[HELP] Linking aircraft skin/decals to aircraft number

[shomu1]

Hi, I was playing around with Operation Darius the other day and noticed that the Super Hornets from EricJ's Super Hornet pack would have the CAG or squadron commander scheme applied depending on the aircraft's Modex number.

 

I was wondering how it could be done for another aircraft.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Wrench]

yes, and it has been

[shomu1]

Right, I'm asking how it would be done.

 

Since it's kind of confusing to me.

[+Soulfreak]

Basic modding ---> Decals

Try to search the knowledge base. for how decals work etc...

 

http://combatace.com/topic/30702-decals-101/

Edited July 14, 2015 by 7eleven

[shomu1]

I think the root of my question got lost in translation.

 

Is it possible to link a paint scheme (as in a texture) to aircraft number, or would the portions of the scheme distinguishing it from the others have to be applied in the form of decals?

[+Swordsman422]

Not an entire skin, no. But it can be done with a set of decals. There are quite a few skinners, including EricJ and I, who had created some very complex skins for aircraft that replace any markings, even safety stencils and national insignia, with respect to aircraft modex number.

 

What you are seeing is not a new skinset, but that a certain set of decals is being applied or omitted based on the aircraft number. I am currently working on a project to make a skin-as-decal system where the aircraft textures are actually all decals. This is doable, but it's very complicated and figuring it out is taking me a lot of time. I have to have the component names, figure out the orientation and scaling, etc. I've had some luck but nothing publishable just yet.

[shomu1]

Ah, that's what I thought was the case.  Thanks for the help.

[+Swordsman422]

No problem. You can learn more by looking in the decals.ini within the folder for these skins. If you want to make some of your own, these skins would be adequate templates for decal experimentation. Any of my skins for the TMF F-14s can be used to make new stuff just by modifying the decals. Most VF and VFA squadrons used a common 2- or 3-tone TPS paint scheme as a base with squadron specific markings applied over. I have Adobe Photoshop, but I think any program that can edit .tga and allow for transparency would work to edit or create new decals.

 

Good luck.

[+daddyairplanes]

Gimp works quite well for tga work also (as well as is free). Tho i do skins work in PS, i tend to still do tga in Gimp, as i'm used to it by now.

[EricJ]

Also SidDogg did what you're kinda looking for, as he made a full squadron set using one basic texture for the squadron and uses decals to go from CAG/CO to line aircraft (the tactical grey ones) based on number.  I'm more of a direct to texture person as I like doing CAG and CO jets (in regards to the Supers or Legacy Hornets) but will use decals for x02-x15 (some squadrons go to 214/215 or 114/115 or 3xx or 4xx) jets as that's how I prefer to do it.