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Bullethead
Guest
How do I get my skin into the game so I can see what I'm doing? Which folder does it go into? Does it replace an existing skin, or what?
Thanks.
Thanks.
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gimpyguy
Guest
As far as I know, you're out of Luck
The RB3D Paint Shop doesn't exist :ernae:
The RB3D Paint Shop doesn't exist :ernae:
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Snoopy syndrome
Guest
Oh, Noooooooo! (where is the crying smiley?)
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Bullethead
Guest
Thanks muchos!
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Bullethead
Guest
You might want to update the doc. That guy has now made something called ConvIm that converts any sort of picture file to any other. Rather more useful than a dedicated DDS-BMP thing.
BTW, while I was experimenting with GIMP, I discovered it has a plug-in that allows direct editing of DDS files. But otherwise GIMP blows, so I dug around and finally found my PSP7 CD and intalled it on this rig
.Speaking of such things, when I opened the DDS files with GIMP, I noticed they all have 11 layers, 10 of which were MIP maps. These are all the same as the main layer, but are a power of 2 smaller. Are these necessary for LOD effects? If so, then I'll have to figure out how to do that so as not to kill everybody's FPS....
Not enough ladies here to make it worthwhile
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Gousgounis
Guest
Huh??? Didnt get that one..you mean that the instructions are not correct anymore?Bullethead said:
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rabu
Guest
You might want to update the doc. That guy has now made something called ConvIm that converts any sort of picture file to any other. Rather more useful than a dedicated DDS-BMP thing.
BTW, while I was experimenting with GIMP, I discovered it has a plug-in that allows direct editing of DDS files. But otherwise GIMP blows, so I dug around and finally found my PSP7 CD and intalled it on this rig
Speaking of such things, when I opened the DDS files with GIMP, I noticed they all have 11 layers, 10 of which were MIP maps. These are all the same as the main layer, but are a power of 2 smaller. Are these necessary for LOD effects? If so, then I'll have to figure out how to do that so as not to kill everybody's FPS....
Not enough ladies here to make it worthwhile
If you're using Photoshop, or another editor that accepts PS plugins, dl the free Nvidia PS dds plug in. What ever you use, save the file with the same number and type of mip maps as the original skin you opened to edit. The Mips you noticed are generated by the dds plug in as you save it, there is no need to open them all when editing and they can mess up your edit, so I suggest you don't open them all in one image.
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Bullethead
Guest
The 1st set mentioned in the tutorial is to go to Mr. Wright's site and download his DXTbmp utility. All this thing does, apparently is convert back and forth from DDS to BMP format.
I'm saying that while this program is still available, there's a better program from the same guy now available that is much more useful, becuase it converts to and from ALL formats. This program is called ConvIm.
Also, I noticed that the last step in the tutorial is to delete the BDP file. As far as I can tell, there's only a BDP file for 1 FE2b skin in P3. Anyway, I didn't delete any files and my skin showed up just fine.
Howdy Rabu! I must say that I admire your work, especially how you labeled the parts on many of your skins, which saves me the trouble of figuring that out myself
.As to the above, I'm using PSP7. I haven't even looked to see if it uses Nvidia PS plug-ins, so right now I'm using that ConvIm program from Mr. Wright. I'm using that to convert the supplied DDS files to BMPs, which I then edit in PSP7 (using PSP's PSD file type).
When I want to look at it in the game, I save it as a BMP (flattening all layers in the process) and use the ConvIm program to convert it back to a DDS.
Does this ConvIm program create the Mip Maps? I have no way of knowing at present, because I uninstalled GIMP after determining that it sucked
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Polovski
Guest
bdp file is in the aircraft's main root folder.
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Bullethead
Guest
OK, found a bunch of them.
I take it they don't need to be deleted/renamed? The skin I've tinkered with shows up fine without it.
Also, do I need to worry about Mip Maps?
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rabu
Guest
The 1st set mentioned in the tutorial is to go to Mr. Wright's site and download his DXTbmp utility. All this thing does, apparently is convert back and forth from DDS to BMP format.
