http://www.pmstone.com/forum/index.php?topic=130.0
Just before the previous forum collapsed, someone was nice enough to post a basic intro of the steps you need to do, in order to repaint one of Mike's aircraft, like the file conversions and so on. There was also a small bit of advice for existing planes that have massive textures, for instance the iFDG freeware planes are really demanding on lower spec 'puters.

I didn’t write this myself, but thought you’d like see what I’ve found -Rick

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One thing that will help with IFDG is to check the textures, they tend to ship their planes with 32-bit files that can bog down any PC that doesn't have a nuclear core. Go to the POSky Paint Resource page and get a copy of Imagetool. Use that to convert the textures to DXT3.

The compressed Direct X textures use 75% less memory than full-size 32-bit and will free up resources for more frames. After I do that, I can get 15-20 FPS with even their most complex models - as long as I stay away from places like Heathrow or The Hartsfield!

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For the little bit that I do for myself, I use Imagetool, DXTbmp, and MSPaint.

File sources:
Imagetool - http://www.projectopensky.com/files/index.php?dir=paint-resources/
DXTbmp - http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/

Here's my basic process:

1 - Convert base textures to 24-bit with Imagetool so that colors behave right in MSPaint.

2 - The hardest part for me - the artistic stuff.

3 - Use Imagetool to convert the 24-bit color textures to 32-bit.

4 - Make Backup "Master" copies of everything so far.

5 - Test the new 32-bit files in FS. If your system is anything like mine, this will slow the Sim down a bit, but you're not making a long flight, just checking out how the textures look on the plane. Don't forget to slew up and look underneath.

6 - Repeat 2 through 8 until the paint looks the way you want it.

7 - Open the texture with DXTbmp. On the menu bar, click Alpha > Create Alpha Template. Export that new alpha template to your favorite graphics editor and adjust the gray levels to your liking. Remember, the darker it is, the more reflective it will appear in FS - Black will be chrome and white will have no reflection. (This will not affect the appearance of any "Dynamic Shine" which is a part of the model file and completely independent of the alpha.) Repeat the testing process in FS until the alpha looks the way you like. Note: with a little practice, it won't take long to get the alpha right in one or two rounds.

8- When everything looks good, make new backups that include the finished alpha layers.

9 - Open the 32-bit textures with Imagetool and convert them to DXT3 since this type is just 1MB per 1024x1024 bitmap, instead of 4MB each that will slow most PC's to a crawl. And "Create MIPs" if you choose (see below to decide)

The reason I wait until the last second to compress the files, is because repeated saves to DXT3 in DXTbmp will degrade the image quality, much like repeated jpeg compression.

Lastly, all of this may sound a bit complex, but it relies on all freeware or "came-with-the-PC-ware."


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ImageTool allows creation of mipmaps. Do I want to do this? And why?

Personally i never use mipmaps, and remove them whenever i come across them. They are like mini versions of the full texture that display at further and further distances to ease on memory useage etc.. improve performance... but they can make the texture blury if they appear at near distances, so i just remove them to begin with. (or using imagetool, and .psd files to repaint with, they never get there in the first place!)

If your default planes look blurred, then your video hardware can't process MIPs correctly, and I recommend removing them.

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I think I saw a post here somewhere that said that ATI cards like MIPs and Nvidia don't?

Yes, I posted that. I have two computers, one with an Nvidia Ti4600 and one with an ATI Radeon 9800.

I've only done one repaint so far, but the tutorials over at GJSmith.net got me going. Garry was also helpful in answering some questions that I had.

The process as I remember it is pretty much like you've listed, his tutorial has some nice pics to go along with it and if I remember correctly he's got links to things like DXTBMP and other tools.

I would recommend it to a beginner at skinning like myself to get going. Tweaking the alpha channel was the big challenge for me, getting it just right and not washing out my colors too much.