How to: Attach weapons to units that allready have weapons (without modelling)

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Aug 1, 2007
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[tutorial]how to attach weapons to units that allready have weapons without modelling


I noticed allot of people didn't know how to do this and some thought it was impossible to do this without modeling. then i decided to write this tutorial. enjoy. plus i have added the final map if anyone need to see it through.

credits:

Lord_T for his awesome dragon sword that i used all along.

Chapter 1 removing Weapons



  • Step 1: removing the existing weapon
  • Step 2: converting and importing


things you need for chapter 1:

  • Warcraft 3 Frozen throne
  • a image editing program that can edit and save in Tga. Format ( I will guide Photoshop users)
  • Wc3 extractor
  • warcraft 3 viewer or any other program that can convert Tga. To blp.


Chapter 2 different ways of attaching weapons

  • a. make a ability so that the attachment will be on the hero/unit forever
  • b. when the Hero picks up a item he will get the attachment

  • c. when the hero uses an ability he will get the attachment on

  • d. when the hero uses an AOE ability units around it get's a attachment

  • e. when you finnishes a upgrade all units change weapon


things you need for chapter 2:

the only thing you need for completing chapter 2 is

  • Warcraft 3 Frozen throne



Chapter 1 removing Weapons





Step 1: removing the existing weapon


Open up your Wc3 extractor and locate the unit you want to add weapons to save the skin. in this case im going to use Illidan Evil (textures\illidan.blp)

Open the picked skin (your skin.blp) with your image editing program

Illidancopy.jpg



Now we need to make the existing weapons disappear we are going to do that by using alpha channels. Locate the weapons/weapon parts, this Illidan model only have 2 weapon parts the blade and the panda seal. Grab your marking tool and mark closely the weapon parts.

Illidan2.jpg


When this is marked go to the alpha channel... Photoshop users should press Ctrl + 4

Alpha channel menu example

Alphachannels.jpg


My Illidan skin's alpha channel looks like this

Illidanalpha.jpg


Alpha channels are used to cut unnecessary things out, example in this panda seal the artist didn't wanted the black square around it into the model.

Back to work..

grab a pencil/brush and paint the marked area black like this.

Illidanalpha2.jpg


now the graphics is done. now we need to convert and import this new skin.


step 2: converting and importing


open Wc3 viewer and press "Convert files --> bmp, tga or jpeg --> blp."
choose "your skin.tga" and save it as a Blp. file.

Now we need to import our new modified skin, start your World editor and go to “import manager” then “import file” browse through your computer and find the skin.
I hope you remember the path for the unit because you’re going to need it now, if not then open Wc3 extractor again use the search function to find the path faster.

Check the “use custom path” bottom and write the path that fits with your skin, in my case it’s “Textures\illidan.blp”

withoutweapons.jpg


Yahoo we successfully removed the weapons from this illidan model. If there are anything floating around where the weapon should be you should try to locate those thing and remove them from you Tga. File, remember every time you edit the Tga. You need to convert it to Blp. One more time and import it again.
If nothing is gone from the weapon you have entered the wrong path, try to locate it again or post here so I can help you find it.

If you already know how to attach a weapon to a unit then this is the end for you.



Chapter 2 different ways of attaching weapons

if you wanna see a video instead of reading this video show you how to make a ability with attachment points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mGKW4lU94s

Attachment Points for units

first you need to get a little idea of where you can set your attachments, here are some examples and explanations

attachmentpoints.jpg


overhead (floats over the heroes head, but it dosn't follow the unit)
head (used for mask/helmet for the unit)
chest (the center of the unit, used for armors/capes/jetpacks/wings)
hand (used for weapons and shields) Left,hand for left hand and right,hand for right
foot (used for nearly nothing... uses the left and right foot like hand
orgin (the place depends but it's mostly beneath the unit betwen the feets, used for auras)
weapon (for heroes)



now you have 5 choices to make different ways to attach those attachments

before you start make sure you make the ability below. we need it for all of them.

