Buldozer crashing when using/converting a certain texture

[W0lle]

I have a problem I can't solve no matter what I try.

While using the "ka50_03_co.paa" from the ArmA1 air.pbo file Buldozer is crashing, same when it tries to convert the texture from tga (or png) to paa.

If I convert the texture using Texview everything is ok - until the damn thing is used in Buldozer.

[PuFu]

i'd gladly help you mate, but don't have a1 installed anymore..might have the files unpacked around somewhere, i'll have a look when i get to my studio tomorrow..

anyways, out of my head:
1. wasn't there some different packing bits between texview A1 and A2?
2. try using the PS plug in, see if that works instead
3. from my previous experience, trying to convert png to paa fails, since the alpha chnl is dealt differently. tiff might work (haven't tried that though). not sure why tga is no go though...

[Synide]

your using a1 buldozer with a2 lzo compressed .paa OR vice versa OR your texview2/pal2pace is using a1 texconvert.cfg with a2 buldozer... you get the picture (no pun intended)... basically a mismatch somewhere...

since it's you... are you running vbs2 dev suite on the same machine as a2 ? if so you'll need to have a batch file that you manually run to toggle your registry from one to the other and back again a little niggly to setup but worth it...

gut feeling would be your texview2 is pointing at the a1 version of texconvert.cfg thereby producing a lzss compressed .paa and then a2 buldozer will be having problems displaying it... possibly... lol.

perhaps a bit more info as to the tool versions you have installed might render a more accurate response...

[W0lle]

Using A2 buldozer with a texture from the A1 air.pbo, and never had such a problem before with A1 textures.

I have neither the A1 nor the VBS2 tools installed here anymore.

@pufu
I'm going to try tiff asap, maybe that does the trick.

[Synide]

My A2 tools (texview2) converts that (ka50_03_co.paa) A1.paa to a .tga fine. And, converts it back again fine. Also, without converting back and letting A2 buldozer convert it works fine too... here at least.

Although you are using A2 buldozer you might want to triple-check that it isn't pointing at the old A1 texconvert.cfg for the texview2 & pal2pace tools... that'll cause you probs.

[PuFu]

I am on the same page with synide here. Seems there is some wrong path pointing to some old config file (remaining from A1 etc)...

Just tried with a paa i had from A1 (doubled checked, i don't have the unbinned files from A1 anymore, so cannot verify with ka50_03_co.paa), and works fine..

You could try a different paa, see if that works ok in buldozer for starters. If it creates same problems, it is more likely something synide is suggesting

[W0lle]

Well the problem is just that particular texture which I can convert to .tga and .png and back to .paa with no problems. The image is shown correctly in Texview.

But as soon as the texture is used in Buldozer, the damn thing is crashing.

There are no leftovers from old A1 / VBS2 Tools as this is a new installation. The old tools were never installed.

[PuFu]

that's actually very weird if any other texture is working buy that one

Could you send me that texture (paa) somehow so I can try the same thing you are trying?
or ask synide to send it to you?

Sorry, but you are the first person I hear about to experience smth like this

[Synide]

Very weird... When pressing the 'Display Buldozer' button in O2 perhaps hold you tongue on the left side of your mouth instead of the right... might do it... lol. Computers - the bain of our existence.

Check your Registry...

[ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BIStudio\TextureConver t ]

You should have 2 key/value pairs in their...

Main = PathToYourA2TexView2Executable (NB: Without a slash on the end)
configPath = PathAndFilenameToYourTexConvert.cfg

Eg.

Main = H:\A2Tools\TexView2
configPath = H:\A2Tools\TexView2\TexConvert.cfg

Open the TexConvert.cfg and tell us what the first line says... should be 'convertVersion=8;'

Apart from that all I can suggest is perhaps send the offending .paa (the one that seems to be crashing Buldozer) to myself, T_D or Mikero for analysis... I suggest T_D as he's local to you and knows more of the .paa file format than I... he might be able to tell you whether it's well-formed or not...

Background info... When you launch buldozer for a model or terrain it first checks if there is a .paa equivalent available for the textures applied. If there is not it will attempt conversion. If there is an existing .paa and the model/terrain topology is mapped to a non-paa file format it checks the timestamp 'tween the 2. If the .tga (for instance) has a later timestamp than the existing .paa then it will attempt conversion. If it does not then it will not attempt conversion.
Also, it's my understanding that it is not bulldozer.exe (or arma.exe if your using that) that actually converts the texture. But, buldozer.exe calling pal2pace.exe/texview2.exe to do the conversion on it's behalf.

Anyway, if you convert your modified .tga to .paa with TexView2/pal2pace (which you say works fine for you) prior to running buldozer you should not get it trying to do it itself... i think, from memory.

Before previewing in Buldozer any terrain or model with significant amounts of textures that I was expecting to be converted I'd always preconvert them with a pre-setup commandline action to utilize pal2pace. Principally 'cause I always got annoyed by sitting waiting for Buldozer to do it when launching.

[W0lle]

OK looks more like an issue with the model than the texture, Pufu checked the texture and there's nothing 'special' about it that could cause a crash.

Thanks to both of you guys!

@synide
Might bother T_D with that indeed, just to be sure.