Epanding .dds files

D.Edwards · Post #1by **D.Edwards** » 28.05.2002, 13:14

Does anyone know how or what utility can be used to expand a .dds file so it can be worked on. I heard that theres a Photoshop plugin. I need too work on the internal Cluod.png file. I tried downloading an 8k 27meg zipped PNG file fron an ftp server I can across here but the file is dammaged every time I download it. I have tried several unzip utilities but keep getting bad CRC. Does anyone have an 8k Earth Clouds.PNG they would be willing to share.

Post #2by **t00fri** » 28.05.2002, 13:54

D.Edwards wrote:Does anyone know how or what utility can be used to expand a .dds file so it can be worked on. I heard that theres a Photoshop plugin. I need too work on the internal Cluod.png file. I tried downloading an 8k 27meg zipped PNG file fron an ftp server I can across here but the file is dammaged every time I download it. I have tried several unzip utilities but keep getting bad CRC. Does anyone have an 8k Earth Clouds.PNG they would be willing to share.

You need the nvdxt_tools from the NVIDIA developer's site that run under Windows. There is an executable that reads .dds files ('readdds') and outputs them as .tga (targa) files. The latter may be worked on with GIMP, Photoshop etc. The inverse process .tga => .dds proceeds with the tool called nvdxt also contained in the package. Just search through this forum a little and you will find all info you need. The 8k clouds file you download directly from NASA's Blue Marble server etc.

Bye Fridger

Post #3by **chris** » 28.05.2002, 17:42

Uncompressing a DXT texture, modifying it, then recompressing it to DXT format is probably not a good idea. You'd be much better off starting with a lossless format like PNG or TIFF. Even a good quality JPG would likely be a better starting image than a DXT because of the way DXT compression works.

--Chris

Guest · Post #4by **Guest** » 29.05.2002, 00:39

The problem (as you know too well) is finding good quality images in those formats.
Ron A

D.Edwards · Post #5by **D.Edwards** » 29.05.2002, 01:11

The ftp site is definetly not NASA's its someones personal ftp server because its setup strickly for Celestia downloads. It just ticks me that they don't check there server from time to time and make sure there files are in working order. I will try the utility from Nvidia. I don'y plan on recompresing it anyway.

Post #6by **t00fri** » 29.05.2002, 06:36

D.Edwards wrote:The ftp site is definetly not NASA's its someones personal ftp server because its setup strickly for Celestia downloads. It just ticks me that they don't check there server from time to time and make sure there files are in working order. I will try the utility from Nvidia. I don'y plan on recompresing it anyway.

Below I just copy again the ftp sites that I used for my textures. As Chris pointed out above, one should always use a lossless format to start. But since you had asked for expanding .dds, ...

(In fact for clouds it is probably even good enough)

Earth:
1) http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/

Mars, etc.
2) http://maps.jpl.nasa.gov/hires.html

Other Planets:
3) http://gw.marketingden.com/planets/planets.html

I never had the slightest problems with downloading from these sites.

Bye Fridger

D.Edwards · Post #7by **D.Edwards** » 29.05.2002, 07:49

The FTP site someone here is running is at ftp://ftp.dasmirnov.net/astronomy/celestia/textures/
If someone else would care to and try to download the the 8k earth cloud png zip file and see if you have the same bad CRC problem when expanding the file. We need to find out who is running this server and let them know that they have bad files there. Thanks for your time

Pixel · Post #8by **Pixel** » 29.05.2002, 08:09

D.Edwards wrote:The FTP site someone here is running is at ftp://ftp.dasmirnov.net/astronomy/celestia/textures/
If someone else would care to and try to download the the 8k earth cloud png zip file and see if you have the same bad CRC problem when expanding the file. We need to find out who is running this server and let them know that they have bad files there. Thanks for your time

Actually these files are mine but server is not. But they don't have a CRC. Just for the sport i downloaded the big png file again and it was ok. Are you using download-acceleration software?
BTW a 4k and even 8k BlueMarble clouds texture just doesn't add much more visible details to the 2k dds version. Probably it is the nature of clouds :wink:

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