HaloMods "Classic" Read-only Archive

To start, what you do is you have to have some program that can take screen shots of your desktop in a high quality bitmap. I use a fraps 2.6 glitch, where you have fraps running, and start up Interent Explorer (Has to be on the Vista OS), and the IE7 will crash, and the counter will show on your desktop.

Sweet, we got that step done. Now, start up Guerilla. Go to the following adress in the open dialog box:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo 2 Map Editor\tags\objects\weapons\rifle\plasma_rifle\bitmaps

Lets skin your plasma rifle. Open up the plasma_rifle_card.bitmap. Now, there should be a button in the box at the right, being the file you just opened. Click on the button that says "Show Bitmap" Take a screen shot of your desktop




Yes, your screenie should look like this. Keep it full size! Do not crop it/scale it down any.

Next, we need to get that image out of the rest of the stuff. Find the .bmp you just saved, and open it up in your favorite image editing program. Now, you notice there is blue around your image, and the image is tiled. You only need the top most, largest image. When compiled, H2Tool automatically adds those other images. So, highlight the top most image, and cut it out (Do not get the any of the blue sides on it). Create a new file, accordingly sized to the cut image. Paste it in, and do your magic to it. Save when done.

Start up your Halo 2 Map Editor Launcher (.exe location: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo 2 Map Editor\Halo_2_Map_Editor_Launcher.exe) Go to the bitmap tab. Make sure you have moved your edited .bmp to the proper hierarchy structure (data\scenarios\bitmaps). Compile whenever ready.

If you keep the uniform size, you should have no problems what-so-ever. Now, find your newly compiled .bitmap, copy it and place it back where we all started: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo 2 Map Editor\tags\objects\weapons\rifle\plasma_rifle\bitmaps

Start up Sapein, preferably on a map with super lightmapping, to preview your image. Now, all of your maps you make will now have that sleek plasma rifle. Enjoy

Why are you editing the card? Can't you just edit plasma_rifle.bitmap instead?

Argetlam wrote:Why are you editing the card? Can't you just edit plasma_rifle.bitmap instead?

The card is the main part of the plasma rifle. The plasma_rifle.bitmap is just the front most part of it and the more detailed areas. Trust me, I found that out. The plasma_rifle_card.bitmap is what you want.

Snagit can take high quality screenshots.
Where the hell does it save my bitmap ?

My working directory:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo 2 Map Editor\data\scenarios\bitmaps\My Bitmaps

Where I thought it would have saved it:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Halo 2 Map Editor\tags\scenarios\bitmaps\My Bitmaps

I am so confuzzled.

H2Tool will save it under:

tags\scenarios\bitmaps

There is nothing there...It also said Warning not a multiple of 4. The image is 512x512 and it even said that it saved it. I never saw anything though.

jordanimal wrote:There is nothing there...It also said Warning not a multiple of 4. The image is 512x512 and it even said that it saved it. I never saw anything though.

If it says warning, its not a problem. But, I know the problem. Often with the Vista OS, the C:\ is locked to prevent files from being able to be saved to the hard drive. You can save files, but they have to be moved from a different location. I have my heirarchy saved in My Documents, becuase the C:\ affliction does not affect there.

Nice tut but sorta out of date because thare's a new bitmap coverter out
4 h2v so it makes most of this tutorial pointless
mb you can do better!
Well goodluck!

instead of something that takes a pic of ur desktop couldn't u just used the xbox equivalent of the h2v bitm ur skinning

jackrabbitlight wrote:Nice tut but sorta out of date because thare's a new bitmap coverter out
4 h2v so it makes most of this tutorial pointless
mb you can do better!
Well goodluck!

I wrote this before the bitmap converter came out.

congrats for doing something without tools b/c i know that i would be re-playing outskirts for the three-hundreth time without any modding things. now do you know of anyway to actually use the skin in game? plz (asside hex editing cuz i poped open those shared.maps files and i got the prettiest little symbol designs)