save the .dds there using a different name than you used in the first tutorial.  Something like Second_Image works.



4. Open the freshly saved .dds in your image editor.  Paste your new image on it and slide it into place so it completely covers your old image.

5.  Merge the layers and save as DXT5 - Interpolated Alpha.

6. Bring up TTT again and make sure you have Preset 1 open.  Click on the number above the image again and select Import to overwrite. Navigate to where you saved the image in step 3 and open that image.  Click ok when the message box pops up and then click OK in the lower right corner of the Image Editor pop-up box.



7.  Click Commit.  If you don't do this, and go on to add another image, the work you've done will be lost.  If you plan to add more images move on to step 8.  If this is the only new image you add click File and choose Save.



8.  Repeat steps 2-7 for Preset 2 making sure you Commit between each change you make to a Preset.  Remember, if you don't Commit you will lose your work.  Now all three of the painting selections in Buy mode have been changed.  Click File in the upper left corner and choose Save to save the changes you've made.  You can stop here or continue to add even more image choices to the painting by going on to step 9.

9.  Go back to Preset 0 and click the Duplicate button.



10. Go to the Preset drop-down again and select Preset 3 which has now been added to your package.  Click on the number above the image and select Use copy as you did for the previous Preset changes. Then select Export image to edit and name the image something like Fourth_Image.



11.  Edit the image in your image editor as before.  Then, back in TTT, click on the number above the image and choose Import to overwrite as you did before.

12.  You can add more images to the painting by following steps 9-11.  Be sure to name the exported image something different if you're putting it in the same folder as you put the other images in.  Make sure to click Commit between each image you add.

Test in-game to see your new painting with multiple images. 



What If I Want To Recolor A Custom Content Painting?

*Before you share a painting made this way be sure the person who made the mesh allows their meshes to be shared.*
  Note: To the best of my knowledge, this method will not work directly on objects made with TSRW.

1. Make a copy of the custom item by right clicking on it and choosing copy.  Paste the copy in your working folder.

2. Right click on the copy and rename it to what you want your new painting name to be.



3. Open s3oc and choose File in the upper left hand corner.  Choose Open Package in the dropdown menu which appears.  Navigate to your working folder and open your renamed painting .package.

 

Note: you'll notice the old name on the left hand side.  Don't worry about this because you will change that.

4.  On the right hand side click the button that says Clone or Fix.



5.  The screen will change.  On the right hand side you can change the Catalog Name, Catalog Description, and the Price as shown in the picture below.



6.  Once you're done making those changes:
   1. click the Renumber/rename internally box on the left hand side of the screen.  This will cause the Unique name field to turn white. 
   2. Change the name there to something unique.  Most people use their creator name followed by the type of object and the object's name.  To add even more uniqueness you can add the date. 
   3. Then hit the start button.



7.  Give the cloner time to update your package and then click Ok in the box that pops up.  Close the cloner.

8.  Now open the Texture Tweaker tool and open your new painting.  Proceed to change the images as described above for the EA painting.

What if I want to add non-tiling textures to objects that don't have them?

To do this you clone the object as usual and export the empty overlay.  You can edit this one and the put your edited version in the .package the same way you put your new painting image into the painting .package.  If you want to add others you'll need to be sure to take the checkmarks out of the little boxes over each stencil overlay.  This will disenable the stencils.  If you don't do this your object will continue to show the first new image you added rather than the additions you put in after that.

If you have any questions about portions of this tutorial please post them in the thread :)

Click here to go to original support thread...