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[HOW TO] Importing BC7 DDS Textures in GIMP


SinusoidDelta

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I posted this in another thread but wanted to share it here for visibility. The guide below will allow you to import and export BC7 DDS textures in GIMP (I’m using build 2.10.8 )

 

Importing:

  1. Install the GIMP dds plugin from here
     
  2. Download the Microsoft DirectXTex utility called texconv.exe from here. Extract it to a folder and make note of the directory.
     
  3. Download this python script here. Open file-dds-texconv.py in Notepad++. Now enter the full directory for your texconv.exe binary from the previous step. Save file-dds-texconv.py
     
  4. Paste file-dds-texconv.py in your gimp plug-in folder (eg, Program Files\GIMP 2\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins
     
  5. Now open GIMP and select a BC7 .dds file. A script will run briefly and the texture will import.

 

You should now see the pretty tomcat texture you chose in GIMP:

unknown.png

 

 

Exporting:

 

  1. Select export from the file menu.
     
  2. Clicking + to view the different file types, you will see that “direct draw surface —-> .dds” is listed twice.
     
  3. Choosing one of the two file types (can’t remember which at the moment) will bring up the original DDS export options e.g
     
  4. Selecting the other will immediately export as BC7.

 

Let me know if you have any issues, cheers!

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you are the best!!! thank you!!!!

Now my kitten is getting pretty

 

 

one problem i got: when i open HB_F14_CPT_FRONT_01.dds i dont see all of the texture. normal i will load it with DXTBMP to splitt the alpha.

anyone has a solution?


Edited by BlackLibrary
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15 hours ago, Megalax said:

What do you mean by run the application? texconv.exe is not an application you run, you just save to dds with Gimp and it runs the script. 

I mean run Gimp.

 

Is the texconv.exe the only file required from the first link? Maybe it has dependencies on other files to run correctly? MS Visual C++ or DX9 (d/l and install DX)

 

FYI, I am trying to open a BC7 DDS. Got the same error as Father Cool


Edited by whisky.actual
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3 files from the first post. 1) dds plugin 2) texconv.exe 3) python script 

 

However, I see something else that "might" be your problem. In the python script I have forward slashes / where you have back slashes \ (may or may not be your problem - I always have issues with syntax) - gabuzomeu mentioned this in post #2

 

example,  my python code has:

BINARY="""C:/Program Files/GIMP 2/texconv.exe"""

 


Edited by prccowboy
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21 hours ago, prccowboy said:

3 files from the first post. 1) dds plugin 2) texconv.exe 3) python script 

 

However, I see something else that "might" be your problem. In the python script I have forward slashes / where you have back slashes \ (may or may not be your problem - I always have issues with syntax) - gabuzomeu mentioned this in post #2

 

example,  my python code has:


BINARY="""C:/Program Files/GIMP 2/texconv.exe"""

 

 

 

Thanks! that did it... guess the python did not like the \ from the windows path and requires the / as per unix, weird :S 

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Yes ditto. Many thanks for this stripped countless hours out of my effort, almost seamless 

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  • 2 months later...

The first step is actually not needed. That old plugin will not work for BC7 I think, well, I'm not sure if I opened a BC7 texture, but the ones I tried didn't work. Texconv and the python script plugin does it all.


Edited by Worrazen

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Hi, RedRabbit_61 .

 

In my experience, the combo of plugin and script in the 1st post works only for BC7 format and doesn't have backward compatibility to old dds files like BC3.

When I want to open a BC3 / DXT5 dds file with THE plugin , GIMP shows the similar error you posted.

GIMP 2.10.xx has one of default in/out plugins for dds and it works with/for BC1/2...5 . 

 

So, they are exclusive:

BC1 - BC5 dds = GIMP's default plugin

BC7 dds = THE new plugin

We have to switch enable / disable THE plugin due to which generation dds we want to read / write. Setting BAT files to move plugin files or JSGME-like tool ? I think.

Modules: A-10C/II, F-5E, F-14A/B, F-15E, F-16C, F/A-18C, AV-8B, FC3, Ka-50-2/3, UH-1H, Mi-8MTV2, SA342, Mi-24P, AH-64D, P-51D
Maps: Nevada, PG, Syria, SA, Sinai, Channel, Normandy2.0      Assets etc.: CA, Sc, WW2AP
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7 hours ago, Chally850 said:

Is this working with GIMP 2.10.xx ?  I don't get the same installation path for GIMP and Texconv.exe is not present in the DirectXTex-nov2021 version ... 

How do you open your BC7 dds ?  

works fine with latest - just RTFM (posts above). Check that you have files in the right locations and that you edited the python script accordingly. (I have the dds.exe and python script both in the Program Files\GIMP 2\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins folder, but I put the texconv.exe file in the Program Files\GIMP 2\ parent.) Then edit the python code and reverse the / and \ in the line that says where you put the texconv.exe file (see my previous post above)

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14 hours ago, prccowboy said:

works fine with latest - just RTFM (posts above). Check that you have files in the right locations and that you edited the python script accordingly. (I have the dds.exe and python script both in the Program Files\GIMP 2\lib\gimp\2.0\plug-ins folder, but I put the texconv.exe file in the Program Files\GIMP 2\ parent.) Then edit the python code and reverse the / and \ in the line that says where you put the texconv.exe file (see my previous post above)

i read and did all that was in the previous post, but like i said my Gimp location is different (2.10.28) and there is no texconv.exe in the DirectXTex package, just a Textconv.rc 

I went back and found a Texconv.exe outside the package and it is now working fine to read the BC7 file.

Thanks for your time 👍

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  • 4 months later...

So, tried doing this, noticed it was taking a lot longer than the original plugin and figured "that's okay I'll just move the .py out of the plugins page and put it back in to save as BC7 at the end."

Instead it's throwing this error now. So, what's wrong?

error.png

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