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Skinning Tutorial

Posted By: Rick_Rawlings

Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 05:30 AM

Hey, guys, I decided to redo the skinning tutorial video, so it is up here and in the skinning thread. Let me know what you think!
Posted By: dutch

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 06:50 AM

Video is good, nice voice btw, but I have some other remarks on the topic thread itself:

While I can read them without any problems I would change the non-English screen shots to English. I do see shots taken from Italian and German software versions.
Use only for free to use software like Gimp as an sample and skip payware like paint shop or is this free these days. Right now it is all a bit overwhelming and confusing.

But you did trigger me in starting for my own skins, so yeah in this case your mission accomplished :-)

Posted By: Robert_Wiggins

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 12:09 PM

Rick;

Very nicely put together mate. You covered an amazing amount of content very nicely.
What screen capture tool did you use for the video?
Posted By: dutch

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 12:55 PM

Rick did you update your java software ;-) did see somthing popping up in the Video!
Posted By: Rick_Rawlings

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 01:34 PM

Thanks, Robert, it's just Shadowplay. dutch, not sure what you were talking about in the video; artifacts? Also, the screenshots in the threads are from other users that contributed, so I don't have any way to change their language settings or program choices, although the overall idea works similarly in Gimp, you might just have to play around to find the right control settings .Thanks for the feedback, guys!
Posted By: Fullofit

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 02:15 PM

Hi Rick, is this updated skinning tutorial in preparation for a new challenge??? boing
Posted By: dutch

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Rick_Rawlings
Thanks, . dutch, not sure what you were talking about in the video; artifacts? Also, the screenshots in the threads are from other users that contributed, so I don't have any way to change their language settings or program choices, although the overall idea works similarly in Gimp, you might just have to play around to find the right control settings .Thanks for the feedback, guys!




Look at 14:12 you will see the java update notification

Btw see at https://m.en.softonic.com/app/adobe-creative-suite-2-cs2 this old photoshop version seems to be free to use.
Posted By: Fullofit

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 05:02 PM

Rick, just had the time to watch the whole video. Very well done and easy to follow. Here are some tips/shortcuts for GIMP. You can zoom in and out by using the "+" and "-" keys on the keypad. I find it faster than selecting and switching the mode from the menu. For the part where you were cutting out the background behind the cupcake you can press the "Delete" key instead of edit/cut from the right-click menu. When scaling the cupcake, you can use the "scale tool" from the long toolbox on the left side. This will give you a preview of the object as you scale it, instead of guessing by typing in the scale value. Finally, when duplicating the cupcake, I suggest to duplicate layer. This way you will avoid accidentally moving the first cupcake, like it happened in the "fast forward" sequence. You can also move the second cupcake directly down by pressing the directional arrow keys - should help with precise positioning. Nothing wrong with what you were doing. There are just so many ways to skin the cat. Pun intended.
Posted By: dutch

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 08:24 PM

Sorry but there is not fokker_DII and DIII in the folder campaign-campaign data-skins as being explained in the video?? Were is this skin in Woff UE
Posted By: Rick_Rawlings

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Fullofit
Hi Rick, is this updated skinning tutorial in preparation for a new challenge??? boing

Yes, but it is far from imminent...

Originally Posted by Fullofit
Rick, just had the time to watch the whole video. Very well done and easy to follow. Here are some tips/shortcuts for GIMP. You can zoom in and out by using the "+" and "-" keys on the keypad. I find it faster than selecting and switching the mode from the menu. For the part where you were cutting out the background behind the cupcake you can press the "Delete" key instead of edit/cut from the right-click menu. When scaling the cupcake, you can use the "scale tool" from the long toolbox on the left side. This will give you a preview of the object as you scale it, instead of guessing by typing in the scale value. Finally, when duplicating the cupcake, I suggest to duplicate layer. This way you will avoid accidentally moving the first cupcake, like it happened in the "fast forward" sequence. You can also move the second cupcake directly down by pressing the directional arrow keys - should help with precise positioning. Nothing wrong with what you were doing. There are just so many ways to skin the cat. Pun intended.

Those are great tips! I usually learn just enough to do what I want to do before moving on to the next shiny object!

