by DiccChops
TexForge is a desktop texture conversion tool built in Python/Tkinter, designed primarily for game modders and 3D artists. It provides a graphical pipeline for batch-converting image files (PNG, JPG, TGA, BMP) into various output formats — most notably DDS (DirectX Surface), the standard texture format used by game engines like GTA V, Skyrim, Unity, and Unreal Engine.
It wraps Microsoft's texconv.exe for DDS encoding and uses Pillow for all other format handling and image processing.
- Multi-format output — DDS (DXT1/3/5, BC4/5/7), PNG, JPG, TGA, BMP, WebP, and SVG.
- Engine presets — one-click profiles for FiveM/GTA V, Skyrim, Unity, Unreal, UI sprites, and PBR material workflows.
- Tint/colorization engine — apply per-file or batch color tints using blend modes like Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Add, and Lerp.
- Live before/after preview — with zoom, checkerboard alpha display, and mipmap level scrubbing.
- Parallel batch conversion — multi-worker support for fast processing of large texture libraries.
- Watch folder mode — auto-converts new files as they appear in the input folder.
- Project save/load — preserves all settings, tints, and per-file overrides as JSON.
- Headless CLI mode — scriptable batch conversion without launching the GUI.
- Structured logging — per-file JSONL conversion log and an export manifest written to the output folder.
- Built for modders and small studios: manage texture conversion jobs, standardize outputs, and generate machine-readable manifests for downstream pipelines.
- Practical defaults (Auto DDS selection, PBR naming heuristics) plus advanced controls (format overrides, versioned outputs).
- Lightweight source (single-file) for inspection and extension, or packaged as a standalone Windows executable.
- Windows 10 / 11 (Win32 features used)
texconv.exe(DirectXTex) — required for DDS output. For GPU acceleration, provide a compatibletexconv_gpu.exebinary and enable GPU mode in the UI.- Python 3.x + Pillow to run from source (or use the standalone executable built from this repo)
- Place
texconv.exe(ortexconv_gpu.exe) in the same folder as the app. - Launch the app, apply a template or create a new project, set input/output folders.
- Optionally save a project to reuse settings.
- Configure
WORKERS(1..16) and enable GPU if available, then START CONVERSION.
- Projects save the full job state as JSON (folders, preset, format, tints). Use SAVE / LOAD PROJECT in the toolbar.
- Templates create
projects/<template>_inputandprojects/<template>_outputunder the app folder to bootstrap common workflows.
- Each conversion run writes
export_manifest.jsoninto the output folder (overwritten each run). Manifest entries includefile,status(OK/SKIP/FAIL),format,reason, andsize— suitable for automated importers or asset catalogs.
- Increase
WORKERSto parallelize conversions across CPU cores for large batches. The app uses chunking to reduce contention and memory pressure. - Enable GPU if you have a compatible
texconv_gpu.exebuild for hardware-accelerated block compression.
Supported input: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .tga, .bmp, .dds, .webp
Output formats: DDS, PNG, JPG, TGA, BMP, WebP, SVG.
When outputting DDS, formats supported include: DXT1, DXT3, DXT5, BC4_UNORM, BC5_UNORM, BC7_UNORM, R8G8B8A8_UNORM (UI/Modern choices exposed in the UI).
DDS.py— main application source (inspect or run directly with Python)projects/— sample templates and saved project JSON filestexforge_conversion.log— machine-friendly JSONL per-file log (appends during conversion)export_manifest.json— per-run manifest written into the output foldertexforge_crash.log— crash diagnosticstexforge_settings.json— persisted UI/theme/output settings
texconv.exeis not redistributed. Download it from Microsoft's DirectXTex releases and place it beside the app due to redistribution licensing.
Open issues and pull requests are welcome. Describe the target pipeline if you want custom template presets, CI-friendly manifest formats, or other integrations.