DDS Files
- DDS
- The Microsoft DirectDraw Surface (.dds) file format.
Oblivion employs the DDS format for textures. The Microsoft DirectDraw Surface (.dds) file format stores textures and cubic environment maps, with or without mipmaps. It was introduced with DirectX 7.0.
Although the format is not natively supported by most graphic editing applications, there are a number of Tools designed to handle the format.
DDS Settings used by Oblivion
| Usage | Save Format | Mip Maps | Image Type | Use of Alpha Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textures without Transparency
(Most Models and all Landscape) |
DXT1
RGB |
Yes | Color map | - |
| Textures with optional Transparency
(Needs to be activated in NIF-File) |
DXT3
ARGB |
Yes | Color map | Transparency
(Black = Invisible, |
| Normal Maps
(*_n.dds) |
DXT3
ARGB |
Yes | Tangent Space | Gloss
(Black = Plastic, White = Mirror) |
| Glow Maps
(*_g.dds) |
DXT1
RGB |
Yes | Color map | - |
| Icons
(And other GUI elements) |
DXT3
ARGB |
No | Color map | Transparency in GUI
(e.g. Weapon Icons) |
| BookArt | DXT3
ARGB |
No | Color map | Transparency on Page
(Show Book's Background Texture) |
| Loading Screens | DXT5
RGB |
No | Color map | - |
NOTES: Normal Maps don't necessarily need to be saved as DXT3, you can save a normal map as DXT1 No Alpha if you don't need the alpha channel. This will give you a smaller file, with no gloss effect whatsoever though. DXT5 can also function as a normal map format, without putting a noticeable step in the alpha specular map's grayscale gradients. This also goes for alpha channels in color maps used for transparency or parallax displacement.