So you want to use custom texture In Spark an Natural Selection 2 ? Great ! This is the place.
Convert your file to TGA[]
First you need to convert your file to the *.tga format.
You can use software like PhotoFiltre or GIMP
You can also use this website
Put your TGA in "source\materialsrc" of your project
Convert your file to DDS[]
DDS is a Direct Draw Surface file.
In Launchpad, use "Builder" and Then Build > Build.
Go to "output\materials" and your *.dds should now be there. Don't move it.
*.Materials File[]
A *.material file needs to be in the same folder of your dds (It's basically a text file)
For your texture, you can use this example *.material :
shader = "shaders/Model.surface_shader" albedoMap = "materials/yourtexture.dds" normalMap = "materials/dev/dev_normal.dds" specularMap = "materials/dev/dev_white_spec.dds" surface = "thin_metal"
Change "yourtexture" by the name of your file, then Relaunch Editor and everything should be fine.
Additionnal Note : If the texture appears black in the preview, go to
%appdata%/Natural Selection 2/cache
and delete the content there.
Going Further with *.Materials[]
You can go to SteamApps\common\Natural Selection 2\ns2\materials\ to see how dev made materials.
Here is a list
shader[]
Is used to set the render mode of the texture
| shader name | Usage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| shaders/Level_alpha.surface_shader | decal | ||
| shaders/Model.surface_shader | wall | ||
| shaders/Model_emissive.surface_shader | light |
albedoMap[]
Is used to set your actual texture
normalMap[]
Is used to set the bump mapping of your texture, giving it height.
Example : veil ceiling normal map :
specularMap[]
Is used to set the reflection of your texture
opacityMap[]
Is used to ?????
emissiveMap[]
Is used to ?????
surface[]
Is set to defines the physical properties of a material, it affects impact particles, footstep sounds etc..
| Surface Name | Usage |
|---|---|
| metal | Metalic surface |
| thin_metal | Everything else |
| rock | Rocks (Summit or Mineshaft textures for example) |
| electric | Lights or Computer |
| organic | Trees, Plants and Aliens |
| Surface tool | Effect |
|---|---|
| tunnel_allowed | |
| no_ip | No Infantry Portal |
| no_evolve | No Alien evolution |
| nocling | skulk can't cling to that surface |
Wetmaps[]
Since update 333 wetmaps have been added :
- Added “wetmaps” to the game. This allows mappers to specify regions that should appear “wet” or “damp” without having to modify materials to create wet variations of them. Similar to fog volumes, mappers can specify “wetmap volumes” — areas bounded by an arbitrary mesh volume and give it a “wetness” value. Then, the sharp edges can be smoothed over by placing wetmap decals.
Download Free Textures[]
Beware of the copyright of your picture. "Free" doesn't mean you can use it in a commercial project. Instead, search for "Open Source Texture", like these :
https://opengameart.org/textures/all
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