Originally Posted by dutch
Sorry but there is not fokker_DII and DIII in the folder campaign-campaign data-skins as being explained in the video?? Were is this skin in Woff UE


The D II and D III in WOFF are usually the Albatross scouts. Are the early Fokker airplanes even in UE, I haven't played around with early war birds yet...
Posted By: Rick_Rawlings

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 11:24 PM

Okay, dutch, just went to the website and saw that they are in the Ultimate Edition. If you can't find them, it may be because they only have one default skin. This will be found in the aircraft folder further up the directory tree. I'll be home in a few hours and can find it better for you then, but once you find it, you can create a new skin and insert it into the skins folder as in the video and it should work, I believe. Let me know if any of that makes sense!
Posted By: Fullofit

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/05/17 11:43 PM

Dutch, you will find default skins for every airplane in C:\OBDSoftware\WOFF\OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields\aircraft (in textures folder). The "skins" folder is for all the custom paint jobs. Since Fokker D.II and D.III don't have custom skins, you will find only default skins. D.II was introduced in the Motley Crew add-on and D.III in WOFF 3.
Posted By: dutch

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/06/17 05:35 AM

Thanks I did find them and test flight of my first skin has been made in Woff UE.

I can now confirm the Video is helpfull, without I could never made it.

It is now time for the most difficult job, the fine tuning. I have lots of questions like the use of bare metal on the engine cowlings, how to design spoked wheels and to make a ribon around the fuselage.


But anyway a big thank for making this video!
Posted By: Rick_Rawlings

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/06/17 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by dutch
Thanks I did find them and test flight of my first skin has been made in Woff UE.

I can now confirm the Video is helpfull, without I could never made it.

It is now time for the most difficult job, the fine tuning. I have lots of questions like the use of bare metal on the engine cowlings, how to design spoked wheels and to make a ribon around the fuselage.


But anyway a big thank for making this video!

Hey, dutch, glad it was useful! For bare metal, you might want to download a metal image from the net and then add it in as a new layer over the cowl. You can then adjust the opacity and layer properties to get it to "sit" like you like it. For a ribbon, you can use Irfanview with the available plugins to view skins from the folder. Here's one that might be similar to what you are looking for: Off_Alb_DIII_ace_t_Jasta 2 1917_Hermann_Frommherz.dds. (Just find that one in the skins folder.) I don't think spoked wheels will work because the wheel model is solid?
Hope that helps, and sorry for the late reply, I am west coast USA...
Posted By: OvStachel

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/12/17 10:55 PM

@Dutch

Just to answer your question... Much like Rick did already...

The Model will always dictate the look of everything. Because some of the models were our first Gens and at that time, everyone was kinda learning the how-to's for each thing, there were issues with mapping, and stretching of the skins. I mention this aspect because making a ribbon is not as easy as just drawing lines over the skin. It has to be matched, literally one pixel at a time on some of the models. One side of the plane might stretch, the other might compress the design... etc. It takes a lot of testing to get it perfect, or as close to perfect as possible.

Use any example of any plane I've done to line match if you want to make a ribbon.

Spoked wheels are only available on models that were created with them. There is no 'invisible' color if that was what you are looking for. The .dds file does not make the spokes, the spokes are part of the model.

I hope that helps a little.

OvS
Posted By: OldHat

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/13/17 03:39 PM

I'm not familiar with bmp's or mipmaps or conversions, but can anyone help me to solve these two error messages?

[Linked Image]

Attached picture error messages UV.jpg
Posted By: Robert_Wiggins

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/13/17 04:14 PM

OldHat

I'm no longer at my computer but I would ask you what application created the bmp that gmax is having problems with.
I also seem to recall there are two different bmp formats and if I am correct that may be the problem.
PM me a download of the bmp image and let me look at it
Posted By: dutch

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/13/17 05:32 PM

Oldhat you could also try at the CFS3 forum at: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/forumdisplay.php/7-CFS3-General-Discussion

maybe helpfull: http://www3.telus.net/murrdaka/tutorial/B2BNZ.htm
Posted By: OldHat

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/13/17 09:50 PM

Thnx Robert and Dutch. It's working now without error messages.
Posted By: carrick58

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/15/17 10:31 PM

Great information. Gives me the urge to try all the new things. Thanks.
P.S. Can they make a sticky out of this one too ?
Posted By: Rick_Rawlings

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 08/16/17 12:42 AM

Hey, carrick, I've already added some of this thread into the original skinning thread, I'll try to get the rest in when I get a chance...
Posted By: carrick58

Re: Skinning Tutorial - 09/10/17 05:23 PM

Thank you. Your work is appreciated.
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