Standalone
Transcribed by CADFather from a PDF posted by Daiwilletti

Originally Posted by: Kevboy On 04-13-05 @ 04:18 (Before the Site Attack)

“Hello all
Question, if a plane has been converted to run on CFS# from CFS2 of FS, can I convert it to another standalone? I would like to hear yes!
But it has no Mos File so how do I tell it about the texture name changes? I do however hace an Air File, but the has nothing in it that I can read with the Hes editor, that looks like the text file names. As I am sort of new to CFS3 I guess someone must have come up against this before.”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-13-05 @ 04:40 (Before the Site Attack)

“CFS1 & 2 * FS don’t work at all in CFS3 as they use a different model format.

As for making standalones in CFS3 have a look here:
http://www.cfcforums.com/showthread.php?t=16351 (Link is long since dead, another source is needed)
The texture name references can be found in the m3d file btw, texture format is dds.
You’ll just see no bullet holes if you don’t hace a mos file, that’s about it.”
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Reply Posted by: Kevboy On 04-13-05 @ 04:48 (Before the Site Attack)

“Thanks Mathias.
Then the folder has,
A file called.
This_plane.air
But no file called.
This_plane.mos
Why and how does this work?
Kevboy”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-13-05 @ 04:52 (Before the Site Attack)

“The mosaic file is used to lay noseart/damage.cannon.bullethole textures over the plane’s base texture, sort of cross-linking to the texture (which is defined inside the model just as in other [C]FS builds.
There is an editing tool in the aircraft and vehicle SDK.
Think of the tool like dealing with layers in Paintshop Pro of Photoshop, you would just put the damage textures as a new layer on top of the main texture.
If you want to make your own mosfile for your plane in question you’d usually start out with one of the stock mosfiles and change textures and filename to whatever you need.
Next step would be to move around all those bullet layers until you are happy.
If you have no mosfile the texture is still processed normally, just there’ll be no visible damage textures.”
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Reply Posted by: Kevboy On 04-13-05 @ 09:22 (Before the Site Attack)

“Thanks Mathias
Just seen I Robot and had ¾ bottle of wine, but I just about get what you are saying.
Will play around with another misfile later. But is a misfile not needed then to make a plane work?
I need to sleep on this.
Kevboy”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-13-05 @ 09:25 (Before the Site Attack)

“Not definitely needed, the plane will work just fine without mosfile.”
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Reply Posted by: Kevboy On 04-13-05 @ 10:08 (Before the Site Attack)

“Yes Yes
Ok, got the plane flying, but it’s all black, that’s good, getting close. Just need to get the textures to be seen.
Nice,
Very nice.
Thanks Mate,
Kevboy”
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Reply Posted by: Kevboy On 04-13-05 @ 21:36 (Before the Site Attack)

“Textures working now. Is it possible to get reflections to work on a plane that did not have them from the start? I take it, it’s to do with the _s files.
Kevboy”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-13-05 @ 22:13 (Before the Site Attack)

“No Reflections or specular shine without the Gmax source file.”
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Reply Posted by: Kevboy On 04-14-05 @ 02:09 (Before the Site Attack)

“Ok Mathias, Thanks for all your help on this.
Kevboy”
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Reply Posted by: Corrado On 04-14-05 @ 07:06 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Mathias
“No Reflections or specular shine without the Gmax source file.”

“That is a wrong statement.
Here is a tuto(rial) on how to do that using a hex-editor.
No reflect maps needed nor Gmax source, just you must be good at hex-editing.
Kevboy,
If you can’t figure it out drop me an e-mail at MC5834@mclink.it
http://www.isoliti4gatti.com/shine.htm (Link is long since dead, another source is needed)
Corrado”
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Reply Posted by: Kevboy On 04-14-05 @ 07:31 (Before the Site Attack)

“Ok
Corrado, I will have a look, thanks.
Kevboy”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-14-05 @ 07:48 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Corrado
“That is a wrong statement.
Here is a tuto(rial) on how to do that using a hex-editor.
No reflect maps needed nor Gmax source, just you must be good at hex-editing.
Kevboy,
If you can’t figure it out drop me an e-mail at MC5834@mclink.it
http://www.isoliti4gatti.com/shine.htm (Link is long since dead, another source is needed)
Corrado”

“Oh, interesting, I didn’t know that you’ve hacked it
So you can add reflection and specular maps or just basic polygon shine?”
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Reply Posted by: Corrado On 04-14-05 @ 08:08 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Mathias
“Oh, interesting, I didn’t know that you’ve hacked it
So you can add reflection and specular maps or just basic polygon shine?”

