How to convert an IWAD to a PWAD? [actually: how to add textures to a pwad]

Any ideas? I need to use deePsea to edit my WAD to add some custom textures but I can't workout how to do this

If you're only trying to add textures to use, you don't have to modify the IWAD. Just add the textures within a seperate .wad (PWAD) and run them at the same time. Also, if you're using DB2, you can add this new PWAD to your active resources to be able to edit with.

If that doesn't help, why are you needing to modify an IWAD to a PWAD?

Use a Hex editor to change the first byte from I to P, then back again when done. That said, it's generally not a good idea to alter IWADs, especially if you play online.

Well then how do you make a wad file with textures on it though?

Use a wad editor?

I don't use deepsea, but with SLADE 3 that's how you could do it:

1. Open doom2.wad in a tab (or doom.wad, plutonia.wad, heretic.wad, whatever IWAD you're targeting for your mod). Open your mod .wad (or create a new wad if you don't have one already). Now you have two tabs, one with the IWAD and the other with your PWAD.

2. Select the lumps PNAMES and TEXTURE1 (optionally TEXTURE2) from the IWAD. Right-click, copy.

3. Go to the PWAD tab. Click on the Entry menu and select Paste (or just hit Ctrl-V).

4. You can now close the IWAD tab, you won't need it anymore.

(There actually are shortcuts that can do most of these things automatically if you have set a base resource archive.)

I don't know if deepsea supports multitabbed work, but it's going to be mostly the same thing. If you can't open several wads at once, you'll have to export the PNAMES and TEXTUREx lumps from the IWAD, and then import them in your PWAD instead of just copy/pasting them from one tab to the other; but otherwise it's going to be the same thing.

Rayzik, I'm confused at what you're saying. I need to add a custom texture to my IWAD. How do I do this.

Btw, I tried Slade 3 and it says that a .dll is missing

How do I add textures to a seperate wad if they are custom? I'm just lost now. How do I make a wad file of textures?

Leon said:

I need to add a custom texture to my IWAD.

No, you don't. You need to create a pwad with your texture in it. It's important to understand the difference between an iwad and a pwad, and why you never need to (or should) edit the iwads.

Well what is the difference between a PWAD and IWAD?

Leon said:

Well what is the difference between a PWAD and IWAD?

PWAD: Patch WAD. Those files can be created/edited.

IWAD: Internal WAD. You really shouldn't edit those files. Seriously.

But Doom Builder made my WAD an IWAD. That's why I'm confused

When I use DeePsea it says looking for Doom2 IWAD, but finds Doom2 as a PWAD.

Looks like Doom2.wad has already been altered, have you been using XWE lately?

Leon said:

Btw, I tried Slade 3 and it says that a .dll is missing

Sounds like you haven't installed the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Runtime.

Ok thanks, but I'm stuck on lumps PNAMES and texture1 from the IWAD. Where is this?

Normally under Map32, click on the "Show:" down-arrow (under the Entries list box) and select Data to filter the list.

I'm so confused on how this works. Is there a guide? What am I meant to do? Add my texture to the PWAD?

I don't know of a guide to Slade, but a determined search of the forums should answer most of your questions. (Tip - XWE is also a wad editor, so it's sub-forum is a good place to start)

Yes, add the texture to your PWAD - that's the proper place for it. The way PWADs work is by patching (selectively overwriting) the IWADs contents after it's been read into memory, with custom textures that means including a copy of the PNAMES and TEXTURE* lumps (with all additions and modifications) in your PWAD so the game engine knows what changes have been made.

Leon said:

Add my texture to the PWAD?

Yes.

Here's a tutorial for that here.

For your missing DLL problem, see the bolded red text and what's at the very bottom of the page.

Just so anyone knows, P_START/P_END has no actual relevance in the code, unlike F_START/F_END and S_START/S_END.

How do you use SLADE3 or any such tool to merge PNAMES/TEXTURE1(/TEXTURE2) of PWAD for game A with PNAMES/TEXTURE1(/TEXTURE2) of PWAD for game B without damaging any texture? Example: Doom 2 texture pack imported for a Doom 1 mod. Hahaha trouble.

You can just add the missing patches to PNAMES and then copy textures from within the texture editor.

Also just because the P_ markers aren't used by the game doesn't mean they are useless. It helps grouping the patches logically within the wad and facilitates automatic recognition by tools that the patch is in fact indeed a patch, not just some weird binary blob.

Gez said:

and facilitates automatic recognition by tools that the patch is in fact indeed a patch, not just some weird binary blob.

See? That's the problem. Along with the patches, there are files of identical format floating loose in the WAD, such as TITLEPIC, and they should be recognizable using the same algorithm as with the patches, despite being outside P_START/P_END. No need for P_START/P_END. I'd at most use marker lumps with more ridiculous names, like "CLOWNS", instead of using something that can be confused by beginners as data used by Doom (P_START/P_END).

EDIT: If I append the new patches B into the PNAMES A, they will have different indices in PNAMES A than in PNAMES B. If I copy the texture information from B to A, their indices will be wrong and show bad textures.

printz said:

See? That's the problem. Along with the patches, there are files of identical format floating loose in the WAD, such as TITLEPIC, and they should be recognizable using the same algorithm as with the patches

It's a lot less critical if they aren't found. Patches are needed to make textures, which are used by texture editors and map editors both. The titlepic, on the other hand, who cares.

printz said:

instead of using something that can be confused by beginners as data used by Doom (P_START/P_END).

I really don't see how it'd hurt anybody. Heck, the id guys themselves used it.

I just find it lazy not to use such conventions just because technically it's not absolutely needed. It's like writing a C program all on a single line because, technically, all that whitespace is equivalent so who needs line breaks and tabulations?

printz said:

If I append the new patches B into the PNAMES A, they will have different indices in PNAMES A than in PNAMES B. If I copy the texture information from B to A, their indices will be wrong and show bad textures.

Not if you do so from within the texture editor. Sure, if you use a hex editor or whatever to slice the definition from a lump and paste it in the other, it won't work. But that's not what I said.