DukeIronHand

Well indeed!!

This is not a skinning question, per se, so I thought I will post this question here. Using my newly found "expertise" with Paint.net I have been attempting to modify the tactical_display.dds - this file, as expected, controls the TAC screen. I have been using Paint.net to try and remove the "clock" numbers and the corresponding black hash marks next to them. The tactical_display.dds is, apparently considered a layer by Paint.net and is in DXT3 format. Anyway when I try and remove the numbers via "cutting" or "erasing" and then re-saving I get the "number shadows" or the holes I cut or erased in the layer showing the numbers still in-game. Experimenting I tried to put another layer on top but, if this will work, I lack the knowledge to carry through. Could any graphics pros give me a steer?

That is one of my next projects - removing the windscreen from the N17 (Lewis). I figure the knowledge gained modding the TAC screen .dds will assist with that project.

March 1917 with Jasta 11 flying out of Brayelles. Flieger Duke, hot with anticipation, takes off on a solo flight to check out his new paint job. While technically not a 10 victory kannone yet he spent a week in the hanger fine tuning the paint job for his Alb so what the heck... While flying in the gorgeous weather our indomitable pilot observes flak bursts over a nearby field. Swinging over to investigate he comes across 4 or 5 Sopwith 1 1/2's apparently going to bomb the field. Raised on a steady diet of hapless BE2c's our hero of the air is much too confident and much too careless and, charging into the enemy formation, promptly gets his engine shot up by a plucky observer. The poor Mercedes is making a hellish racket as the Duke cuts the power to avoid a fire and dives away. Corkscrewing down he now lands on the very aerodrome he was trying to protect! Did I hear laughing in that hanger over there? The consolation prize was that it was probably the best landing I ever made however the after action report listed my aircraft as destroyed! Ah well...in my mind I will just need a new engine and I will be back in the air. No combat screenshots I'm afraid - it all happened so quick I didn't even think about it.

A quick question about Skinning Etiquette though I am very far from showing off anything but my mind tends to wander. If I take a Olham skin for example, as he is the most prolific skinner with the Alb series, and then modify it to whatever extent, should permission from the author (Olham in this example) be sought prior to, lets say, posting a screenshot of it in a "Combat Report" in the "Stories from the Front" thread in the General Discussion Forum? Or is just a verbal acknowledgement of it being Olhams's (and OvS) original skin in the post adequate? 5 years from now, when I am skilled enough to do and complete re-skin, would a verbal acknowledgement to OvS (or the other OFF skinners) be sufficient? Do all the original OFF skins display the authors name? I know I have seen OvS several times but never studied all the skins in detail.

Waiting is the hardest part! I am ready with credit card in hand.

I have a fairly good handle on layers (fairly!) but am, of course, still learning. About halfway through I figured out layers and used them a lot. The red stripes on the upper wind, for example, were recolored with a layer. One thing that would speed me up mightily would be the ability to connect two points together in a multiple straight lines. Using the lasso or free form tool I had to "redo" a lot because of a minor drawing errors since you can't, I think, modify the selected shape once you draw it. But anyways thank you both. And thanks to BulletHead who explained layers to me in another thread. Yes carrick58 I am still picking through it too, perhaps if I read the manual(!) things would be smoother. But its pretty intuitive - at least for the basic stuff.

My first modified skin. Quite rough and nothing fancy. Still working on minor details but this basically will be it. Original skin by OBD/OvS, then a (major) modification by Alb skinner extraordinaire Olham as a favor to me. Minor modification by myself. Using Paint.net (without reading instructions of course) and just experimenting I cleaned up the white tail and iron crosses, added a red stripe before the tail, the red to the upper wing, removal of numbers, etc. The wheels need recolor as do the upper wing stripes that did not come out quite the color I wanted. The major point of this post is to thank Olham and RAF_Louvert for the ideas, inspiration, motivation, and the Paint.net program. Anyway a salute to the skinners! What a time investment skinning is and this is hardly a major re-do nor work of art! I would assume as I learn the program it will be much faster. Edit: Forgot the other point of the post. If a graphics noob such as myself can work with skins, rough though it is, anyone can! Give it a try!

Pass the salt please...

Snobbery? If take one of your paint jobs that took you hours and hours - and change just the wheel color - then post it for d/l as "Duke's Greatest Skin", with no mention of you then you wouldn't mind? Granted that may be a extreme example but anyone's work should be recognized...the value of the work is "in the eyes of the downloader" so to speak. Recognizing someones efforts isn't "snobbery". Guess I sound kinda preachy! Well, it is Sunday.