  • a. make a ability so that the attachment will be on the hero/unit forever
  • b. when the Hero picks up a item he will get the attachment

  • c. when the hero uses an ability he will get the attachment on

  • d. when the hero uses an AOE ability units around it get's a attachment

  • e. when you finnishes a upgrade all units change weapon


things you need before continuing :

a model of an attachment.models
if you wanna follow this tutorial i suggest you take a thing you can attach to the hands (sword,shield,club)


Attachment ability

All the ways require that you make this ability.
import your attachment and everything that comes with it, I’m going to import this Dragon Sword and write the path that followed (in most cases it’s “textures\your attachment.mdx”)

Save your map and re-open world editor (we do this so the weapon loads)
Hit the object editor (F4) and change to the tab “abilities” now we should get a base ability,
it could be anything but it’s faster with “sphere” search or locate the ability “sphere” copy it and paste it,
now you see a new ability called “sphere” appears in the bottom that’s our new ability change the name to whatever im going to call it “dragon sword”

dragonbladeatc.jpg


Now we need to change the value’s and settings in this ability, start of by changing the “art – attachment points” to 1 or 2 attachments (if you want a one-handed weapon choose one, if you want 2x one-handed choose 2.

It’s not possible to make a unit wear a two-handed weapon in 2 hands, only special units can do that

Now change the art-target to “YourAttachment.mdx”

Hopefully you can see that there are 5 slots called “art- attachment points 1 -5” clear nr 3 (and nr. 2 if you only need a weapon in one hand) by double clicking on it and delete the existing strings. Now it’s time to write the strings to make the weapon appear on the units hand,

start with “art- attachment points 1” change the string to “right,hand” (or left if you want to) and if you want the weapon in both hands change the value in “art- attachment points 2” to “left,hand” now the ability “Dragon blade” is finish.


a. make a ability so that the attachment will be on the hero/unit forever


ability.jpg


now we need to give a unit this ability. Change the tab back to “units” and pick a existing unit or create a new one, go to your unit and find “abilities –normal” double click and “add ability” change the list to custom and find your attachment ability.
You can only see the attachments in game, so don’t go nuts when it doesn’t appear in world editor.

succes2dragon.jpg

Success!!


b. when the Hero picks up a item he will get the attachment

that can be done with a simple trigger

  • Dragon sword on pick up.
    • Events
      • Unit - A unit Acquires an item
    • Conditions
      • (Item-type of (Item being manipulated)) Equal to Claws of Attack +15
    • Actions
      • Unit - Add Dragon Sword to (Triggering unit)

and we also need it to disappear when he drops it again

  • Disappering dragon sword on drop
    • Events
      • Unit - A unit Loses an item
    • Conditions
      • (Item-type of (Item being manipulated)) Equal to Claws of Attack +15
    • Actions
      • Unit - Remove Dragon Sword from (Triggering unit)



c. when the hero uses an ability he will get the attachment on

this trigger gives the attachment to the unit who cast "roar" and in this case we also need it to go away when the buf disappears, for this you need a "unit variable" in this case im gonna call it "RoarWeapon"


  • [B]dragon sword on ability[/B]
    • Events
      • Unit - A unit Begins casting an ability
    • Conditions
      • (Ability being cast) Equal to Roar
    • Actions
      • Unit - Add Dragon Sword to (Triggering unit)
      • Set RoarWeapon = (Triggering unit)
      • Trigger - Turn on Dragon sword on ability off <gen>
"Dragon sword on ability off" should have intially of, check the "itially on" box so its off.

Intially.jpg



  • Dragon sword on ability off
    • Events
      • Time - Every 0.01 seconds of game time
    • Conditions
    • Actions
      • If (All Conditions are True) then do (Then Actions) else do (Else Actions)
        • If - Conditions
          • (RoarWeapon has buff Roar) Equal to False
        • Then - Actions
          • Unit - Remove Dragon Sword from RoarWeapon
          • Trigger - Turn off (This trigger)
        • Else - Actions
          • Do nothing

d. when the hero uses an AOE ability units around it get's a attachment


this can be done in two ways depending on how you like it, and they work exactly the same.

i used Roar as base but i changed the it so it didn't add'ed more damage.


