OMFMod

OMFMod is a utility which provides full access to all game artwork stored in B17's OMF files.

OMFMod Read Me 6th February 2001

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This utility is supplied as is and unsupported. Incorrect usage may corrupt game graphics and or cause incorrect operation of the game. Should such problems occur, the game should be re-installed or backups of the data files restored.

This utility will not operate correctly if the B-17 Version 1.0 patch is applied after installation.

Overview

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OMFMod is a utility which provides full access to all game artwork stored in B17's OMF files.

Images may be viewed, exported as TGAs, edited by an appropriate editor, then re-imported into the OMF for use in the game.

No artwork can be added that is not originally part of the game. But all existing game artwork ( nose art, texture maps, crew photos, background screens etc ) may be modified.

Installing OMFMod

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Download and apply the B-17 1.0 patch.

Copy OMFMOD.EXE and COREPARTS.DLL to the directory in which B17.EXE was installed. It requires access to DLLs shipped as part of the game and will not run without them.

Running OMFMod

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OMFMod may be run from the command line with a single parameter specifying the .OMF file to edit. Open a command shell window, change to the directory containing OMFMOD.EXE and run it with the name of the OMF to edit

e.g.

cd \Games\B17

OMFMod Resources\Media\Aircraft.omf

Or, by adding the directory into which OMFMOD.EXE was installed to your system's path and associating OMFMOD.EXE with the .OMF file type. OMFMod may then be run to edit an OMF by double clicking on an OMF file icon.

Using OMFMod

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Viewing images

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Select the image to be viewed in the list on the left. The image will be displayed along with any alpha channel, image dimensions and alpha channel depth.

If multiple images are selected none are displayed.

Saving images for editing

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Select one or more images in the list on the left.

Click the Browse button to change the directory in which the images will be saved. The filename that will be used to save each file is the name of the image itself - this cannot be changed.

Click the Save TGA button to save the selected images as individual TGAs into the selected directory.

TGA is the only image file format supported.

Modifying images

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NOTE: Before making changes to artwork and OMF files you are recommended to make a backup of the OMF file.

To modify an image, save it out as a TGA ( as above ).

Edit the image as required using an appropriate art package.

Save the image as a TGA with *exactly* the same filename, dimensions and alpha channel depth as the original.

Drag and drop the modified files into the OMFMod window. Any files not matching the original's dimensions will be rejected.

Images which have been modified are highlighted in red in the list view.

Click Save Changes to save a new version of the OMF containing the modified artwork.

Click Exit or close the OMFMod window to quit without saving changes.

If you have the game configured to use an Image Cache, this file must be deleted or recreated using the setup program before artwork changes will be reflected in the game.

NOTE: OMFMod requires that there be sufficient disk space for a working copy of the OMF file to be created temporarily. If there is insufficient space, the file may be corrupted.

NOTE: If you encounter problems with the game following your changes you should restore the OMF files from your backups or reinstall the game.

Alpha Channels

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B17 uses images with 8, 1 or 0 bits of alpha channel.

Images with 0 bits of alpha channel ( no alpha ) are saved as 24 bit TGAs. Alpha channels should not be added during editing.

Images with 1 bit alpha are saved as 32 bit TGAs with an 8 bit alpha channel containing only the values 0 or 255. After editing the alpha channel should contain no values other than 0 and 255.

Images with 8 bit alpha are saved as 32 bit TGAs with 8 bit alpha channels. After editing, the alpha channel should contain at least one value other than 0 or 255.