Hmmmmmm

Recently, inspired by RAF_Louvert and Olham, I began work on modifying a pre-existing skin. So far, in doing very minor things, Paint.net has worked wonderfully. Two questions and, as I am a skinning and graphics noob, if they don't make alot of sense please forgive. 1) Olham recently did a skin for me and stripe the fuselage with red bands. The bands appear semi-transparent, i.e., the red band is there but you can still see the previous detail underneath. How do I do this "semi-transparent red band" in Paint.net? Is this a "layer"? 2) The red color used for the band. I tried the "palette" feature and could not make this color - perhaps because it is transparent (a layer?). How can I take a color off a pre-existing skin and duplicate it exactly in Paint.net? A "Copy this Color" kind of thing and have it on my palette? Thanks.

Excellent. Thank you again!

That is pretty much what I thought. Thanks BH.

Let me start by apologizing for the photo. I did two Google image searches and could not find one that showed the "item" I would like I.D.'ed I have the complete picture in a dozen books at home so I am hoping folks here have it also. This has bugged me for a couple of decades (literally) so I am hot for an answer. Now that I know how to post pics here... Attached is a famous photo of MvR sitting in a cockpit of a (presumed) Alb D-series aircraft. At the end of the chain that is coming out of the cockpit is a small object that I have always presumed to be a wrench - or spanner for our British friends. 1)Is it, in fact, a wrench? 2)If a wrench what was it used for? 3)If not a wrench what the heck is it and what was it used for? Thanks in advance.

Very insightful and well thought Herr Olham...I am guessing you are exactly right.

Nice comparison photos, hell, nice pictures in general. You certainly are a valuable source of info and knowledge. Most impressive. Keep up the good work!

You sir, get a gold star, in fact have two! Seriously though thanks for the picture and the answer JFM. I have never seen the entire photo before as you have posted it, mostly the ones I have seen cut off just at the key. It is an Alb I presume? The camera angle makes the front of the cockpit area look awful high. And a red nose? I have wondered for a long, long time as it has, to me, kind of crescent wrench look to it. And, of course, RAF_Louvert is right...again! How are you at picking lottery numbers RAF_Louvert?

Well damnit...spent an hour looking with various searches. Saw a lot of cool pictures so it wasn't wasted but I could not find the complete photo. Sorry for wasting your time gentleman. Hopefully I'll solve the mystery before I croak!

Ok...sorry for the harsh language earlier internet. Did find the wife's birthday present. Apparently just typing WW1 in a search covers a lot of ground! Back to searching!

Thanks for the thoughts. I was never aware of a "key" for the Alb. Could be but it certainly does not appear to be a jam hammer. Let me try again to find the complete photo - I thought the darn internet had everything!!

Questions about the photograph reported to be "Billy Bishop." 1) Anyone else think it does not look like Billy Bishop at all? 2) I am not a real uniform expert but is not that an American uniform the man is wearing? Unless someone else thinks this is "Billy Bishop" I am going to guess its an American named Bishop and someone made a incorrect leap. Edit: Ahh...my first posting of an image here and it worked! Yep...gonna be a good weekend.

Nice find Olham. Once I get a drink on RAF_Louvert "4,000th post tab" I will watch them and guzzle. Hmmmm...what to order?

4,000 posts! And and open tab! Oh its gonna be a good weekend... On a serious note, based on my own experience, all your posts have been helpful, useful, or informative so its not 4,000 fluff posts. Now that I have said that remember you are being humble!

Flying one of my several careers recently, this one with 60 Squadron in March, 1917 using the Nieuport 17 (Lewis). In every sim I have ever played, books read, etc, etc I have always had a sweet spot for this plane along with my usual cabal of favorites (Sop/Cam, Se/5, Alb series, Dr.1, Br/F2B, heck - all of the darn flyables!) In OFF though I find myself almost dreading this career for one reason...cockpit visibility! When I fly I feel like I am blind and my SA feels poor. And the Aldis sight...yikes! To top it off I find it hard to target the enemy. No other plane makes me feel quite as claustrophobic. I have a big monitor, TrackIR, FOV set well...its just the layout of the cockpit This is not a slam on the modeler and I am sure the cockpit is quite realistic - there's just something about the set-up. And no, I have never sat in the cockpit of a real Nieuport. Do you have a plane that you feel you should like and love but some quirk about it makes it tough to fly?