Tutorial for creating icons (using GIMP and NifScope)

[Mercer]

This guide requires GIMP and NifScope and a tiny bit of knowledge about how to use them.

I've included a screenshot of GIMP and the options you will be using. Note however that I'm using a Danish version of GIMP so it will look different and I don't know what the tools used are called in English so I probably got them named incorrectly. I've shown in red which tools I've used.

 

Open Nifsscope:
Load the mesh you wish to create an icon for.
Press g to remove grid
Position mesh how you want it to look in the icon

Hit "Print Screen"

 

Open GIMP
Ctrl + v to insert image
Top left pick "rectangular marking"
Click and drag around the mesh to secelt only the part of the mesh which you will be using for the icon. The background will be black.
Right click and choose cut
Left pane look at the width and breadth and note down these number or remember them
Create new image with size both sides of the rectangle being the numbers you just noted down.
Ctrl + v to insert the cut part
Left click once out side of the inserted image
Right side: right click and "add alpha channel"
Top left tools: Choose "Fuzzy Tool". Left click inside the image and drag to color all the part of the image around the mesh into a white color. Hit Delete and this area around the mesh will become checkered in color.
Top: Image -> scale image. Set height and width to 64. Press Scale.
File -> Export...
Name your file and end with ".dds"
Choose compression DXT3 then hit export. Done.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by Mercer

[AndalayBay]

Thank you! Yes, now I remember there was a detail in Dwip's tutorial about adding a glow around the image.

[Mercer]

Yes, I tried that as well but it didn't really work for me. After a while I gave up found this simpler method to do it.

[AndalayBay]

Yes, I'll be trying your method. I always had a tough time with Dwip's method and was never able to memorize it. I always had to follow his step-by-step.