shnurr214 wrote:damn inertia nice stuff man. when you are making assets for d2 do you model them in max or maya and then have to convert them through some magic or are you able to work in 2d software like photoshop?
im really interested in trying to create some d2 assets just to mess around.
It's usually both. I've made 3d models using maya and rendered them into 2d sprites that I usually end up modifying or enhancing in Photoshop. For this example though, it's just Photoshop. I just made a dynamic brush to make the clouds.
As for conversion, in some ways this is the hardest part. Most things look terrible when converting to D2 because of how limited the palettes are. You also have to use really buggy programs that haven't been updated in years and usually don't work very well.
For .dc6 files you can use DC6 Creator. This is used mainly for static images like item graphics, automap graphics, gui, backgrounds, etc.
For .dcc files, I only use CV5. It's terrible and bugs out a lot, but it is by far the best program for .dcc editing. The rest are somehow even worse. There are some workarounds for the bugs in this program though, but it's super annoying and usually requires re-saving your file using multiple image editing programs. It's a nightmare, really. You also have to create .cof files that control how the animations work. Usually, you would use a hex editor to create these, but iirc Jetaman released a program that does most of the work for you. These files are used for pretty much anything that's animated (except for map tiles like lava).
For .dt1 files, use dt1 tools. The problem here is that making new map tiles is like using CV5 in that it's a process of re-saving your image files in certain formats using certain programs. You also have to make sure your tiles align properly in-game and you also have to create an .ini file that controls how every tile works in-game. Making new tilesets will often result in a ton of game crashes and other issues. I've only completed one tileset and it took months to make. I also don't even know if it'll be used or not. As for the process, you're basically using a combination of Photoshop and irfanview to save as .bmp and then .pcx. If you do not do this process correctly, your map tiles will look awful in-game (rainbow colored, basically). Again, this file format is used for making new map tiles or modifying them.
All these programs should be available on The Phrozen Keep website and you can also find more information on these file formats as well as tutorials in the forums.