
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Warcraft 3 Viewer~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    How-to & faq
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Contents:

1 - What do I need?
2 - Viewing an image
3 - Extracting an image
4 - Converting to .blp
5 - Viewing manipulated textures in the Warcraft 3 Viewer
6 - Reloading Textures
7 - Using images in the WCIII World Editor
8 - FAQ
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1 - What do I need

~Warcraft III Viewer

~Paintshop Pro, Photoshop or, Gimp(free)           (advanced)
 These are not necessary for simple viewing however,
 one or the other will be needed if you
 have interest in skinning.

~3Ds max, Milkshape or, Gmax(free)             (advanced)
 These are not nessesary however, one or
 the other will be needed for modeling.
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2 - Viewing an image

 There are three ways to view an image.

(a) Use the default treeview window that
    appears when you load Warcraft III Viewer.

(b) Use 'Find in MPQ' under 'View' on the pull-down menu
    or, use the Ctrl-F hot key. Then, enter the name of
    unit you want to view.

(c) To view an image you have already extracted
    use 'Open' under 'File' on the pull-down menu
    or use the Ctrl-O hot key.
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3 - Extracting an image

 To manipulate an image you will have to first 
 extract it.

~First, load an image by using (a) or (b) under
 part 2 - Viewing an image.

~Then, select the extraction type that relates to the
 type of file being viewed (shows type by default)
 under 'Current File' on the pull-down menu.
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4 - Converting to .blp

 Once you have manipulated an image (See above software)
 you will have to convert it back to a .blp file for use
 in Warcraft III.

~To convert your edited image back to a .blp
 select 'BMP,TGA,orJPG->BLP' under Convert Files
 on the pull-down menu.
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5 - Viewing manipulated textures in the Warcraft 3 Viewer

~Load the .mdx of the unit on which you wish to view the
 manipulated texture. Go to 'Remap textures'(Ctrl-M) under
 the 'Current File' menu. Select the texture that
 you wish to change and click on it. Then select the 'Change'
 button.

~To view the original texture again go back to 'Remap textures'
 and deactivate the manipulated texture that you imported.
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6 - Reloading Textures

 To instantly see the results of your work when editing
 skins you will want to use this feature.

~Convert the .blp of the unit on which you will be working
 to a .tga (or other file types: .jpg .bmp)

~Load the .mdx of the unit on which you will be working
 into the Warcraft 3 Viewer so that you can see the model.

~Go to the remap texture feature and change the path of
 the current .blp to the .tga that you just created.

~Without closing the Warcraft3 Viewer open the .tga file that 
 you just created with Photoshop or, whatever paint
 program you prefer.

~Edit the .tga "skin" and save it.

~Go back to the Warcraft 3 Viewer and select the 
 'Reload Textures' feature in the 'View' menu. You will
 now see the changes that you made to the unit's skin.

 Note: If you position the windows of your paint program
 and the Warcraft 3 Viewer you can see the results of
 your work as you skin. (as long as you save your work and
 reload the textures)

 Note: 'Convert local .tga and reload textures' does 
 the same thing only it recognizes the tga's in your local
 files and converts them.
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7 - Using images in the WCIII World Editor

~To use an image on a map go to the World Editor
 and open the 'Import Manager'(F12). Now select
 'Import File'(Ctrl-I) and find the file you want to
 use.

~After importing a file, double click on the
 name of the file and check the box 'use custom path'

~Enter the exact path of the file you want to replace.
 If you don't know the path use 'Find in MPQ'(Ctrl-F) in
 the Warcraft III Viewer to find it.
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8 - FAQ

~What is that 'Textures\white.blp' in the 'Remap textures' window?
 It not only shows up by default but, it also shows up with
 the model's textures and you can't change it.

Don't matter about that texture, it is just the texture used for the
Camera model used inside the viewer and for the axis.

~How, and why, do I change the background picture and color?

You can change the background picture(Render->Background picture)
to make it appear that your model is in the Warcraft III game This
is done so that you can get an idea of how your coloration will
appear against the terrain colors. You make great snapshots with
this too. Dont forget: Any picture will work. You can add an 
avitar, an album cover or whatever you want.

To make a warcraft scene as your background picture go to the
World editor and position your view the way you want it.
Then, hit the print screen key on your keyboard. You will find
Your picture in the warcraft directory in the newly created
'Screenshots' folder.

To resize the background picture use the number pad
the controls are the following
Width----------------4 or 6
Height---------------2 or 8
Width and Height ----1 or 9

You can change the background color (Render->Change background color)
to get a better view of the coloration on your model. 
(ex: If you had a very dark character
you would not want a black background)

~What is the Warcraft III Directory

That's just another name for the series of folders
in which your warcraft files are stored.
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For more support go to: www.wc3campaigns.com

Thanks go out to TheProphet for
making such a great tool. Without which                 
we would be caveman modders.                           __
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00000000000000000000 Warcraft 3 Viewer created by: TheProphet
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'How-to & faq' written J3y: J3lademaster  -)--------