How to convert .PNG images to ZT1 Graphics in batch

How to convert .PNG images to ZT1 Graphics in batch

Some preparations are in order, but you can save yourself quite some time and trouble. The batch conversion is a highly optimized workflow.

For people who use 3D software to create animals, they can usually generate .PNG images in batch straight from their 3D model with a specific file name pattern. But also other designers who use more common non-3D graphic manipulation tools (Paint, Paint.NET, GIMP, ...) can benefit from this.

Preparing file and folder structure

If you're unfamiliar with the ZT1 structures, take a look at existing objects, animals etc. For animals, you typically have a folder structure like animals/panda/m/walk . The animal name is usually shorted, each part of the path should be up to 8 alphanumeric characters max. That's why you might see a folder structure like objects/restrant/idle . It's recommended to never start the name with a number though!

Hint: over the years, a lot of ZT1 fans created their own content and used a prefix for their creation; so they reserved the first character(s) to include their initials for example. It helps reducing conflicting file/folder names.

The file names of your .PNG-files should be like this: _00xx.PNG . For example: NE_0000.png.

If you're working with animated objects or with animal animations which have animated (changing) graphics: a second frame would be named NE_0001.png, a third frame would be named NE_0002.png, a third frame would be named NE_0003.png, and so on.

Hint: in programming, things are often referred to by index, which usually starts at 0. In ZT Studio's settings, you can specify whether you want to start numbering from 0 or from 1.

Share a color palette or not?

This is an optional and advanced step, but ZT Studio offers a unique feature. You can skip this step if you don't need/want it!

It must be enabled in ZT Studio's settings.

You can force a graphic to share a color palette between each graphic's animations - excluding icons. It makes things more complex and requires some additional preparation ( see specific page in this Wiki ).

Benefits?

• Recoloring is easier
  • Simply change this one color palette and all this graphic's animations are recolored at once.
• Looks more official; less files.
• The total size of whatever animal/object/... you're creating, smaller.
  • When the game was originally released, lots of people had much slower internet speed and much more limited bandwidth (amount of data they could download in a certain time).
  • Nowadays this feature is still very interesting for people who are hosting content.
• Optimized for ZT1 game engine.
  • Mostly on slower PCs; newer PCs are much faster than they used to be.

Downsides?

• Needs specific preparation
• You are limited to 255 colors per graphic (colors in icons excluded!). This shouldn't be an issue: Blue Fang never needed separate palettes in this case.

Let's say you do want a shared color palette. You will need to make sure your suggested color palette is in the right place. For convenience this can be:

• a ZT1 Color Palette (.pal)
• a .PNG-file (16x16 pixels = 256 colors, the top left pixel will determine which color should be invisible [background])
• a .GPL-file (GIMP Color Palette, 256 colors).

Before you start the conversion, you'd put the palette in the right folder. This does make a difference! For ZT Studio, the palette should have the name of the folder it's located in.

Example with a .pal file (.png or .gpl will work the same way):

Filename	ZT Studio will use the palette for ...
animals/redpanda/m/m.pal	all male animations (e.g. animations/redpanda/m/eat/NE, NW, SE, SW).
animals/redpanda/redpanda.pal	all animations (also for female and/or young versions).
objects/myobj/myobj.pal	all animations (NE, NW, SE, SW).
objects/myobj/used/myobj.pal	all 'used' animations (NE, NW, SE, SW).

Hint: if both animals/redpanda/m/m.pal and animals/redpanda/redpanda.pal are available, the male animations will use m.pal; while female and/or young versions would use redpanda.pal

Summary:

• If multiple color palettes are in the same folder, this is the preferred order: .PAL > .GPL > .PNG

  • .pal is original ZT1 extension; very clear it should get priority
  • .gpl is also clearly a palette
  • .png is more of a guess

• The palette which is relatively closest (in the folder path), will be used.

• If a folder only contains 1 graphic (such as an icon), the shared palette is ignored.

  • This is done because an icon or plaque might include background colors which aren't used anywhere else. They would limit the amount of useful colors in the shared palette.

• How to create a color palette to share with several graphics (views, animations) using GIMP

Start the conversion

• Start ZT Studio
• Hit the Batch conversion-button.
• Pick from .PNG to ZT1 Graphics.
• Optional: Check the settings if everything's configured alright.
• Just click the Convert button