Terrain List

www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3_to_BHD_Terrains.zip
AF3 to BHD Terrains

www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3_raw.zip
RAW Files for AF3

Wow, now this is interesting, then I'll have to add them to the mod too.  I guess this is enough, other terrains from games like F-22L3 and Comanche Gold are not good for DFBHD game engine.

How to i add the alpha channel?
This has been bugging for a few days now..

Chrispy wrote:EXTRA FOR "PERFECTIONISTS":

If you wish, you may want to add an alpha channel to your terrain - think of this, as a shadow map (which should obviously be self-explanatory!).

So open your .tga and .raw file, then go to the Channels tab (if it's not on your screen it can be enabled at the Window category up top), and click the third button from the left which will add an alpha channel, then go to your .raw, CTRL + A > CTRL + C, then paste that into your .tga as the alpha. Now save your .tga!

I did the above but i can't save it, it won't save with Alpha or Layer i just get the yellow triangle next the the tick box

Do you just want to add an alpha channel to a .tga.

Yep, Ted.  We need to find a way how to create alpha channels like 2DNED described above, I have the same problem.  

I can use Photoshop to save a colormap over another .tga which has alpha channels, but I'd like to know how to make alpha channels myself, so that each terrain can have proper shadows and so on.

I don't know much about terrain making and I think I am not seeing the big picture here. Blaze in PS (Photoshop) you can see the alpha channel when you view a .TGA.

When I start my PS I have my tools window and my layer window open. In my "layers window" there is "Channels" and "Paths" showing as well.

Under your PS "Windows Tab" you can select what to show. eg. Show Layers or Hide Layers.

So I load a .TGA, click on Channel in the Layers window and view the Alpha channel. If the .TGA has no Alpha Channel I click on the "Create Channel" tab at the bottom of the Layer window and create a Alpha Channel.

Then I paste the image of choice in that channel, save the .TGA. If it's a .DDS, do the same but save it in a "DXT5 Interpolated Alpha" format.

tedsmelly wrote:, save the .TGA.

That is where the problem is, saving it.
If you go to save it wont save Layer or Alpha as a .tga

Ok I just save it and it works. I save the .TGA as 32bit. You could use an un-related .TGA with an Alpha Channel and replace the images to what you want and save. Then change the name of the .TGA to the name you want.

That might work for you.

Ok seems PhotoShop 7 was causing the issue
I installed CS5 and it works now.

Glad to hear that.  I still use Photoshop 6, might have to look into changing that.

The two give totally different looks.

PS7
www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/PS7.pcx

CS5
www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/CS5.pcx

This is a std _c.tga from BHD:TS
Just showing how they look different depending which program you use.
Now you can see why i was having problems working it out...
Plus not being able to save the Alpha with PS7

No wonder you couldn't use Alpha channels. PS6 shows the same as you see with CS5. There must have been corrupted files in your version of PS7.

Is there anyone who would like to make some Volcanic terrains for me.

Ok got it all working right now.
Once you paste and save, the alpha is to dark for the terrain, so i tried a few things..

Create the Alpha channel, double click on the alpha icon (black square) a window will come up, Change the Mask Areas to Selected Areas, click OK (alpha icon will be white)
Now paste the .raw, double click the alpha icon again and change it back to Mask Areas.
Now the alpha is ready to save.

That's good news, 2DNED.  ATM I had to cease mod development, but if you could update all the colormaps of your converted maps to use new alpha channels made from .raw files, it would speed up the mod's progress. I'm wondering if it did improve the looks of the terrains; can you temporarily upload some screenshots of the terrains while ingame? With and without the alpha channels, so we can compare them.
In other news I've tried to get decent .raw files for the JO/DFX and stock Team Sabre terrains, but the tool you told me about a few weeks ago (which is the same I used for the conversion of JO/DFX terrains) won't give me a decent .raw for the creation of alpha channels. Looks like we'll have to find another way around.

