Some practical upscaling of Ace to MV/MZ tiles #2 - on some nearly tiling stuff

● ARCHIVED · READ-ONLY
Started by Avery 3 posts View original ↗
  1. Welcome back to how to upscale certain VX/Ace tiles to MV/MZ while still having them look good.
    Please read the first one before you continue, cause I don’t wanna write down the same basics every single time ;D
    They are a little less general than my usual tutorials, but then again, they show how I'd solve specific problems on the fly.

    For the start, we are looking at this roof:
    AD_4nXdjrA8ds0U1EmtAlAS0NR9_Kqq8bjjEX5G--wCr0GrOjMEXiRMxxLsv85-L1Hjz9oHyx0_jbufs679Ldgh0Yk-8POCOmvKBhMChfQXm4xpAd2IgEGzwBZoVqtKK6_1E8zWlx_XC
    one could think, oh, the width of the planks will make the conversion quite easy, since they can stay as is and we just have more of them. But that horizontal bar might become a problem for tiling vertically, so let’s find out together!
    AD_4nXdn2HAG0vkNxz8P0EtxoEVIk0Tjnx6WZtAPaZyJxwGaQjC3SB9iyPScBDGqdre9bi8GbE5ObUpfCuTYkJeiu3GmPYUsTX_vHDNAYXRwfyYu528Lq5vSzheDy3Rtu_qxiudgQu9_
    Here is how the tile looks with the basic “just map the right size” upscaling method I introduced last time. But there are issues we cannot ignore:
    AD_4nXerK8xnOBX4vrLVXAYLj46lyooffjZMKLr8B_99XOz01mK-khsn6FB5jYv1xZZRQR4Ga6b6kDXey4EQCD5W7ZgL-vcgmR_E68_Gecel7iG7Pta6tg9SYaAdMcmWpKNgcKwFNj_q5g
    If we try to map a larger area, the vertical loop is completely messed up!
    That is for a simple reason:
    AD_4nXcqKuYwoUawf84VknTLtJfcBfjyMscP13WQj9QvdRfgiTz7Ue8PNLO-axY5WWQxYun-BtrMPTwTEgT22_nsQuu2Q7l42QLiuB180NhmjK_BEm9zJN9qJUPLfIjz32yMj9JN7CC64Q
    If you use a 24x24 grid, you need those two areas to be able to line up. the upper 24px need to be able to connect to the lower ones and the middle part needs to loop. (The same goes for horizontal). So how do we fix this?

    I actually like the placing of the muddle bar, I dislike the one that is on the upper edge, soooo…
    let’s do some copy and paste.
    AD_4nXcfbcwgGyz6ELeo5zM4cY5rx3YcrN9JQJ72RdEB7iBAgpK3NSSlDS07gAnzJ0farrkymLyt9CQXR_p1Sex1bh6Ozw308GHlc4BU3-DExJ2Xjl37N-KpKE9zQmp0SfExEpyb9b4d
    The extra snippet goes on an extra layer (I use graphicsgale) above the tile we are working on, simply because that is non-destructive and we can easily try a different angle if we mess up!

    As you can see, it didn’t work perfectly, there are clear seams on both edges.
    There are multiple ways to get rid of them: manual pixel work, more copy and paste, or smoothing in. Since I don’t wanna move to layer masks and smoothing options yet (helpful tools for the experienced, can turn out awful if you aren’t), I’ll stick to the other ones.

    AD_4nXfkSHc1qKnduILt4eyWqnlve9bZ-FnPOjBwxMFVjwxkQg0XNHfQCtFcyCviZXgbiqwIpjeA75BCZJF-VI0MSIFVKx5WRyQHG8P1G9PU3fQvxmNbrrkJcD43m0sI74PlL9eV_DyS
    Here we can for example add an extra patch below the first one (here I mirrored it vertically for some variation) and then go in with a hard eraser, creating a jagged edge that is not a smooth cut, which will blend in with wood texture a lot better:
    AD_4nXeK05l9YajnQusx7lsJFn5GjmDeGqp9JniV_ktGFINZyGpGNi2refnbACNs6gVIQHFCF-Q1j9Z7kE5sv_Q-wx_jYlkI8p9bWiEKxvjQNRSvU8jtMGno9TyXTpps1KoQlFmjmLsW7Q
    AD_4nXeGGAj5UNFC2CuXhaUkqzTGR_HLlZyG5cyWypJUSAvofM_hY_bHla1CqlFOihU9uIdwMQtPx9PMhmN3v7O7BHargV8F6EBLkt0yp5m7c2tQiatu8WZ4Fm9Z7Q7f-0N8i_FcnIGcsQ
    We repeat that for the top, and are done:
    AD_4nXcRC9lYY_HuHRJKK_msYuJ-cwJECynb8cmNkuM_MRQ1L4F2ji8rbFyHQ6GFpWMx3-BJFEzla08Svp-2D2bqyaXUOGbinwnVGiqrfw0ho_mY-MnOpOtmJeiYJT4DgkcsUgKGnZ3QzQ

