Adding New Icons

Adding new icons requires a bit of preparation and setup, but once the initial setup is complete, adding additional icons is quick and easy.

Preparing the Texture File

1. Pack a collection of images (64x64) into a single image file using power of 2 constraints (512x512, 1024x1024, etc.). Make sure to have the images sorted by name. Also, keep the location of these images handy, as you'll need the individual images later.
2. Convert the image to DDS, with alpha and BC3 compression.
3. Create a directory for your texture inside your mod's directory (inside the data directory). Example: "Data/Public/MyModName_GUID/Assets/Textures".
4. In the Resource Manager, create a package to add your texture to later.
5. Wait before you move your texture file in, as to avoid a current bug.

Preparing the Texture Atlas file:

1. Open the Texture Atlas Editor.
2. Click File -> New.
3. Select "Public/MyModName_GUID/GUI" as the location for your .lsx file (create the GUI folder if it doesn't exist).
4. Name the texture file the same as your texture from before, and save it in the same location we prepared (i.e. "Data/Public/MyModName_GUID/Assets/Textures").
5. Select the size of the individual icons and the size of the image.
6. Select the package you created previously, then click Save.
7. This is where we hit a bug - The Texture Atlas Editor appears have tried to create the DDS texture file we specified, but nothing is actually created (see the error in the message log).
8. To workaround the error, move your actual texture file in to the directory we specified ("Data/Public/MyModName_GUID/Assets/Textures").
9. Reload your .lsx atlas file in the Texture Atlas Editor. Your texture should now be visible, and the "Add Entries" button should no longer be greyed out.

Adding Atlas Entries:

1. Click Edit -> Add Entries.
2. Navigate to where your collection images reside (the ones you packed into the texture file).
3. Select all the icons you packed and add them. If you packed your texture right (alphabetically), all of the new atlas entries should match up with the image.
4. Save.

Notes:

• This same process can be used to add custom portraits.

Software Used In This Tutorial

• TexturePacker for packaging the icons. Here's my settings: TexturePacker Settings
• nvidia-texture-tools to convert the packed texture to DDS format. This is a command-line tool.

Optional

• For Photoshop users, Nvidia has a plugin to work with the DDS format: NVIDIA Texture Tools for Adobe Photoshop