Cant...get...textures...to...show

[DarkViper]

im seriously at my wits end here...

ive done this a million times before less than a year ago, but im about ready to cave on this one

So the SDK is for Orange Box, specifically EP2

using the male_sdk that came with SourceSDK, i loaded up the SCN file and made my adjustments, exported the SMDs, modified the QC file a little, blah blah

so loong story short, my custom character "TestMan" compiled and into his appropriate directory.
The problem is that hes plagued by the purple checkerboard for his overall skin.
Now im not dumb, i used the male_sdk's TGAs and associated every path with them so he appears normal in XSI, this data is whats being used in the SMD files.

so in the main QC:

$modelname sdk\Humans\TestMan.mdl
$cdmaterials models\Humans\Male\TestMan

so lets travel ye on over to the actual directory where the VTFs and VMFs are
half-life 2 episode two\ep2\materials\models\Humans\Male\TestMan

heres just one of the VMFs "citizen_sheet.vmf"

"VertexLitGeneric"
{
// Original shader: VertexLitTexture
"$basetexture" "models\Humans\Male\TestMan\citizen_sheet"
"$halflambert" 1
}


sooo technically this should be working right?

Wait! i got more proof... dont beleive me?

in the references SMD file:

end
triangles
sandro_facemap.tga
0 2.062083 -3.463417 71.020103 0.866832 -0.450570 0.213515 0.646521 0.805592 1 16 1.000000
0 2.326031 -2.891384 71.051498 0.907715 -0.329960 0.259191 0.700166 0.827376 1 16 1.000000
0 2.543253 -2.054508 71.752914 0.869260 -0.265518 0.416998 0.722946 0.869194 1 16 1.000000


so i know the TGAs were associated in the exported SMDs

so wait, MORE proof? well if you are brave enough to crack open the MDL file, and check out near the end of it
in
half-life 2 episode two\ep2\models\sdk\Humans\testman.mdl

citizen_sheet models\Humans\Male\TestMan\

meaning its loking for citizen_sheet.vmf within my TestMan directory in materials\


So WHY oh WHY is he STILL checkerboard? What step am i missing? what vital CLUE have i forgotten to stumble across, WHY THE CRAP IS HE STILL PURPLE!!

oh ya i used Photoshop CS3 with Nems VTF plugin to make the VTFs, if that matters any

 

[DarkViper]

..............................................................................................................................

i think i found my answer but im not sure till i can get home to try it, but

I THINK I HAVE THE WRONG FILE EXTENSION FOR MY MATERIALS! ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!

if thats the issue, then im going to cry tears of laughter and joy, because then i know its not something in the process ive personally missed and i can stop calling myself crazy...