Talk:VTF Shell Extensions

Hammer browse tool replacement

Hypothetically, could the extension be modified to read from and generate thumbnails for VMT files instead, then from there allow Explorer to replace the Hammer texture search dialogue? --TomEdwards 11:52, 20 Aug 2007 (PDT)

How do you mean? Just literally show the text content of the VMT file? That's certainly possible although I don't know how useful that would be for searching? In Vista you could certainly implement a preview pane handler that would show the contents of the VMT file and for Vista/XP you could write a detail columns handler that would say add columns for shader type (UnlitGeneric, VertexlitGeneric, etc.), base texture or index the keywords (that start with %) in VMTs. That way you could search/sort against those attributes --Wunderboy 14:30, 20 Aug 2007 (PDT)

I mean image thumbnails of $basetexture. --TomEdwards 23:34, 20 Aug 2007 (PDT)

Well that wouldn't be hard but considering that the VMT and VTF often exist in the same folder you'd end up seeing the same thumbnail twice.--Wunderboy 02:53, 21 Aug 2007 (PDT)

What I'm getting at here is the feasibility of replacing Hammer's built-in texture search, so that's not so much of an issue. :-) --TomEdwards 11:26, 21 Aug 2007 (PDT)

VTF 7.4

Hey, I was wondering if there was anyway to get 7.4 working or at least have it not render those vtfs. It tends to crash my Explorer D: --Frostbite 12:31, 4 Mar 2008 (PST)

I e-mailed Jed about it a while ago:

Yes, it is possible it's the VTF 7.4 format thats causing the problem although the VTF Extension *should* catch it.

I'm at the mercy of Nem at the moment. We have a new edition of VTFLib/VTFEdit ready to go with full 7.4 format support and I've used a "preview" build of it to re-compile and test it with my plug-ins and extensions.

Unfortunately Nem's having a "slow" period and until he rolls up the VTFLibrary and makes it final I cant release a "fix".

I'll pester him and see where he's at with it.

--TomEdwards 12:51, 4 Mar 2008 (PST)

Thanks, hopefully once a 7.4 version comes out I can get badlands in the sky list. --Frostbite 05:14, 5 Mar 2008 (PST)

I'm still waiting on the final latest release of VTFLib from Nem at the moment. As mentioned above a full 7.4 (and other internal changes, 64-bit support, etc.) version exists but release is at Nem's discretion as he's the "lead". I only have a pre-release version he sent me and I have no idea if he's made any changes since that. --Wunderboy 13:13, 5 Mar 2008 (PST)

In the mean time could you update vtf shell extension to not render vtfs 7.4? --Frostbite 15:41, 5 Mar 2008 (PST)

Yeah I can look into it. Although it *should* skip them automatically so I don't know why it's not.--Wunderboy 11:06, 6 Mar 2008 (PST)

Well I'm running Vista Home Basic on Areo Express (Since Home Basic doesn't come with the full thing) so maybe that's the problem.. --Frostbite 13:58, 6 Mar 2008 (PST)

I'm on Vista too. --TomEdwards 14:15, 6 Mar 2008 (PST)

I'm saying Aero Express may be the problem :P --Frostbite 14:38, 6 Mar 2008 (PST)

I have Aero Aero and still crash. It's to do with thumbnail generation itself. --TomEdwards 02:32, 7 Mar 2008 (PST)

Ah, didn't know if it crashed for you or not. --Frostbite 09:45, 7 Mar 2008 (PST)

I've not released a version with proper 7.4 support so hopefully this bug has gone. --Wunderboy 19:44, 13 Apr 2008 (PDT)

VTF 7.5

I'd like to see portal 2 textures too :) VTFEdit already supports it. --StephenB 11:42, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

You should be able to replace the vtflib dlls with those from the new vtfedit then, --Omnicoder 12:34, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

Okay, I thought the DLL's were included in some other compiled file. --StephenB 18:52, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

Tried it (Win7 x64, saved back up of the original DLL), but only the vtf version tags and other things worked. The thumbnails did not work. I guess VTFShellExtensions.dll can't work with the new dll's yet. If someone tries this again, make sure you have a backup of the original dll. --StephenB 10:14, 19 June 2011 (UTC)