NexusMods_Mod_Description.bbcode

[center][size=5][b]FICture2 – Ultra-Fast Image Compare & DDS Texture Viewer for Modders[/b][/size][/center]

[center][size=6][url=https://github.com/floyd68/FICture2/releases/tag/1.7]v1.7 Release[/url][/size][/center]

[b]FICture2[/b] is an ultra-lightweight, high-performance image viewer and comparison tool built specifically for game modders and texture artists.

The entire executable is [b]under 1 MB[/b], with near-instant startup time — no splash screen, no heavy frameworks, no delay.
Double-click a texture and you're already comparing it.

[center][size=4][b]📺 Demo Video[/b][/size]
[youtube]2eowYOEa5dw[/youtube][/center]

[size=4][b]🆕 What's New in v1.7[/b][/size]
[list]
[*][b]New:[/b] DDS mip inspection — [b]Ctrl + [[/b] / [b]Ctrl + ][/b] step mip levels; right-click [b]Mip Level[/b] picks a level. Current mip and source dimensions show in the info bar[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Channel isolation — [b]R[/b] / [b]G[/b] / [b]B[/b] / [b]A[/b] show one channel as grayscale; [b]N[/b] restores RGBA (D3D path)[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Alpha Channel override — right-click chooses Auto / Transparency / Opaque (data). Encoding (straight/premultiplied) is kept separate from usage so data-bearing alpha no longer darkens colors by mistake[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Image Information — press [b]I[/b] (or use the context menu) for path, format, mip, alpha, channel, and view state[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Compare up to [b]8[/b] viewers in an equal-width grid (5–6 panes: 2×3; 7–8 panes: 2×4)[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Open Recent (MRU) from the right-click menu, with Clear Recent Files[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Save Pane Screenshot from the composed offscreen frame — not blocked by overlapping windows[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] BSA archive browsing alongside ZIP / 7Z / RAR / BA2; archive readers are cached for snappier large-pack browsing[/*]
[*][b]New:[/b] Thumbnail-strip horizontal scrollbar when the strip overflows[/*]
[*][b]Improved:[/b] Path / info bar tooltips; right-click the path to copy it[/*]
[*][b]Changed:[/b] Hotkeys — navigation toggle is now [b]Alt + N[/b], sampling quality is [b]Alt + Q[/b], alpha checkerboard is [b]Alt + A[/b] ([b]N[/b] is used to restore RGBA after channel isolation)[/*]
[/list]

[size=4][b]What's New in v1.5[/b][/size]
[list]
[*][b]New:[/b] Image rotation — rotate the current image 90° with the [b]<[/b] / [b]>[/b] keys, or use the right-click menu for Rotate Left/Right, Rotate 180°, and Reset Rotation. The current angle is shown next to the zoom percentage[/*]
[*][b]Fixed:[/b] Rotated images no longer lose their aspect ratio — they now stay correctly proportioned at any rotation[/*]
[*][b]Fixed:[/b] Panning a rotated image now follows the mouse in the correct direction[/*]
[*][b]Improved:[/b] Eliminated a brief freeze (roughly 1–5 seconds) that could occur shortly after opening a large folder, caused by many thumbnail loading spinners finishing at the same moment[/*]
[*][b]Improved:[/b] Slightly smaller executable size from further internal cleanup[/*]
[/list]

[size=4][b]What's New in v1.41[/b][/size]
[list]
[*][b]Fixed:[/b] When opening two files with the same filename from different folders in quick succession, both could open as separate windows instead of a side-by-side comparison — now reliably opens as a split pane[/*]
[*][b]Improved:[/b] Startup is noticeably faster — the window now restores its last position instantly, without an extra OS round-trip that previously added ~50 ms[/*]
[/list]

[size=4][b]What's New in v1.4[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Faster thumbnail loading and smoother browsing in large folders[/*]
[*]Improved split-view stability for compare workflows (selection / zoom-pan / pane behavior)[/*]
[*]More consistent focused/background rendering with reduced visual flicker[/*]
[*]Improved reliability for context menu and keyboard command handling[/*]
[*]Stronger session restore and UI-state persistence between launches[/*]
[*]New context menu action: [b]Open Folder...[/b][/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]Recent Improvements (v1.2 / v1.3)[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Smoother UI while resizing windows and split views[/*]
[*]Thumbnails keep image proportions more naturally[/*]
[*]Right-click a thumbnail and choose [b]Show in Explorer[/b][/*]
[*]Clearer active image/title feedback while browsing and comparing[/*]
[*]More reliable filename matching in compare mode (including case differences)[/*]
[*]Improved file association setup with clearer Windows Default Apps guidance[/*]
[*]More consistent format handling across Open dialog, startup scan, archive browsing, and file associations[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]v1.1 Highlights[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Archive browsing: ZIP / 7Z / RAR / BA2 (images + folders)[/*]
[*]Sampling quality toggle (low/high) for scaled images[/*]
[*]Max zoom increased to 5000%[/*]
[*]Renderer info shown in the title bar (D2D / D3D11)[/*]
[*]Multi-file drag & drop (up to 4 viewers side-by-side)[/*]
[*]Register file associations from the context menu[/*]
[*]See DDS thumbnails directly in Windows Explorer (enable from the context menu; admin prompt)[/*]
[/list]


