Looking for the skins...

[Hauksbee 103]

Want to find the Skins Folder in OFF. The tutorial by 'gous' says they're in CAMPAIGNS>CAMPAIGN DATA>SKINS. But when I go to CAMPAIGN, I get a short movie [always worth watching] and then I end up here. I don't see CAMPAIGN DATA.

[Olham 164]

Hauksbee - good grief! It isn't ingame.

You go to your windows explorer or wereever you look for your drives and folders.

If your game was on D:games, you go there, go to the game's folder, in there, you

go to the folder "campaign", there to "campaign data", there to "skins".

 

If you want to look at the skins, you must google for the free "DXTBmp". With that, you can

browse through the "skins" folder. Downloaded skins are just thrown into "skins" (after

un-zipping), then write down their name, and choose this later ingame.

[Hauksbee 103]

Hauksbee - good grief! It isn't ingame....

Oh. Thanks Olham. I...ah...wuz always a little slower than the rest of the children [LOL]

[Olham 164]

Not in combat, I hope? Lol!!!

[Hauksbee 103]

Not in combat, I hope? Lol!!!

I'm not the star pupil, but I'm coming along.

[Hauksbee 103]

OK. Here we go. I pulled out the D.V skin first. Now I'm assuming that the skin is like a jig-saw puzzle: you can change the color of each piece, but you can't change its position. The new image has to fall exactly over the original. [Correct me if I'm wrong.]

 

With that said, it would appear as though the textures for this Albatros actually overlap in places. If I follow it exactly, will I get into trouble?

Edited April 8, 2009 by Hauksbee

[Olham 164]

OvS, Paarma, Makai, Sandbagger and Polovski could tell you better, how they are done;

but I think, the main upper wing is just done a bit larger on the edges, than necessary.

So, the parts, were they overlapp with other parts, are not really seen later on the 3D model.

Also, you may see, that the fuselage shows two left sides. The upper one will appear mirrored

on the 3D model. So, if you want to write something on it, you must mirror it for the upper fuselage.

Edited April 8, 2009 by Olham

[Hauksbee 103]

OvS, Paarma, Makai, Sandbagger and Polovski could tell you better, how they are done;

but I think, the main upper wing is just done a bit larger on the edges, than necessary.

So, the parts, were they overlapp with other parts, are not really seen later on the 3D model.

Also, you may see, that the fuselage shows two left sides. The upper one will appear mirrored

on the 3D model. So, if you want to write something on it, you must mirror it for the upper fuselage.

Great. Thanks. I'll just dive in and learn as I go.....

[Olham 164]

Keep your questions coming. And best is, to visit the forum's "OFF skinning department" here:

 

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showforum=212

 

There are tutorials to get advice from, and many posted skins.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Hey Hauksbee, I'm the village idiot in this community. You were smart enough to ask the question. Now I learned something I badly wanted to know too. Thanks!

[Olham 164]

Tch, tch! - Rickitycrate! Why not ask?

There are Widowmaker, Gous, Beanie and I, and others, who do skinning attempts.

Come on and join us. And ask your questions, following TYPHOON's great motto:

The only stupid question is the one not asked.

[Rickitycrate 10]

well I was lurking in the bushes over in the skinning neighborhood and saw the paint.net information and downloaded that program and I have Gous' advanced tutorial but I can't seem to be able to open his basic tutorial, you see the village idiot is a bit of a perv too, haha

[Olham 164]

So, next to do is, ask Gous. Come out of those bushes...

[rabu 9]

OvS, Paarma, Makai, Sandbagger and Polovski could tell you better, how they are done;

but I think, the main upper wing is just done a bit larger on the edges, than necessary.

So, the parts, were they overlapp with other parts, are not really seen later on the 3D model.

Also, you may see, that the fuselage shows two left sides. The upper one will appear mirrored

on the 3D model. So, if you want to write something on it, you must mirror it for the upper fuselage.