I'm saying that while this program is still available, there's a better program from the same guy now available that is much more useful, becuase it converts to and from ALL formats. This program is called ConvIm.
Also, I noticed that the last step in the tutorial is to delete the BDP file. As far as I can tell, there's only a BDP file for 1 FE2b skin in P3. Anyway, I didn't delete any files and my skin showed up just fine.
Howdy Rabu! I must say that I admire your work, especially how you labeled the parts on many of your skins, which saves me the trouble of figuring that out myself
As to the above, I'm using PSP7. I haven't even looked to see if it uses Nvidia PS plug-ins, so right now I'm using that ConvIm program from Mr. Wright. I'm using that to convert the supplied DDS files to BMPs, which I then edit in PSP7 (using PSP's PSD file type).
When I want to look at it in the game, I save it as a BMP (flattening all layers in the process) and use the ConvIm program to convert it back to a DDS.
Does this ConvIm program create the Mip Maps? I have no way of knowing at present, because I uninstalled GIMP after determining that it sucked
Thanks,
Yes, PS7 can use the Navida Photoshope plug in.. it was made especially for photoshop and other editors that can use photoshop plugins (Corel, etc.). It's a lot easier then converting using other programs on the side, and faster. You can get it and some good dds browser and other tools on the Navida website for free. That's all I used for skin creation.
Have fun.
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Bullethead
Guest
Thanks. I'll go get that right now
.I take it that this plug-in takes care of all the Mip Maps, so I don't have to worry about them?
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rabu
Guest
Thanks. I'll go get that right now
I take it that this plug-in takes care of all the Mip Maps, so I don't have to worry about them?
Yes, when you open a dds file in PS, open it with no MIPS. When you save it, save it in the same format as the original and with the same number of MIPS. I think most, or all, are in DXT1 form with 9 MIPS. Be warned that some skin textures, like the Noops I did also have reflective dependent files with an _s ending. I'm sure many of the other skin makers used the _s files too, I just haven't checked.
So, you might have, for example, a Nieuport17_Lewis_SQ3_t.dds and it's refraction file, Nieuport17_Lewis_SQ3_s.dds skin. The _s skin adds reflective areas on the skin and if you alter the skin and don't alter the _s file you will get ghost areas on the skin where you have made changes.
Going into how to make a _s file is beyond this forum discussion, so you would probably be better off just backing it up (and the main skin you are replacing) and not using it if you alter it's main skin.
Hope that all made sense.. clear as mud, huh? :woot:
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Bullethead
Guest
About as clear as Lousy Anna's dark roast coffee. I can stand a fork upright in it. Thanks
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rabu
Guest
About as clear as Lousy Anna's dark roast coffee. I can stand a fork upright in it. Thanks
I promise, once you open a file you will see what I mean.
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sandbagger
Guest
As Rabu said, some but not all aircraft have an 's' (specular) file in DDS format, which helps to create the refective quality of the skin.
These are more or less a greyscale version of the finished aircraft skin, but without any markings at all (national, serial, personal etc). This is because if for instance, an RFC aircaft has the wing roundals moved inboard and the specular file still has the roundals in the original position, you end up with a ghost of the specular file roundals showing through the final in-game skin. Therefore, where used, specular files have no markings applied.
These are more or less a greyscale version of the finished aircraft skin, but without any markings at all (national, serial, personal etc). This is because if for instance, an RFC aircaft has the wing roundals moved inboard and the specular file still has the roundals in the original position, you end up with a ghost of the specular file roundals showing through the final in-game skin. Therefore, where used, specular files have no markings applied.
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rabu
Guest
"Specular," thanks SB, couldn't remember the term used. It can affect any areas that are noticeably different then the original skin, i.e.: where lighter areas are changed to darker areas as well, such as cowling plates, etc. For new skinners, it's easiest just to back up the _s file and not use it, if it messes up the main skin.
You can make an _s file fairly easily by just converting a skin to grayscale, as SB mentioned, but it isn't very effective with out hand going over it to emphasize and de-emphasize areas that would be shinny or matt.