Author Topic: Need Help with US Insignia (Read 1942 times)

Cobra412 · « **on:** August 29, 2004, 06:21:25 PM »

Hi all I really need help with an issue on the P-40E Lower wing insignia. I have tried different things to get rid of the insignia and add my own but I it's a no go. Does anyone know a work around to get rid of this circular insignia and add a star and bar type insignia. Thanks in advance.

United · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2004, 06:26:47 PM »

Has something to do with the insignia bmp somewhere. Im not sure what its under, but its got the insignia and an alpha layer. Other than that I have no idea.

Kev367th · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2004, 08:04:31 PM »

You'll have to create your own insignia and mask file.

Cobra412 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2004, 10:45:35 PM »

Thanks for the replies guys. Kev I tried that but doesn't seem to want to work correctly. I made a file exactly like HTs but it just shows all white in the end. Not sure whats up there. I must be doing something wrong because when I do it, it just makes that area a solid white block.

Kev367th · « **Reply #4 on:** August 29, 2004, 10:53:16 PM »

The masked area (the bit you want made 'invisible') is black, the white area shows through whatever the other file is. If youwant to totally make it dissappear, make the xxx_a file totally black (xxx = filename).
To add your own marking -
Make your insignia as usual
Create a mask from it where the area where the insignia is white, the surrounding area black
Name this file the same as the other but add _a on the end.
Don't have P40, but for a Pony -
MARKING - is the insignia file
MARKING_a - is the mask

Cobra412 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 29, 2004, 11:20:13 PM »

I'll try that again Kev. Thanks for the help. I may have had the colors incorrect the first time. Do you know if it needs a .txt file for the transparency color value?

Kev367th · « **Reply #6 on:** August 29, 2004, 11:24:41 PM »

No just use the _a on the end.
Forgot one thing - the mask although only black and white must be a 256 'color' greyscale image.
Just had a quick play with masking and produced a clipped wing Spit V.

oboe · « **Reply #7 on:** August 30, 2004, 08:46:36 AM »

Cobra, did you get this to work? Based on this thread I tried it myself and I can't see any change in the underwing marking on the P-40E at all.

I copied both the marking and marking_a bmps to my custom skin's directory. Then edited the marking_a.bmp and colored the entire image hex black, x'000000'. Then I changed the image mode from RGB to Grayscale and saved the file as an 8-bit .bmp.

In the game I still see the same original underwing image....

Kev, I'm little confused by your 256 'color' greyscale comment. I'm using Photoshop, and when I change the image mode to greyscale, I'm prompted to "discard" the color imformation. I have to answer 'yes' or it won't save the file.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Kev367th · « **Reply #8 on:** August 30, 2004, 09:45:45 AM »

Thats why I put color in quotes, my bad.
Save it as a 256 'shades' (hope thats better) greyscale image.
Greyscale images can still have multiple shades of grey.
Maybe better if I say 8-bit depth greysclae image.

oboe · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2004, 10:36:18 AM »

np, Kev. I believe that is what I'm doing then - saving the all black marking_a.bmp file as a 8-bit depth greyscale mode image. If I understand the mask logic correctly, nothing in the marking.bmp file should now show through the black mask. But my P-40E underwing appears entirely unchanged, still showing the star insignia...

On a curious note, even though the white star/dark blue background originally had a corresponding 'cutout' in the black marking_a.bmp file, so did every other insignia present on the marking.bmp file; the Canadian leaf, the Russian star, the US stars and bars, etc. They all had corresponding cutouts. Any idea hwo that works? Is there a texture map file that tells the skinning routine to only pull the information from a certain section of the file layout?

Is it possible the underwing star is coming from somewhere else?

Kev367th · « **Reply #10 on:** August 30, 2004, 03:11:48 PM »

Post your insignia and mask file here.

oboe · « **Reply #11 on:** August 30, 2004, 03:42:14 PM »

Sorry the AH picture hanger site won't do .bmps. Here are links to them though on my website.

MARKING.bmp
MARKING_a.bmp

Also I noticed the P40B directory has the same two files with the same content; that is, the mask file has cutouts for all the insignias, yet not a single one of those insignias is used on the AVG P-40B.

Thanks for your help Kev!

Cobra412 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2004, 06:27:10 PM »

I fought with it again last night and had no luck. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong. Kinda sucks since I can't figure it out. Thanks for your help though Kev. It's much apreciated.

Kev367th · « **Reply #13 on:** August 30, 2004, 07:28:37 PM »

OK guys found two probs -
1) The insignia mask file you posted has 3 colors somehow.
2) For P40E - Files are called

a) USSTAR1 (color bitmap)
b) USSTAR1_a (mask file)

not marking_a or insignia_a, I only used these as an example.

best way to create one

1) open USSTAR1_a in paint editor (this sets palette)
2) create new 256x256 size x256 color file (leave USSTAR1_a open for moment)
3) Select black from palette
4) Flood fill new file with black
5) Change to greyscale
6) Close original USSTAR1_a
7) Save new file as USSTAR1_a to P40E diectory.

Try this one for P40E

oboe · « **Reply #14 on:** August 30, 2004, 09:20:16 PM »

Interesting. I'll giove this a try, but I just searched my entire Aces High II directory for USSTAR1.bmp and did not find it. It's definitely not in my exported P40E dkin directory.

Where and how did you find the file, Kev? And thanks for the help, btw. Really appreciate it!