Well Scott, here's your update:
Rosie's got a sore right arm from placing so much rivets but since she's nearly done with the outer skin panels, I gave her a day off. I used a spray gun to apply some basic colours and took out a polishing rag to give the aluminium a good rubbin'. Then I tried to clean up the PS template to reduce the size and make it easier to use. After that, I gave the engine a test run and admired my work of the last week:
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
Uh, Joost - I hate to say it, but three rows back from the windscreen aft frame, two sections down, it looks like one of the rivets isn't properly set. You'll need to go back and drill that one out and try again.
I about fell out of my chair ! Beautiful ! Speechless ! Regards,Scott
Lol - you just wait until my eight tons of vertices fall upon your puny Mk.V!!Originally Posted by gecko
Uh, Joost - I hate to say it, but three rows back from the windscreen aft frame, two sections down, it looks like one of the rivets isn't properly set. You'll need to go back and drill that one out and try again.
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
Looks superb mate nice work, for the complete noob (yep me) do you have to do all the rivets for each skin or do you just skin over the top and the rivets show through?
Mick
No, no, it only takes 40 minutes to put one together...
We don't often think about how the finished, and flight tested aircraft that came off the assembly lines in America, had to be taken apart again for shipment overseas. That's part of the reason why we immediately scrapped so many that survived the war instead of shipping them home again.
US Army, Major, Ret.
Service To The Line,
On The Line,
On Time
US Army Ordnance Corps.
Awesome video Andy ! One off topic question. Frosty, where did you get the steel plate runways for CFS3 ? Am i missing something or overlooked a addon ?
My method is working with layers in a paint program; separate layers for the rivets, panel lines, squadron codes/stencils, paint job, weathering etc. This gives good control over the appearance, opacity, intensity etc. of each layer and makes it possible to use the same basic layout to create multiple textures for the same 3D model. So once all rivets, panel lines and other basics are painted on their respective layers, you essentially have a paint template. Now it is possible to create multiple 'skins' by only changing (repainting) the necessary layers (squadron codes, colours, weathering etc) without having to redo the rivets, panel lines etc. The order and opacity of the respective layers will make the rivets 'show through' - if that answers your question.
A complex texture template can have dozens of layers and that's just the main texture (_t.dds). The specular/reflective texture (_r.dds / _s.dds) is derived from this template and is basically an adjusted greyscale version of the _t.dds texture where lighter means more specular/reflective and darker gives a more matte/dull effect. Again, having items on separate layers gives better control over the final result. Then you could create a winter version of your skin (_w.dds, to depict your model in winter camo or as a dirtier/muddier version of the _t.dds texture to reflect winter conditions in the theater of operations of your choice). And finally, with the use of Ankor's shaders, there's also a bump (or normal) map to create which adds surface detail effects through game engine's environmental lighting (eg. skin buckling, panel thickness differences, material texture etc.). Texture-wise, I should not forget the .mos file, which is used to display effects like bullet holes and other damage effects. That all is a lot of work! (And that is why it takes so long to finish this project. Learning 3D modelling on the fly doesn't help either).
There are some very good painters frequenting this forum but IMHO the absolute master of the trade is Bravo/4. If you have specific questions about painting that I don't know the answer to, he might be the go-to person.
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
No, no, no, much longer - mine didn't come in a crate and I am just by myself
I created the PSP myself. Not published yet because I have to redo the airfield textures underneath the ALGs first (the scaling of the airfields layouts is incorrect). I got a bit sidetracked with my airfield work by a certain aircraft model...
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
Thanks Frosty ! Looking forward to that also. It would be a fantastic addition to CFS3 in all Theaters. Regards,Scott
"Fall" - yep, according to the ex-Eagle Squadron pilots who traded their Mk.Vs for the jug, that's about all it could do!Lol - you just wait until my eight tons of vertices fall upon your puny Mk.V!!
Seriously though, that is a gorgeous looking model.