    And, it loops as it is supposed to:
    AD_4nXeLXXZzrXWroQ6_W94YeANC0ApGV7gzcxsbKb9ssaQzm_U5pxYk5aju_FIDElx60pJPO6XWZmMnFSojGId03ERl-GtrMSuMvXv87SmaNOh_12u7MqS5v6xYAlQczexsg7OeeY0M


    Next one!
    AD_4nXdygHDsA5ssM0rpI5nG-h3sVCu5FKjl0to9GVT-2FxwVsDwrvp8yjkFN9bszhzXRfR2Q8JdqrApuI8CYy3qrLGi76ovYxe2MVZ3h62Rca_4ScNfCjqvHwIhtsz8XfeT0rjXh-la
    This one is tricky in a different way: it has all 16x16 shingles which makes it perfect for an easy conversion, but the pattern will not work.
    Let us have a look, why.

    As usual, “mapping” it to the right size looks fine at the first glance…
    AD_4nXf7uiudEo2kayMuClcNJltKXjiyxDDFFbXJy64hjDyCaq0FWQXLgQQjhHS_Qpetphgd01V6bR5HAtkEUjHOQFq0eYE66fAGFUi6ntI_khmGT4abYtDoUM2ytU18kqgAx75BDOYG6g
    …but on the looping side, it doesn’t loop:
    AD_4nXfFXkE6Tf4hIW21LI-zVLzjUaBmhqOO8wItOT0GHrUPCX_9VTVaxcXDZeR-C6ru9msk0b8YEDuU_CQVyP-8dGQ1fjS0EFDxkklusUTk75HdU_lzGnuBVySEU6tvbNDsfOnzJ0PJ
    Again a vertical only problem, but still a problem.

    As we just saw, those two shingle rows are the offenders: they need the same alignment to tile properly.
    The thing is: If we just swap out one for the other one, the result is off:
    AD_4nXdCmnmSzysHb0yOpKLyKLpn8i8wrulCApO1mRSLzCZIJF8AJggwtfYN6RqfJ1Sc-CT7RQZpVow3sSs4pXjRH_RTYs3Zt8VBV0IYYffZF2K8qxExzT_0-ds8zOGAtRIw1BG4dY71pw
    Since there are only 2 different positionings for the shingles but 3 rows of shingles, one repeats twice and even three times on the bottom.
    So the best looking solution here is to introduce a 3rd option of shingle alignment!
    AD_4nXfV-WWFSJ1cdQzJvh9GDJZdEPv1fHgYNYL25TsqLkr3XseToWRYggnw7BQY4zhShHblJ3wTwVjZIi_A2w79gWRDClTCHJPobKbKEALCv5NM1uHlmy7uZsV_oxAVHLmKXbn0SAvQ7A
    So these two rows need to filled with our third option.

    To do that, we “shingle” out the existing options:
    AD_4nXfl0mnmQnhMI-Md5jUHjC-EqW2azd2K-Ex4baaCh5S4yc73jTEtgZ7leH00oRt5bA2n3-taYbJ5P8eR5bigkMwDo-_qP2iMQLOR7kv24pXSOVjEpyHVMh9vZREMSQl4mwLhXnCV
    and use them as a guidance to make a third one below - again, by copy and paste!

    We can start by copy and pasting the pattern and put it in in a slightly shifted position that looks good with the existing ones. (remember, it tiles, so you are not limited to the given width!)
    AD_4nXeW3tAPLYPmR14VgQpOFrQMgpdM9CNx52j1HDrw23zUGaMVz_vf1XwJROLhMRTPvyMV6cQWnwNNeMdHN2MPIjVFD5EELriMmYspK_4S5yJAEMwP1-vu2-sA3BCpYkp_RjIfMxa7oA
    And after trimming the excess and adding the outline we seem to be good to go!
    AD_4nXe__lFV8RPGN-32EL-PbQH99bVKAfyGDzVuManKJKVSd97qosfMLxaJ39JxzlWswgchmjFdfXUqjcaZgbwnfAcSqiC9Ag0b57m5Bqh5lKZXjBtK-d46MyyfkIVZoZ5L_lcSCxL_OQ
    Here the resulting tile:
    AD_4nXd7m3rEcrNAEHnd1ij0ixnttXDsl20AjwIP-Njgkbgf80IbDJRmDGcbILWjmNBe3VtRf1pDT15v2TPH_EpuMe6YjHuQS-JXwSMTSr_kdrSSJ0jIpEIU3G3wcvT6QSPqlRtaLNkQ
    And it tiles nicely:
    AD_4nXc-aOX3PYk0eRPHuUzlKAOHSj2vF8xgRLKsohBdYACA-aj64dCoyig2BCR-zQ9_3CIc-fajG3iwPMm8470K8XLKyNuIx1GvwcdDVZW4oauU2_onHGECKyZMhhrr0TKhUKMxVKxtBg

