Assignment Frenzy #4: Materials

[Ravidge]

Another assignment! At the same time as #3! This one is very similar but focuses on another kind of asset creation, textures/materials. Having the ability to create unique and new textures for your map is a very easy way to make it feel special and new. In some cases simple recolor jobs are enough to spark new life in boring stock textures. But sadly it's a skill that it's not as widespread as you'd think. Take this opportunity to learn how to create your own special textures.

To participate in this assignment, all you need to do is create a texture for TF2 (or more, up to a maximum of 5 unique materials). Create a sign, or make new wooden walls, try your hand at a completely self-made grass texture! All your submitted textures should all be usable right out of the box (that means that only vmt and vtf files are supposed to be submitted. jpg, tga, png and all other various formats should stay at home).
At the end of this assignment, all the submitted textures will be available for public download.

Ask questions, both in our steamchat and on the forums if you need help! I'm sure people have tips and tricks to share too.

Rules:

• A week to complete the task. 168 hours to be exact[Link to countdown clock] [List of local times that correspond to 21:00pm UTC]
  
  UTC: 21:00 pm (Saturday 6th)
  BST/UK: 22:00 pm (Saturday 6th)
  CEST: 23:00 pm (Saturday 6th)
  EST: 17:00 pm (Saturday 6th)
  Central: 16:00 pm (Saturday 6th)
  PST: 14:00 pm (Saturday 6th)​
• No collaborations
• Maximum of 5 materials/textures. This limit only applies to vmt files. You can have as many vtf files as you like.
  
  No model textures​
  No 2D Skybox textures​
• Texture size is limited to a maximum of 1024x1024 pixels.
• Texture size minimum is 32x32 pixels.
• Each texture in your pack may have it's own individual theme. Likewise you can have all the textures in your pack be of the same theme if you so please.
• Your textures need to be in a folder of your choosing inside "tf/materials/". The vmt and vtf files may not be placed straight in the materials folder.

How to submit your work:

1. Put your textures in a archive (zip, rar, 7z).
2. No screenshot is required, I will handle this myself.
3. Send me (Ravidge) a forum PM with a link to your archive. If you feel like it, put "AF #4 submission" in the PM title, would make it much easier for me.

A voting thread will be opened once I've gone through the entries.

 

[littleedge]

Why no 2D Skybox?

 

[Tyker]

Any and all VMT commands are allowed? If so, I think building 1 bsp with all the textures in it would work better for judging, as if it moves or has nice effects it can't be seen on just the vtf.

 

[Ravidge]

Why no 2D Skybox?

If you have a awesome skybox idea, you should make it. You just can't submit it.
There is no sinister thinking behind the rule, it's just a limit I decided on for this assignment.

Any and all VMT commands are allowed? If so, I think building 1 bsp with all the textures in it would work better for judging, as if it moves or has nice effects it can't be seen on just the vtf.

I will handle the presentation. Participants should focus on making the best textures they can. All vmt parameters are fair-game.

 

[Harribo]

could be pretty useful for this assignment

 

[evanonline]

I've been wanting to redo some sign textures I made very long ago that look awful. It'll be completely from scratch, but the ideas won't be original. Is that okay?

 

[Ravidge]

Yes


Edit:

02:14 - Ravidge: guys I made a tutorial http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1281220/TF2Maps/AF4/replacecolor.htm

 

[Zhan]

EDIT: nevermind, I can't read

 

[grazr]

Question:
Are modifications of Valve textures allowed?

I have some ideas for modifications of existing textures but i'm also worried that despite their potential usefulness people will call foul.

Valve's wood textures are actually only 4 or 5 base plank renders with as many varying dirt patches/colour variations applied. The variation produced is vast (30-40 odd individual textures using just ~5 templates). That would be my arguement to allow it. But i could also understand why you would want fully fledged original material.

 

[Ravidge]

All kinds of recolor or modification are allowed.

Fully original materials would probably impress me more personally, but it's certainly not a requirement. And my opinion is just one among all in the voting.

 

[grazr]

Oh, and presumably normal/bump maps won't count towards the 5-max limit? Or will they?

They'll be individual vtf's that'll need to be submitted with the original material vtf's but obviously they wont be applicable images... this seems open to interpritation.

 

[Ravidge]

Maximum of 5 materials/textures. This limit only applies to vmt files. You can have as many vtf files as you like.

You can reference multiple vtf files in a vmt (such as adding bumpmap, or a detail texture or both and more).
But you may only have 5 vmt files in your pack, max.

 

[grazr]

Aw, so normal maps count towards the max 5 vtf's, poo poo.

 

[Ravidge]

Aw, so normal maps count towards the max 5 vtf's, poo poo.

No, you can have unlimited vtf's. Read the rule again.

 

[grazr]

Ah, sorry, i see now.

On another note, when i save my VTF's for some reason they save at 5.3MB even though the original vtf files are around 500-650KB. I havn't added anything to them really, they're still flat images. Anyone know why this is?

EDIT: NVM, I need to save in compressed format, right? That seems to have done the trick.

 

[Sergis]

are vmt's that use a completely unaltered stock .vtf allowed? stock .vtf being texture itself, not a bumpmap or something like that

 

[Ravidge]

are vmt's that use a completely unaltered stock .vtf allowed? stock .vtf being texture itself, not a bumpmap or something like that

Yes, it's allowed to reference stock vtf files.

 

[Ravidge]

We're on the final stretch of this one week assignment. Only half a day left now! (both for this and the modeling one)


So far I'm somewhat disappointed in the number of submitted entries. because it's 0.
Who wants to win AF4 by default?!

 

[grazr]

I guess i'll be submitting these:

>>>DOWNLOADETH<<<

Contents:

materials/custom/
concrete_pathb.vmt
concrete_pathb.vtf
concrete_pathb_height.vtf
concrete_pathb_height-ssbump.vtf
concrete_pathb_normal.vtf
concrete_pathb_ssbump.vtf
concrete_pathc.vmt
concrete_pathc.vtf
concrete_pathd.vmt
conrete_pathd.vtf
concrete_pathd_height.vtf
concrete_pathd_height-ssbump.vtf
concrete_pathd_normal.vtf
concrete_pathd_ssbump.vtf
manhole3.vmt
manhole3.vtf

P.S.

Why no 2D Skybox?

If you have a awesome skybox idea, you should make it. You just can't submit it.
There is no sinister thinking behind the rule, it's just a limit I decided on for this assignment.

I bet a 2d skybox will be a future assignment!

P.P.S

I hope to god everything necessary is there, i'm shooting off to a wedding in 20 mins and i'll be out until past the deadline :/

 

[Freyja]

DOWNLOADETH ALSO!

Variations of this

Meant to look like this