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Hands up who likes skinning ? Ahhhh, lots of you, well define skinning. To me it means creating as accurate a representation of the real thing as possible, colours, lines, rivets, vents etc, etc. But what about all the other bits ? you know, landing gear, wells, interiors of airbrakes & god only knows what else our great model maker has put there for us. But before all that comes the research....countless hours going through books searching the net for actual "in use" photos, even contacting crews that were involved at the time.( btw I've just sold off 145 of my books and deleted nearly 35,000 photos of stuff I'm no longer interested in.) Trust me I DO LOTS of research !! So to me skinning is much more that just replacing a few lines, rivets & some "historically correct " serials or whatever. But what really pisses me off big time is when somebody does that to an already available skin, mod or whatever and then tells you to overwrite the original authors work.....you have no rights to just say "my work is better than yours, so we dont need yours anymore. In my view a separate version should be made available so that the end user can make their own choice of what they like best, I know you can advise folks to backup their originals but some folks just are not clever.....Trust me, I know. The updated ODS30 mod is a perfect example of how to do things, its been created as a standalone mod with all the needed parts included within...... no overwriting of any-one's original work already in the downloads section. Some of you have been asking why I no longer post my work......well, the above has happened to me too often. Even the aircraft I've re-modelled from the old Alpha Sim freeware get a complete rebuild and remapped, I never use ANY of the original textures. Hard fact is unless you've skinned from an all black with green lines texture map showing the locations of the various parts, you are not a true skinner, you cant call enlarging a skin and the retracing all the lines etc for the higher resolution "your work". Your work is when you've had to position those lines and everything else in the first place.....just copying the old stuff is no effort at all AND if the original author got it wrong then so have YOU...no improvement whatsoever....good for the ego but not for the holy grail of accuracy, historical or otherwise. Sooo, what's caused me to say all this stuff? Well basically it's the ODS30 mod that caused me to notice it, I know I've painted a shed load of planes over the years, but I was shocked at how many are still using my original work in places, I know this because I used make custom brushes for "generic" stuff like access panels, hinges weathering & "stuff" shall we say. They are very easy for me to spot. I also painted a lot of aircraft I had no real interest in, so they just got a "something like" skin just so we could get it released. It's amazing how many are still being used. But before you all think I'm pissed off by this, well I can assure you I'm not ! I don't know if to feel flattered that some of this stuff is still passable all these years later or should I feel saddened that nobody has taken the time to cure all the inaccuracy's that I originally produced. The work being turned out by our current full on skinners and model makers is just simply awesome, way better than any of the old stuff. Just look at ravenclaw's weapons, holy moly, they make a lot of the models they are attached to look really poor. ( as a side note for DA, ravenclaw and I have worked together for many years, sharing max files, templates and generally doing everything we can for the good old F-4) There are a lot of models in the download sections that are perfectly good, they just need some nice new clothes.......not a few rivets etc but a total redraw It's all well and good doing "historically correct" (that always makes me laugh) but if the skin itself is not right well what's the point? Happy days.

Another F-84 Thunderjet.....

I was looking at the A-6A and EA-6B_AH while I was making the adjustment for the ALQ-99 and I have found out that these two models need a lot of work or just to make a new one so at least it will be as good as the attachments to it lol. A-6A is just so basic and low ploy. (other SF2 models are low poly but they look great) EA-6B AH someone did a good job starting the model but it still has some imperfections. sorry and don't misunderstand me I am not trying to criticize the model creator. I thank everyone who worked on any model for this great game, but I think we need to make a list of jets that we need to enhance. I think the Grumman A-6 Intruder will be my first choice to make as it is an all-weather attack aircraft. if you have any other jet from the game that you think we need to improve please list them (please don't go wild only list the low poly models ) and will try to see what we can come up with. Thanks, GK

McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle - 18° Gruppo, 37° Stormo, Aeronautica Militare, 1991

Catching the Thirdwire..

Okay, I used the LODviewr but I don't know how accurate it will be.

Somewhere in the South Atlantic

Thunderbolts............Swedish Style. Turning on Final to the Dispersal Point Good to be back...........

I would love to see a Viggen.

The mainproblem with TKs A-6 is, that lot of parts are mapped overlapping. I started a new 4k-template a long time ago and gave up on it. A new "dress" alone doesn't work for this one in my opinion.

i have skinned several for v2k from black with wireframe (well his version of such, which is pastel blobs over the major pieces). so yes, if im doing something established, i greatly appreciate an excellent base to start on. it takes more skill to do it from scratch, and must have been an extreme pain in the pre LODviewer days (i only got started a year or two prior to that tool). it take skill and experience to make a 5 star dinner, but when you've worked in the kitchen along time you learn to appreciate any prep or short cuts if you dont have to be totally showing off scratch skills. i like to make skins based on a units appearance and make up over a given timeframe. so im going to make it for myself regardless, and i tend to like topics that arent present right now (like mid 90s). since im making it anyhow, why keep it just for myself? somebody else might be interested in units that rotated through for the Balkans, or in Desert Storm, or in SAC in the 1980s. as for recent credits, i had been using Eagles from viper63s packs, and updated with templates they provided. so to best of my knowledge it was layering over his work. he credits you and wpnssgt for general textures, and a few others for specific ones. do you want me to credit you for original textures in recent Eagle releases and have ODS team credit you there? there is no sarcasm or ill intent in my question. as to how to feel, thats totally on you. i was talking with someone else about markings. they mentioned to me that 90% of end users dont know the difference and dont care. for my particular bits, i know and care. for yours you knew and cared when you made them. but it was pointed out to me that most folks say "ooh shiny" and dont look that closely. so 90% think its good enough even all these years later. 5% think its pretty good, and think they have something to add to it. 5% are unhappy with it but would probably be unhappy with a golden ticket to the Wonka factory too. but it is confusing seeing your posts of the last few months as many do come across as you pissed about how things are going at least initially final bit in response to your specific note to me: it is no where near as extensive as the collaboration you and Volker have had, but i did get the Viper templates i used straight from him and he made several of the two seater versions of the various F-16 blocks as well as a new ADF. the skin work he left to me since i was the one more interested in the topic (mid 90s USAF and Air National Guard Vipers). i try to ask before every major project if the person is availble to ask and collaborate as much as i can with original modellers. but alot of folks have stepped out over the years as well, so then i do my best to credit the original folks that worked it.

