Texture File Compression

[shamrockflyer 647]

What compression must a texture file in MSFS to set to? I have tried editing a few textures but I am unable to get them to show as DXT 1 DXT3 & DXT5 do not work.

[sttovo 10]

I'm not an expert by any means. But I've done a few livery changes to have the same problem. I use Paint.net (don't hate me, I'm an old man and it's easy).

Here are the settings I was told to use:

https://ibb.co/LvNWF9G

[alanlj44 117]

DXT1 is usually what is used, at least for anything that is not a normal map texture, but even then , DXT1 seems working just like it should. But some of the other formats seems to work well too. 

At any rate, I recommend DXT1, this is what I used when working on my MD-80 high res VC mod, as it was also in what formats the original textures were stored into. 

NVidia has some legacy tool called Windows Texture Viewer that displays the format of a texture you're previewing into. It's there: https://developer.nvidia.com/legacy-texture-tools

Just open up some texture work on different airplane you might have in your community and you'll see they're most often in DXT1 format, so I'll go with that.

 

Your problem might be more due to what you're using to edit the image and/or what you use to save or convert it to .DDS

 

What is your workflow? What tools are you using?

[alanlj44 117]

Also, what are you working on? How are you applying the modifications in order to make MSFS take your replacement textures into consideration?

When I began editing textures (replacing textures for the virtual cockpit of the justflight's PA-28), rather than permanently overwrite the original texture file, I was creating a separate mod I could enable/disable in order to do that. My textures wouldn't work. It was not because of the textures, but because my mod structure was wrong so MSFS would simply ignore it.

ALSO: Are you sure you're using MSFSLayoutGenerator EACH TIME you're making a modification in whatever mod you're working into? Because otherwise, it won't work. The layout.json file of a mod MUST always reflect precisely what files and their respective precise filesize and whatnot the mod contains at every given point, otherwise it won't work.

 

All of this might trick you into believing your textures are the problem when in fact, it is something else.

It also has to be taken into consideration that each time you modify a texture and the layout file accordingly, simply getting back to main menu and launch a new flight will not work. You will have to relaunch MSFS entirely for the modifications to be taken into account. It's a pain in the a** given how long it takes, but it is how it works.

Edited June 9, 2022 by alanlj44

[shamrockflyer 647]

3 hours ago, alanlj44 said:

What is your workflow? What tools are you using?

Gimp

3 hours ago, alanlj44 said:

Also, what are you working on?

PMDG 737

[alanlj44 117]

Ok, so PMDG 737 shows that its textures are DXT1 so you should go for this.

I suppose you work on a livery? What is your workflow to do that?

By that I mean the exact process you follow. Are you using the paintkit? Are you working on an existing livery, open the dds file, modify it in GIMP, save it by overwriting the original file and then launch MSFS? If not, do you structure your livery project accordingly so it can be recognized and installed through PMDG operations center?

I'm guessing your problems comes from there, not from the DDS files. As long as you choose DXT1, they will show up UNLESS something is wrong in how everything is setup so that MSFS understand what is to be replaced by what, and if it's your first time texturing with MSFS and dealing with the modding structure, it really can be puzzling to get it right at first.

Edited June 9, 2022 by alanlj44