Texture formats

**Gamesreview** · 02-10-2009

I've been browsing through several games and found Texture data as TX1D, TX2D, TX3D. I've read the documentation about, 1D, 2D and D texture types. But not much is to be found. Some function calls, but not more.

Can someone elaborate on the texture format being used by the xbox360? And how to handle them? I've seen alpha channels on the texture etc.

Thanks!

**retro** · 02-11-2009

Err, what are you trying to do with textures? I thought you were using a test kit, not a dev kit.....

Why is it that the manuals never have the answer? How do you think the studios learn this stuff?

**Gamesreview** · 02-11-2009

Originally Posted by retro

Err, what are you trying to do with textures? I thought you were using a test kit, not a dev kit.....

Why is it that the manuals never have the answer? How do you think the studios learn this stuff?

No, I received a demokit recently. If you've seen the sdk documentation you'll see it is not so easy. If it would be there, clear and cut, I wouldn't ask. As to the studios, the game devs follow courses. A luxury I don't have.

**ASSEMbler** · 02-13-2009

You can name it whatever you want it depends on the game engine.

**selgus** · 02-13-2009

The 360 can support many different texture formats, some which are 2D formats (meaning they are accessed via UV co-ordinates), some which are 3D formats (meaning they had an additional co-ordinate so you can think of them as an array of 2D textures).

The formats just extend on what DirectX supports, and those are very well documented all over the net. The formats, DXT, are geared for different compression levels and channels. Some have alpha, so do not, some quantize the data more than others, etc.

You shouldn't really have any trouble finding information about most of the texture formats, without having to be an official developer. Now some of the formats are specific to the 360, and those are documented in the 360 SDK (which is covered under NDAs).
--Selgus

**Gamesreview** · 02-13-2009

Originally Posted by selgus

The 360 can support many different texture formats, some which are 2D formats (meaning they are accessed via UV co-ordinates), some which are 3D formats (meaning they had an additional co-ordinate so you can think of them as an array of 2D textures).

The formats just extend on what DirectX supports, and those are very well documented all over the net. The formats, DXT, are geared for different compression levels and channels. Some have alpha, so do not, some quantize the data more than others, etc.

You shouldn't really have any trouble finding information about most of the texture formats, without having to be an official developer. Now some of the formats are specific to the 360, and those are documented in the 360 SDK (which is covered under NDAs).
--Selgus

Thanks for pointing that out!

**Xenon.7** · 02-14-2009

If you wish to make said DXT textures, the 360 utilizes Direct Draw Surface bitmaps (.DDS). You can obtain a DDS plugin for Photoshop on the interwebz, and save/load DDS files.

There's different formats as said.

DXT1, DXT2/3, DXT4/5, A8R8G8B8, P8, B8G8R8A8, the list goes on..

TX1D or whatever you had posted = DXT1 i'd assume, it's just.. scrambled..

Regardless that should give you what you need, seeing as when a dev takes a screencap it takes them in a DDS format, rips it to your computer, converts to a A8R8G8B8(32-bit per pixel) .bmp. If you save the dump of the DDS though you can open it in photoshop with the plugin. This all, being an example of how I said the Xbox 360 utilizes Direct Draw Surface Textures.

Enjoy.

**Holy Ownage** · 02-14-2009

Originally Posted by Xenon.7

If you wish to make said DXT textures, the 360 utilizes Direct Draw Surface bitmaps (.DDS). You can obtain a DDS plugin for Photoshop on the interwebz, and save/load DDS files.

There's different formats as said.

DXT1, DXT2/3, DXT4/5, A8R8G8B8, P8, B8G8R8A8, the list goes on..

TX1D or whatever you had posted = DXT1 i'd assume, it's just.. scrambled..

Regardless that should give you what you need, seeing as when a dev takes a screencap it takes them in a DDS format, rips it to your computer, converts to a A8R8G8B8(32-bit per pixel) .bmp. If you save the dump of the DDS though you can open it in photoshop with the plugin. This all, being an example of how I said the Xbox 360 utilizes Direct Draw Surface Textures.

Enjoy.

Thanks. Thats really quite helpful.

**Gamesreview** · 02-14-2009

Originally Posted by Xenon.7

If you wish to make said DXT textures, the 360 utilizes Direct Draw Surface bitmaps (.DDS). You can obtain a DDS plugin for Photoshop on the interwebz, and save/load DDS files.

There's different formats as said.

DXT1, DXT2/3, DXT4/5, A8R8G8B8, P8, B8G8R8A8, the list goes on..

TX1D or whatever you had posted = DXT1 i'd assume, it's just.. scrambled..

Regardless that should give you what you need, seeing as when a dev takes a screencap it takes them in a DDS format, rips it to your computer, converts to a A8R8G8B8(32-bit per pixel) .bmp. If you save the dump of the DDS though you can open it in photoshop with the plugin. This all, being an example of how I said the Xbox 360 utilizes Direct Draw Surface Textures.

Enjoy.

Thanks for the info, Xenon!