How to Customise Lightning Effects

[Softmints]

Introduction:
This tutorial is a very quick guide on how to import and customise lightning effects. Lightning effects include Finger of Death, Healing Wave, Spirit Link, and so on.

You will need:

• An MPQ browser (check Tools)
• Something to edit spreadsheets (Excel)

What to do:

• Open War3x.mpq and extract Splats\LightningData.slk
  
  
  
  
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• Open it.
  
  
  
  
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• You'll notice there are lots of fields to edit here. AvgSegLength is the portion of the texture file visible at any instant (50 is half, 100 is full). TexCoordScale is negative for drain lightnings because the texture moves back towards the caster. Duration is how long it will take to naturally fade (as with object editor abilities). NoiseScale determines how fuzzy the lightning will become over long distances; 0.00001 will remove any noise.
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• I'm going to add a new lightning using a texture in war3x.mpq which makes a nice lightning (Textures\BlueWaves.blp). I'm picking values which I think might look nice here.
  
  
  
  
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• Now, save that file and import it in the World Editor. Change its path to the original path, Splats\LightningData.slk so it'll overwrite the usual file.
  
  
  
  
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• Finally, you can go to the object editor and by shift-clicking on the Art - Lightning field, change the usual four letter lightning code (AFOD in this case) to one of the new ones.
  
  
  
  
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• ...and voila! Our Finger of Death ability should use the new custom lightning. Of course, you can use the new lightnings in triggers too by using the four letter code you chose in the .slk (GUI users may have to use one line of custom script for this bit).
  
  Here's what the blue waves looks like in a sample ability:
  
  
  

The advantages of this method are that we don't have to overwrite old lightnings to add new ones. We also don't have to limit ourselves to the usual speeds, thickness, or fade times of the standard lightnings. Their versatility is something which I feel is under-appreciated in most maps, hence this brief introduction. I hope everyone found it useful.

Some screenshots showing what you can do with custom lightning from my map Rise of Winterchill:

Examples

 

[-Kobas-]

Really cool, vote for approval

 

[Bannar]

Instant rep and vote for approval. Even that such knowledge among experienced users isn't rare, there are still a lot of ppl who has troubles doing such thing. Good job.

 

[sPy]

Simply brilliant tutorial.

 

[GangSpear]

Nice tutorial,+REP ya.

 

[Magtheridon96]

Good Job
+rep
Vote for INSTANT approval

 

[Adiktuz]

Simple, yet totally useful and due to simplicity, very easy to understand... this would be really helpful

 

[mckill2009]

Man I love you! +rep!

 

[PurgeandFire]

Nice job, a unique tutorial.

I don't see anything wrong with it, so ~approved.

 

[iAye]

Introduction:




[*]Now, save that file and import it in the World Editor. Change its path to the original path, Splats\LightningData.slk so it'll overwrite the usual file.

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what should i save?? and import the excel file or the blp file

 

[Adiktuz]

save the .slk file... and import it... since in this case, the new texture is an in-game one, there is no need to import it, but if you used custom textures, you should import the textures too...

 

[noob]

You can improve just indicate that you can make easier the adding off lightning effect by editing the unit editor data in the ui folder.
At the end of this txt you see
[lightningEffect]
Sort=1
00=CLPB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_CLPB
01=CLSB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_CLSB
02=MBUR,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_MBUR
03=CHIM,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_CHIM
04=AFOD,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_AFOD
05=HWPB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_HWPB
06=HWSB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_HWSB
07=MFPB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_MFPB
08=DRAB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_DRAB
09=DRAL,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_DRAL
10=DRAM,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_DRAM
11=FORK,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_FORK
12=SPLK,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_SPLK
13=LEAS,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_LEAS
NumValues=14
you can increment the NumValuesand and add your lightning effect

 

[Orcnet]

Damn boy! I need this, thanks a ton

 

[Rui]

Nice, and you don't need to edit MPQ files, that's awesome. Interesting how these discoveries keep popping after so long.

 

[Luorax]

This got debunked like years ago. Pretty neat tutorial tho', good job! I like the examples, I might use some of them too

 

[vuongkkk]

When i save file .SLK, this dialog showed

Seem something wrong and my map did not work

What did your software use to edit file .SLK ???

 

[-Kobas-]

Try Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

 

[Luorax]

Notepad is working perfectly for me.

 

[Marsal]

Pure gold. But what about the lightning´s sound? What will it play and how can I change it.

 

[Luorax]

Lightnings don't have any sound; they're added to their spell via object editor. You can play the sound manually tho', using SoundTools (a vJASS snippet)

 

[Marsal]

Oh, okay, thanks.

 

[iChaos]

Wow! I really learned from this! >

But I got some lil questions, about the BlueWave thingy, I cannot see the 'BLUE' from the list in lightning effects! And I'm new in object editor. HAHAHA


Here is the SS. (Note that I already changed the Finger of Death to mana flare for enjoyment lol D )

Hope you can answer soon! Tnx

 

[Luorax]

It won't appear in the editor, the imported files only affect the game after the map's been loaded. So you can only use those lightning effects via triggers, or by modifying the built-in ones.

