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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

Bare Metal T-33?

Tweek said:
Does it have to be a true FSX model to get the kind of reflections you see on say, the Acceleration P-51? That really does look like bare metal, so there must be some way of doing it. Not sure if you can do it on port overs, but that's only a guess.
Click to expand...
It appears that the "reflection", or the ability to "reflect" has to be programed into the original model, otherwise no amount of shine will reproduce that effect. The T-33 is an old model. . .a great one, but an old one and doesn't have the ability to "reflect", so it isn't gonna happen with this model.
 
falcon409 said:
It appears that the "reflection", or the ability to "reflect" has to be programed into the original model, otherwise no amount of shine will reproduce that effect. The T-33 is an old model. . .a great one, but an old one and doesn't have the ability to "reflect", so it isn't gonna happen with this model.
Click to expand...
That is also my understanding of shine and reflections in FSX and why the A2A F4U Corsair has a semi-gloss finish at best. Shine and reflectivity were not part of its model, so a painter simply cannot get a highly reflective, glossy finish. Helldiver knows what I mean.
 
falcon409 said:
It appears that the "reflection", or the ability to "reflect" has to be programed into the original model, otherwise no amount of shine will reproduce that effect. The T-33 is an old model. . .a great one, but an old one and doesn't have the ability to "reflect", so it isn't gonna happen with this model.
Click to expand...

It's linked to the programmation of th original model indeed, but not only.
It's all about the Alpha Channel it I understood right. The alpha can define the amount of transparency if the 3D surface was defined to be transparent, or the amount of reflectivity if the 3D surface was defined to be reflective.

In that way, we could see in the past, for some models, some repaints that had a "full chrome" effect... but still, that never looked like real bare metal at all.

If you want to accomplish a good bare metal effect, I think you will have to combine two things:
- an appropriate reflectivity (and the envmap is the texture that is used for "painting" the reflection)
- a photo-real metallic texture, just like the Mustangs from Warwick Carter for example, or the Beech D-18 from Milton.

You will not get a good metallic impression using only reflections in FS9. The FS9 graphical effects are not good enough. In FSX, you can get something a little bit better, thanks to the bump-mapping (the Acceleration Mustang, or the freeware L-159, are perfect examples) and a good texture.
 
Yep, bottom line is that this model won't give that sort of polished aluminum appearance and I have no desire to try a photoreal skin.
 
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