Skins - Alpha Skinning in GIMP

Rabarber

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Welcome to my tutorial on alpha skinning in The Gimp. Firstly, let's see what tools are required to complete this.

Tools required
- The GIMP - Download
- Warcraft 3 Viewer - Download

Yep, that's all you need. And they're both free.

Notice: I have another language version of The Gimp. When i say what the menus are named, they are probably named something else. Don't worry. Finding them is easy.

Step 1 - FaQ
What is alpha skinning?

A simply way to remove weapons, body parts, etc. from models without editing the model, by using Alpha Channels.

What's a "Alpha Chanel"?

It's "Alpha Channel. Two N:s. Seriously, it's a layer on all BLP:s that makes all parts in it invisible on the model.



Step 2 - Getting started.

Open up The Gimp and Wc3 Viewer. Start with the Viewer.

Select the treewiev. Check "blp." Browse through the skins. For this example, we chose the Centaur Khan skin. When you have chosen your skin, press the Extract and Convert BLP button at the top of the screen.
(the button is recognized as the blue box with an arrow going from it)

Choose to export is as TGA: it will make the alpha channels stay.

Now, open up The GIMP. Open your file. To learn how to use GIMP, i suggest using it's help files.


Step 3 - Alpha Skinning
Select the freehand marking tool. It's the lasso icon. "Lasso" the outlines of what you're going to remove.

When you're done marking, select the "Layers" dropdown menu. Go to the "Transparency" menu. You should now see several options concerning Alpha Channels.

Pick the "Treshold Alpha" option.

------
Common problem!
if the option "Treshold Alpha" isn't active for you, that means GIMP won't accept the already existing alpha layers. At the top of the Layers menu, there should be an option to add layers. Add a Transparency layer. That should make the option availible.
------

Move the marker to 255.

Step 4 - What happened?
Save your skin. Next, open the Viewer again. Now, open the model that uses the skin you edited. When it's on the screen, click on it and press ctrl + M. A list of skins you've used will show up.

Find the original file path for the skin you edited. Click "change".

Browse to your edited alpha file. Select OK, and the part you alphaed should... vanish into thin air. ;)

Step 5 - Hey! It's not working
Didn't this work for you?
The part i alphaed out is partly/completely team coloured!
You alphaed out a part with team colout on it. Sorry, but in GIMP, there's no way to fix this. Alpha out another part of the skin instead.

Thanks for reading. //Rabarber

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If you found a typo, say where you found it, and i'll correct. If you have info that you think is missing from this tutorial, tell me. I'll add it if i feel like doing it.
 

sionts

New Member
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Hey. Now im having problems with gimp. i opened the tga then i used the lasso and selected the thing i wanted to remove. then layer > transperency but then tresshold alhpa isnt available.
 
S

Sirus_Odon

Guest
How would I use alpha channels to remove the glowing red parts on the firelord?
 
P

PsychoSquril

Guest
just a question

Is there anything you do after you finish the tutorial stuff??? like importing it into maps or something???
 

Rabarber

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You convert it to .BLP in the Viewer, and import it with the path of the skin you want it to overwrite.
 
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Bboy_vegeta

Guest
this is sorta of a newbie question (im a newb lol) but what are skins?? and what are they used for?
 

Andrewgosu

The Silent Pandaren Helper
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716
Skin is the visual appereance you see on the model, the model itself hasnt got an apperance (Made of polygons), the skin applies to it. Well, like a human being, he can be naked or wear different clothes (skins).:D

...The best I could come up with.
 

Pandamanana

New Member
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2
Hey. Im confused with your tutorial. When It says "Save your skin. Next, open the Viewer again. Now, open the model that uses the skin you edited. When it's on the screen, click on it and press ctrl + M. A list of skins you've used will show up." Do You Mean Viewer Or World Editor and if you Mean Viewer where do I click????? -_- (i feel noobish) When I Press CTRL + M my computer just makes a "bleep" sound and nothing happens as if it doesn't want me to press CTRL + M...... whats going on!?!?!?
 

~GaLs~

† Ғσſ ŧħə ѕαĸε Φƒ ~Ğ䣚~ †
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180
ern...i wanted to learn editing model but..................................
Mind put some image to let us see...? i cant get wat u are saying in the tut
 

ROTS19

TH.net Regular
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the tga can't handle layers!

tga_cant_handle_layers_o.o.bmp

???:banghead:
I clicked Ignore, then saved then watched what it looked like in W3viewer but all i got was this!!
only_team_color_exists.bmp


it was trying to replace the ghoul model, i wanted to take only part of it away, not all of it! ???
 

Akatsuki

New Member
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24
You have to merge all the layers together. But don't flatten Image because then the Alpha layer disappears.
 
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