PNG based texture pack

[ellmo]

Hello there! Long time no see.

I have a question concerning texture packs based on 8-bit PNG, kept in a ZIP archive. Is it possible to view those files in a map editor's texture browser? AFAIK - none of the editors opens files other than WAD.

What I would like to do, is to use a ZIPPed texture-resource in Doom Builder in such way, that I can actually see the textures in the 3D mode.
The only thing I have though of so far, is to build a WAD resource with low-quality version of the same textures and with the same name, especially for editing purposes. When testing the map I would -file the proper ZIP resource.

Any way to overcome this small difficulty?

[Graf Zahl]

Sorry, but since the editor programmers apparently don't care there's not much you can do except repacking it as a WAD.

[ellmo]

Too bad, since the textures will loose their individual palettes.
Oh well, thanks Graf.

[Graf Zahl]

It's only for editing so that shouldn't be so bad.

[Enjay]

Too bad, since the textures will loose their individual palettes.

You can stick PNGs into a WAD without converting them to the Doom palette. Whether your editor would support them or not is a different matter.

[ellmo]

Too bad, since the textures will loose their individual palettes.

You can stick PNGs into a WAD without converting them to the Doom palette.

didn't know that.

I'm using DB, so it might see the PNG files. I'll try it when I have the resource ready. Thanks for pointing this out Enjay.

[Nash]

The non-Doom-palette PNG textures will most likely look weird in DoomBuilder, but do NOT worry. When you run the mod with GZDoom, it'll look pretty.

[Rex Claussen]

The non-Doom-palette PNG textures will most likely look weird in DoomBuilder, but do NOT worry. When you run the mod with GZDoom, it'll look pretty.

Actually, DB displays textures in .png format with no problems. I'm working with a wad that has .png format textures and I just checked - they all look fine.

[Nash]

Are you sure? Even 8-bit PNGs that are not in the Doom palette?

For a very long time, I have been working with two kinds of PNGs; 8-bit paletted PNGs (meaning they have they all have their own palette - NOT of Doom's palette), and 24-bit PNGs (true colour).

Both of those show up weird in DB.

[Rex Claussen]

Are you sure? Even 8-bit PNGs that are not in the Doom palette?

I just checked again. I am working with 8-bit PNGs that I had extracted from original sources without converting to the DooM pallette. I'd send you the wad with all the textures so that you can confirm what I'm talking about, but the file size is just too big. [Plus, it's a WIP that I'd rather keep to myself for now.] However, if you like I can send you one or two textures so that you can confirm it independently.

[Nash]

Hmmm, interesting. Can you PM me one of the PNGs?

[Rex Claussen]

Hmmm, interesting. Can you PM me one of the PNGs?

Done.

[Nash]

Received your file. Instead of replying to your PM, I will reply here so that other people may benefit from this information.

Look carefully at your PNG in an image editor and then in DB. You will see that DB actually reduces your PNG to the grays available in the Doom palette. You *THINK* it looks fine because either the difference is subtle or your monitor isn't calibrated properly.

Again, I ask you to compare the colour quality between the two really carefully. The original PNG file has a blue-ish quality to it, but in DB, it becomes a monotonous gray.

To confirm this, I edited the PNG by playing around with its hue and saturation to make it into something that is not in the Doom palette and lo-and-behold, inside DB, the texture's colours are reduced to whatever is available in the Doom palette.

[Rex Claussen]

Nash, you're probably right and I just hadn't looked closely before. Of course, DB's texture browser only displays small images, so that too could be influencing the way the image is perceived by an observer.

I stand corrected, and thanks for pointing this out.