@Ted  As far as I know Photoshop 7 doesn't handle alpha channels, it's somewhat corrupt as you said (I have Photoshop 7 Elements, it doesn't even display alpha channels).  I think to remember that there was a .tga plug-in at DFBarracks that corrects the problem.  Regarding volcanic maps, my mod will include all the Delta Force series' terrains (plus all Comanche 4 and Armored Fist 3 exclusive ones) thanks to the joined efforts by 2DNED and me, so IIRC you may find a sort of volcanic terrain which is a conversion of a DF Xtreme one, among many other different terrains.

only have finished look after alpha added

http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3-1.pcx
http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3-2.pcx
http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3-3.pcx
http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3-4.pcx
http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3-5.pcx

http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/AF3_to_BHD_Terrains.zip

Same file as before but updated with alpha channels.
Have a look make sure your happy before i do the nest.

You've done a fine job. It can be improved; if you open both a stock DFBHD colormap and one of yours with the alpha channel (I'm comparing the colormaps in Paint.NET, another nice freeware software), you can see that there is more transparency in the stock DFBHD maps. The more transparent the colourmap as a whole, the darker and closer to what the map should be like it will be.

I have a set of plug-ins for Paint.NET, one of which lets you set the transparency levels.  If you can add more transparency to your colourmaps (in Paint.NET I set it to -50, which means less opacity), I think it should be perfect.

In alternative, do you have the official BHD ModTools?  The Terrain Generator Overview.pdf explains an alternative method for the creation of alpha channels with the .raw, and probably it works better than the one you quoted a few posts ago.

I went back to the original way of doing it
Had to edit the detail map to suit the new files or they were too dark.

I noticed (in CS5) C4 Terrains already have an alpha channel.

Of course we'd better use the stock generic E3detail.tga detailmap, then I'll make some changes in the future to better suit each terrain.

C4 terrains do have an alpha channel (early DFBHD game engine), but the colourmap needs to be more transparent, like DFBHD maps, otherwise they'll be too bright.

The afg1_c.tga colormap that you made seems to be corrupted.  When I open it in Paint.NET it is completely transparent except for two small circles.  I suggest that you open a stock DFBHD colormap (preferably the flat_c) in Photoshop, and overwrite it with the AF3 colormap in question, then the alpha channel will have to be re-made.  All other terrains you made are fine.

Terrains all done with alpha channel now, same links as before.

I changed the detail map to E4DETAIL or E5DETAIL depending on color, if you left the E3detail in, maps would look fluro. ATM they look good, but if you make the alpha transparent they will need to be changing again.

The afg1_c.tga colormap is how it is, i have no idea why they did it like that, waste of space but i added it anyway as it was on the list.

So what is it you need? the _d.raw from JO/JOE/DFX/DFX2
or the _c.tga with alpha to suit

I did the JOE Terrains with alpha all converted
http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/JOE_to_BHD_Terrains.zip

Grass looks good in those terrains, rich green

I also got the JO Terrains done with alpha
http://www.blaze.nova-outpost.com/JO_to_BHD_Terrains.zip

Awesome job, mate! I don't know how you managed to get such .raw files for JO and later terrains, when I tried they were all sort of corrupted. 

There was no need to convert JO/JOE terrains as I converted them already, anyway thanks for the effort, now you too know how to convert later Nova maps. Can you do the same with DFX and DFX2 terrains? I just need the colormaps with the alpha added. Just include the colormaps in the upload (or everything if you want), I already converted the terrains .cpt and added custom specific grass models for some terrains (taken from DFBHD beta).

When the DFX/DFX2 terrains' alpha channels are done, we can take some well deserved rest (but I must release the most recent version of the mod) then we can move to the "3d models conversion" part of the mod, we need info from Ted about Eagle Eye, he knows how to convert JO's. 3di models back to stock DFBHD .3di format.

DFX _c.tga with alpha
http://blaze.nova-outpost.com/DFX_c_tga.zip

DFX2 _c.tga with alpha
http://blaze.nova-outpost.com/DFX2_c_tga.zip

I did notice something when converting the JO to BHD
The water level is half of that of BHD
So if level is 40m in JO it will be 20m in BHD