Hacksaw

This tutorial covers how to recolor League of Legends VFX (particles) using Hacksaw, a tool built for the custom skin modding community by Martynas. You'll learn how to open .bin files, adjust colors, and safely save particle changes.

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Requirements

Hacksaw|

A tool made by Martynas to edit bins.

RitoBin|

A converter made by Moonshadow to convert .bin to .py.

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Step 1: Set Up Hacksaw

1. Download and open Hacksaw
2. Go to the Settings tab
3. Click on Select Ritobin_Cli
4. Select ritobin_cli.exe

💡 Hacksaw requires ritobin_cli to read and write .bin files used for visual effects.

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Step 2: Locate the BIN File

Your particle .bin file will usually be located in one of the following folders:

/yourWadFolder/data/ /yourWadFolder/data/characters/YourChamp/skins/SkinXX/

SkinXX corresponds to your skin's ID.

To find your skin number, check the HUD folder. It usually has preview images.

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Step 3: Open the BIN File

1. Go to the Splash tab in Hacksaw
2. Click Open Bin

You'll now see a list of particle entries like:

• _Q_mis → Missile VFX for Q ability
• _W_tar → Target hit effect for W
• _E_cas → Cast animation for E

💡 Common Naming Terms: mis = missile • tar = target • cas = cast • trail = trail • exp = explosion

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Step 4: Recolor the Particles

1. Pick your new color using the color palette
2. Choose the ParticleSystem you want to be recolored
3. Press Recolor Selected on the bottom of Hacksaw
4. Save your changes by clicking Save Bin

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Step 5: Some Particles Use Textures for Coloring

Not all particles are recolored through Hacksaw's built-in color palette. Some VFX effects get their color from an external texture file. It is usually a .dds or .tex in the Particles folder.

What to Do

1. Locate the Particles folder: Assets/Characters/LeeSin/Skins/Skin31/Particles
2. Open the texture file in Photoshop, GIMP, or any image editing software that supports .dds
3. Recolor the texture manually
4. Save the edited texture as .dds using BC3 / DXT5 compression
5. Replace the original file in your Particles or VFX folder

💡 Common texture paths:

• Assets/Characters/LeeSin/Skins/Skin31/Particles
• Assets/Shared/Particles
• Assets/Characters/LeeSin/Skins/Base/Particles

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Important Tips

Do Not Recolor Black or White (by Default)

Black and white values are often used for transparency in League VFX. Recoloring them may break or hide effects completely.

If you intentionally want to recolor black/white:

1. Go to Settings
2. Disable "Ignore Black/White Values"

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Understanding BlendModes

Each particle uses a BlendMode, shown on the right in Hacksaw:

💡 Knowing how blend modes affect rendering helps avoid visual bugs or unintended glows.

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