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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

T-33 in dds

For what it's worth, Ed, I had exactly the same problem doing building textures - the moment they hit bitmap, any quality they had was gone (I was using PSP8 at that point).

My preferred method right now is as has already been mentioned, to work in .pspimage (I'm using PSP X2 now) and save as .psd, then use imagetool to convert to DXT5 and save as .dds (imagetool does the flipping for me).

Everyone does it their own way, obviously, but I agree entirely that going through bmp and then converting that was the worst method for loss of detail.

Ian P.
 
falcon409 said:
Well:
Top Wing = 1 panel line layer, 1 Rivets layer, I layer each for white drop shadows and one black diffused shadow layer
Bottom Wing = ditto
Horizontal Stab Top = ditto
Horizontal Stab Bottom = ditto
Left Fuselage = ditto
Right Fuselage = ditto
So. . .basically 5 layers for each section, plus a few extras for placards, insignia, the wing tanks and the intake splitters.
Click to expand...

I find working with more than 20 layers extremely hard on system resources, especially with running 3DS Max 9 and FSX at the same time.

So I usually put everything that fits a certain category into a complete layer, e.g. all wireframe renditions go into one layer; the base paint for relevant parts into another; a layer for the repaint; then a layer for the "unpaintable" stuff, like de-ice boots, painted-on intakes and exhausts; one for the panel lines and rivets and last but not least a layer for everything qualifying as decals.

Much better to work on.
 
Bjoern said:
I find working with more than 20 layers extremely hard on system resources, especially with running 3DS Max 9 and FSX at the same time. . . . .
Click to expand...
I agree, I'd much rather have less than 20 layers really, but I can't do the detail I work I want that way. Having said that, once I have all the rivet shadows and line shadows and diffusion shadowing done, then I could conceivably combine all white shadows into one, all the various panel lines layers together and all the diffused dark shadowing together and that would save some additional resources but I still like having everything separate just in case I need to make a change somewhere. It does get confusing at times, but this is the best way I've found really.
 
It's interesting that some of you are having problems losing quality when saving as a .bmp from PSP. What format are you using to edit the images in? I use RGB 8 bit/channel. I think the best possible quality you could get would be RGB 16 bit/channel but I've never used that.

Also, what format are you exporting as? There aren't many options for BMP but I use Format-Windows, Encoding RGB.

I actually use Dxtex to convert to .dds when I'm finished (I usually use DXTBMP for single textures). First off I copy all the .bmps to a texture prep folder. Then, I've written a little script in PSP to flip the images so I load them into the batch processor of PSP and flip them all. Finally, I've written a little batch file which loads the textures into dxtex and it does the conversion. Dxtex is clever because if you add _a to the end of the file name it will load it as the alpha channel automatically.

Of course, the problem with Dxtex is you need to download the 600MB or so of the DirectX SDK to get that one little program.
 
anthony31 said:
It's interesting that some of you are having problems losing quality when saving as a .bmp from PSP. What format are you using to edit the images in? I use RGB 8 bit/channel. I think the best possible quality you could get would be RGB 16 bit/channel but I've never used that.

Also, what format are you exporting as? There aren't many options for BMP but I use Format-Windows, Encoding RGB.

I actually use Dxtex to convert to .dds when I'm finished (I usually use DXTBMP for single textures). First off I copy all the .bmps to a texture prep folder. Then, I've written a little script in PSP to flip the images so I load them into the batch processor of PSP and flip them all. Finally, I've written a little batch file which loads the textures into dxtex and it does the conversion. Dxtex is clever because if you add _a to the end of the file name it will load it as the alpha channel automatically.

