repainting the Alpha SM 79

[fani]

1. I would like repainting the Alpha SM 79 .
   Could you suggest me how save the textures files in psp ? Which type of format files : 2AF , 3AF, ecc. are ?

[peperez]

1. I would like repainting the Alpha SM 79 .
   Could you suggest me how save the textures files in psp ? Which type of format files : 2AF , 3AF, ecc. are ?

First of all, you need to convert textures to bmp. Private message me.

[oldwheat]

I already have .bmp textures & a converted .mdl file. The problem that I have with the Alphasim Spaviero is the lack of spinning props & spinners in the AI aircraft. It certainly is a hell of a lot easier to get a decent skin on than is Corrado's version.

Oh, WTH, here is the .mdl w/ textures=

Attachment 59938

[Seagull V]

Since it is an old model, would the Abacus Aircraft Animator program get those props spinning ?
Will have a look and see what can be done, some of these oldies scrub up very well !!!!!!!!!

[Seagull V]

No joy on the Aircraft Animation - kept getting an error message, even with a Vanilla.zip file. Refer screenshot.

Also did a trial on the old CFS1 Mewa LWS.3 and the propellor works on it.
Available at:- http://www.alliedsupplydepot.com/page3.html - scroll down to AIRCRAFT PACKS and then click on the Polish collection.

[oldwheat]

Is there a freeware version of the aircraft animator? I considered getting it when I bought FSDS but was made to believe that it was not necessary.

[Seagull V]

If you do a search and follow the links you can download AA from Abacus, however it needs a password to operate out of evaluation mode.

Would suggest that you try the download and then ask Customer Support very nicely about what is involved in obtaining a registered copy.

Have also bought the VAS-Gold from them but need to sort out a few issues first before I can use it, fingers crossed they can provide a solution, may help with some of the older aircraft upgrades.

Have found AA very useful with some of the older models that I want to upgrade to CFS2, there are quite a few golden oldies out there, for example the SE-100 and Fairey Seafox are both nice models given the time & sim that they were made for, quite a few from AlphaSim could do with a bit of TLC as well. Not as nice as the latest FS9/X models but they do repaint well, add a new pilot/ordnance/upgraded DP-airfile and they are a good addition to CFS2. Have had a couple of issues with some older models losing their textures when upgraded though.

The SM-79 might respond to SCASM treatment but would need a SCASM guru to confirm.

[The B24 Guy]

Hi All,

It can be done with SCASM. It takes some time though.

Would anyone be interested in learning how to do it?

If so I would be happy to hold a class and share what I have learned so far.

Regards,
B24Guy

[sc7500]

...If so I would be happy to hold a class and share what I have learned so far...

Rather than do a formal "class" [I can never tell when you're making a joke...!], how about a nice Tutorial ?

Something REALLY EASY, so guys with a HSF [High Stupidity Factor] like ME can refer to again and again until we get it right ?...

Big Hassle ?

Or Boon to the Community ?

Your call...
SC

[Seagull V]

B24 Guy please count me in for the lessons, might help with some of the older aircraft upgrades.

Any idea on the limitations ?

For example the I4_Ro37 fuselage, is it possible to insert a few more fuselage points to make it look more rounded or would you be better off doing a new aircraft ?
This one could also do with a cockpit upgrade along with clear fuselage windows.

SE-100 & Seafox could also do with a cockpit upgrades, Se-100 also needs the front wheel animated so it turns around on takeoff.

The Mewa LWS.3 has solid windows and no moving wheels, can we make the cockpit windows transparent and put in a cockpit & crew with rear MG, as well as animations for the wheels ?
With the Mewa the rear canopy folds upwards, would be nice to have that as an animation.

Also with the wheels, some are 8 to 12 points around the diameter, could another 4 points be added to give them a little bit more of a circular look ?
Can the undercarriages be given a bit more bounce on take-off and landing ?
On some converted aircraft the undercarriage collapses, can this be fixed up ?

