MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
Creating Material Maps For terrain

The ability to create Material Maps was never intended to be done with the release version of the map creator, but this is an unsupported way of creating material Maps for use with user made maps.

There are material map files in the \content\maps\mapname folder that are named AA.material AB.material etc. These are actually indexed 8 bit .raw files that have been renamed.  All you have to do is create the correct content, name the files correctly and rebuild the resources for that map.  

After creating a new map, the map’s texture information is put in: \Content\Textures\Maps\<Mapname>
The map is cut into sections (AA, AB, BA, BB etc)
In each of these zone folders are .tga files of the particular zone of the terrain texture.

Create the .raw files by…
1.	Using the <mapname>_**_0_0000.tga    
Note: ** stands for the double letter zone name, i.e.: AA, AB, AC, BA ...
a.	Make this file a 8bit Indexed image.
b.	Create a custom Palette with each swatch (from left to right) equaling a material type: i.e.: the fist swatch will be 0 none, the second will be 1 GrassMaterial… (See material listings below)
2.	Paint the .tga with the set palette to set specific material types
3.	Save the file as zone-name.raw (example AA.raw)
4.	Rename all the files to end in .material and put them into the \content\maps\<mapname> directory.
5.	Delete your maps resources and launch the editor to rebuild them.
6.	Done.

The material that will be associated with the terrain will be determined by the position of the color swatch you use on the table.  

Note: The first swatch will be Material type 0

Color swatch based on position equals the following material:
0	None
1	GrassMaterial
2	WaterMaterial
3	ConcreteMaterial
4	GreyDirtMaterial
5	BrownDirtMaterial
6	RockMaterial
7	DarkConcreteMaterial
8	DarkGreyDirtMaterial
9	DarkBrownDirtMaterial
10	DarkRockMaterial
11	BlacktopMaterial
12	SnowMaterial
13	WoodMaterial
14	LavaMaterial
15	GlassMaterial
16	SteelMaterial
17	UsMaterial
18	ThemMaterial