Adding texture guidelines

Asset/Art/dds/texture_guidelines.md

@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+# Texture Guidelines
+
+In *Command & Conquer: Generals and Zero Hour*, there are several variations of textures adapted to different seasons,
+weather conditions, times of day, and more. Each variation is updated accordingly, and the suffixes in the
+DDS filenames indicate the type and condition of the texture.
+
+## Texture Naming Structure
+
+> [!TIP]
+> the `_en` and `_rn` textures are invalid because 99% of textures with these suffixes do not have proper night lighting
+> but are simply darkened versions of the base texture. They only increase the brightness from `_dn` to `_en`.
+
+### Summer Textures
+
+- `<none>`: Pristine texture.
+- `_d`: Damaged texture.
+- `_e`: Really Damaged texture.
+- `_r`: Rubble texture.
+- `_g`: Garrison texture.
+- `_dg`: Damaged Garrison texture.
+
+### Winter Textures
+
+- `_s`: Pristine Snow texture.
+- `_ds`: Damaged Snow texture.
+- `_es`: Really Damaged Snow texture.
+- `_rs`: Rubble Snow texture.
+- `_sg`: Snow Garrison texture.
+- `_dsg`: Damaged Snow Garrison texture.
+
+### Summer Night Textures
+
+- `_n`: Night texture.
+- `_dn`: Damaged Night texture.
+- `_en`: Invalid texture, to be removed with Mod Builder.
+- `_rn`: Invalid texture, to be removed with Mod Builder.
+- `_ng`: Night Garrison texture.
+- `_dng`: Damaged Night Garrison texture.
+
+### Winter Night Textures
+
+- `_sn`: Snow Night texture.
+- `_dsn`: Damaged Snow Night texture.
+- `_esn`: Invalid texture, to be removed with Mod Builder.
+- `_rsn`: Invalid texture, to be removed with Mod Builder.
+- `_sng`: Snow Night Garrison texture.
+- `_dsng`: Damaged Snow Night Garrison texture.
+
+## Vehicle Texture Variations
+
+- `<none>`: Pristine vehicle texture.
+- `_d`: Damaged vehicle texture.
+- `_d1`: Wrecked vehicle texture.
+
+## PSD Layer Naming Conventions
+
+- If the Background layer is flattened, it represents the original retail texture (DDS) in best discovered quality.
+- If the bottom layer is not the original retail texture (DDS), it must be named to reflect the source texture
+  name in sufficient detail. That can be a DDS or TGA or a processed (AI upscale) texture, for example
+  `cbcnvstr01_s.dds realesr-general-wdn-x4v3`. Or a "merged" aka composited PSD image of the same (and never another!)
+  texture set, for example `cbcnvstr01 merged`.
+- If PSD textures are modified, edits must move to lower-order textures that use higher-order merged
+  textures (Pristine -> Damages, Summer -> Winter, ...).
+- Layer & Group names are lower case and use common keywords such as "damage", "light", "barricades", "snow", or any
+  other name that gives it meaning.
+- Layer & Group names must end on a texture variant suffix (`_d`, `_g`, `_e`, ...) which helps to identify the origin
+  texture variant.
+- Layers & Groups can be copied to other texture variants and are expected to be identical if they share the same name
+  within the same texture set.
+- Groups meant to be used to assemble an alpha channel are named `_alpha` and must be hidden before saving the image
+  file.
+
+## Working with Textures
+
+1. **Editing Software**: Use software like **Photoshop**, **GIMP**, or **Paint.NET** for editing DDS
+   textures.
+
+2. **PSD**: When working with **PSD** files, maintain an organized layer structure and use clear names for each texture
+   variant (e.g., `_d`, `_g`). Layers with an alpha channel must be named `_alpha` and hidden before saving the file.
+
+3. **Saving and Conversion**: Don’t manually export DDS files. Texture conversion should be automated by the build
+pipeline via Mod Builder to ensure optimal quality and file size.
+
+## Typical Errors in Textures
+
+Many textures have small, and sometimes big visual discrepancies between damage, weather or garrison states.
+Fixing this requires reassembling textures from other parts of the texture set.
+
+### Texture Resolution Mismatches
+
+Zero Hour textures are often aggressively downscaled, unlike Generals, which utilizes around 500 higher-resolution
+assets. Winter texture sets in Zero Hour tend to be significantly smaller than their Summer counterparts, leading to
+noticeable quality loss on Winter maps. Improving these undersized Winter textures is one of the most difficult tasks
+in texture refinement.
+
+### Damage Transition Mistakes
+
+Damage transitions are frequently inconsistent across weather variants. The progression from pristine to rubble is
+rarely seamless—details may vanish or shift between states. For instance, a damaged feature in the `(_d)` texture
+might disappear entirely in the `(_e)` version. Some fixes are simple overlays, but others demand detailed repair work.
+
+### Window Barricade Discrepancies
+
+Window barricades—used to represent infantry occupation—often vary wildly in alignment and appearance across
+damage states. They may shift slightly, vanish completely, or be visually incoherent from one texture to the next.
+
+### Window Reflections Problems
+
+Reflections on windows often misalign between damage and garrison states. These mismatches affect nearby damage
+effects and barricades. Reflection intensity also varies too much and can bleed incorrectly over snow. Reflections
+typically reside in the Alpha Channel of pristine and damaged `(_d)` textures, but are sometimes mistakenly included
+in `(_e)` textures. Shapes frequently don’t match the actual window geometry, and reflections can overlay unwanted
+visual elements.
+
+### Night Light Inconsistencies
+
+Night lights, mainly found on windows, show visual discrepancies across damage and garrison states.
+They commonly clash with barricade placements and can spill unrealistically over snowy surfaces.
+
+### Rubble Textures Anomalies
+
+Rubble and heavily damaged `(_e)`/`(_r)` textures sometimes include damage holes defined by black Alpha Channel
+regions. While intentional in some cases, this can result in parts like walls or roofs appearing suspended with no
+connection to adjacent structures—especially evident when viewed up close.
+
+### Alpha Channel Errors
+
+Some textures contain outdated or irrelevant Alpha Channels that can be safely removed. Others are missing
+Alpha data entirely, though in many cases, this can be reconstructed using neighboring textures in the same set.

Asset/_Sidebar.md

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     - Textures
         - [Cameo Sizes](cameo_sizes)
         - [DDS files and DXT compression](dds_files_and_dxt_compression)
+        - [Texture Guidelines](Art/dds/texture\_guidelines.md)
 
 - Audio & Video
     - [Game WAV Audio files](audio)