Removal of external stores, eg the fuel tanks on the ALPHA_FJ-3_Fury_CFS2 ?
Removal of the sticks that are called guns and replacement with something a little more realistic ?
Removal/addition of turrets ?
Is it possible to build a turret in GMAX/FSDS and add that to the model rather than it being added as a DP extra (to cut down on additions to the DPs) ?

On some of the old biplanes the bracing wires look like 3 inch pipes, can they be modified/toned down to look more realistic ?
Can bracing wires be added to the models ?

On some models there are mirrored surfaces, how do you demirror them, and also add new textures to the model ?

How do we add the breaking parts ?

How do we add extra LODs ?

Just a few questions that I have !!!!!!!!!

If we can do some/all of those things then there are a lot more oldies that can be brought back to the hangars.
If there is more than one person (yourself) than it will also spread the workload !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The B24 Guy]

Hi All,

SC, doing a tutorial that covers everything would be hard.
I was thinking mostly about the FSDS1 Aircraft. How to re-anamate rudder, elevators, add props to the AI. etc.
If anyone was interested we could do the fixes together and I could answer questions as we went along. That is if I know the answer.
Just fix one or two things at a time. It would take a week or so.

SeagullV,

The short answer is... You can just about do anything as long as you sanity holds up.
I4_Ro37 fuselage thing you be better off doing a new aircraft.
The Se-100 the front wheel would be interesting to try to make happen. Don't know for sure.
Adding points to wheels could be done, but then you would have to re-map textures and that is rough, and I don't know how to do that in FSDS1 models.
Removing parts is fairly easy. Adding parts is not too hard "if you have a part that you can hijack".
The lower turret on the B24 I built using modified parts and polys that I created, but it took forever.
I did try to lighten the antenna wire on the Helen but without success. I guess you just can't get much smaller than a line.
Demirroring parts on newer models is not too hard. I have not done it on FSDS1 models yet.
Adding LOD's is not the hard part. The question is where do you get them from?
I just did my first breaking parts. The time consuming part is you have to id and regroup all the parts.

I hope I answered some of your questions.

B24Guy

[peperez]

1. I would like repainting the Alpha SM 79 .
   Could you suggest me how save the textures files in psp ? Which type of format files : 2AF , 3AF, ecc. are ?

Look your mail box here!

[kelticheart]

Hi everybody!

Since Alpha's Sparviero has a much nicer shape than the old CFS1-like DAF SM.79 and it performs real well in terms of framerate, I tried giving the aircraft a dress different than the pre-war livery it comes with. I choose to replicate Sparviero #283-7 of the 283a Squadriglia, 130o Gruppo Autonomo Aerosiluranti (torpedo bombers), based in Gerbini, Sicily, during 1942.

Keeping as a base the original sand colour I thought it could have been easy, since there aren't any personal markings or insignias to replicate for this aircraft.

It's, instead, quite a hell since the texture mapping stretches in the area of the top where the two fuselage sides join together. It's not too bad when the camo is a uniform colour, when trying to apply the typical Regia Aeronautica mottled pattern, all of the paint blots are stretched over the surface out of control. The same goes for the engine cowls. Not only, the fuselage textures come in three sections, so it's extremely hard matching them.

Considering other details like inexhisting prop blurred textures, in line with early Alpha's production, I don't know whether it's worth the effort.

Anyway, this is how it looks so far and it's easy to see how the paint blots stretch over the top surfaces of the model and where they do not match with each other when the fuselage sections meet.....

Cheers!
KH

[Seagull V]

Refer to the excellent Panel Finder tool and use of by adlabs6:-

http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/foru...nder-tool-456/

A modified version below that I use for my work (full credit still goes to adlabs6)
I usually add it to my template than turn the transperancy percentage to suit.

I will take a look at what can be done this weekend - depends on how much the texture mapping is warped around the fuselage joins,
when parts are mirrored it can add extra issues.

Paint issues are not just confined to the older models - can also occur with new models as well.
If any aircraft model builders read this post - please keep building aircraft models, but also please think of the layout when texture mapping.

Regards, Seagull V

[fani]

Have you try adding
wep_prop_3
wep_prop_3r

to correct inexhisting prop blurred textures ???????