Steam Community :: Guide :: How to make a skin for vehicle

Store Page

Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic

All Discussions Screenshots Artwork Broadcasts Videos Workshop News Guides Reviews

Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic > Guides > LovelyPL's Guides

56 ratings

How to make a skin for vehicle

By LovelyPL

Short tutorial (beta version) to "Soviet Republic" game.

Screenshots by: ryantheskinny

Award

Created by

LovelyPL
Offline

Category: Modding or Configuration

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

13 Jul, 2019 @ 11:24am

20 Jul, 2019 @ 8:15am

2,014	Unique Visitors
106	Current Favorites

Guide Index

Overview

What do you need

Step 1 - preparing required files

Step 2 - creating new Workshop item

Step 3 - preparing files for skin (you can close game for a while)

Step 4 - making skin

Step 5 - changing .ini and .mtl file

Step 6 - testing your skin in the game

Step 7 - uploading new skin to Workshop

Comments

What do you need

An idea :)
Application to open/edit/save .DDS files
Any text editor (Notepad is enough)

Step 1 - preparing required files

Prepare .TXT file contains description of your skin.(UTF8 format)
Prepare .PNG file for preview your skin (you will change it later if you want)

Step 2 - creating new Workshop item

Run “Soviet Republic” game and in main menu choose: “Workshop”
Then choose: “Your items”
If you want to add new skin click (+) icon in bottom, right corner
In “Create new item” window type name of your item
Click on ‘magnifier’ icon and choose PNG preview image (visible in Workshop)
Click on another ‘magnifier’ icon and choose TXT file with your description.
Click “Create new item” (+) icon
When everything goes without problem “item created” message will be shown.
Click again “Save item” to upload it into Workshop (leave the item in Unpublished state!)

Step 3 - preparing files for skin (you can close game for a while)

Locate your item folder on disk. It should be in:
<steam dir>\steamapps\common\SovietRepublic\media_soviet\workshop_wip\<long number>
Inside this folder you see two files:
- previewimage.png
- workshopconfig.ini
Copy here original files from source model folder:
- material.mtl <- material definition
- diffuse.dds <- skin texture

Step 4 - making skin

Open in your graphics program diffuse.dds file
Edit it and make your skin
Save it in .dds (BC1/DXT1 compression - 1 bit alpha) format

Step 5 - changing .ini and .mtl file

Open workshopconfig.ini file in text editor
Add line:

$TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN <name_of_folder_contains_original_model> material.mtl

for example:

$TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN personal_f126 material.mtl

Note: road vehicles folders you can find in media_soviet/vehicles/ folder and trains in the media_soviet/trains/ folder
Save file
Open material.mtl file
Modify line:
$TEXTURE 0 <path_to_diffuse.dds_file>
to
$TEXTURE_MTL 0 diffuse.dds
this will read texture from directory where the .MTL file is located

Note: you can write more $TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN tokens and have more MTL files to have more skins for same or more vehicles in one workshop item, or when you need make skin for trainset - you need to add new skin for each wagon of train set

For example:

$TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN bus_ikr_260 ikr260_bluestripe.mtl
$TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN bus_ikr_260 ikr260_redstripe.mtl
$TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN bus_ikr_260 ikr260_orangestripe.mtl

and of course you need .dds file for each skin, for example:
ikr260_bluestripe.dds
ikr260_orangestripe.dds
ikr260_redstripe.dds

In ModelViewer.exe you have to open model, than open your material: ikr260_bluestripe.mtl
and change texture to ikr260_bluestripe.dds.
Than save it, and open another material, etc...

Step 6 - testing your skin in the game

After all finished, just run the game, and test if the new skin works (and spray icon is displayed while purchasing vehicle or in the vehicle window.)
Its necessary to test the skin prior to publishing to force game generate a preview images.

If you will change something and you wish to regenerate new previews, just delete the preview_X.dds and preview_side_X.dds from media_soviet/workshop_wip/$ID/ folder

Note: You can browse game folder and run the ModelViewer.exe. Open original vehicle mesh file (NMF) and then load your newly create MTL file from media_soviet/workshop_wip folder to see and/or modify the material values

Step 7 - uploading new skin to Workshop

Run game
Choose “Workshop” and “Your Items”
Choose your skin
After all works you can change visibility state to “Public”
Click “Save” button to upload all your new files to Workshop and make your item visible for anyone
Enjoy your new skin :)

24 Comments

< >

Vladimir illich 29 Jun, 2024 @ 10:53am

How to make a mod for content from the workshop?

I looked at how mods are made for mods (it seems nothing complicated, the link $TARGET_OBJECT_SKIN is given in the workshopconfig file not to the car folder, but to the modification number first. And downloaded mods work as they should. But the mod that I share myself works in this way doesn't want to. But it didn't work for me.

Cillian Murphy 27 Jun, 2024 @ 8:40am

does this work for biulding skins aswell?

Mad_House 17 Feb, 2024 @ 10:55am

Why do skins have to be saved as BC1/DXT1?

EGNT999 2 Feb, 2023 @ 9:46am

I really want to get into skinning and modeling, but there doesn't seem to be much information out there. Can anyone help? I am particularly interested in doing the DDR models. Cheers.

Truckercech 19 Apr, 2022 @ 6:58am

if anyone want to help with skinning or modeling etc, contact me best here https://www.facebook.com/gaming/Truckercech/ but over steam first before adding friend request, write on my profile comment what do oyu want because im not adding random people as friends...
also check my youtube.com/truckercech i did some videos about moding

THE SPELLCASTER 13 Feb, 2022 @ 3:30pm

any better way as of this date?

Senpai-Rex 18 Jun, 2021 @ 2:32pm

@Twist28712 I sent you a friend request, wanted to ask if you had any luck getting this to work. I am trying to follow his tutorial, but its hella confusing.

Senpai-Rex 17 May, 2021 @ 3:02am

Can somebody please make a video tutorial on this? I have not found a single video on youtube addressing this. If anybody has been able to do it, please post a link, this will be very helpful. Thank you!

Truckercech 7 May, 2021 @ 2:29pm

hi.. can anyone give me advice why my skins are to shiny? im using little darker colours but game still showing very shinnyskin....thx

Twist28712 21 Mar, 2021 @ 7:33pm

This is so out of order. You have the modder referencing the mtl file 3 times before you say to create an mtl file from the dds. Then you go on to say, "look at other mods to see how they did it" and 0 have done it the roundabout way you are describing. Also, take a good look at your example in this tut, build it exactly as it says in here, it does not work. Thanks for what help you did give me though, I understand now where everything is enough to know what I'm doing. I will probably create my own tut with a youtube video or something.

< >