First Attempt at decaling

[Viggen 644]

So, I decided to make my own air power to fight Paran with. Got an emblem from some anime with mechs I used to watch in like 4th or 5th grade. And, here is my end result! As you can see below, there is a problem. If I change the scale, will it be fixed? It is currently 169x173.

 

 

 

[FastCargo 412]

Yep. Scale is your issue there Viggy.

 

(Heh, I said Viggy...heh).

 

FC

[Viggen 644]

What would be a good scale? What are most of the other insignia scaled at?

[Silverbolt 104]

hey viggen, take a look in this section

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showforum=200

 

there is an C5 tutorial

[Viggen 644]

I was looking at that, but I don't have that program.

[Silverbolt 104]

maybe you can get similar result with gimp?

 

 

 

 

try reduce to 64x64

Edited March 1, 2009 by Silverbolt

[Viggen 644]

I resized it, but I'm still getting that mess. Beginning to think that the black background has something to do with it. How can I kill off that blackbackground and make it transparent?

[mikeymead 17]

To get a clear background you need to create a clear alpha channel mask.

 

What software are you using?

[Viggen 644]

The GIMP

[mikeymead 17]

This my help

 

http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/forums/gim...32-bit-tga.html

 

or

 

http://carol.gimp.org/gimp2/basics/transparency/

[Wrench 9,848]

and rmemembe, too, that ALL decals MUST be square -- meaning 128 x 128, 512 x 512, etc.

Otherwise, they all kinds of screwed up

 

WRench

kevin stein

[Viggen 644]

I add the Alpha layer and end up with no decal on the plane. I remove the layer, and get the same mess as in the pictures. I don't want the black background around the emblem...

 

The decal is below, if anyone feels like having a go at it.

 

Decal.zip

[+GrinchWSLG 24]

What you need to do is select the outline of your decal, so that dragony triangle shape. In photoshop you'd use the magic wand and click outside the symbol in the empty area, and then find the menu option "select inverse", dunno what GIMP calls all that. Then with that shape of the decal still selected you go to your alpha channel and make wherever the decal is white, and wherever the decal isn't black. So it'll look like a pure white decal in the middle of a black area.

 

Also on the layer on which the decal actually sits, make sure apart from the decal its transparent, nothing else there.

Edited March 2, 2009 by GrinchWSLG

[+p10ppy 2]

its a bit small to make a nice decal (64x64) should really be in the same range atleast as the underlying skin

putting on a 512 x 512 wing map make it fill the same pixel area as it would if you painted it directly on the skin

decalscale = x is in metres on the real aircraft imho

and too close to the edges in a few places (atleast 1-2 pixels solid black around the edges on the alpha layer)

 

anyway this will work after a fashion

have a look at the alpha layer

Insignia202a.rar

Edited March 2, 2009 by p10ppy

[Viggen 644]

Thanks p10ppy! I do have the original, larger at 100x100 if that's easier.

 

[+p10ppy 2]

thought you wanted to learn

100x100 still isn't big enough imho unless its for a very small part of the plane

it just gets very stretched and blocky/soft otherwise...

 

just to clarify a few things..

the decal does have to be square but it does not have to be to the power of 16 i.e. 300x300 works just as well as 256x256

the non-alpha layer (the coloured) does not need to be blank around the image because it is alphaed out

however a neutral colour (grey) or something close to the skin colour helps blend the decal in

 

have look here http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=23485

and I've included the PSD in the rar before I've copied and pasted the alpha layer into the channels so you can see what it looks like as its being built

Decal.rar

[Viggen 644]

I do want to learn. We all have our owns learning styles right? I should be set for making decals now.

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Even if you did get it wrong, the results still look pretty cool!