Firepower (or other) Skins for the B17F

mongoose

mongoose

SOH-CM-2023
So far I only have b_17f_427_303 and looking for the original, undamged Stigler-Brown Mod released by Nigel Dickinson and Rene Leppa, if there is one. Are there any others around?
 
I seem to have forgotten how to effect the dds by adding an alpha layer to make any damage by using the GIMP erasure tool. I get the new dds but no damage shows in the actual aircraft.
 
mongoose said:
I seem to have forgotten how to effect the dds by adding an alpha layer to make any damage by using the GIMP erasure tool. I get the new dds but no damage shows in the actual aircraft.
Click to expand...
From memory I think you need to hex edit the m3d file to make it show, with @MajorMagee rework files I had to use his included model file for it to show up
 
I have the texture and model file for the Brown Ye Old Pub but no original. I suppose I can just put that onto the original FP B17F, but I am looking for other non damaged B17 versions.

WRT me making a 'cripple', The problem is the texture file, I can't seem to make that correctly withteh alpha layer.
I know what to do in the model; AFAIK just change the t texture name in the M3d file and change the model file name, just like making any stand alone, and then make new xdp, air, and cfg files to match.

I don't get "make it show, with @MajorMagee rework files I had to use his included model file for it to show up" ??
 
This is what I did to the stock B-25C to make the turret and guns disappear:

1. Make an alpha layer. All white texture with black applied to the areas that match the areas you want to hide on the main aircraft texture. Make sure they are the same size (example: 1024x1024, 2048x2048)

2. Merge the alpha texture with the main aircraft texture using Martin Wright's DXTBmp.

If done properly, the parts you blacked out on the alpha texture will be invisible in sim.

3cmD6J6.jpg

h5PWM1t.jpg

vHwJoIn.jpg
 
So you have to work out exactly on the texture layer you want blacked out on the alpha. Did you have both layers visible so you could work it out? I was thinking to use GIMP and add an alpha layer and then go to that to black out stuff?
OR could I paint parts of the texture layer black and the just copy and paste those to the alpha layer?
 
I use an older version of Photoshop and have no experience with GIMP. But there is a work around.

1. Open DXTBmp.
2. Select the t.dds you want to apply an alpha and drag/drop it into the DXTBmp window. It should open up.
3. In DXTBmp, click "file" in the upper left. Then select "save as". Save the t.dds as a 24 bit BMP Image.
4. Right click the BMP image you just saved and select "Open With". "Paint" should be one of the options, select that.
5. In "Paint", color everything black that you want to be invisible. Color everything else on the image white.
6. In "Paint", save the image you just edited as a BMP. Name it Alpha.
7. In the DXTBmp open window with the selected t.dds click on the open folder with the arrow pointing up and right icon (it will say "import alpha channel" if you hover the mouse over it). A window will pop up asking "This will replace the Alpha channel currently present". Click yes.
8. A navigation window will pop up asking you to select an alpha image. Using this window, navigate to the folder containing the Alpha image you just created with Paint. Double click the image and wait until it fully loads (little vertical bar to the left) in the DXTBmp window with the selected t.dds.
9. In DXTBmp, select "File" in the upper left, then "save as". Save the t.dds image with the now attached alpha as "DDS DXT 1".
10. The new t.dds should now have the alpha attached and ready for use.
 
AFAIK GIMP is just a freeware Photoshop; I used it back a while to make airbases. If I can't get that to work, I'll try your idea above but probably with paint.net. Thanks for that.
 
AHH! I didn't have a look at any B-17's until just now.:173go1:

IIRC, alphas will not show up if a t.mos is used. Remove the t.mos and see what happens. If your making a custom damage texture for a mission then you shouldn't need a t.mos anyway.
 
You beat me to half the answer. Just eliminating the mos file will get you black patches where the alpha layer indicates the holes. To make them transparent the m3d also needs to not reference the _s file. This is indicated by the three locations with 01 00 hex entries. Just edit them to FF FF. (example attached)
 

Attachments

  • B_17F_CR.zip
    1.6 MB · Views: 4
Ok I deleted the mos file and put in Andy's m3d, but no change. I didn't understand the hex entries bit WRT the line containing da17F_s.dds, as Andy's and mine seemed to be identical on that line
66 5F 74 2E 64 64 73 00 64 61 31 37 66 5F 73 2E for f_t.dds.da17f_s.
 
The "materials" section is not always parallel to the texture section. It will start with the first row of "Y's". This section is where most of the editing is done.

The first texture referenced is always 00, the second 01 and so on. It's confusing at first but after editing an M3D a few times the order becomes more apparent. A good tutorial for how to edit the textures in an M3D is the CFS3 Windows 7 Specular Tutorial by Corrado. It should be available in the library.

Also: f_t.dds.da17f_s is referencing TWO different textures. DDS signifies the end of a texture. anything after that (in this case da17f_s.dds) is separate.

These are the highlighted hex entries the Major was referring to. You need to change 01 00 to FF FF to prevent the s.dds from being used:
k3QltUZ.jpg
 
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I just noticed that the port lower damage, is not matched on the same side as the starboard upper damage. If that was not intentional, I've attached my version of a fix.
 

Attachments

  • High Rez Damaged B-17F.zip
    2.8 MB · Views: 3
Last edited:
You are correct; both should be starboard, but I still have no idea why the damage is not showing for me. :banghead:
 
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