This guide will show you how to make new tattoo texture maps for the avatars in The Red Light Center. We will be using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 but you could achieve the same results using the freely available image editing program The Gimp.

Adding a torso Tattoo

!!!!! Note that tattoos as a separate draw layer should make it into the next release of RLC (probably in mid November). This guide details what format we will want to have tattoos submitted for inclusion. As the functionality is added to the game I'll update this guide.

Tattoo's are handled the same way that avatar clothing is, as a separate draw layer over the skin. All tattoo's should be created with translucency, just like clothing textures. Below is our example file shown composited onto the skin. Here is the Photoshop file if you wish to examine it more closely.



In image above you can see the the skin and tattoo overlay. Notice that there is only a single arm in this image. For this model the single arm is used on both sides of the avatar. This was to save texture map RAM. What this means is that both arms will always have the same texture. Below is a shot of what the texture looks like in Photoshop when saved as a .PNG format file.



Alpha Channels/Layer Masks

The Red Light Center game engine composites the tattoo textures on top of the underlying skin textures. To make your tattoo show properly in the game engine you have to create an layer mask. In the layer mask of your tattoo texture fully white pixels are opaque and fully black pixels are completely transparent. Any values between full white and full black specify a range of transparency/translucency. Below is the layer mask for our tattoo. Due to the way alpha is used with PNG files in Photoshop you should keep a backup source file in Photoshop format and a 2nd in .png format that you will use in game.



Setting up the Layer Mask

To set up the Layer Mask to export your .PNG image with translucency properly is a bit tricky in Photoshop.

First you need to create a layer mask.



Activate the layer mask.



Copy the Alpha channel and then paste it into the Layer Mask



To see the result of the layer mask click on the Layer thumbnail.



Saving the image

To have you new texture show up in the game engine there are some specific guidelines you must follow:

You must save the image as a PNG format image file.
For torso textures the image must be 512 x 256 pixels in size.
You must make a unique name for your image, and it must start with "HMUT_".

Male textures are saved in the folder:

C:\Program Files\RedLightCenter\resources\male\textures

In Photoshop go to File->Save As and select PNG in the Format drop down list. For this example I saved the file as HMUT_tattoo.png



Testing your work in game

This portion will be updated when we have the functionality added to the game engine.

Sharing your new tattoo with the rest of the Red Light Center community

Once you have tested you tattoo and it is looking good you can submit your artwork to Red Light Center for review and inclusion in the game. If accepted by the Red Light Center your tattoo will be included in a release so that everybody can see and use your tattoos! Please don't submit artwork that is clearly copyrighted by someone as we won't be able to include it in a general release of the game. To submit your tattoo textures just click on the My Textures link on your http://social.redlightcenter.com home page.

The next release of the game should allow you to test tattoos and underwear as a separate layer. For the current release you have to composite the tattoo onto a skin texture.

Has the process changed since this post was 1st created? I have tried the directions here and I cant make it work. I cant find my tat at all in the customize screen. I have tried as a tat alone and as a tat grafted to a body texture. File type is correct, Size is correct, and I saved with HMUT_ as the prefix ( and tried just about everyother prefix just to be safe...lol ). Am I missing something, or am I having tech probs?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thnx

I owe ya one blu!! Worked like a charm! It could very well have been in the How To somewhere, and I just missed it. Thnx a ton for the help.

Vik

[quote author=blujns link=1162239326/0#5 date=1172128122]Your tats dont show up in the customize folder, in the program.   Once you make the tat, save it to your male textures folder.   Then go to your myinfo file[/quote]

OK... so I do that, but then I am the only one who can see the tat. How does it get into the game itself, so that others see it?

Reading the first post, I guess I have to upload it as a texture - though that is confusing, since there isn't a "tattoo"type, just clothing.

Anyway, I uploaded it. So.... does that get it into the game? IF so, any guesstimate on how long that takes?

Fab

Okay i dont know how to do this lol i tryed Follow the step but with no luck :S most of it breakes for me when i try find out how to copy Alpha Channels and then the rest Lol

instead of applying a layer mask is it possible to just adjust the levels or the layer opacity?

I am looking for someone to create a custom tatoo for me.  If you are interested please message me.  Thanx a bunch!

I do not have the programs to make a tattoo however, I do have the file for the tattoo I would like to have made.  If I could get someone to assist me with this, that'd be wonderful.  I'll give you many hugs, licks, and wolfie leg humps!

[quote author=tony link=1162239326/0#0 date=1162239325]This guide will show you how to make new tattoo texture maps for the avatars in The Red Light Center. We will be using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 but you could achieve the same results using the freely available image editing program The Gimp.

Adding a torso Tattoo

!!!!! Note that tattoos as a separate draw layer should make it into the next release of RLC (probably in mid November). This guide details what format we will want to have tattoos submitted for inclusion. As the functionality is added to the game I'll update this guide.

Tattoo's are handled the same way that avatar clothing is, as a separate draw layer over the skin. All tattoo's should be created with translucency, just like clothing textures. Below is our example file shown composited onto the skin. Here is the Photoshop file if you wish to examine it more closely.



In image above you can see the the skin and tattoo overlay. Notice that there is only a single arm in this image. For this model the single arm is used on both sides of the avatar. This was to save texture map RAM. What this means is that both arms will always have the same texture. Below is a shot of what the texture looks like in Photoshop when saved as a .PNG format file.



Alpha Channels/Layer Masks

The Red Light Center game engine composites the tattoo textures on top of the underlying skin textures. To make your tattoo show properly in the game engine you have to create an layer mask. In the layer mask of your tattoo texture fully white pixels are opaque and fully black pixels are completely transparent. Any values between full white and full black specify a range of transparency/translucency. Below is the layer mask for our tattoo. Due to the way alpha is used with PNG files in Photoshop you should keep a backup source file in Photoshop format and a 2nd in .png format that you will use in game.



Setting up the Layer Mask

To set up the Layer Mask to export your .PNG image with translucency properly is a bit tricky in Photoshop.

First you need to create a layer mask.



Activate the layer mask.



Copy the Alpha channel and then paste it into the Layer Mask



To see the result of the layer mask click on the Layer thumbnail.



Saving the image

To have you new texture show up in the game engine there are some specific guidelines you must follow:

You must save the image as a PNG format image file.
For torso textures the image must be 512 x 256 pixels in size.
You must make a unique name for your image, and it must start with "HMUT_".

Male textures are saved in the folder:

C:\Program Files\RedLightCenter\resources\male\textures

In Photoshop go to File->Save As and select PNG in the Format drop down list. For this example I saved the file as HMUT_tattoo.png



Testing your work in game

This portion will be updated when we have the functionality added to the game engine.

Sharing your new tattoo with the rest of the Red Light Center community

Once you have tested you tattoo and it is looking good you can submit your artwork to Red Light Center for review and inclusion in the game. If accepted by the Red Light Center your tattoo will be included in a release so that everybody can see and use your tattoos! Please don't submit artwork that is clearly copyrighted by someone as we won't be able to include it in a general release of the game. To submit your tattoo textures just click on the My Textures link on your http://social.redlightcenter.com home page.
[/quote]