Can someone make this skin work and tell me whats wrong?

[IronForge]

Heres the skin, got it off an old dead game. Have absolutely no idea how to make it work.
Some kinda angelic fighter. Its not in BLP yet, having some problems with the conversion.
So. question regarding skin, can any image that looks like that be binded to any warcraft 3 object, or do skins actually require their 'model' to work correctly? Can I just take any skin, slap it on any model and expect it to work?

 

[takakenji]

Can I just take any skin, slap it on any model and expect it to work?

theres a reason they're called "skins"

so no, it wont work if you dont have the model.

 

[IronForge]

Ahhh ok makes sense. So any way to convert the skin to work with a given model?

 

[Master of Eagles]

Do you know anything about models and skins? "Skin which only works with its model". No. I think it is a new version of .tga texture which we can't open it. You can use EVEVRY skin, slap it on any model and it works for you IF that skin's extention and version fits with your modeling program.

 

[IronForge]

Keep talkin, can you explain this bit in moar detail please? And that requires irfranview to open.

QUOTE: IF that skin's extention and version fits with your modeling program.

Moar detail please

 

[Master of Eagles]

OK let's start.
In a computer, there are some files. You can put every bytes you like in a file and it isn't important what is the extention. You can try it by cahnging the extention of a .bmp file to a .txt . The importance of extentions is making our computer tidy. Think that there were no extentions. You couldn't underestand that a file is a picture, model, text... .
Extentions are part of the filename. no matter what extention you are using. If you cahnge the extention of a .bmp file to .qwerty for example, Only the filename is changed. and operating systems(Like windows) know the files with their extentions. BUT THE BYTES IN THAT FILE ARE THE PICTURE. NOT THE EXTENTION.
It means if you open that file with paint, it shows the picture.
Paint load a picture by reading it's bytes. And translating them. But if the bytes were not a .bmp file's bytes, how can paint underestand what they mean? It is programed to load .bmp files.
So. That .tga file can be a newer version of .tga file. Means Bytes in that file may be completely different with the bytes from a normal .tga files. So, old programs can't underestand that what those NEW bytes mean. And simply crash. I have seen FIFA 07's .tga files which cannot be opened by photoshop. Like your file.

 

[IronForge]

Thats just plain confusing, but so can the skin be 'wrapped' around any model or are these skins totally useless?
Also, whats the model equavalent of irfranview, the swiss army knife to open unknown model files?

 

[Master of Eagles]

First: If you load and convert that .tga file to something else, of course you can use it as a skin
Second: I haven't seen such a model viewer. You can search it in download.com, freesoftware.com or even google. And please tell me if you have found it.