O2 / buldozer cannot find textures

[Snake Man]

Heh as our recent activity has dropped to an all time low, lets start a topic just for TRex

When your O2 says texture paths are like D:\path\filename.ext it is WRONG. It needs to be always path\filename.ext

Lets say my project is... err PMC Apache, my main texture is apache_co.paa and apache.rvmat okay. These files are located in my BIS tools installation in d:\armatools\ArmAWork\PMC\PMC_apache\tex\ directory. A bit of a mouthful, lets split that up.

D: is my hard drive partition, wow.

D:\armatools\ is where I installed the BIS tools.

D:\armatools\ArmAWork\ is what BIS tools installation program created for the content (models, textures, configs etc).

D:\armatools\ArmAWork\PMC\ is my namespace.

D:\armatools\ArmAWork\PMC\PMC_apache\ is my addon's name for o2 and ingame ArmA 2.

Okay.

When you install BIS tools, they create the well known P: subst drive. This is the subst thing for D:\armatools\ArmAWork\ directory, everything "below" that is the O2, Visitor and BinPBO playground, ie what ArmA 2 engine would see at "ingame" situations.

So now that we open our apache model in o2, my textures point out to a directory of:

pmc\pmc_apache\tex\

More precisely the models texture path + file name is

pmc\pmc_apache\tex\apache_co.paa

The material rvmat path + file name is:

pmc\pmc_apache\tex\apache.rvmat

There is NO p:\pmc\... in the path name. No No NO. If someone has instructed you to load your textures with some path which starts anywhere else than the root of P:\ subst drive (in o2 without the P: letters), they are completely wrong. Don't do it.

As reference how to setup your addon paths + BinPBO etc correctly, please read PMC Editing Wiki: Build Environment.

Now, start to shoot some specific questions and we'll get you into proper build environment and fake activity to our forums in no time

[DMarkwick]

Sometimes out of pure laziness I make the model right in situ in the ArmA2\JTD_Dev\Addons\AddonName folder. I know I shouldn't but I haven't seen any ill effects from doing so. I just need to make sure that, as you say, the "X:\" portion of the texture path is deleted before PBOing.

As I mostly make nuts-simple objects (mostly just viewblock objects, sometimes textured for test purposes, but I have made trees before), I figure I can get away with this

[T_Rex]

hehe

Here I am, like a moth to a flame.

In O2 File-options-texture path, that is what gets prepended to all paths in other places, from what I can tell. I think that's why Synide's setup (and the O2 manual) say to have that only be the drive letter for the workspace.

For textures, the only path that matters is when you hit "e" for properties. It looks to me like it doesn't matter if it is relative or absolute. That's the only thing that matters to either Buldozer or the game.

BTW, I'm building up to rvmat questions.

Oh - one other thing - I noticed you have the textures suggested to be in a \tex subfolder. I saw something on the Biki that it is an official recommendation for the textures to be in a \data folder.

[Snake Man]

ArmA2\JTD_Dev\Addons\AddonName folder. I know I shouldn't but I haven't seen any ill effects from doing so.

Well you still have to cpbo/binpbo it right? Then you should set the environment properly as it makes no difference in time or anything to get the model ingame after you press Save in O2.

However if you use the Unpacked Addons method, then indeed you can run ArmA and just press Save in O2 and restart mission to see the effects. Indeed in that method, its quicker to keep project in ArmA2_root\PMC_apache\ dir.

I noticed you have the textures suggested to be in a \tex subfolder. I saw something on the Biki that it is an official recommendation for the textures to be in a \data folder.

Yes, my fault on my early ArmA editing times. I have not been using any "standard" name, I've used Tex, Textures etc. But I think I'll change now to the standard data dir throughout the several addons I'm making. Thanks for pointing that out to ME, appreciated.