Sentry '04...

The MiG-19S masquerading as the Canadair CF-103 Callisto

IIIC from the IAC...Flown to the sounds of Big Country.....

At long last....this is what is needed...

The Scandinavian Front with the Viggen family included is available here at CA, but yes, a Viggen is not available as a standalone download, one has to download the full Scandinavian Front mod to get access to the Viggen. Unless I am mistaken, the Viggen family models were touched a bit by Ravenclaw at some point, so even if these and the DAT one originate from the same source file (which I am not sure they do), the models in the Scandinavian Front should not be affected by the said politics.

Maybe we can add it, but it looks good for a low poly.

Well... I guess I can agree, and maybe say "okay" to this. I know I did the Super Hornet PSDs (even had to update them recently), but it's there for other users to make, and I encourage (though not well) because I don't want to do every freaking skin for the plane by myself. That's what the templates are for, for other people to create their own skins, and maybe make me look like I need to improve, which I'm not sure if I have to or not. But it's a flattering thing to see your work though being used and people liking it.

For this one, yes please, so it could be properly loaded under the EA-6B wings (on the stock EA-6B model, the attachment extension is part of the ALQ-99 pod, not part of the pylon, so if we replaced the stock ALQ-99 with your better looking one, we would need the attachment extension): For this one, not necessary, because if I understand correctly, this version is loaded predominantly on the centerline station without attachment extension:

Dambusters Over Dhimar! Well, Paran actually!

unfortunatley thats true best i can say is to get comfortable here https://www.google.com/ image hunts, site searches, contacts with museums in those countries if youre comfortable (and theyre cooperative) and check your list. Iran would be correct, but i think Saudi was leaning more to Britain in the early 70s, and UAE having moe a mix of British and French gear until the 1980s. but do your own homework, i only spent 5 mins on my search of the two countries and, being not my cup of tea it, wasnt a deep search at that

I don't have EAW but in general terms, doesn't GOG have some advantages over Steam for legacy games? I have a couple old PC's (Win7 & XP) that I maintain for legacy games. Steam has and will continue to end support for retired versions of Windows. So at some point, if you had EAW on a version of Windows that Steam drops support for, wouldn't you be forced to move your install to a new OS? I really like GOG because their games are just a simple installer you install once and you're done. Will the Steam client potentially update your game, possibly messing with any mods you might have? Clearly I don't know a lot about Steam LOL. Wizard

Double Dutch

F-5E Tiger II, Republic of China, better known as Taiwan.

Cold War Warrior

Somewhere in this murk at about 2 miles, is a boat waiting for me. Pucker Factor of about 83 on this landing... Not even close..... Go Around time.

Latest about the Fencer LOT'S OF DETAILING TO DO so far It Looks a bit of a Fencer, does it not? And now, some appendices are to be added... KAB-500KR KAB-500L KAB-500S-E KAB-1500KR KAB-1500L KAB-1500LG And there will be many more as time allows, Hope you liked it so far...

Luftwaffe F-4F Phantom II 37+51 " Wolkenmaus " from the JG-71 Richthofen patrolling the skies over northern Germany

I looked at the current date, February 1st. Two two weeks have passed since the start of this thread. My life has been very busy in the past two months, although I still have time to play FPS occasionally,lol. Hope you lads and gents are all well and have a fulfilling and best 2024!

Just uploaded Blowpipe MANPADS surface-to-air missile

I know it is being frowned upon making requests to modders and I apologize in advance, but GKABS, could you make an ALQ-99 dedicated model for the EA-6B? You have the pod, all that is missing is an adapter to be added:

the biggest Gunfighters

Thanks. Well, pain not so much. It wasn't intended as a 1-man-project, so any progress at all is good nowadays and it's a good day, when its done, of course. But it's still fun to do and to learn stuff about the planes, the units and the people behind it. I work on this (not constantly) for several years now and it helped me also a bit getting over difficult times in some of these years. A long story short: It is and was fun, but I think it's time to move on after that mod. Thanks. Not much Skyhawk-fans left here, I know. Maybe I can generate a bit interest here and there in the little plane anyways.

Thanks to Monster of Polycount... I wanted to scale up a uvmap mesh exactly as ive resized a texture from 1024 to 2048 which is obviously 2x so rescaling a uvmap is awkward unless you use the snap feature....which is jerky... heres a maxscript to make it so easy. open max,drop the maxscript Martinez_ScaleUVWsByNumber.mcr into vieport....then go to customise max ...then look for monsters uvmap scale...and add it to top tool bar...when you open a uvunwrap modifier....select the mesh.....open the toolbar button....and you get scale tool....just add amount....in my case it was 50% to fit the doubled size texture....abracadabra...mesh is exactly 50% scaled.... Martinez_ScaleUVWsByNumber.mcr