Yes you can have PNGs for your items in order for textures to show up. A lot of people will do this for clothing. But, DDS is a great format to have for for your items. It is what GTA V utilizes and is best supported!
But Izzy, Substance Painter doesn’t export to DDS, Photoshop is a pain, and I don’t want to sit in paint.net and constantly open, export, open export. What can I do!? Well, to sum it up you can use OpenIV to create a texture dictionary, import your PNGs and then export them as DDS! And yes, it’s that easy. Now, there are other programs to do this with like Folders2YTD, but this tutorial isn’t about that. This tutorial is about using OpenIV.
Program you will need:
– OpenIV
What I suggest for file organization is to have a folder with two inside: DDS and PNG. That way, you can keep them organized. This will help you when you’re ready to upload textures to models in Blender or when just needing them in general.
So let’s get started!
Step 1: Open up OpenIV and put it into Edit Mode
Edit mode is critical for this. You wont be able to do ANYTHING if you’re not in edit mode, so make sure that you are.
Step 2: Open the root folder you want your textures to go into.
I tend to set my file structure up like this: Project Name > Textures > Texture 1 > DDS | PNG
So, what I will want, is to focus my OpenIV on the “Textures” folder.
Step 2: Create a texture dictionary (ytd)
With edit mode on, go to new > Texture Dictionary (.ytd)
This is going to generate a ytd in this folder. You can name it whatever you want since this is made for converting to DDS. That being said, you CAN name it as you would a normal ytd for your project and use this to copypaste for when you’re ready for ytds (like with making clothing).
Step 3: Import and Export Images
Now that you have a texture dictionary created, double click it to open it. You’re going to have a blank area where you can click on the upper left to import images. From here, you will select the maps that you exported from Substance Painter (or whatever) and bring them in. You’re looking for the diffuse, specular and normal maps.
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what do we export? Well, from what I understand, the best for solid, no transparent part textures is DXT1. If you have any type of alpha you will want to select DXT3 or DXT5.
Step 4: Export your textures to DDS
Once you have imported your PNGs and selected the correct texture format (or compression) you are ready to export your files. Literally select export, and then choose DDS. It will ask you where to export them to. This is where I pick the previously created DDS folder. AND VOILA! You’re all done. DDS textures ready and done!
