Panel Bitmaps

harrybasset

harrybasset

Charter Member
I am trying to make a panel bitmap. The most popular way of creating such a bit map seems to be to select a bitmap from an existing panel and manipulate it with a photo editing program into something suitable. Unfortunately my aircraft has a panel layout which seems to have been unique. I have tried to paint a panel background from scratch with limited success. Does anyone know of a simple, clear tutorial to show me how to convert my paint into a panel bitmap? I can get my painting to show but I haven't worked out how to get the windscreen transparent.
 
Windscreen transparency is usually an alpha thing- just 'paint' your glass areas pure black & you should have transparent windows.
 
To make the windshield area of a 2D panel see through....the areas where you want the glass to be has to be pure black (0,0,0 on the RGB color chart). The sim automatically sees 0,0,0 as transparent. Anything other than 0,0,0 will be shown as a solid. No need for any alpha channels when working on 2D panels. Just paint the glass areas 0,0,0.

The easiest way I have found to create a 2D panel for a plane is to take a screen shot of the VC panel at a zoom level that would work well as a 2D panel. If the plane doesn't have a VC, then this is not an option.

What plane are you trying to create a 2D panel for? Possibly someone knows of an existing 2D panel for the plane or someone may be willing to create one for you.

OBIO
 
you could theoretically in make the blank parts any old color in FS98 and CFS1 simply by inserting a single pixel of the appropriate color in the upper left corner at (0,0). Perhaps that only works where the panel is saved in 256 colors?
for instance, I once assembled a CFS1 panel with the windows colored some florescent green because the contrast was much easier to discern. It worked fine, cause I just placed one single pixel of that same green at (0,0) and it was fine. Don't know if it would work in FS9, but you could give it a try.
 
The panel I want to make is for the Mercator, this looks to be unique in that the panel is literally a flat panel with holes in it. Photos are very scarce, I have NAVAER 01-35EH- 501 & 502 which are fine for gauge placing but colour details and panel situation relative to views are not shown in these manuals. There is no Mercator (Yet!) So no VC to use. I have a crude test bitmap which I am using for trials, at least almost all the gauges I need are readily available, so, onwards and upwards.
 
Can I suggest you have a look through these free Alphasim panel bmps ...... ( at Flightsim ) you might find something close.

Pete.

FS2004 (ACOF) - FS2004 Panels160 Free Panel Bitmaps
[SIZE=-1][ Download | View ] [/SIZE]
Name: alphapan.zip Size: 41,604,499 Date: 04-06-2006 Downloads: 875
alphapan.gif
[SIZE=-1] 160 Free Panel Bitmaps This is an officially-sanctioned release by Phil Perrott of Alphasim for the benefit of the freeware community. The high quality panel bmp's range from WW1 to the present era and cover USA/Britain/Luftwaffe/Soviet/Japanese air forces and others. They may be used for any purpose except resale. They do not include any gauges or panel.cfg's.
[/SIZE]
 
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