Fleet Aircraft Fleet 50K

**lemonadedrinker** · February 2nd, 2014, 23:53

Hi,

@phantomx1 really!,

Can you post a pic or two as you go through this process? Or describe it in short words as well if possible.

When I look at instructions for repainting an aircraft, my brain just stops and doesn't seem to be able to grasp what the stages are to get the paint on the model.... send to editor, save as , alpha channel

Cheers,

Andy.

**phantomx1** · February 3rd, 2014, 08:41

Originally Posted by lemonadedrinker

Hi,

@phantomx1 really!,

Can you post a pic or two as you go through this process? Or describe it in short words as well if possible.

When I look at instructions for repainting an aircraft, my brain just stops and doesn't seem to be able to grasp what the stages are to get the paint on the model.... send to editor, save as , alpha channel

Cheers,

Andy.

lemonadedrinker, I am extreme novice and this probably isn't anywhere near the correct way to do it, but it will work.

OK (Working with the Fleet 50, nacelle texture as my example)

1. Make a copy of the Fleet 50's texture file and place to another place on your computer where you can find it.

2. open ms paint. Then use "open" to find your texture file. Select the precise texture plate then click "ok". It then shows up in ms paint.

Suppose you want to simply apply one color of paint on only one of the parts showing on the nacelle texture plate.

3. From the "shapes" section, select "rectangle", then expand that rectangle where it will completely surround the nacelle part you want to paint. You now see a rectangle surounding what you want to paint.

4. Next I select from "Image" the little paint bucket labeled "Fill with color". I then click on a color from the palette, the move the pointer within the "rectangle and it applies a paint cover in the rectangle which paints the necelle. You just painted that nacelle part! But it will not show up on your plane in FSX!

5. Next I saved this ms paint as "save as" and then selected "BMP picture". Now your work is saved and you can open it up again for any future use, and it will show the changes you made to it. (Don't forget to name your saved file).

6. Next you will need to have a tool to convert that texture so you can use it to convert the texture so it will show up in FS. This texture converter I am using is a freeware download called DXTbmp. Open this program tool up and then you hit "file" and navigate to your target texture and import the texture you just saved from ms paint. Your modified texture work then shows up on the DXTbmp screen. Once it shows up, I then simply just save it as a DXT 3 extended bitmap file, then exit the DXTbmp tool program back to desktop.

7. I then go to FSX and find the Fleet 50k texture file and go in and re-name that particular original texture plate, such as, from "nacelles_t" to "nacelles_torig". Now I can go find MY painted texture plate I painted and throw it into the Fleet50's texture folder and re-name it to the "nacelles_t" and then close to desk top and crank up the FSX and go fly the Fleet 50k. The new paint shows on the plane.

Hope this helps some!

***Tom Clayton*** · February 3rd, 2014, 12:51

Just a heads up on Paint... The default bmp format is 24-bit, which has no alpha channel. 32-bit and DXT3 both incorporate alpha channels, making them compatible with FS9 as a texture. The only place I know of in FS that will accept a 24-bit file is in the 2D panel.

**Milton Shupe** · February 3rd, 2014, 16:27

Also keep in mind that GIMP is a freeware artistic tool supporting layers that can be more useful than MSPaint. Get it here: http://www.gimp.org/

**lemonadedrinker** · February 3rd, 2014, 20:30

Hi,

Thank you for that..I will give that a try.

This is the 1st time I think I might have begun to get a handle on this !

Andy.

**phantomx1** · February 3rd, 2014, 21:54

Originally Posted by Tom Clayton

Just a heads up on Paint... The default bmp format is 24-bit, which has no alpha channel. 32-bit and DXT3 both incorporate alpha channels, making them compatible with FS9 as a texture. The only place I know of in FS that will accept a 24-bit file is in the 2D panel.

Sorry if I misled you on the format saves lemmonadedrinker. I am extremeley green at painting and the understanding of it. I am also using the plane in FSX. There are many more here in this forum that are way more qualified to give you and I both pointers about the do's and don'ts of painting FS models.

**Milton Shupe** · February 4th, 2014, 04:16

Originally Posted by phantomx1

Sorry if I misled you on the format saves lemmonadedrinker. I am extremeley green at painting and the understanding of it. I am also using the plane in FSX. There are many more here in this forum that are way more qualified to give you and I both pointers about the do's and don'ts of painting FS models.

No need to apologize phantomx1; we all are in some stage of learning in some area.

I appreciate the fact that you guys are giving this a go. Ask questions, share what you know, and we will all be better for it. The key is to enjoy the process having fun along the way while we learn and be creative.

**phantomx1** · February 4th, 2014, 13:06

Originally Posted by Milton Shupe

No need to apologize phantomx1; we all are in some stage of learning in some area.

I appreciate the fact that you guys are giving this a go. Ask questions, share what you know, and we will all be better for it. The key is to enjoy the process having fun along the way while we learn and be creative.

It's alright Milton. Even though I myself am trying to learn to paint, it did draw in Tom with more learning notes as well as the learning notes you have posted. It's all good and it's all a learning process, including mistakes. Your un-painted unique model of the Fleet 50k makes a great learning platform and an inspiration for learning to paint. Thanks for that!

**Milton Shupe** · February 6th, 2014, 09:17

This is an original-like livery done by ******** that will be available in our release at some future date.

Shots taken at Valdez, AK, Hope, BC, and at KHOB (FSX tundra version).

**Milton Shupe** · February 13th, 2014, 04:12

For those of you who downloaded the base package to work on, I am including some updates here.

The panel is updated to provide a 2D panel background.
Added a missed black krinkle paint chip for the top of the floats.

The original download in the library has also been updated.

Just copy the items to their respective folders.

EDIT: Just replaced the zip file due to an incorrect panel bmp

**Blackbird686** · February 13th, 2014, 10:39

Thanks Milton! Glad to see Garry "tinkering" with some new skins for her too! When I first saw this plane, I had to walk back around to the front to make sure it said "Fleet Aircraft Manufacturing", instead of "Ford Motor Company"

.

BB686

**Andre19** · April 28th, 2015, 00:27

Finished all the textures for the Fleet 50K, will be uploading them soon. I tried to paint each one as historically as possible, thanks to Milton for the information.