CC0 Textures and You

[CaptainKlutz]

So you want to find some new, unique textures to spice up your maps? Unfortunately for FAF, even though a lot of websites provide CC0 textures that are free for commercial use without attribution, their licenses can specifically prohibit rehosting, which means we can't add them to our repositories. Due to this, I have listed my favourite sites here, together with a tutorial on how to edit them.

CC0 Sites

https://ambientcg.com/

My first stop for textures. I've used everything from rocks on maps like Auburn Canyon, to grass on various other maps. I prefer to use the procedural textures as they tend to tile better.

https://www.sharetextures.com/

Another excellent website with a decent library of procedural textures.

https://www.cgbookcase.com/

A bit less useful for ground textures, but good nonetheless.

https://polyhaven.com/textures

Again, not so many ground textures but still very nice.

Near-CC0 Sites

Be sure to read the licenses for these sites in full before using resources from them.

https://www.textures.com/

The source of the famous Frozen Firefight ice, you need to register to use the textures but they are free for commercial use.

Using Textures

Step 1: Download the texture you want to use.

Step 2: Unzip. Look for the 'Albedo' and 'Normal' textures.

Step 3: Navigate to your map's folder.

Step 4: Create a new folder tree called env/layers

Step 5: Paste the albedo and normal textures in

Step 6: Convert them to .dds BC3 (Linear, DXT5) using Paint .NET (see below) or similar program.

Step 7: Load the textures in the map editor from 'map folder'.

Editing Textures

CC0 allows the free editing of all assets. This is how I personally edit textures.

Software: Paint dot NET, which you can get from https://www.dotpdn.com/downloads/pdn.html

Most useful tools:

Use brightness/contrast if a texture is showing up too dark or light.

Curves lets you edit luminosity and dip specific channels, I use it to dip red/green/blue for example.

Hue/saturation is extremely useful for changing the colours of a texture; I use it liberally to create grass textures like the dried out grass in Auburn Canyon.

This tutorial is a work in progress, check in regularly for updates and feel free to suggest things.

[Jip]

For maps you're also free to bundle textures from www.textures.com as long as you credit them accordingly:

• https://forum.faforever.com/topic/243/using-textures-from-www-textures-com

I missed that bit of the original topic

[KaletheQuick]

I can do a bit of art and texturing. Mostly procedural stuff with blender. If anyone wants textures I might be able to help, so pm me here or discord.

[Femboy]

@kalethequick did you just say art? What's your discord? I need to recruit you immediately

[KaletheQuick]

@femboy I am KaletheQuick everywhere on the internet with this same icon.

Here is a unit I made for a unit competition in a day: https://youtu.be/ZcLiMX51H4A

Some shader based art:
https://youtu.be/nMnyUwA5wc0

Some stylized space fun:
https://youtu.be/6Zd5iZKQsiM

Here is a prototype strategy game for touchscreens: https://youtu.be/HjKQJjcIT54
Web demo: http://www.eastereggproductions.com/games/browser/StrategyMobile/

[archsimkat]

@KaletheQuick That hardtoon video is incredibly cool, did you make it in Blender?

[KaletheQuick]

@archsimkat yes. Paying for software is for chumps.

Its pretty simple. They added a "shader to greyscale" node and you just go through that and then a color ramp set to constant, with black, your highlight color, grey, then white. Needs a lot of tweaking of every objects albedo and lighting. What's well lit with good surface detail in normal rendering won't be in hardtoon.

My fave piece done in this style, and the original, a mark 4 tank.
https://twitter.com/kalethequick/status/1464159042280910857?t=gTJkApYMXQYt9XoOwmrvAg&s=19

[CaptainKlutz]

god i imagine the cybrans would love to see some of their units rendered in this hardtoon style