the first is only controlled by triggers

  • Roar AOE On
    • Events
      • Unit - A unit Begins casting an ability
    • Conditions
      • (Ability being cast) Equal to Roar
    • Actions
      • Unit Group - Pick every unit in (Units within 500.00 of (Position of (Triggering unit))) and do (Actions)
        • Loop - Actions
          • If (All Conditions are True) then do (Then Actions) else do (Else Actions)
            • If - Conditions
              • (Owner of (Picked unit)) Equal to (Owner of (Triggering unit))
            • Then - Actions
              • Unit - Add Dragon Sword to (Picked unit)
              • Set DragonBuff = (Picked unit)
              • Wait 5.00 seconds
              • Unit - Remove Dragon Sword from (Picked unit)
            • Else - Actions
              • Do nothing


the second way is used by abilities.

when the unit gains a buff, the weapons will attach, and when the buff disappears, the weapons also do.
Copy the Roar ability and make a new edited version.


Roar ability.

Roarforeeverability.jpg


Buff.

ROARforeeverbuff.jpg


Succes!!

AOEroar.jpg





e. when you finnishes a upgrade all units change weapon

make a new upgrade or change a old one, i made a upgrade called "Dragon swors" and it didn't do anything without triggers, so we are going to make this trigger.

  • Sword after upgrade Copy
    • Events
      • Unit - A unit Finishes research
    • Conditions
      • (Researched tech-type) Equal to Dragon swords
    • Actions
      • Unit Group - Pick every unit in (Units of type Villager (Male) dragon cool boy) and do (Actions)
        • Loop - Actions
          • Unit - Add Dragon Sword to (Picked unit)
you can change the "pick" action to something else if you want to.


end of chapter 2.



C & C are welcome, feel free to post if there are any problems.
 

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Level 1
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Dec 15, 2003
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3
I have posted chapter 2 now aswell anyone got something to say :grin:

Yeah, I do. If you have Photoshop CS3, is it really THAT hard to just go in and take a pic of the layers window? I mean, you went through the trouble of linking my image through google, might as well link to the whole tutorial at the Star Alliance or on my site directly.


Still, if you are working on a tutorial, I fail to understand why you wouldn't just create your own images for more authentic look.
 
Level 4
Joined
May 31, 2008
Messages
91
please tell me where can i find a TGA editor and a TGA to Blp convertor please (exually all those stuf u need to attach a weapon....)
 
Level 4
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
67
That's amazing, I will use this, because i was attaching weapons in my heroes but always and error or mistake happens (sorry is something is writing incorrect, I don't know much English)

Thanks bro... :thumbs_up:
 
Level 3
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
42
Eh , the for this tutorial .
However , I face a problem ...
The unit skin change in world editor but didn't change in game ...
Some1 Help me ...
 
Level 3
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
27
I do get the tutorial but I get problems with removing the weapon. My alpha channel is black and not white and it doesnt look like yours at all becoz mine shows only my marked things and not really the weapons. Im using PS 7.0
 
Level 7
Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Messages
201
I do get the tutorial but I get problems with removing the weapon. My alpha channel is black and not white and it doesnt look like yours at all becoz mine shows only my marked things and not really the weapons. Im using PS 7.0

if the skin is a Tga it should have a alpha channel
are you sure you press "ctrl+4"?

if the file isn't tga (targa) save it as tga and re-open it and press ctrl+4

if this dosn't help i could make the skin for you, which one is it?
 
Level 3
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
27
if the skin is a Tga it should have a alpha channel
are you sure you press "ctrl+4"?

if the file isn't tga (targa) save it as tga and re-open it and press ctrl+4

if this dosn't help i could make the skin for you, which one is it?

- well I dont really need a skin, Im just trying this to leanr to be able to do it myself.

- Besides that, as I said , I have the alpha channel but it doesnt show up like yours does and doesnt act like it either.

- After marking the weapons I cant go to the alpha channel and color them black becuz they are not shown, it only shows my marking.

- Plus, when I save the file it gets a psd file and as one psd file I cant open it with wc3 viewer.
¨¨
;d
 
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