[МОД] NVS 3.0 для Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East

I worked specifically with model textures, not the models themselves. The textures of units and heroes that didn't have color changes (or changes in patterns and other elements) were taken from the GriffinEternal mod and adapted in size. For example, I scaled them down from 2048x2048 pixels to 1024x1024 pixels – these are more appropriate values for Heroes of Might & Magic V.

However, I recommend using LAA afterward and patching the game executable. To convert from DDS to PNG (and back), I use the free graphics editor "PAINT.NET", but I only work with PNG files in Adobe Photoshop. And it was the PNG files that I processed through Topaz Gigapixel.

However, in early NVS 2.0, I accumulated a lot of my works that I didn't want to rebuild from scratch, so I applied Topaz Gigapixel. In most cases, I used the "HQ" setting and the settings (Suppress Noise; Remove Blur, Fix Compression) suggested by the program itself. But sometimes I adjusted these settings manually if I wasn’t satisfied with the initial result. For example, Suppress Noise - 50; Remove Blur - 50; Fix Compression - 40. I also ran textures of buildings and other objects on the adventure map through Topaz Gigapixel.

Nevertheless, to remove so-called artifacts after Topaz Gigapixel (through retouching, for example), as well as to perform work on volume (shadows, light on texture elements), I used Adobe Photoshop. Alpha channels can be lost if new layers are added in Adobe Photoshop. And to correct them, I already used PAINT.NET. That is, I finished working on the PNG, saved the file in Adobe Photoshop, then opened this saved file in PAINT.NET, selected the "Magic Wand" tool, and held down Shift while clicking on empty areas – they get highlighted. Then I press Delete, and the alpha channel disappears. I save the file in DDS format and integrate it into the mod.

In Heroes of Might & Magic V, different textures of elements, effects, icon textures, units, or other objects are saved with different DDS format settings.
For unit and building textures (except for effect textures; there are different settings everywhere), I choose the parameters "BC3 (Linear, DXT5)" with MIP texture generation. The maximum resolution in pixels was set to 1024x1024, 96 dpi (but it's always like that in the game). That is, I could create textures of 1024x512, 512x1024, 512x512; 512x256, etc. But not larger than 1024x1024, otherwise the game may suddenly turn black without LAA. And if you use LAA, then in some cases it’s better to make textures 2048x2048, 2048x1024, etc.

For icons, I used the parameters "B8G8R8A8 (Linear, A8R8G8B8)" without MIP texture generation. And to be absolutely sure that the alpha channel has been removed from the icon (there is nothing at all in the empty area), when saving the icon in DDS format, I switched to "B8G8R8X8 (Linear, X8R8G8B8)". If the entire empty area on the preview screen is displayed in black, then everything was done correctly. Otherwise, white or other colors will be visible. But I save specifically in "B8G8R8A8 (Linear, A8R8G8B8)" without MIP texture generation.

In some cases, the problems were not with the textures but with the xdb files (for example, for the Kilt of the Warriors of Arkath), and I already contacted Zobr regarding these fixes.

This is a complex approach that I used.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
And once again, thank you for your interest in my work.