Author Topic: Messing Around With Metal (Read 687 times)

United · « **on:** July 07, 2005, 11:27:52 AM »

Had some spare time today, so I decided I would go ahead and mess around with some bare metal to prepare for my P-47N skin.

After an hour or two of working with it, this is the best I got to for the day. Its the underside of a D9 (as if you didnt know already), but I painted it up as the upper wing (stupid me didnt realize I was doing the wrong one till I was halfway done...).

Anyways, I used a lot of help from Tex and Greebo's posts about how they do weathering/metal and so forth. I'm still working with the water streaks, but that wasn't the main point of this test.

The biggest thing I got was from Tex. His "secret" layer that he aquired from another skinner helped me figure something out. So, I used a weak texture effect and did it several times to get that "not so even" metal look. Its still pretty weak around the panel lines. My shadowing around there still needs a lot of work.

I did a quick run through of some basic weathering, just to give it more of a finished look.

Anyways, thoughts and comments are welcome and very much appreciated!

P.S. Tex, I hope you dont mind my using your material.txt file settings, at least for now anways.

SkyChimp · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2005, 05:33:33 PM »

d9 not a good plane i can't get it to look right. id go with ki84 1st.

It looks like u textured it..

I think u should use a brush.

United · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2005, 06:12:34 PM »

I just used a D9 because it was the only plane I have saved that is at the new AH2 standards.

I did texture it, but what do you mean I should have used a brush? Do you mean for the textured look, or what? Please explain more.

SkyChimp · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2005, 06:30:52 PM »

Yes texture look.
I have a chalk bush i use it=)

TexMurphy · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2005, 01:00:43 AM »

Can you please post a bigger image so I can see the detail.

From what I can see the opticity of the textured layer is too high... could tone it down a little...

Tex

United · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2005, 09:00:54 AM »

Couldn't get the whole wing in, but heres a section.

TexMurphy · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2005, 09:17:36 AM »

Ahh looks like you have weathering on there as well as scratches... could you turn them off so its just plane lines and metal...

There is a good saying in swedish... "cant see the hand for all the trees"... refering to when one does to much at the time..

What I like to do is focus just on a "clean" metal plane first... so first add the planelines then the metal then the shadows around the planelines then the weathering...

This way you get a good feel for the metal and know it looks right.. if it starts looking wrong when you add weathering you know its the weathering causing it..

Currently there is something in there that makes it look like "boubly paper".. I *think* its a combo of the metal and the weathering.. but also one thing making it really hard is that you have the just grey details there.. kind of disturbes the full image..

This is why I usually start with the fuselage as you get a much bigger area too look at thats not cluttered with other stuff..

Tex

United · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2005, 09:51:33 AM »

I was just using the wing as an example. I don't plan on skinning a 190.

Anyways, I made the metal "rippling" effect less intense and got rid of the weathering as you requested.

TexMurphy · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2005, 10:36:19 AM »

much easier to see now...

think you could increase the opticity a bit more... also maybe could use a bit darker base grey...

Tex

United · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2005, 10:56:26 AM »

The JPEG takes out some of the clarity, but the rippling effect is a little stronger in game than in this picture.

Changed the grey to be a bit darker.

Also added some sheet metal difference. I made it so that some panels look darker and some lighter. Not sure if I like it, though. It may be a bit too strong.

Your pic is a good example. It looks like some panels are darker or lighter than others because the way the light is reflecting off of each panel.

TexMurphy · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2005, 11:12:08 AM »

yeah its starting to look really good...

the color difference in pannel comes from rapairs...

So dont over use it as you have to think "would this plane have made it back home?"... if you have patchings in places that would have destroyed the craft then it will look wrong.. for example if you have both wings patched near the fuselage then it really will look like it should have lost both its wings...

Tex