 

You just about nailed it. When I make the skins I often have to find out where the key edges are by frequent flight tests and screenshots, then adjustments to the patterns so that the seams match.. that's probably the hardest part, especially if the model has any distortion, which happens frequently. My process was to create outlines of where I thought the edges were on a plain white painted plane texture sheet, then I would fly and screen shoot, adjust the outlines, fly and screen shoot, etc., until I had the edges perfect (as much as possible). It also helped me to label the different parts, which I did with most of the Nieuport, Spade and Camel skins I created.

 

On the Navida website there is a free program to create thumbnails in Windows Explorer, another one called WTV which allows you to open a dds file full screen and gives important info about it. There is also a free plug in for Photoshop and other similar editors that allows you to open and save a dds file.

 

Anyway, have fun.

[chrispdm1 1]

Just beware on some skins.... On the Bristol F2b for example the RH exhaust cutout is duplicated from lower down on the RH Fuselage, its not taken straight on.... THe same with the upper side of the lower wing. if you try to make the aileron shaded it ends up showing as a double line...

[Hauksbee 103]

Hey Hauksbee, I'm the village idiot in this...

I know the feeling well. It's all very nice that they say, 'The only dumb question is the one not asked', but, it can still feel like jumping into the deep end of the pool.

 

I am much heartened [as I aproach my first] by Rabu's comments about 'do it', 'try it on', 'tweak it', 'try it on'... It's comforting to [take a deep breath here...] realize there's no real 'right' way.

 

But I perceive a coming problem: as more and more are added to the library, we'll have people using 'Skin A' as a template for 'B', when 'A' itself is second generation from yet another skin. Call it: Skin Drift...a condition where the edges of objects will get vague and and want to merge or overlap. Might it be worthwhile to set up templates over which to build? I posit this because after reading the thread on "Ghosts:WWI", I went to amazon.com and by happy accident found "Scale Aircraft Drawings:WWI" by William Wyler. [a phenomonal nut-and-bolt, blueprint-style artist] I recall his drawings from the old "Air Trails" magazine when I was a kid. You can't get much more accurate than Wyler unless you talked with Tony Fokker. [...and I'd still go with Wyler].

 

The book will be here in a few days, and I'm sure it will not disappoint. If you all out there think it would be of any value, I'll lead the charge and start a few preliminaries. I'd get all the elements ready if someone could look over my shoulder to insure correct placement on the grid.

Edited April 9, 2009 by Hauksbee

[Olham 164]

Don't know if I got you right, Hauksbee -

an altered skin would NOT cover the old. It is a Bitmap, from which the sim knows, which part to use for what

part of the aircraft. Now, when you altered a skin, you save it under an own name by changing the last part of name.

 

OFF_Alb_DIII_Jasta 23 1917.dds would now be saved as OFF_Alb_DIII_Jasta 23 Hauksbee.dds

 

This way, the original skin remains in the game folder, and your new version is just added to it.

Also, the skin will not be overlay for another skin underneath.

The 3D models are just blank, like white plastic models. Now, from your choice in QC or Campaign, the sim

"clothes" it with what you chose.

So, as long as you don't forget to save your creations under a varied name, the old skins remain untouched;

your new skins are just additional ones.

 

PS: when you cut out parts, and put them onto another (same plane's) skin, you just have to make sure, to move

them exactly to were they belong. To insure that, I sometimes cut out something fro the surrounding too, that helps

me to make an exact placement; and after that, I erase those undesired bits. (That's easy in Photoshop - don't know

for other programs).

Edited April 9, 2009 by Olham

[Hauksbee 103]

An altered skin would NOT ly over the old...

 

Quite right. The new skin does not overwrite the old. I only mean that with a template you have the comfort of knowing that an object, say, a lower wing/underside has a prescribed area. An area beyond which the texture is overlap, or excess. And, on a template, the parts can be labeled. I see in several of the skins I've looked at, the artist has occasionally tucked a label or a note in open 'dead' space. These frequently were helpful. [Ah. So that's what that part is.] But perhaps too, I'm getting ahead of myself and inventing a solution where there is no problem

[Olham 164]

You can go over the edges with a paintbrush, as long as you don't paint into another part.

I mark the area for a colour change or whatever, in Photoshop via Lasso, or with the choice square.

Sometimes I collect it with the "magic stick". But the edgy Lasso, were you can set point after point,

getting lines between them, is my most used tool for choice.