[img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/1151/images/100267/100267-1769093524-248032561.png[/img]
[img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/1151/images/100267/100267-1769093733-294315614.png[/img]

[size=4][b]⚡ Why FICture2 Exists[/b][/size]

Most image viewers claim to support DDS —
but in reality:

[list]
[*]BCn formats are often decoded incorrectly[/*]
[*]Alpha channels are mishandled or ignored[/*]
[*]Mip levels are flattened or forced[/*]
[*]Performance collapses on large texture folders[/*]
[/list]


[b]FICture2 was built because no existing lightweight tool handled DDS BCn textures correctly and fast enough for real modding workflows.[/b]

[size=4][b]🧬 Proper DDS & BCn Support (Not "Partial" Support)[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Native DDS support via DirectXTex[/*]
[*]Correct decoding of BC1 / BC3 / BC4 / BC5 / BC6H / BC7[/*]
[*]Accurate alpha channel handling (encoding vs usage; coverage vs data)[/*]
[*]Mip-level inspection without flattening the chain[/*]
[*]No forced recompression[/*]
[*]No incorrect color-space shortcuts[/*]
[/list]


What you see in FICture2 is what the engine actually gets.

[size=4][b]🖼️ Fast Image Viewing[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Instant loading of large DDS textures[/*]
[*]Optimized thumbnail generation for massive mod folders[/*]
[*]Smooth zoom & pan with mouse-centric controls[/*]
[*]Designed for inspection, not editing[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]🔄 Image Compare Mode (Side-by-Side)[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Compare 2–8 images simultaneously[/*]
[*]Perfect for A/B testing multiple texture replacements[/*]
[*]Split-view comparison with synchronized navigation[/*]
[/list]


[b]Folder-to-Folder Sync (Compare Mode)[/b]

When comparing two folders:
[list]
[*]Selecting an image in one panel automatically selects the same filename in the other[/*]
[*]Ideal for vanilla vs modded textures[/*]
[*]Ideal for competing retextures and conflict resolution[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]🧩 Built for Vortex Mod Manager Users[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Automatic side-by-side comparison of conflicted files[/*]
[*]Conflicting textures are paired automatically[/*]
[*]Zero manual setup[/*]
[/list]


FICture2 is a natural companion tool for Vortex.

[size=4][b]📁 Modder-Centric Image Browser[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Images and subfolders (including ..)[/*]
[*]Folder previews with embedded image thumbnails[/*]
[*]Handles real mod directory structures[/*]
[*]Browse inside ZIP / 7Z / RAR / BA2 / BSA archives[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]🧭 Quick Usage Tips[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Drag & drop images/folders/archives to open quickly (drop multiple files to open up to 8 views)[/*]
[*]Right-click the main view to register file associations for supported image types[/*]
[*]Right-click to register DDS thumbnails in Explorer (admin prompt appears)[/*]
[*]Use [b]R/G/B/A[/b] and mip shortcuts to inspect packed texture channels[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]📦 Supported Formats[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Images: DDS, PNG, JPG/JPEG/JFIF, BMP, GIF, TIF/TIFF, TGA, ICO, WEBP, HEIF/HEIC, HDR, EXR[/*]
[*]Archives: ZIP, 7Z, RAR, BA2, BSA (browse images + folders)[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]⌨️ Hotkeys (Everyday Use)[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Mouse wheel: zoom (Shift + wheel = smaller steps)[/*]
[*]Left mouse drag: pan[/*]
[*]Left / Right: move selection in the thumbnail list[/*]
[*]Enter: open selected image/folder[/*]
[*]Backspace / Alt + Up: go to parent folder[/*]
[*]Alt + N: show/hide folders (including ..)[/*]
[*]Alt + Q: toggle sampling quality (sharp pixels vs smooth)[/*]
[*]Alt + A: toggle alpha checkerboard[/*]
[*]R / G / B / A: isolate a channel; N: restore RGBA[/*]
[*]I: Image Information[/*]
[*]Ctrl + [ / Ctrl + ]: previous / next DDS mip level[/*]
[*]< / >: rotate the current image 90° left / right[/*]
[*]Ctrl + O: open and replace current view[/*]
[*]Ctrl + Shift + O: open a new view (up to 8)[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]🖱️ Drag & Drop Behavior[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Drop on left 3/4: replace current view (red overlay)[/*]
[*]Drop on right 1/4: open as a new view (green overlay)[/*]
[*]Unsupported files show an X cursor and are ignored[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]⚙️ Ultra-Light, Zero Bloat[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Executable size: under 1 MB[/*]
[*]Near-instant cold start[/*]
[*]No runtime frameworks[/*]
[*]No background services[/*]
[/list]


[size=4][b]🎯 Who This Is For[/b][/size]

[list]
[*]Modders working heavily with DDS / BCn textures[/*]
[*]Anyone resolving mod conflicts visually[/*]
[*]Anyone tired of opening Photoshop just to check a texture[/*]
[/list]


[b]A sub-1MB, ultra-fast image viewer that finally handles DDS BCn textures correctly — built for modders.[/b]

[size=4][b]🔗 Source Code[/b][/size]

[url=https://github.com/floyd68/FICture2]Github[/url]