Repainting: I really need help here. Like, really.

[Rallymodeller]

I am SO out of my depth with this.

I have Blender 3.4. I have Photoshop, I have GIMP. I have the plugins that (supposedly) allow Blender to import .gltf files.

But it fails at the first hurdle: I can't even get the .gltf files to show up in the File View window, viz:



I've tried searching online for help but wading through the non-answers is risking what hair remains on my head. I just want to paint some airplanes, dammit! HELP!

 

[YoYo]

Which import gltf for MSFS do you use?

 

[jankees]

and you don't always need Blender to do repaints. I have never used it so far.
Which model do you want to paint?

 

[YoYo]

Looks like „ Baron” .

 

[Bushpounder]

Very interested in this thread. I go to YT to look at tutorials, and they seem to all be using Blender. I'd like to know what else can be used and how to save the files and the complete airplane so I would not be eliminating the original paint scheme. I assume that it is a copy one works off of when doing this work so as to not corrupt the original. I have been painting from FS98 to FSX, but this one seems a bit different.

Don BP

 

[Spook48]

I haven't used blender to repaint either.
I still use Photoshop and paintshop-pro.
You do need the Nvidia texture tool exporter to convert it to the needed format.
https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-exporter

 

[keithb77]

paint.net is the simplest 'one-stop' shop - free, opens DDS files natively and has good editting tools, it's all I use.

 

[Rallymodeller]

Thanks for the answers, folks. Once again, I was making life difficult for myself. To hear that Jankees has never used Blender lifted my spirits a LOT.

My biggest issue doing flat repaints is not being able to open the texture files using DXTBmp (unknown header error), but I see I need a new texture decoder program for the new format. I'll give these a shot.

To be more specific, I'd love to do a few DC-3s (like Austin Airways), put proper branding on the stock prototype, Air Inuit and Wardair Caribous, and a few general/what-if PAX750 XSTOL paints. Doing my friend's '53 Bonanza would also be nice.

 

[Tom Clayton]

Gimp and Paint.net are both free and both work with the current texture formats. There is just one caveat. I like the interface on Gimp better, but once in a while, you find a file that it won't open. I use Paint.net as a backup for that.

 

[Mach3DS]

Personal opinion here. I've watched the blender painters....and no offense to them, but their stuff looks very poor quality. Even when using Substance you need to get into PS to do things. Since aircraft are not generic and require specific painted parts of specific panels etc.

 

[jankees]

My biggest issue doing flat repaints is not being able to open the texture files using DXTBmp (unknown header error), but I see I need a new texture decoder program for the new format. I'll give these a shot.

Install the Nvidia tool Spook mentioned and you can import and export straight into Photoshop, no DXTbmp needed anymore

 

[YoYo]

Personal opinion here. I've watched the blender painters....and no offense to them, but their stuff looks very poor quality. Even when using Substance you need to get into PS to do things. Since aircraft are not generic and require specific painted parts of specific panels etc.

Yes, that's right, it's just a tool for simple solutions in this case, but I don't think anyone serious treats it as just one tool for all things, without other programms, you should always use other softwares for repaints also. Together, however, they are a great solution.

 

[merida72]

Hi I use this plugin with blender 3.3.1 and it works fine

https://drive.google.com/u/0/uc?id=1Od1TlXTyBcIGTi0zziojRys0B6JSz9Nu&export=download



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[Mach3DS]

You can also install the INTEL Texture Works Plugin for PS. That's what I use.

 

[Rallymodeller]

I installed the NVidia tool (I use an NVidia GPU anyway) and it seems to do exactly what I want. Thanks, all!

 

[Paul K]

I installed the NVidia tool (I use an NVidia GPU anyway) and it seems to do exactly what I want. Thanks, all!

Did you have to register with Nvidia as a developer ? That's what I'm getting before they'll let me download it.