Making skins 101

[Innocent Hawk]

Making skins 101

A tutorial for Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

We will be covering the steps that you need to know when making a skin:

I. Any good skin needs the right model. For the purpose of this tutorial we will be using the Boba Fett model to show you how to skin.

II. In addition to the right model, you should have a general idea of what you skin is going to look like. Make some drawings, or write down your ideas so you don't forget them.

III. After choosing the right model, and having a general idea of what your skin will look like, you now need to check if you have the proper programs.

These are the programs that you need:

Notepad

MS Paint, Photoshop, or some other image editing program. (This tutorial will use photoshop.)

Win Zip or some other program that can open/extract .zips and .pk3s, and make .zips and .pk3s. (This tutorial will use Win Zip)

IV. Now to get our Boba Fett model we need to extract the model, and all the skin files out of the game. We first go to "My Computer", then the "C Drive", then "Program Files", then "Lucas Arts", then "Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy", then "GameData", then "Base". (Your path may be different.) Inside this "Base" Folder is where we will find a file called "Assets1.pk3".

V.Double click "Assets1.pk3" to open it with Win Zip. On the right side of the program you'll see "Path" and a list of folder paths under it. Scroll down until the list gets to "models/players/". This is where all the player models/skins are kept. Keep scrolling down until the path name is "models/players/boba_fett/". Every file that lines up with "models/player/boba_fett/" is a file you need to extract.

VI. STOP!!!

VII. Before you extract you must first make a folder to hold all these files - or else the files will go every which way and you'll have a tough time gathering them all. What you need to to is go back to to the "Base" folder, and make a new folder called (for the sake of this tutorial) "New Boba Fett". (If you already closed the path and don't remember how to get back refer back to section IV.)

VIII. After making the folder you may now go back to Win Zip and find the files in "Asssets1.pk3" that go with the path name "models/players/boba_fett/". (If you forgot how then refer back to sections IV. and V.)

IX. Highlight the all file names that line up with "models/players/boba_fett/". Then click the "Extract" button. Now you will get a little popup page from the program (The program, not the internet so don't worry!) asking you where to extract the files you have highlighted. (Make sure you highlighted the desired files or else you will be extracting all of "Assets1.pk3"!!!) You have 2 options here:

1. If you know the file path names well enough that you can type out the whole path at the top of the popup.

or

2. You can use the visual path finder by clicking on all the folders until you reach the desired folder. (In this tutorial you want the folder "New Boba Fett".)

If you can't remember the path refer back to sections IV. and VII.

After your path is chosen click "Extract" on the popup.

X. Now we must make sure that all the desired files and folders made it into our folder "New Boba Fett". Go into the folder "New Boba Fett". (If you don't remember how to get there, refer back to sections IV. and VII.) There should be a folder named "models", in that there should be a folder named "players", in that there should be a folder named "boba_fett".

XI. STOP!!!

XII. Before you enter this folder you must change the name of it to "New_Boba_Fett". (WITH the underscores!)

XIII. Now after changing its name to "New_Boba_Fett" you may go into the folder and you will see the files you extracted from "Assets1.pk3" in Win Zip.

I will be putting up more later and will be adding pictures to what I have posted above to further help you.
If you think I missed something, see any spelling errors, or if I made mistakes on the places where I said "Refer back to section(s) <section(s)>." please post and I will edit it.

[Isolate]

ok, hawk did that the hard way, u don't have to go into the assets1.pk3 every time u want a new skin, just extract the whole assets1.pk3. this will put all the models in their own folder and supply you with shaders, map textures and everything. but u still have to make ur own folder and name it your own thing. i might make a tutorial or correct hawks so it's easier for yall to understand. also, skinning is alot easier if u use pakscape instead of winzip. AND ModView helps a LOT. if anyone gets modview and can't work it, contact me, i'll help. if anyone has any questions about what hawk said, or what i said, contact me. i'll simplify it for you.

[Innocent Hawk]

If you extract all of Assets1 you will be extracting hundreds of MB of files you are not going to use, but I suppose it would make it less hard to find your stuff then.

*Sigh* If your gonna make a new one then this one might as well be deleted.

[Isolate]

no i'm not making a new one right now, and no, u would hav ea bunch of files you COULD use if u wanted, be creative.

[Tanweth]

I agree that pakscape is much better. I made an attempt at skinning, and I tried with winzip, and it was like going through a maze with no directions. I might try skinning again. The reason I stopped was because of a lack of photoshop knowledge. But I know a lot more about photoshop now.

[Shipmate Taffer]

Hawk, cheers for this tutorial. You should have seen my attempt on my Fish Breath skin yesterday.
I thought it was all going good, I called in an expert to help me out just a bit (Rashzagal, I invited him to play for a Diamond Tournament once) and I decided to test it on the server. The result? Quite simple, he was invisible apart from his mouth.

[Paradox]

YOU CAN'T STOP THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


CARRY ON I'M HALFWAY THROUGH MY CULTIST RESKIN!!!!

[Innocent Hawk]

I'm having second thoughts...

Is it that hard to understand it? I am going to put up pictures.

Also, what part of "Win Zip or some other program that can open/extract .zips and .pk3s, and make .zips and .pk3s. (This tutorial will use Win Zip)" don't you understand?

[Paradox]

the complicated bit.

[(<MW>)Phantom Menace{G}]

after reading this i may just have to make my self a good skin i have had a few good idea for skins over the years

[Master Morpheus]

Hawk, Iso plz continue. Even though i use different programs on Mac, apart from PS- the info you guys are providing is still quite relevant & helpfull.
Instead of Winzip / Pakscape, i use Zipit- however the procedures, methods are somewhat similar.
I still need to do some work with PS & get more knowledge of the program before i can get started skinning. Slowly but surely i'm getting there.

[Raven]

Sorry, i am pushing it now... but phoenix elite have made a number of skins for our movie, we currently need 2more, any volunteers ;D.

And Taf are you doing camera man if you are do you have xfire, msn or another instant messenger?

[Shipmate Taffer]

Have you no experience with a forum whatsoever?
1. My contact information is in my profile, MW member list.
2. Couldn't you post this in the thread it was first in?

3. I'm still the Camera Man for yee.

4. Skins? From this clan? [shadow=red,left,300]You're joking..[/shadow]

[frogboy]

i Found this really hard to follow, as i couldnt find the file u told us to find, so i trie using pakscape. which made it easyer as it put all the models and stuff into files. so now i have all the boba fet files into my new file tht i made for it. now what do i do next?

Or could someone make a turtorial using pakscape.