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[SAS~Storebror]

Perhaps some good soul will upload the file in zipped format?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The link works well in Edge.
The only thing happening is that Edge notices this file as not having been downloaded frequently yet (translates to: Not a million downloads so far), hence it requires you to perform one additional step which is to tap the three buttons on the floating download popup window and confirm that you want to keep that file.


Mike

[Mick]

... I am afraid your tool will never reach one million downloads ...  ... 

[Uzin]

Helpful hand is at the end of my arm, as usual. ¨Thanks to everybody. I dont use Facebook and similar ...

[Uzin]

The link works well in Edge.
... tap the three buttons on the floating download popup window and confirm that you want to keep that file.

Can you name these three buttons ?

[Frankiek]

Just the three dots at the upper right corner of the Edge window the same that you use to access the settings 

[Piotrek1]

Great tool , Thank You very much Mike .

Best regards,
Piotrek

[UberDemon]

A few steps in GIMP (like removing Alpha/Damage channel) and you can turn that TGA into a BMP skin.

Didn't know BMPs are a thing for a skinner.
If this helps, I could add a straight conversion to BMP to the tool as well.
Just in case: BMPs can ship with or without alpha channel (32/24 bit). Would it make sense to keep the alpha channel (if there is any), or should it be removed, or should this be selectable?
Sorry for asking so many questions, but I ain't no skinner so I simply don't know.
The reason for me to create this tool was rather a 3D modding process issue than a skinning one


Mike

Mike,

I am no skinner that is for sure.  I just like to go through some of the older versions of IL-2 and extract the old default skins... at times.  And your tool makes that process easier, so my primary use is taking the TGB files and convert them to TGAs.  Before I had to use the IMF Viewer, and it took time to convert the files, like sometimes a minute+.  Your app seems to speed through the process.

But before I can use the file as a BMP skin, I need to remove the Alpha channel otherwise the bullet holes come with it, which may not be the intended result.  So to answer on the Alpha channel, my answer tends to always be... if there is a way to be selectable, that is a better choice because some users may want it, again if it is possible.  I would probably vote for removing Alpha Channel as a Default, and let user enable it if they want it.

For anyone interested, after doing some research in the Interwebs, these are the steps I use in GIMP to turn the converted TGB (to TGA) to a usable BMP skin:

* Convert "tgb" file to "tga" format using Mike's new IMF Converter tool
* Rename file (often "skin1o.tgb") to whatever you want, with a "tga" instead of "tgb" extension...
* Open Converted TGA in GIMP (2.10.34)
-- Menu->Colors->Components->Decompose->Color model: RGB->OK (This get rid of Alpha Layer / Damage)
-- Menu->Colors->Components->Compose->Color Mode: RGB->OK
-- Menu->Image->Mode->Indexed->Generate number of colors (Pick 256)->Convert
-- Menu->File->Export As->Name File and add ".bmp" as extension->Export->Under Compatibility Options select "Do not write color space information" (THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT)->Export

* Now place the bmp in correct directory:  Something like "[BAT Installation Directory]\PaintSchemes\Skins\Bf-109E-4" (or other Plane)

Viola!

[ssn637]

I've always wanted to improve the beach surf / foam textures and was excited to finally have a tool that might allow me to do this, so I extracted the original Maps/_tex/Water folder from the IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 4.12.2M installation, converted the "PacificFoam_.tga" with the IMFConverter, changed its size to 512x512 pixels in Photoshop and tried to load a mission using the Midway island map.

Unfortunately, the mission failed to load and the following error was noted in the log file:

INTERNAL ERROR: TGA: Unsupported format (32bits without alpha) in MAPS/_Tex/water/PacificFoam_.tga
[2024-01-11 22:31:00.329 UTC +1]   dT:    0   INTERNAL ERROR: LoadTextureFromTga('MAPS/_Tex/water/PacificFoam_.tga')
[2024-01-11 22:31:00.330 UTC +1]   dT:    0   WARNING: Error: 'WARNING: Error: 'WARNING: Error: 'WARNING: Error: 'WARNING: Error: 'WAR'
[2024-01-11 22:31:00.330 UTC +1]   dT:    0   WARNING: TLandscape::LoadMap('Cat_Midway/load.ini') - errors in loading
[2024-01-11 22:31:00.331 UTC +1]   dT:    0   java.lang.RuntimeException: Landscape 'Cat_Midway/load.ini' loading error

Can anyone advise as to how to solve this issue? 

Thanks

[SAS~Storebror]

changed its size to 512x512 pixels in Photoshop

Sounds to me like you have accidentally saved it in RLE compressed format.
IL-2 supports uncompressed TGAs only.
Untick the box for RLE compression in Photoshop, it shows up during the save process when you select the filename and bit-depth of your tga.


Mike

[Knochenlutscher]

Mike, I'm too dumb or my Win11 playing tricks with me.
I've set DEP to OFF, following the Commandline prompt from here
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,71235.0.html

still it refuses to open IMF Converter or New NTRKWizard (v0.5) Tools,
even when under Admin rights opened.
What's interessting, both seem to be caused by the same issue.
The NTRK Tool before closing tells something with Java,



This one I captured with Bandicam, as it is visible for a nano second only...

A black Window pops up that closes down.
I read through the NTRK Thread, still no luck. Here's my C++ depository I'm running.
I have no clue what's gehauen oder gestochen.





Yeah,

[SAS~Storebror]

I see.
It's two different things.

• IMF Converter:
  While the executable file includes a wrapper to launch Java, it does not include Java itself.
  Instead, it needs Java 8 or later to be installed on your PC.
  This prerequisite is fulfilled by all PCs running Windows XP or later per default, as they ship with a Java Runtime inside the Windows folder.
  Your issue stems from the fact that you have installed Java 1.3 and made it the default Java runtime that way.
  Java 1.3 < Java 8, so the requirements aren't met.
  The best advice I can give is to install Java 8 32 Bit on top and potentially remove that Java 1.3 from your PC altogether.
  Doesn't matter whether you install Java 8 from Oracle (needs an account for Java 8 meanwhile) or any OpenJDK version (e.g. Eclipse Temurin), they all do the trick.
  I don't know who came up with the advice to install Java 1.3 for IL-2, but truth is you don't need it. Java 8 can compile Java 1.3 binaries just fine.
• NTRKWizard:
  "java.exe" isn't supposed to be launched directly.
  The tools is to be launched from the command line, using "java -jar NTRKWizard.jar".
  The java.exe in this folder is just a "bridge" to the Java Runtime shipped with the tool, residing in the "java" folder, which accidentally is a Java 1.3 Runtime, just not "installed" but dropped their locally, so whenever you need a Java 1.3 Runtime in the future, there you have it

Mike

[Knochenlutscher]

I skipped this Java 8 completely. That's the cause, alright. Must dive into this then.

1.3 runtime dropped locally, ahh, mmh, so I need to install it, correct?

Thanks for the detailed explanation of my issues.

Best wishes
Tobi