Now let's create a WAD file that contains these changes. Click File... Save as... and maneuver to your "Laras Closet\Preview" folder. Double-click the name "tut1.WAD" and confirm overwriting the existing file. Now exit from this program and use you Windows Explorer to copy all of the files from your "Laras Closet\Preview" folder into your "trle\graphics\wads" folder, overwriting the existing files. From here boot up your Level Editor and load in the "tut1_starter.PRJ." Output a tut1 wad as usual. Use the Level Converter to build this level and then boot up the Level Editor game. Select the "Playable Tutorial Level" and take a look using the fixed cameras.

Second Method: Modifying The Bitmap by Loading The Entire Starter.bmp File

As mentioned earlier, I'll now mention how to do the above example by loading in the entire bitmap rather than by doing it one small image at a time.

You should have a pretty good handle now on the mechanics of what it takes to modify Lara's outfits. If you can load in the entire bitmap into your image editing program things will go a little differently.

First, just like we did above, load the "Starter.WAD" into the StrPix3 program. Then, using the File menu, click Save as... and save this as a wad named "tut1.WAD" in your "Laras Closet\Preview" folder.

The key here is to realize that in the above example we went through a lot of steps to save a group of small images out of the large image. Then se modified them, and then brought them back into the large image. All of this can be done by simply modifying the large image. The only difference now is that where each small image was saved out as a separate file, you'll now simply click on the Textures menu at the top and select... "Export to Bitmap" to save the entire bitmap. I usually save this into the "Laras Closet\Workspace" folder and give it the same name as I plan on giving to my new outfit.

From here, load this bitmap into your image editor and make all of the desired changes to each of the smaller images all at once. I like to set my grid spacing to 2 pixels and then turn on the "Snap-to-grid" feature. When you've finished making your changes save the file back onto itself.

The next step is to boot up your StrPix3 program. First load in your "tut1.WAD" file from your "Laras Closet\Preview" folder. Then, using the Texture menu, select... "Import from Bitmap." Load in your bitmap from your "Laras Closet\Workspace" folder. Then use the File menu and select... "Save as." Save the new changes back into the "tut1.WAD" file in your "Laras Closet\Preview" folder. Notice that we did not overwrite files in our "Laras Closet\Starter" folder.

Doing A Bit of Re-mapping

The next thing we're going to do is what was at one point impossible to do. We're going to increase the length of Lara's pants down into an area of her legs that's all mapped back to a single 4x4 pixel image in our bitmap.

Before doing this, however, I think this is the perfect time to show you how to go about determining the "orientation" that a texture goes through as it's mapped into a tile on Lara. We'll be doing this by exporting a single small image at a time, however, those of you with programs that can load in the entire bitmap image may feel free to do so.

Go ahead and boot your StrPix3 program. Click File... Open.... and load in the "tut1.WAD" file from your "Laras Outfits\Preview" folder. In the right hand side of the bitmap that's shown in your window you should be able to see two lines of rather small square images. Open to the "Bitmap" section of your notebook and take a look at the first page of the "Key" on the right side. You'll see these small images. One strip contains the 167 image. It's only 4x4 pixels in size. This image is currently mapped to numerous tiles on Lara, including her arms, parts of her face, the back of her neck, and her legs. We're going to change this a bit. In the process you'll also learn how to determine the orientation of an image that's mapped into a tile.

There's 4 different small images that we're going to be working with. You'll be able to see them in your notebook in the "Bitmap" section, and I'll help you identify them in the StrPix3 window.

Click the text window containing the texture numbers and scroll down and select "Texture#63." In the bitmap image above you'll see that this is an eye that's in the bottom right corner of Page#0. It's not the eye used for Lara in the levels you'll be building so we can get away with using it. Locate the same rectangle in the right hand Key of the first page of your Bitmap section. Use a pencil to circle the number 63 in that square. This way you can find it when you want it.

Now click on the text window for the textures and select "Texture#64." You'll see that this is just a little above the last selection. In your Key, locate this rectangle and circle the number 64. Now select Texture#31. As far as I know this section is also not used in levels you build. Note its location in your key and circle the number 31 there. Finally select Texture#35. This is another leg section. Locate it in your key and circle the number 35 in there.

We'll eventually change some of the tiles on Lara's legs that are currently mapped to the 167 texture so that they are instead mapped back to these four textures. But first we need to find out how they'll be oriented.

One at a time select each of the small images ( 31, 35, 63,and 64) and save them in your "Laras Closet\Workspace" folder. Remember to use the "Export" button to do this. When you have them saved, go ahead and exit from StrPix3.

Boot up your image editor and load in the "Text31.bmp" file that you just created.

What we are going to create is a totally white image with a green 3 pixel wide line across the top, a red line down the right side. A blue line across the bottom, and an Orange line down the left side.

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