 

[iChaos]

Aaahh. Thanks sir

I was really dying thinking about it lol. Hahaha Thanks anyways

 

[blink]

This really helps me !!!!

 

[EtikS]

Nice +rep i loved the kamehameha one

 

[Sephalo]

It won't appear in the editor, the imported files only affect the game after the map's been loaded. So you can only use those lightning effects via triggers, or by modifying the built-in ones.

Sorry this is not true.

You can easily use imported one's by Shift Clicking on the lightning part on a spell in the object editor. Once you Shift Click it you can type in the code for the lightning yourself. So just type BLUE in there and you should be able to see it with the spell.

 

[yuganeigii]

Nice guide man

BTW how did you make the "kamehameha" effect? can you teach us?

thanks

 

[Strikest]

Woah nice. I always wondered how you made such awesome effects in RoW.

 

[Paillan]

is there a way to make this availe for imported
IMPORTTANT EDIT:
in the SLK, at the prace were you write the Dir, you can write war3mapImported to add ANY custom imported skin to the map, it woks it you leave the war3Imported\[your imported BLP] in the import manager, attached i images that proves it!!!

Images

the other image is in the tumbsmail.

 

[MasterTrainer]

This is a useful tutorial indeed!

 

[WaterKnight]

Have noticed that some lightning configurations can cause crashes/freeze dependent on the local os/graphic settings.

• Avoid a duration of 0
• The dimensions of the texture should be a power of 2 each

 

[Luorax]

The dimensions?

 

[WaterKnight]

Width and height

 

[Luorax]

As I thought. Well, the blue wave texture is 64x64, I don't know about the rest.

 

[scy5115]

Ummm this is an awkward question...but how do i open up the thing where yo said to access the splats lol...

 

[Paillan]

Ummm this is an awkward question...but how do i open up the thing where yo said to access the splats lol...

Wacraft3Viewer, open the mpq, splats, exporta the lightning data, open with exel.

 

[scy5115]

Got it! Loaded the effect! Looks great!! Awesome Tutorial!!! However I am a GUI user so what would the custom script look like for writing this in? I want it to come down from the sky like monsoon. Please help

 

[Paillan]

Monsoon my friend, is a model (a very ugly one tho). There are plenty easy ways to make a less ugly falling lightning attack, go and check.

 

[scy5115]

i don't want monsoon. i am customizing monsoon. i was using monsoon as an example of a spell that has lightning falling from the sky....i just want that. cuz when i used this ability it was finger of death and it was a straight beam-like thing. i want it vertical and i don't know how to do that with GUI and i don't know much JASS

 

[Paillan]

Since this is not a question regarding this thread, I will ask you to post it on the WE question section.

 

[scy5115]

it kinda does relate to this post actually. he says in his tutorial that "GUI users will need to use some JASS here" but doesn't explain how to do so

 

[Paillan]

it kinda does relate to this post actually. he says in his tutorial that "GUI users will need to use some JASS here" but doesn't explain how to do so

He is talking about other methods to make other effects, sight... To make a like moonsooneffect: Create a dummy flying unit over the point/unit where lightning will fall, preferable at an insane hight. Them, just make the GUI, so when the spell is casted, the unit apears, and them you use the special effect create lightning effect, and you set it between the unit and the point/target. Got it?

 

[scy5115]

Thats very smart thank you. does that require any custom script because its imported?

 

[nhocklanhox6]

Wow, cool, another way to add custom lightning without import it.

 

[Paillan]

You can improve just indicate that you can make easier the adding off lightning effect by editing the unit editor data in the ui folder.
At the end of this txt you see
[lightningEffect]
Sort=1
00=CLPB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_CLPB
01=CLSB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_CLSB
02=MBUR,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_MBUR
03=CHIM,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_CHIM
04=AFOD,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_AFOD
05=HWPB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_HWPB
06=HWSB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_HWSB
07=MFPB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_MFPB
08=DRAB,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_DRAB
09=DRAL,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_DRAL
10=DRAM,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_DRAM
11=FORK,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_FORK
12=SPLK,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_SPLK
13=LEAS,WESTRING_UE_LIGHTNINGEFFECT_LEAS
NumValues=14
you can increment the NumValuesand and add your lightning effect

Forggot how to do this, any explains?

 

[PurgeandFire]

@Pailian:

You would have to look at this tutorial:
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/miscellaneous-tutorials-456/modding-we-trigger-editor-52529/

Although, I don't recommend adding your own constants. Other users won't be able to open your map in the editor unless they have the same data in their UI folder. (I mean, technically you can use it as a really soft, easy-to-break protection) I don't remember which file it is though. It is most likely UI/WorldEditStrings.txt, judging by the text in that post. Note that you will have to extract this file from War3patch.mpq using an mpq editor (such as MPQMaster).

 

[Paillan]

k thx for halp.

 

[Paillan]

So, I know this is some bad necro posting, and double posting, but I really have an important question.
How do you use this with trigger created lightnings? because If I use a spell, I would have to keep casting it until eternity so that the lightning effect doesn't fades, which would surely cause lag.

 

[WaterKnight]

If you use GUI, you will have to modify the TriggerData.txt. In jass you can just input the id you have added to the slk into the AddLightning/AddLightningEx function.