“Basic shining or reflecting if you don’t have a spare texture to sacrifice.
If you have that one you can add maps either.
I guess the M3D can be further hacked to add as many maps as you like but I haven’t experimented on this one possibility. It worked with MDL files, it might work with M3D’s as well.

Frankly, I have been using maps very little in my planes, odd it might look; I know this brings limitations but gave me the challenge of experimenting and exploring, that’s part of the fun, and that’s why I discovered the above.
All of my planes have this hex rework, one of the very first things I discovered in CFS3, even the early ones that have pre-lighted texture; wrongly believed by some not having true reflections they just have a very light touch of it, handmade.

Having abandoned those maps one thing I could never figure out is if reflect maps and shine maps work as advertised; could you recap it for me, what is the difference and is it worth it?

Hacking the M3D files I have found you can have a material to load both (_r and ­_s) at once, don’t know if it can be of any use though.

Another interesting thing I have discovered but never used is that maps can be colored not just B/W, this gave some nice effects, but that’s it.
Also you can name them what you want, not necessarily xxx_r etc.

The obvious advantage of this kind of approach is that you can mod to your likes someone else’s models (the ones you don’t have the source code for), including M$ ones.”
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Reply Posted by: Corrado On 04-14-05 @ 08:11 (Before the Site Attack)


“Kevboy,
I am very curious on what you are doing, or am I reading too much into your post #1?
Corrado”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-14-05 @ 08:48 (Before the Site Attack)

“Hmm, it can all be done from within the Gmax file, colored specular and reflection maps and both together in the same materials as well as colored specular polygon materials.
Whatever , your hack is sure great for aircraft that otherwise would not come into the benefit of such neat features.

Are you asking what the difference is between specular and reflections?
It’s both reflections, LOL, Just specular is more that milky camo kind of stuff while you would use the reflection slot for bare metal and such.”
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Reply Posted by: Corrado On 04-14-05 @ 08:58 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Mathias
It’s both reflections, LOL, Just specular is more that milky camo kind of stuff while you would use the reflection slot for bare metal and such.

“Watching from inside I have found only, but might have missed some, the stock P-51D using reflect maps but it looked like crap to me so I modded it.
So, have you ever found a suitable use for those?

Corrado”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-14-05 @ 09:05 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Corrado
“Watching from inside I have found only, but might have missed some, the stock P-51D using reflect maps but it looked like crap to me so I modded it.
So, have you ever found a suitable use for those?

Corrado”

“For reflection maps?
Honestly no, it always looks as if the plane is inside of a glass bottle, LOL.

EDIT: Thinking of it, I really like the allied bare metal skins.
Makes it easier to spot the Indianer at distance.”
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Reply Posted by: Corrado On 04-14-05 @ 09:09 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Mathias
“For reflection maps?
Honestly no, it always looks as if the plane is inside of a glass bottle, LOL.

Neither I found it.
I wonder why they put them in at all.
Not I have ever found any other designer using them, but I haven’t checked every single plane I have downloaded.
Corrado”
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Reply Posted by: Mathias On 04-14-05 @ 09:16 (Before the Site Attack)

“I like reflections on gauge glass.
Diffuse color pure black, opacity 6-8% and the reflection slot just checked, no level map in it.”
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Reply Posted by: Corrado On 04-14-05 @ 09:09 (Before the Site Attack)

Quote:
Originally Posted by: Mathias
“I like reflections on gauge glass.
Diffuse color pure black, opacity 6-8% and the reflection slot just checked, no level map in it.”

“Hehe,
I do that either (too), my way of course.
Corrado”
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CAD :salute: