ndicki

Interesting. I had no idea even where to start with this. Where do you add these lines to the data.ini? Once I know that...

It won't make much of a MkI/II unless you're half blind, but still. The oil coolers and exhaust stubs will give it away, even if for an AI you could do worse. It WILL make a PR.Mk XI. Of sorts.

 

*tried the black/NM or white skin on the DAT Hurris and Spits, but due to mapping the Hurri's radiator will either be all black or all white (a decal can fake it, though). Same with the spits

 

Ran into that with the CFS3 ones, which are originally the same model anyway - I got them remapped. Things are often a bit easier in the world of CFS3!

While we're on Spitfires, apparently there's a trick by which you can remove/hide model meshes; I'd be interested to see if the stock Spit IXc can be modified so it no longer has the cannon/cannon stubs and wing bulges. Any ideas?

Scan the data.ini and run a search for "ModelNode" - I think you'll find it is actually called 'nose', logically enough. If that doesn't work (for future reference here) use a hex editor to work through the model LOD file. Long job, but if you can guess the name, it helps! Final possibility is to contact the model-maker. They're all very helpful people and will be happy to advise.

Another way to place the decal is to make it extra-big - say Scale=10.00 - and see where it appears. You can then estimate the size and placements needed more easily.

I'd agree with Spinners here - I've had more than 2 decals per mesh without any trouble. Get one of my Bf109g skins, or my D-Day Spitfire and check it out!

I wonder if you can assign days and months to skins - think of early Spitfires. From September 1939 to December 1940, you have some five or six significant and noticeable changes in appearance - black and white undersides without roundels, black and white undersides with roundels, 'Sky' undersides using other similar colours with no roundels, true MAP Sky undersides with no roundels, then with roundels, then finally, Sky undersides with port wing black distemper, roundels and MAP Sky-Blue band and spinner...... It gets a bit complicated, even if you allow for there being a certain time lag between the AMO and its implementation. Not easy to juggle, but if you're a purist, it needs to be addressed.

Just in case this has slipped through the net, it's possible to set service start and end dates more precisely than is usually done. GregoryP found this one - use the mm/dd/yyyy format and you get this:

ServiceStartDATE=12/01/1943

ServiceEndDATE=01/01/1955

It may not be so important in post-war simming, as the rate of introduction of new types has slowed down considerably, but for WW2, it's a must!

Actually, I'd love to see a Supermarine S.6B... No real reason why, in a combat sim, but I'd just like to see one. At this rate, I'll end up doing FSX...

I was going to say, don't forget to add the weld lines, where they've stuck it back together!

Seriously though, it's looking good.

I'd be grateful for almost anything as long as the model is of high visual accuracy, and it has well-stepped, progressive LODs. Think of the aircraft Monty_CZ does, or the stock Spitfire, Mustang, etc, and you've got it. And let's have some light/medium two-engined jobs, not just fighters all the time! And cockpits...

I've got one for the Hawk - it isn't the most detailled I've ever done, but it'll get you started. I'll upload this afternoon.

ROKAF certainly participated Vietnam war. Only with C54 though...

 

Here's their usual route.

http://cafe3.ktdom.c.../pnote01_13.gif

 

Thanks for nice skin. Mind if you can develop this nose art in next release? It's one of most symbolic and illustrious nose are in South Korean flight simulation community.

I DID look at that, and didn't have the courage... It is outside the time frame specified, as it's in fact during the very early 1980s, I think, isn't it? If you can supply the marking in white on black, for example, I can make the decal easily. But if I had to draw each letter by hand, it would take days.......

Hello - Just wondering whether it would be convenient/possible to change the default size of the photos for the file library from square to, say, 4:3 or 16:9? As aircraft are generally long and thin rather than short and squat, it makes adding decently-detailed shots that bit more difficult. Hardly high priority, but it's just something I keep having trouble with. Thanks!

I have been examining the .dds format, so far... my efforts has ended with no result of showing the test skin I have made.

 

Is there a good tutorial on converting .psd to .dds or .bmp to .dds? I would think that the most likely format conversion is from .psd to .dds?

 

Also, under the save as DDS, the window does not allow me to select the "Save:" options? I can only select 'compression' or 'format' selection?

 

I assume I should be saving my skin under the specific layer I want? Saving under Cube or Volume takes a lot more work I think?

 

Thanks

Have you modified the model LOD files to look for .dds files? If not, it'll still be looking for the appropriate BMP files. You need to work through the model with a hex editor, changing each BMP entry to DDS. The easiest tool is Martin Wright's DXTBMP - I have no idea of the settings to use, but I use DXT1 with no alpha, for most things.

What would be good is if there were a way of randomising the skin on the fuselage, so the aircraft in the flight had different patterns of camouflage, never mind different individual numbers. If it's possible to paint the camouflage blotches onto a decal without losing the panel detail - presumably also on the decal - it might be interesting. But I know very well I don't have the energy and patience!

This will be coming soon - it's a repaint of Monty_CZ's S-99 as a late-production Bf109g-6 or g-14 - there was actually no difference between the late g-6 and the early g-14, so it can do either. The tall tail and Erla canopy appeared in the autumn of 1943, and while they were not universal until mid-1944 or later, they do mean that this aircraft can be used for any 1944-45 scenario.

Thanks for this skin!

My pleasure!

Hi, the sounds of th guns dont work for the 109's you did by Monty. were you planning to add them later-gun sounds? Thx.

If you've edited your SOUNDLIST.INI correctly, I can't see why they wouldn't...

True in fact all my first releases had only one LOD..but I have advanced now to make two LODS ( one as low Poly as I can), but still need more practice making maybe 3 or 4 LODS for each aircraft.I need to learn know how to make a damge model.

All I can usefully do is give encouragement..!

Veltro, first I'd like to say thank you for all the work you've done! And welcome you to SF2...

Which leads me to the next thing - SF2 is more resource-hungry than SF1 for any number of reasons, so if I may dare to make a suggestion - LODs. My computer isn't the hottest, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this - aircraft with multiple LODs are ideal for use in realistic numbers, while aircraft without lower LODs can slow things down very considerably till you're looking at a slideshow. I've noticed that many WW2 add-on aircraft don't have LODs, which is a shame, because they don't get as much use as they deserve. Not complaining here, and certainly not trying to hurt anyone's feelings - just saying that I'd love to see more Italian aircraft I can REALLY profit from!