Pdc?

[wilz]

Who do I need to talk to in regards to submitting a skin to the PDC? I know TARGET gets busy, and this is a holiday weekend, so who is HMFIC at PDC? Or can someone explain the proceedure for submitting skins, and what is necessary?

[e-b-o-]

you've to do 2 1024*1024 tgas (wing and fuse.tga) for the "hi-res" skin (the low-res can build easily from this ones by downsizing them). your paintscheme has to be "historical accurate" (it isn't allways possible because of mapping issues or too less informations, but it should be as close as you could do ;))
that's it in short.

my personal opinion on your skin: it looks to me like it's done in a 512 resolution (or your game settings doesn't allow 1k textures...). I like the blue color, but the rivets needs a rework (way too dark). the weathering needs still some more work, too. but at all you're on the right track and with some additional work it will be look great :)

[wilz]

ebo, it's actually a 1024X1024 fuse & wing in tga. Not sure if it's my setup that makes you think it's 512X512. From information I can gather it's about as historically accurate as I can get for VF10. However I'm still looking for further information.

I tried the rivets in a lighter color/shade but couldn't seem to get them to show enough for the effort. As for weathering, what would you suggest? I have Gimp & Paint Shop Pro to work with. I'm really trying to learn as I go, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

[wilz]

OK ebo, toned down the rivets some and added a little more weathering................how's it look now?

[e-b-o-]

Hi Wilz,

it looks better now. but don't get me wrong, I'd like to point you in another direction. (note: this is not for satisfying me, imho your plane fits the pdc quality criteria. I just want to show you a possible solution. ;) :D)

I found it myself always helpfull looking on other ppl's work seeing how they solved the "problems". So the guy in the link below made (imho) an excellent job on the weathering. What I suggest: take a closer look on his textures (ignore the environment and the lighting). I don't want you making rebuild the appeareance at all, this needs years of practice, it's the principe: the plane is covered with dirt overall, but the dirty spots (engine exhaust, gun stains) are just slightly darker than the rest of the weathering.
In your work you've a clean surface and a very dirty gun stain on the wing. to make it look more "real" there're two possible solutions: adding more dirt on the wing at all (what I'd suggest) or tone the stains much more down.
same with the rivets: I now it's the most unthankful job in texturing an ac ;) but if you want to catch the look you've to turn the opacity down making them nearly invisible (I used between 5-12% opacity for a rivet layer, depending on the background color).

here's the link: http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=994

hope this helps,

ebo

[iart7]

i agree, you need to see the work of other guys. I get discouraged sometimes when i see how many rivets and all the detail that other guys put into a skin.

see these two parts of another guy's F4U:

http://www.iart7.com/WARBIRDS/files/fuselage.jpg

http://www.iart7.com/WARBIRDS/files/wing.jpg

even these two images don't show all the detail the original skin has, i had to lower the resolution for this post.

now compare yours to those skins. see, you need more work.

don't try to finish it in one day or even one week. my experience is it takes WEEKS or months of work, little by little until you are satisfied, AND then, more work because after waiting (sleeping on it, it's called) and looking and flying, you think of more detail to add or more rivets you want to put on.

is it possible to fix or re-do the japanese flag decals. i'd like to see more detail.

i can't think of what the name of the P-51 Mustang I saw on one of the Warbirds forums, but it had rivets and even "Micro-rivets", It was awesome! Someone can help me remember where it is, i know, because the pilot was killed and the fuselage art was put in his footlocker.

... and then i want to open up my photoshop and start fixing and adding more stuff, like E-B-O says, weathering and rivets, i know i can make it better.

PS: Wilz, i like the Hellcat better than the F4U. HELLCATS RULE! and yours is really, really good.
One more suggestion (did i mention hellcats are cool), there are lots of F4U planes, but only one Hellcat on the PDC! Might be something there, right?

i have some skins i think are great, but am afraid of submitting them because i don't want the rejection. (except for A7V tank (http://www.iart7.com/WARBIRDS/gallery%20photos/Mephisto_scene1.jpg))

[Keller]

You guys definitely need to listen to the "Ebo-matic" painting machine. He creates skins faster than I can think of variable names to use in WBScript.

Definitely look like you're on the right track though Wilz.

[=york=]

Ebo = Skin God

[wilz]

Excellent link and picture guys. I'll keep plugging away and hopefully I can come up with something even ebo can enjoy.

BTW ebo, did you get a look at the F6F. Not many skins for them and iart7 seemed to like it. We small members of VF101 would sure enjoy another hellcat skin.

Still looking for a F4F template. That would finish out the skins for VF10 (which later became VF101).

[wilz]

Went with a smaller pic this time after some changes. Sorry but it's sort of hard to tell the difference. However I've run into a small problem and I'm hoping ebo or iart7 can help me with. It seems that if I make any changes to tga files when I try to look at them offline things are changed and different than what I started with. I tried to change the IJN markers on the F6F and I found them back, way behind the pilot, and the white markings for VF10 were scattered all over. When I look at the tga files in Paint Shop Pro or Gimp they look correct.........however offline they are all screwy??????????? Also, I tried saving a previous skin with PSP and Gimp and they both were messed up offline????????????

Until I can figure out what's happening I think I'll drink beer and watch the fireworks.

[e-b-o-]

no, haven't seen it yet. but since I've no internet access from home (I'm writing now at the office :D) I don't see a chance to take a look at them (except you post an image ;))

for the screwed up thingie: did you saved the file accidently in a wrong folder? the only thing I can imagine is that you applied the texture to the wrong modell, otherwise I don't know for now what's going on there.

[eretrc]

ebo can u make a 603 squadron spit skin and put it on PDC plz? i have loads of pics of 603 spits
and as =york= says ure a skin god :)

[wilz]

Nope, saved in correct folder. Even did it a few times to make sure I wasn't messing anything up. Really strange that suddenly when I try to use the tga files offline they are mixing things up. Like I said I've checked the tga files and they look correct. I'm wondering if maybe I'm missing something in PSP that locks everything into place before saving. Kinda lost on this one.

[=york=]

wilz.. when i work on skins (or i must say, try to) i found when i use Paint shop pro that for some reason it puts things in the wrong perspective, since the p39 skin, i dont even have paint shop pro on my computer anymore, when i saved it to tga is photoshop 7 is worked,, i used the same psd file in both paint shop pro and photoshop and didnt make any changes to it . merely saved it as a tga.....

so if you can, get photoshop, its much better and everyone else uses it as well....

[wilz]

OK, sent some files to a friend and had him load them offline. It appears that the F6F tga fuse file somehow got corrupted and the colors are whacky.

Iart7 can you send me the F6F fuse file again, so I can see if works correctly. If so I'll start working on weathering again and post so ebo can see it.

eretrc I'd love to help you out, but right now I'm running into to many problems with my skins. If you can give me a while to start understanding what I'm actually doing.........I would be glad to give you hand. Wish I could be more specific, but when a finished skin suddenly turns blue into green..........argh!!!!!!!!!!