Creating DF Components - BM

What is a BM?
A BM file is any texture used for walls, doors, elevators, signs, and more in Dark Forces. BMs can be animated or simple one-frame textures. DF only allows 256 color BMs with dimensions in the second power (2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256...), so anything above will result in an error when you compile it.

What program(s) do I need?
To edit a BM, you'll need Wedit and the BMP2DF program and any bitmap editor (i.e. Mspaint).

How do I get started?
Open up Wedit and click 'File' then 'New'. Once the new window has opened, click the 'GOB' button in the taskbar. Now click 'Open' and find 'Textures.gob' either in your DF directory (c:/dark) or on the CD itself (d:/). After you double-click and open Textures.gob (it takes a LONG time to load), you should see a list of all the files compiled into that directory.

Now click once on each file to find the BM you want to edit. The example I'm going to use is Iddoor1.bm (a door texture).
Sample pic: My selected BM
If you've found your BM, click once on it and then hit 'Save As' and save it to your 'c:/dark' folder. Now close Wedit and open your 'c:/dark' folder in Windows. Click and drag the BM file to your program file called 'DF2.exe' and place it on top. DF2.exe is the extractor program that's included in BMP2DF. Now DF2.exe should open an MSDOS window and tell you that your bitmap has been created from the BM file. It will appear in the same directory as your BM. Close the MSDOS window when its done.

How do I edit the bitmap(s)?

This part is simple. Open the bitmap with your editor (ex: Mspaint) and do whatever you want with it. Then save the bitmap when you're done editing it. Again, this part is largely up to you. I can't just give you the artistic talents needed to make great textures.

Some things to remember while creating your BM are:

  • Make it original or inspirational
  • Make it stand out and colorful
  • Using shading makes a great BM
  • Don't adjust/change the bitmap size!

    Adjusting or changing the bitmap size will cause the BM to become oversized. If you want a bigger texture than the one you're editing, go ahead and change the size. But I suggest picking a good size BM that's already in the game and just editing it from there without changing the size or anything.

    How do I compile my bitmap(s) into a BM?

    This is easy and simple, too:

    Drag the finished bitmap over to your '2DF.exe' file and place it on top. Again, an MSDOS window should come up telling you when your file is done. Where it's placed on your PC is kind of random, though. 2DF.exe sends your completed BMs to odd places for some unknown reason. Most of the time they end up in your 'c:/' directory, but I've found them in the 'c:/windows' one, too. If you can't find your BM after its compiled, click the 'Find > Files/Folders' option in your windows Start menu and search for the filename (iddoor1.bm in this case).

    Now your BM is ready to go. You could also edit a BM and compile it completely through Wedit if you wanted to, but I find the BMP2DF programs much easier and faster to use than Wedit. You decide for yourself.

    What about making animated BMs?

    Animated BMs are much more complex than single-frame ones. I think BMP2DF has some way to create them, but it involves a makefile text document and all kinds of stuff that send you through more trouble than neccessary. So I always use Wedit for animated BMs.

    First, you MUST open an animated BM file already in DF and edit it. Save the bitmaps when you're done with them and drag and drop them all into the template file (ex: 'iddoor1.bmp' in your 'c:/dark' directory). Then go into Wedit and open the AUX editor and 'Import' your template file and save it. That should be all there is to it.

    The best BM creator I've known is Scape Goat (aka Kevin Buscemi). If you want examples of high quality stuff, download some of his BMs at www.df-21.net and I guarantee he's the best. I have a few BMs available for download there also, and on my website too: www.angelfire.com/biz3/TJ13.

    Why is my BM this way?

    If you have any problems with your BM, there can be a huge number of possibilities and reasons. My suggestion is to go back and start over again untill it comes out right like you wanted. The best solution is trial and error.

    For questions, help, or comments simply e-mail me at: tj13x@yahoo.com.

    It may take several days or weeks for me to reply to you. If I don't answer you within a month, mail me again. Questions, no matter how stupid or ignorant, will not be turned down by me. Good luck and may editing the Force be with you!