Simviation Forum - Help with the Cessna 310

Reply #15 - Jul 22^nd, 2009 at 1:55pm

Alrot. Ex Member
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I forgot

You may need to work in two textures the Specular and Bumping map

C310_1_T.dds the one is to be repaint

C310_1_T_Bump.dds

C310_1_T_Spec.dds

try to use the Blue livery copy of Spec and bump maps ,Not the one is Green ,I mean the blue one Anything let me know I believe Im going to remake the map to make a standard maps without the lines Undecided

Make sure you are using alpha chanels properly as the originals ,otherwise some effects won't show

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Reply #16 - Jul 22^nd, 2009 at 1:55pm

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Ah yes i noticed the riv layer is at ) opacity so a little adjustment there! And bolts...

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Reply #17 - Jul 22^nd, 2009 at 3:01pm

Brett_Henderson Offline
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Play with ALL the layers.. you'll get a feel for it..

Even add layers if needed..

A little tip.. if you get one of the detail layers (rivets / lines / etc), to where you like the opacity.. create a layer UNDER it, and merge it down. Wink

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Reply #18 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 1:30am

SeanH Offline
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Thanks Brett. So if i understand, create the same layer below so you have 2 rivet layers and then merge down OR create a blank layer and merge down?

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Reply #19 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 6:34am

SeanH Offline
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Alejandro Rhodes wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2009 at 1:55pm:

I forgot

You may need to work in two textures the Specular and Bumping map

C310_1_T.dds the one is to be repaint

C310_1_T_Bump.dds

C310_1_T_Spec.dds

try to use the Blue livery copy of Spec and bump maps ,Not the one is Green ,I mean the blue one Anything let me know I believe Im going to remake the map to make a standard maps without the lines Undecided

Make sure you are using alpha chanels properly as the originals ,otherwise some effects won't show

Well i think i am doing something wrong with the Alpha Channel. I can get the repaint done and working in FSX. Now the problem is when i add an alpha channel and edit it the plane is all black but shiny LOL

I am using PSP X and ImageTool and DXTBmp.

Also, how do i create the bump and spec files best?

Thanks again.

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Reply #20 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 7:21am

Brett_Henderson Offline
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SeanH wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 1:30am:

Thanks Brett. So if i understand, create the same layer below so you have 2 rivet layers and then merge down OR create a blank layer and merge down?

No.. just create a blank layer under it.. then with the opacity set where you like it.. merge it into the new layer so that you can leave THAT layer at 100% opacity..

As for bumps and specs.. just use copies of the existing ones. Edit them if needed.

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Reply #21 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 7:26am

Brett_Henderson Offline
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As for alpha channels .. you'll see them when you open the files with DxtBmp.. You can send them to the editor (and reload after edit), or just import one from there.

I do all my alpha adding/editing from DxtBmp and save them as estended (DXT5) bitmaps.. and then use THOSE (flipped if needed) for loading into ImageTool for saving as a DDS file.

It sounds like you're losing the alpha somewhere..

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Reply #22 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 8:15am

Alrot. Ex Member
I Love Simviation.

SeanH wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 6:34am:

Well i think i am doing something wrong with the Alpha Channel. I can get the repaint done and working in FSX. Now the problem is when i add an alpha channel and edit it the plane is all black but shiny LOL

I am using PSP X and ImageTool and DXTBmp.

Also, how do i create the bump and spec files best?

Thanks again.

No Huh!! seriously you wanna mess with that ,Just grab the two files of the Blue deliver for test then latter Ill post these without the bumping lines.

about the black , (it can't be the alpha) make sure you are using the right name of the main map (the one you painted) also they have to be DDS DXT5 compresssed format USING ONLY IMAGETOOL.EXE of the FSX-SDK
DTXBmp software Does not compress well the dds .
If it was it something about the alpha the only thing would be no shining and the reflexion looks weird

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Reply #23 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 8:26am

Brett_Henderson Offline
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Quote:

DTXBmp software Does not compress well the dds .

Yeah.. that's why I use DxtBmp to add alphas.. and save as DXT5.. then load that DXT5 into ImageTool and save as DDS

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Reply #24 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 9:10am

ShaneG Offline
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A quick and easy tip for Alpha channels:

-open the texture in DXTBMP and under the little window for the Alpha channel is a button that says: Export Alpha Channel.

Click that button, and do the same for ALL textures you will be redoing that have Alphas.

When you are done, load it back into DXTBMP and Import the Alpha you exported earlier. Wink

I don't know if Image tool does any of this yet, as I haven't done any repaints since installing it. Wink

♪♫♪‼

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Reply #25 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 9:49am

SeanH Offline
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You Guys are SERIOUSLY helpful let me get back to it and see what i am doing wrong based on your post!!

Thanks for the time you are taking to assist guys!!

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Reply #26 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 10:13am

SeanH Offline
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OK i closed Photoshop and used PSP X and my alpha is now working. Another thing i noticed with ImageTool - i don't have to flip it. When i do it is a mess.

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Reply #27 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 10:26am

Brett_Henderson Offline
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The flipping is an ImageTool thing.

The way it was explained to me, was that REGULAR bitmaps (and non-DDS bitmaps), need to be flipped by FSX before they're rendered. When you use DDS bitmaps, FSX knows that it is pre-flipped, so it saves itself that step.. it's supposed to be more efficient.

SO, if you're creating a texture from scratch.. you need NOT flip it BEFORE loading it into ImageTool, because ImageTool is set up to flip it while compressing it.

BUT, if you open a DDS file with DxtBmp, what you get IS the flipped image. If you edit and save as DXT5 with DxtBmp .. and then load into ImageTool and save as DDS.. it gets UN-flipped (make sense ?)

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Reply #28 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 10:29am

Brett_Henderson Offline
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Also.. use some other name.. non-FS related for saving the DXT5 step (if you are working within the texture folder), just to be safe.

FSX will look for a DDS file first (I'm pretty sure), but if you have both extended bitmaps AND DDS files of the same name (i.e fuselage_T.bmp fuselage_T.dds).. it will at the very least confuse you.. and prob cause problems.

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Reply #29 - Jul 23^rd, 2009 at 12:23pm

SeanH Offline
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getting there. alpha working too.

Just a first draft!!

This is the actual Plane. Just a slight variation iin the 2 Cessna 310's but nothing major!

« Last Edit: Jul 24^th, 2009 at 6:29am by SeanH »

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