Hello!
I took up modding Generals a few days ago. My current goal is to replace original Crusader model and texture with my own tank.

At first I made a simple model with simple textures to test my workflow, and it worked ingame:
http://i.imgur.com/GFatHrB.jpg 

After that I made a more serious model, but when I tried to test it ingame, the texture was not loading. Apart from that, the tank work as intended, it moves, shoots etc.
http://i.imgur.com/wrkvbh2.jpg 

The UV coordinates are there, when I check them in gmax:
http://i.imgur.com/qJwd3L4.png 

I place .W3D files in
\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour\Art\W3D\avleopard.W3D
\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour\Art\W3D\avleopard_D.W3D
and .dds texture in
\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour\Art\Textures\avleopard.dds

Can someone help?
Here are the files I used at the last try: (gmax, source .png texture, .dds texture and exported .w3d)
http://www.filedropper.com/abramsfiles 

BTW: Is there a free image to .DDS converter that works well on Win10 and makes files readable by ZH?
Right now a friend with Photoshop helped me, but I would like to have the option to convert the images by myself.

Well looked at it in gmax/renx and the right texture shows up so i think you have a problem with the location/format of the texture, did you put it in the Art/Textures folder in the gameroot?, your new texture in the download is .png, if you also put this texture format in the game it doesnt work.


You can use paint.net, it is free software, you can load and save TGA and DDS files with this program, you can find it Here .

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Thanks for the response, paint.net looks just like the thing I was looking for.

As for the model, I made a set of files and put them all in what I think is the correct directory:
https://scr.hu/mmJOp1 
But the tank is still pink. Can you test the files I posted in the first post on your copy of ZH? Maybe it has something to do with my Origin version of the game.

Ok, i put it in a mod and it looks fine to me...


I dont use origin btw, i have tfd

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I can test with origin if you want.
I'll Post as soon as I've tested it.

UPDATE:
Using just the dds and w3d in that archive with my version of ZH:



I think I may need the other files for it to work.

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Thanks for joining the tests klingondragon. So it would seem that the problem lies in Origin version of the game? It would be kinda sad if the models I can create were to be incompatible with current official version of the game :/ Anyways, I tried putting the files into .big file and putting the art folder inside Data/English, but neither of that helped.

Interestingly, when I use only my .dds, with no new model, the original crusader appears and it actually has that new .dds displayed over it. It's like the game do not want to combine the texture (which works with the old crusader) with the model (which works, but is pink).

https://scr.hu/vmVRgW 




What other files do you require?
In the first post there are also .gmax file which I used to make a .w3d and source .png texture.

I don't have gmax.
You showed a picture of your file structure which had a .tga and .png image that were not in the archive.
You also listed the file avleopard_D.W3D which was not in the archive.

I seriously doubt it's origin that's the problem.

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Give the new model an original name and try again...

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That requires loads more modding than should be needed. For now we should make sure it's not the art that's the problem before we mess around with ini.

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He has the gmax model so it would be a case of loading the model into gmax and exporting it with a new name, doesnt sound like a lot of work to me...

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But replacing all the models in the object's ini code would take some time. (for every faction)
Plus, this mod should be compatible with mods which change what the tank does as this mod only changes it's model and texture.

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@acidbrain I was thinking about adding that as a new unit, but I haven't got to that stage of modding yet :D

@klingondragon Yes, sorry, I haven't mentioned that all image files were derived from the .png and the _D model is identical to the first one. Here are all of them for clarity:
http://www.filedropper.com/allabramsassets 

FOUND THE PROBLEM (I think)

I had a look at the files in W3DZH.big and TexturesZH.big.
The files say crusader not leopard.
Probably an origin thing, as the games were remade for windows 7.


I'll rename the files and check if that works. Post again once I've tested.

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Here is the same tank with a new name...
Btw, the muzzleflash is missing, important detail...:P   AVNewTank.rar (9kb) downloaded 43 time(s).

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And an imprtant sidenote is to not give your model name more then 14 characters...

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Renaming didn't work. (I should have realised they had the right names as the tank was pink)

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Well it works fine in The First Decade so it's an origin problem for sure...

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Specifically the texture.
Are the dimensions of the dds and tga the same as the original?

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I think Killakanz tank setup tutorial overlooked that, I was learning from it. I dont know how to add the tank as a completely new unit (where to change and add stuff in other files).

I will try to add it as e.g. Battlemaster, once I find its filenames.

NVBtMstrNG.W3D

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