    So, to round it up we are going to look at another autotile, a wall this time
    AD_4nXd2GfN8jEbH4cRTbtRChjXA3IBZhxFHd3Zyq1ud2az2VaPxpZCce9weuWCQNV5VNyVPSOfQywDwwMpNXRDvNLTb3fW3wiGm00v5PIwNJAfnurDhZFgNZuYbKBzecodD_iGuNnT88Q
    If you followed the tutorials and understand how autotiles work, you already see the issues.
    AD_4nXfqrJDiaGINOorSwP7jtcSURTALwcVWYBiOrZJAv8t_X27ZWmjeTGPwMmgGurA6bxG1ywotO-d4svieJHd325JtNQSJA53eteBxMoAHeXBoXOBwUXZdufb3DpwQmgVjmdK_UVlS
    We have two problems: the same as the shingles above had, but also a horizontal tiling issue, if we don’t like the irregular placing of those vertical beams.

    Since I just explained how to fix the first issue, we know what to do and it already looks better:
    AD_4nXeFC_DnsQR65Yac-UYNawl4tI2MsCfhKW2LbizeyU-z_cK4kQ22nfx7b6kWXE-W1Keyr47x6DaCFZ7ohRgkl5959gWvbD2FLN66Myyl2vmZVxYhZkoN75HdM0znwJLhXjoltM8r4Q
    To solve the spacing issue, we can simply rearrange the beams by copy and pasting:
    AD_4nXdsiJXr1Fg-jgDiQybL6pCGP1Ictpm4wi9fVOF4viX8FvlcaUFF5p9pcNi5fPxvUWL7o1Xi9C0cmCtzoQ0AJkKbtzbwxy-9_39CuewT-lYE9tp_uxv_Ofd0pb4EVazzceopDeWJ

    AD_4nXcwUBynJVkKy6iVfeV8DbIrPGrCtx8BuR4HX7p6tn9XPv7fwUehMJMtU2d7_XtGP-VpLinhqesLzuL84mAMo61cQX1sarRnyufTG5lGjpKxPxPmVGE67GEbrbtuCKrObCg5u30sYw

    Just a disclaimer: those are in no way the ONLY ways to do those upscales. There are many forks you can take in each process, but since upscaling larger quantities of tiles is A LOT of work I try to show you the simplest routes hat I think will work and look good.

    How about we round it up with a final one?
    AD_4nXeyGXfiAj2mtgv72OWpvHh7uVAim49VWwg_JJGGZjf1Fph8Qz2TBUTyrb7qfvJNz_CwUhkqjRf3ly1onBwfH_CZmq7NZezpPQWs3drwJ-phea8D_QF1mL1K9MS6iNXGtw8eSggCfw

    Our shingles here are again working horizontally as is, but vertically…
    AD_4nXfsKd9bbvEplPzEAUZgbcuKSiFdnZ6kxp6w1y1Voh0IVKmdL17CVfRWkjycHogwSwEiWr_m8OMViG5vQq82R9JPO2KpcwI5usUQsLu9vTytRr1yt4OyVtv2K8XMdhYHWRzyVjQz
    What is happening here?
    AD_4nXfBNvt3uBTIlzVDA70Z_MLBY_G-dHbC4qlv5hmUEX7yWUcxzQd3UbDwd_gIVj-Z_Ce6NzXFNC6dm28RMHcLsFYh2hbt958FXqEHUfEWNnp_MZuyTEKZHxcN_XXD_qou-0bW_4DcpQ
    In the original tile, the three shingles making up the looping middle part of the tile are 10 and 11 pixels each in height, BUT for the MV/MZ size we need 48 px made out of whole shingles.
    Either way, even if we only have 11 px shingles, there is an offset and the tiling does not work.
    As a result, we need to edit all our shingles in length, so that they are 12 px high, since: 4x12=48

    We can reserve the top and bottom…
    AD_4nXdjaOrYVBQVWSANe04PTC9rHFY9hKg_l8_CKffM3Bhmynj7AYNNvZZf2ELtugxSpuFwsok_yY3KFbtzHsG41_f_zcJN2rJYTMrtST7EmueHqlENCGz9LHou0mg0Fo2z4SmZUuww
    and then use the free select to select through the middle of the shingles:
    AD_4nXfdRn4zq8FaBZNJk_TDNkRCeaw2im3ZqwhKPJed2X2ooM-m7DEcr7CSB0EjEVxNGxyqRffd_11SZSM7G153oGb2TYqD0ocRU-oI0YN4aIyDAlN4QYdH4SOcwP2AaVugHUrLjuiXnA
    And then copy and paste them to the needed measurements.

    We then re-add top and bottom and are done:
    AD_4nXdXUvy0_RQ3sBLOzgKORvEZE01OHorpSgmc8tCk3yfSbi-loKGiZD2z-mfdZjMmuH0uEuhSj3m0Wd_Su56Z-JIYaSpjoRAbzGbdXY41K6ea2wYEzpTpkyJDckH9_Smx5E9-VFPT
  2. Thank you for another AMAZING guide that's easy to follow even for the artistically challenged (well, me, at least).
  3. I love! I really liked Ace tilesets, and a good way to resize them is always useful!