afaik Tony once made a tool to edit the headers and the related file names as well.

Col G thought the editor was not quite right, but I never found out precisely what needed fixing, so it remains a WIP.
I'm happy to continue with it, but I need some feedback.

Jel

Yes Miko...would appreciate a guide thanks m8..

Am proficient enough at hex editing and have a
fast editing proggy, but what are we actually
doing?

ade

Take 1 skin and "duplicate" 15 more, then change the markings so each one is individual. When they are loaded each one is different- like these Doras on the runway from Iron Mike:



I'm asking for feedback re the editor elsewhere. It would save a lot of time if it works the way people want it to.

Jel

Gottcha...

Does this work without numbers and letters
ie: with fuselage art, motifs and ensignia
and also on different aircraft types in the
same outfit....eg: Albatros, Pfalz, Fokkers.
Here are 6 out of 21 examples from jasta 5
and 7 out of 24 from jasta 18......



The French escadrilles are similar in variety
as are the US and RFC/RAF squadrons...

ade

exactly!!! like this, these are all in the same squad, as you pointed out, can even have different 3dz too but have to share the same slotted fm...


this was just a test shot when betatesting 128 using only Tumas default skins without BMPs and took about a couple hours maybe, can't remember! but to compile with no repainting...ignor the default red hubs! that file was the only glitch the coder guys were kind enough to get that into the exe because of the unfamilarity with his biplane file system. if ironmike is filling you in from here? i would only post the Gibbons instructions which were sufficent for me!

Including bitmaps benefit new skins that can now use 3D textures, equating to no pixels, like this wood&fabric test i did, except now those zero out areas have to be blacken with 000 palette ...

Can't see you pics at work. And, I can't put any in until tonight.

So,

1. You need to paint a,b,c,d,e,f,e,l,m,r,t, and, u panels if skin has them. You don't need to paint x,y,z. Paint an primary skin (plane 00) in 24-bit (16 million colors), merge a layers into one like 8-bit, but do not reduce colors. Save as BMP. Then reduce and save 8-bit. You need one painted tex panel each bmp and pcx for the first skin. Note, the transparant areas that mast the tail wheels, radio masts etc(pink on the Spit9, orange on most of the Hurries, etc.) should be changed to black on all the 24-bit textures.

2.Paint tex panels for the next skins 01-15. Rename then like this PSP2A01ax.bmp, PSP2A01cx.bmp... I paint the "u" just in case in future we can assign real pilots to different squadron slots. It most likely isn't need but, you never know what the Code Group will work into future exes. I repeat the transparant areas need to be repainted black.

3. Paint one tex panel any color you want and reproduce one for every color panel in the skin. There is no need to paint a mono skin for each texture just rename copies. Save them in in pcx format. So you have PSP2A01ax.bmp (full color) and PSP2A01ax.pcx (monochrome) etc.

4. Repeat for planes slots 01-15. Then copy and rename the tra.pcx for each plane.
ex. PSP2A01tra.pcx. Note since spinners are usually on the tex.pcx you can paint individual hubs at this point if you include the XXtra.pxc.

5. Paint a mono color PSP2A01mra.pcx for each skin.

6. Using a text based hex editor ( http://www.sandbaggereaw.com/CORD/files/addon/3dz2bmp.exe )* repoint the 3dzs to the new skin. ex. change the line PSP2Aaex.pcx to PSP2A01ax.pcx and save as PSP2A01a.3dz. Just leave the editor open and change panel number ansd save for each following skin. *when Talley-Ho comes back up

7. Cockpits and shadows will be drawn from the first skin so no need to paint them.

Finished 24-bit squadrons will be 6-7 megs each, 8-bit versions 2-3 megs.

Iron MIke, August 2009

Hi Ade.

Glad to see your getting into the Multi Skin way of doing things.

Fantastic...
Thanks for the tut Mike and the pic Al.
One question, why 16 skins (00-15) when
mission parameters and pilot career starts
only provide for 12 aircraft.

ade

Flyright and Gibbo..

Can you send me Spads, DVII and Handley Page
for slotting into 1.28b, hoping Jan will help
out with Dr1 and Camel when he has time...

Putting together a full menued version of WF
1.28b for beta testing and bug detection.

ade