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@Paint Proggie Experts: Move/Scale Layer?
While the main focus of my work on BoB2 right now is the next patch, I am making progress with the "Skinner's Pack" as well, both implementing features and with features taking shape in my head.
I am thinking about "decals", IOW emblems, ID letters, insignia, tail flash, technical officer marking, "bought by Loughborough" inscriptions, kill marking, maybe roundel etc.
These will have to be placed by the skinner on top of the main texture, IOW this is a pure 2D operation. The skinner will (hopefully) be able to do this in his paint proggie and will need the 3D model in the game mainly for the final check only. I could imagine it working like this:
1. The Skinner paints the emblem and saves it. It contains alpha.
2. The Skinner loads the main scheme.
3. The Skinner loads the emblem he painted into a new layer.
4. He scales the emblem and moves it so that it is where it should be.
5. He now needs to find out how much he scaled and moved it. As an example: Scale could be 18% in x and 16% in y and the move could be 308 / 849 pixels of the 2048 / 2048 main texture.
6. He puts the emblem into the correct directory and basically adds emblem name, condition (say use if unit is JG26) and the numbers from step 5 into an ascii file. BoB.exe reads this ascii file and does the rest.
Does this sound like a good way to do emblems?
Also, it would be nice if people could write a few sentences per major paint proggie, including GIMP, on how to achieve steps 3 to 5. Documentation is a big part of the Skinner's Pack and not everyone that will use it will be an expert in his paint proggie, so we need a description. Also, I am not 100% sure 4 and especially 5 are possible in all paint proggies. OTOH if there is one freeware tool that allows one to do this, then people could paint in their favorite program and do the positioning of the emblem in this tool.
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