i haven't done much work with biuldings ,but for hva and voxel u don't need to edit and pallets..ra2 uses compatible ones or the same ones
biulding i think is another story...i think so
the way i convert shp's is to extract them to pcx and then extract the proper .pal into jasc form then apply the right pink,black, blue to replace what ever color its useing (black i think) then when all the bazillion images r done put em in a new shp that is xcc selected pallet while saving
...theres an easier way that no body tells me...
as for ini u can just copy and paste ts ini codes but some don't work..organize what will and what wont...
then maybe add your own codes
example...
that reveal to everyone one code(like how u see a enemy nuke silo)
to the silo and ion cannon upgrade.