[Tutorial] Make your own custom background

[kokole]

My/iPaddie's BACKGROUND PACK HAS BEEN RELEASED: http://www.itsmods.com/forum/Thread-Rele...er-V2.html

Ok guys, here I explain how to create your own backgrounds for MW3. Things you need (They are included, but Photoshop and WinRar not):

- WinRar
- Photoshop
- DDS Plugin for Photoshop
- IWI to DDS
- HxD Hex Editor
- @SuperNovaAO 's IWI fixer

You can download them here:
  TOOLS.rar (Size: 4.85 MB / Downloads: 309)
When you finished downloading them:

- Step 1:

Create 2 folders, one named Original, and the second named New.
In the Modern Warfare 3 folder, go to main, then open iw_00.iwd with WinRar, and go to images.
Find a file called background_image.iwi and put it in the folder Original and New.

- Step 2:

Open the IWI to DDS folder (you downloaded it), and drag the background_image.iwi from the New folder to IWI_X_DDS. It will create a file called background_image.dds, now you can put it in the New folder, and delete the iwi.

- Step 3:

Install the DDS plugin for Photoshop. Then open Photoshop and click File > Open. Uncheck the box Load MIP Maps and select Load Using Default Sizes, then click ok.
Do the changes you want, if you want to use an already made image, the just drag it on Photoshop (The image must be 1920x1080 pixels). After you're done, click File > Save as... Then choose a name, in Format: choose D3D/DDS (*.DDS), and click Save. After doing that, a Nvidia window will pop-up, choose the following: Select Generate MIP maps and select 1, near the Save button to the left, select 8.8.8 RGB 24 bpp | unsigned, and click Save. Copy the modified DDS to the New folder.

- Step 4:

Open the modified DDS with HxD. Delete the first 8 lines, and at the start insert the first 2 lines of the original iwi. Go at the end of the DDS file, and delete the last 4 bytes (4 characters). Then change the extension .dds to .iwi

- Step 5:

Open the downloaded folder IWI Fixer, and then open CRCFixer.exe. Where says Original: , put the location of the Original folder, and where says New: , put the location of the New folder. Then click Execute. It should say "Fixing file \background_image.iwi...". Wait a few seconds, and click Quit.

- Step 6:

Open the iw_00.iwd file again with WinRar, and put the background_image.iwi from your New folder to the images folder. You're done! Enjoy!
Also dont forget to +Rep

Note: You can do the same with background_image_blur_less.iwi, is the image that is displayed when you click the Play button in Modern Warfare 3.

[JariZ]

At least it's better then the old tutorial

[iPaddie]

Thanks for helping me out! Nice Tutorial

[Arteq]

Will try it today

[JariZ]

writing a tool as we speak

[SuperNovaAO]

This theoretically destroys the iwi file format. I fixed this for MW2 with my own IWI to DDS conversion tool which set the offsets to their correct value again (location and sizes of all included images).

So at anyone making an automated tool for this: find this table and just tell it that the file is 4 bytes bigger (because of the CRC fix). It's cleaner/nicer than to remove 4 bytes at the end.

[kokole]

This theoretically destroys the iwi file format. I fixed this for MW2 with my own IWI to DDS conversion tool which set the offsets to their correct value again (location and sizes of all included images).

So at anyone making an automated tool for this: find this table and just tell it that the file is 4 bytes bigger (because of the CRC fix). It's cleaner/nicer than to remove 4 bytes at the end.

and where I can find that table?

[SuperNovaAO]

Searching inside the file in a hex editor.

Just search for the filesize in bytes as unsigned 32 bit integer I think.

That is the total filesize which should get increased by 4. Maybe some other values very close to the one found above needs to get changed as well.

Et voila => valid IWI with valid CRC32.

[Xzite]

dont work for me, it doesnt open in the dds 2 iwi, imo the HxD isn't explained very well(so that will be my problem I guess) can you make it more noob friendly? with pictures @HxD

[kokole]

dont work for me, it doesnt open in the dds 2 iwi, imo the HxD isn't explained very well(so that will be my problem I guess) can you make it more noob friendly? with pictures @HxD

you mean iwi to dds right? just drag the iwi to the iwi to dds converter