Tutorial How to import icons/troubleshoot

[Andrewgosu]

Introduction: This tutorial explains how to properly save, convert and import .blp icons into a map.

I have had alot of problems, before I finally came to the understanding, how to import blp icons into maps without problems. Here it goes.

Firstly, you have your 64x64pix icon ready, in TarGA format, but you want it to be blp. You have converted it, but it doesnt show up in game. Whats wrong?

Open your icon again and view channels. Something missing? No? Look again.

Warcraft needs an alpha channel to properly show the icon in game. Create the alpha layer.

To create the alpha layer, just press

button, when you have selected channels.

(The alpha layer image is black)

If you make all the channels visible, your icon should turn red. Now, select all in the alpha channel and press delete. Your icon should look normal again.

(The alpha layer image is white)

Now, you must save. When you save it, save it in 32-BIT. No other, also make sure, you tick the option to save alpha channels.

One you are done with the tga version of your icon, you need to convert it into blp. Open Image Extractor II and convert it.

Lastly, you need to import it into the map. Open WE and then the import manager.

Choose File>Import File and find your blp icon. After that, you should see a war3mapImported text infront of your icon. Erase that and replace it with:

For normal icons (BTN)
ReplaceableTextures\CommandButtons\BTN+your icon name+.blp

For disabled icons (DISBTN)
ReplaceableTextures\CommandButtonsDisabled\DISDISBTN+your icon name+.blp

If you have done everything correctly, your .blp icons should be shown properly ingame. If it doesn’t, check these again:

Is it 64x64pixels exactly?
Has the image alpha channel?
Is the image in 32-BIT?

 

[NiKaNoRoU_GR]

ooo
nice one, Andrew

 

[W!†A_cRaft]

Nice one indead but I dont understand the part at which you say to created an Alpha texture in Photoshop???

I don't know what you mean

 

[Ozzdog]

Aplha Layer is basicly just an "invisible layer", that you can only see in the GIMP, or whatever photshop your using.

EDIT: Good tut, +rep.

(Just so you know, if you convert the file to .blp, you do not need to add an alpha channel)

 

[Andrewgosu]

Thats the point, you DO need the alpha layer! If you import tga, then you dont.

To create the alpha layer, just press

button, when you have selected channels.

 

[Ozzdog]

Woops i thought .blp DID NOT require alpha channels, and TGA didnt, but your saying its the other way around?

 

[Andrewgosu]

Yes. If you import .blp into a map without an alpha layer, the icon will show black. I had some trouble with it, until I realized what I did wrong.

 

[martix]

Erm, yeah, photoshop rulz
Nice one.

 

[W!†A_cRaft]

I use WC3 Viewer to convert and it ads alpha by itself

 

[Arkan]

I always delete the alpha channel and it isn't required, at least not when saved with 32bits/pixel and converted to .blp with WC3 Image Extractor II

 

[Andrewgosu]

The alpha channel IS required. Otherwise the icon will show blank in-game.

 

[Arkan]

Correct. I found out that WC3 image extractor II has a bug that it doesn't actually load the alpha layer if the image is saved in 24 bit (with alpha layer).

I recommend using Warcraft 3 Viewer instead, it actually detects if the image has an alpha layer or not, and is able to automatically add one. Only downside is that it causes WE to crash a few times when browsing the file importer, at least for me.

 

[ayumilove]

yo andrew, your aavatar is a sheep? <3

btw i have a problem herere

(The alpha layer image is white)

Now, you must save. When you save it, save it in 24-BIT. No other, also make sure, you tick the option to save alpha channels.

where is the tick button? i dont see any tick buttons

after i deleted the white alpha thingy, and when i save it,
it shows me 16 24 32 bits, but there is no tick saying that include alpha,
can yoou post a screenshot of the tick? where is the tick located?

[edit]

ok i fixed the alpha problem already and the tick problem already

now i have a more serious problem

i imported the icon wihch has already has the alpha thingy,
renamed it as ReplaceableTextures\CommandButtons\BTNbutton.blp
then i save the map
quit the warcraft editor
then open back
but my warcraft editor cant see any icon, and in-game also cant see

below is the attachment of the buttons im using,
if it can work for you, please post here
Here is the link for the file you uploaded:
http://download.yousendit.com/64EC845032678587

note: please use the button i made and try it,

 

[Andrewgosu]

You see, the whole tutorial circles around the alpha channel that you haven't made for your icon. ( The one you dl linked )

 

[Romek]

Bout time somebody made a tutorial on this in photoshop!i can now make my own icons =D

Nice tut

+Rep

 

[Andrewgosu]

Altough I made it in Photoshop, almost all other advanced photo editing programs are very similiar, so making alpha channel in GIMP, following this tutorial, wouldn't differ from making one in Photoshop very much.

 

[ayumilove]

You see, the whole tutorial circles around the alpha channel that you haven't made for your icon. ( The one you dl linked )

huh? what do you mean?
i already created the alpha and deleted the part which i ctrl+a
btw, i cant delete the alpha using delete button because i need to change
the color of my foreground to black.

but i still cant fix the problem >_<

something wrong with my blp.

 

[Andrewgosu]

The particular icon you gave me did not have an alpha layer. Ill upload the icon that has one.

 

[Kil-Ja'eden]

OK andrew i need some more detailed help.

my icon looks right imports fine has an alpha channel and even appears in the editor. it DOES NOT however appear in game.

here are my steps EXACTLY:

1. Create an image with my mad skills.*coughcough*
2. opened channels and created an alpha 1 channel.
3. deleted the "black" to make the icon normal.
4. saved the file as a TGA with alpha channels ticked at 24-bit res.
5. Used warcraft image extractor 2 from your thread to convert it to a blp.
5. imported both BTN and DISBTN
6. set their custom path to ReplaceableTextures\CommandButtons\BTNexample.blp
ReplaceableTextures\CommandButtonsDisabled\DISBTN.blp
7. set them to my item.

all is well to this point but ingame the icon is transparent.
help me and you achieve map making god status for helping me on everything i didn't know to date.

 

[Kil-Ja'eden]

i also just noticed the BTNSword.tga example doesn't have an alpha channel when i open it.