Of course, the problem with Dxtex is you need to download the 600MB or so of the DirectX SDK to get that one little program.
Click to expand...
I'll be real honest with ya Anthony. . .I don't understand anything you just described, lol. I may be doing some of that, but if I am, I'm not aware of it. If you read all of my posts in this thread, you'll see what I do.
More often that not I'm working with no paint kit and so I build that first, by using an original single layer texture. PSP loads that as (normally) 1024x1024 16mil. I always enlarge the textures to do anything I plan on doing, so double that size. Prior to the T-33 textures I'm working on I would merge the final layers, save it back to the texture folder and use DXTbmp to save it with whatever alpha channel I did for it. Done!

Now, I do basically the same up to the point of sending it back to the texture folder. . .instead, after merging the layers, I flip the image and export it directly to the texture folder using the dds plugin inside PSP. Done!:salute:
 
Ok, Tim what's currently there in the center is just a redo of what you already had there, so you think it should have been this checklist and not the one that you originally had? If so, I'll redo it before I zip these for upload. Thanks
 
Well, after looking closely at several different cockpit layouts, the image shown here seems to be the one I see the most on the T-33A aircraft, soooooooo. . .I'll redo the center placard to show this checklist. I can enlarge it just enough to read everything and get it transposed to the new texture. Thanks for spotting that Tim!:salute:
 
Done. I'm going to move the checklist and the "Operating Conditions" placards up a bit so they're not so close to the bottom edge of the panel. Unless anyone sees anything else that needs to be changed (in the next 10 minutes) I'm going to zip the three versions I've done and get them uploaded here.
 
Yep, it sure has Tim, I wouldn't even venture a guess as to how many downloads this beauty has had over the years and it has stood the test of time. New Paint, new interior and off she goes again, lol.:salute:
 
Great Aircraft, incredible to think about how many pilots were trained in the T-bird.

Would be great to have a Native FSX version with both cockpits working and designed for multiplayer.......... but I'm very happy with what we have.

:salute::salute:
 
If Piglet could just reach into the cockpit and make the canopy bow more of a rounded arch instead of a hex arch, that would do wonders for this nice little gem.
 
I downloaded this plane which I love to fly, but it hit frame rates hard. Is this just normal for this plane since its not FSX native or is it just me?
 
Bone said:
If Piglet could just reach into the cockpit and make the canopy bow more of a rounded arch instead of a hex arch, that would do wonders for this nice little gem.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that Piglet, the High-Priest of 3D modelling, could do anything he sets his mind to..... If only the rest of us were initiated into that revered temple order of modelers. I tried my hand at GMAX, made the ugliest hanger in the world, and decided I should work on more fundamental skills like repaints before moving into the realm of 3D graphics.

As for frame rates..... we've had 4 or 5 of these T-birds up in the air at once and didn't have any frame lag on a mid-range computer.
:salute:



Chris
 
Same here Chris, even using the enlarged textures that I'm using now on the repaints, I still see no fps hit, but even before that, just downloading the basic airplane, I don't really remember there being a big problem with fps.

By the way. . .I couldn't resist one more paint. . .the 5th FIS, Minot, ND:
 
Beautiful. I lived 4 years in North Dakota, it's great to see a North Dakota bird.



Where are you uploading these?

I just finished a 22nd squadron paint of an F-100 with that paint kit you sent me.... should be up in the next few days.
 
skyblazer3 said:
Beautiful. I lived 4 years in North Dakota, it's great to see a North Dakota bird. Where are you uploading these?
Click to expand...
Actually I haven't yet. I was going to do it this morning, but my granddaughter came over for the afternoon and she took over the computer. Hopefully I can get them zipped and uploaded in the morning.

skyblazer3 said:
I just finished a 22nd squadron paint of an F-100 with that paint kit you sent me.... should be up in the next few days.
Click to expand...
Have you done any others yet?
 
OK, I'm having some troubles here, I've never been able to get dds textures to display on Tim's T-33. I have the Nvidia tool, and it saves just fine. I can open it in DXTbmp, but it just won't display on the aircraft. BTW Tim, if you update the model please make the VC a little more editable. A lot of the later T-33's did not have the checklist in the center of the instrument panel.
 
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