Frosty, thanks for the detailed answer, I always wondered how it was done.My method is working with layers in a paint program; separate layers for the rivets, panel lines, squadron codes/stencils, paint job, weathering etc. This gives good control over the appearance, opacity, intensity etc. of each layer and makes it possible to use the same basic layout to create multiple textures for the same 3D model. So once all rivets, panel lines and other basics are painted on their respective layers, you essentially have a paint template. Now it is possible to create multiple 'skins' by only changing (repainting) the necessary layers (squadron codes, colours, weathering etc) without having to redo the rivets, panel lines etc. The order and opacity of the respective layers will make the rivets 'show through' - if that answers your question.
A complex texture template can have dozens of layers and that's just the main texture (_t.dds). The specular/reflective texture (_r.dds / _s.dds) is derived from this template and is basically an adjusted greyscale version of the _t.dds texture where lighter means more specular/reflective and darker gives a more matte/dull effect. Again, having items on separate layers gives better control over the final result. Then you could create a winter version of your skin (_w.dds, to depict your model in winter camo or as a dirtier/muddier version of the _t.dds texture to reflect winter conditions in the theater of operations of your choice). And finally, with the use of Ankor's shaders, there's also a bump (or normal) map to create which adds surface detail effects through game engine's environmental lighting (eg. skin buckling, panel thickness differences, material texture etc.). Texture-wise, I should not forget the .mos file, which is used to display effects like bullet holes and other damage effects. That all is a lot of work! (And that is why it takes so long to finish this project. Learning 3D modelling on the fly doesn't help either
There are some very good painters frequenting this forum but IMHO the absolute master of the trade is Bravo/4. If you have specific questions about painting that I don't know the answer to, he might be the go-to person.
All of you gentlemen who can do this sort of work have my respect and your right it really does explain how these sort of projects are so time consuming to undertake.
Well done mate thanks
PS Great video Major thanks for sharing
Mick
GIMP is a freeware Photoshop-like program, so I am not keeping you from making a start, LOL.... You probably do need a program to convert your textures from .bmp to the native CFS3 .dds format. I don't know if there is a plugin for GIMP that does that. DXTBmp is the freeware converter that I use.
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
I knew that whatever my reaction was, you would come with a witty reply. Well done, sir! :-D"Fall" - yep, according to the ex-Eagle Squadron pilots who traded their Mk.Vs for the jug, that's about all it could do!
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
Thank you Frosty for all you effort and passion. My favorite Allied aircraft ,along with the Hellcat, of WW II. Sorry Spitfire fans ! Regards,Scott
A nice read while we wait...
https://www.cradleofaviation.org/his...darwinism.html
US Army, Major, Ret.
Service To The Line,
On The Line,
On Time
US Army Ordnance Corps.
Absolutely marvelous read. A ton of info and excellent stories ! No wonder it is one of my all time favorite fighter of WW II. I don't care what others say about the "Jug" but i love her ! Thanks Andy for sharing this. Regards,Scott
Great article Andy!
Frosty, did you do the FM or has someone else ? Regards,Scott
No, that's beyond my capabilities, I just do the modeling; I used a stock 3us_p_47d_40 airfile from my ETO install for now. So that is AvHistory v2.xx series. Hopefully a certain person is willing to give it 'the' treatment...
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
What a great story about the "Jug"
Mick
As the riveting is nearing completion, I felt a little experimenting with bump mapping was due:
ACC Member, ETO and PTO contributor & librarian
I don't think this thread needs bumping, Joost...Beautifully detailed, a treat to the eye!
Tom
__________________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
So nice Joost, great job!
John
(DR/ MAW/ ETO/ PTO Textures)
Keep it coming!
Really great work Joost! Now you are getting the hang of it, I can just see you doing a B17 with all the correct rivets and bump mapped!
Cato said "Carthaginem esse delendam"
I say "Carthago iam diu deleta,sed enim Bellum Alium adhuc aedificandum est"
Members who have read this thread: 62
Posting Permissions
CFS3
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks