Texture Converter (Windows Explorer Extension)

The texture file converter saves one or more texture files to a new file format. The following are the available input and output formats: BMP, DDS, DIB, HDR, JPEG, PFM, PNG, and TGA.

For more information on these texture file formats, see D3DXIMAGE_FILEFORMAT.

Compatibility Chart

Direct3D 9	Direct3D 10	64-bit Native Mode	Windows XP	Windows Vista
Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Requirements

The texture converter requires Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista.

Installation

The texture file converter is automatically installed from Txview.dll when you install the DirectX SDK.

User's Guide

The texture file converter is activated when you right-click one or more selected file or folder names, and then click Convert to file format on the context menu.

The following conversion dialog box will appear with options for output size, formats, filtering, and file location.

Figure 1.  Texture Conversion Dialog Box

If Image Options is set to Default, the original image size and/or mipmap levels will be retained. The Depth setting applies only to volume textures.

The following table describes the additional settings available in the conversion dialog box.

Options and Filters	Description
Miplevels	Level of mipmap sampling. For more information, see Texture Filtering with Mipmaps (Direct3D 9).
Pixel Format	Available unsigned, signed, and mixed formats described in D3DFORMAT.
Image Filter	D3DX_FILTER_NONE, _POINT, _LINEAR, and _TRIANGLE texture channel flags described in D3DX_FILTER.
Mirror	D3DX_FILTER_MIRROR_U, _V, and _W texture channel flags described in D3DX_FILTER.
sRGB	In setting indicates the input data is in sRGB (gamma 2.2) color space. Out setting indicates the output data is to be in sRGB (gamma 2.2) color space.
Mip Filter	D3DX_FILTER_BOX, _POINT, and _TRIANGLE texture channel flags described in D3DX_FILTER.
Dither	Ordered (standard 4×4) or Error Propagation (statistically based) dither algorithms can be applied to the output from the Image Filter and Mip Filter. Alternately, no dithering can be applied.

Note    The Miplevels and Mip Filter choices are disabled unless DDS output format and Enable extended .DDS file options are both selected.

Behavior of the converter varies according to whether a single file, multiple files, or a folder have been selected, as described in the following sections.

Converting a Single File

To convert a single file to a single format, use the following procedure.

To convert a single file to a single format

1. Right-click a texture file to convert, then select Convert to file format from the context menu. The conversion dialog box, like that shown in Figure 1, appears.
2. Insert a path, file name, and extension for the converted file. Alternately, click the browse button (...), which opens a Save As dialog box to select the converted file's name, format, and destination folder.

Converting Multiple Files

The procedure for converting multiple files is slightly different depending on whether you choose to convert all of the files to the same format, which you specify once, or to multiple formats, which you specify individually for each file.

To convert multiple files to a single format

1. Select multiple texture files, right-click the selection, and then click Convert to file format on the context menu.
2. In the Bulk File Conversion dialog box, select Convert all files at once to convert all files to the same output format.
3. In the Bulk texture file conversion dialog box, specify the output size, format, and filtering to apply to all the files that you have selected.
4. Select the output format for the file.
5. Insert a path to a destination folder in which to store the converted file, or click the browse button (...), which opens a Save As dialog box to select the converted file's name, format, and destination folder.

To convert multiple files to multiple formats

1. Select multiple texture files, right-click the selection, and then click Convert to file format on the context menu.

2. In the Bulk File Conversion dialog box, select Convert each file to specify the output format for each file individually.

   For each file in your selection, a conversion dialog box, like that in Figure 1, will be displayed in series. If you click Cancel, the file named in the title bar is skipped, and you are prompted for settings for the next file in your selection.

3. Select the output format for the file.
4. Insert a path to a destination folder in which to store the converted file, or click the browse button (...), which opens a Save As dialog box to select the converted file's name, format, and destination folder.
5. Click OK.
6. For each file in your selection, repeat the preceding steps.

Converting Files in a Folder

You can convert all of the files in a folder in bulk. The converter provides options for cases in which more than one file of the same name will be created; for example, when two files to be converted have the same name but different extensions.

Also, if the destination folder that you specify is the same as or located in the source folder, a message box informs you that the files will not be converted. However, any other selected source files not in this destination folder will be converted.

To convert several texture files in a single folder

1. Right-click a folder containing texture files (or several files and a folder), then click Convert to file format from the context menu. A Bulk texture file conversion dialog box, similar to the conversion dialog box shown above, appears.
2. Specify the output size, format, and filtering that will apply to all the files within the folder, along with any other files you have selected.
3. Insert a path to a destination folder in which to store the converted files, or click the browse button (...) to select a destination folder.