Custom Track Tutorial/Images
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Auxiliary Files
Programs:
- MKDD Text Maker by tarsa129
- Wiimm's SZS Tools by Wiimm
- MKDD Extender (Tools > Text Image Builder) by cristian64
- Any image editing software
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The standard for new courses is to release in all the languages found in a PAL .iso. Some creators have also released courses with Japanese, but not all.
- The font used in Double Dash is Super Mario Script 3, but you do not need to install this font to make the images.
- The numbering system for battle maps for the relevant files in the section is different from the numbering system of the .arcs. Additionally, how a course is referred to changes between different files. A complete list of Scenedata and .arc names / numbers can be found here
Course Name
- Found in-game in the course select menu / anywhere the course name shows up
- Found in Filesystem/SceneData/English/courseselect.arc/timg/coname_<course name>.bti (course) or Filesystem/SceneData/English/mapselect.arc/timg/mozi_map<Scenedata_number>.bti (battle arena)
Using the MKDD Text Maker
- The default setup is meant for course names. Do not do change anything that the rest of this part does not mention.
- Type the name of the course into the text box at the top. Then, press the "Make Text" button to generate the text.
- If your course is a retro track, set the "Prefix" to be from the correct game. If not, leave the prefix as "None".
- If needed, adjust the space between words and the horizontal scaling. Do not change the vertical scaling from 100.
- To save, choose one of the options from the "Save Image" menu. The default save option (Ctrl+s) will create a .png file with the entered text in the same directory as the .exe.
Using the Text Image Builder in the MKDD Extender
- Launch the Text Image Builder from the Tools top-bar menu:
- Enter the text, and adjust values to make the image text look as good as in the stock courses.
- Press the Save button and select Save as BTI to export the image.
Course icon
- Found in the records section of the game (smaller) / before a grand prix match (larger)
- Any file in Filesystem/CourseName/English (Grand Prix logo - 208 x 104) or Filesystem/SceneData/English/coursename.arc/timg (Records screen logo - 144 x 72)
- Only courses have two files - battle maps only have have the larger file
- This file represents, in one image, what your course is all about.
- The name of the course/map appears on the logo. In vanilla, the text is in the same font as the course name, and the inside of the text is colored with a gradient.
Using the MKDD Text Maker
- Old version of the MKDD Text Maker is capable of generating gradients in text via the Color->Text Color->Gradient Editor menu option.
- Under the "Image Size" menu, click on "Auto Size (something x 32)". This will adjust the length of the generated image to match the input text. If the course name is long, this will allow the entire name course name to be generated in one image without the letters being squished together.
- Double-clicking the image display will cause the generated image to be copied to your clipboard (with a gray background) for direct copy-paste into the image editor.
Making the text using the Text Image Builder in the MKDD Extender
- The Text Image Builder does not support color gradients; it needs to be applied in an image editor.
- Enter the text, adjust the values, and, when ready, right-click on the image to copy the bitmap to the clipboard, which can then be pasted on the image editor for further refinement.
- If the course name is long, create separate text images for each word, so that they can be carefully placed in the image editor.
The rest of your course icon is done in the image editor.
- The background image usually has multiple objects / elements of the course. If the course is themed after a character, a render of them should appear in the icon.
- In vanilla, every element has a black outline. This can help with distinguishing elements in the image from each other. Additionally, it helps the image stand out from the background when it is displayed in-game.
- When shown by the game, there is "bounding box" for the icon. Icons that are "cut off" on more than the bottom side usually do not look good.
Course thumbnail
- Found in the course select menu when a course is highlighted
- Found in Filesystem/SceneData/English/courseselect.arc/timg/cop_<Scenedata_name>.bti (courses) or Filesystem/SceneData/English/mapselect.arc/timg/battlemapsnap<Scenedata_number>.bti (battle stages)
To make one:
- Open up your course in RiiStudio, a 3d modeling program, noclip.website, or use in-game and use Dolphin’s free camera option. The latter is the best option if the course is item-heavy.
- Navigate to an iconic spot in your course, and take a screenshot.
- Crop/Resize that screenshot down to the 256 x 184 px in an image editor.
After converting with wimgt, hex edit the bytes at 0x06 and 0x07 to both be “00”. This will ensure that the images are not messed up on Nintendont.