P-47D 404th FG "Sigma Nu Girl"

[Fencer51]

This is an interesting project.  I had started it over a year ago and got distracted by other skins for other people and DGS.

I have several good pictures of this plane, and it has little paint wear and dirt on it.  I will be adding some chipping and still have a couple stencils near the cockpit to do as well.

[USRanger]

Sweet skin.  Awesome work!:aok

[Saxman]

Looking sweet, but where's the love for the PTO?

[Stoney74]

There is no love for PTO...

Can you include some cockpit shots looking out at the wing?  I typically reserve final judgement until I'm sitting in it.

Technically speaking, you could include the front cowl fasteners in addition to the ones you already have on the rear cowling.  Also, anti-aliasing on the panel lines perhaps...

[Major Biggles]

Originally posted by Stoney74
Also, anti-aliasing on the panel lines perhaps...

yeah fencer, this is a gorgeous skin. the only thing i can bring fault to is the jagged lines...

you've said before that you don't think they look good anti-aliased, but what is your reasoning for that? surely you want a skin that looks as realistic as possible? if so, don't smooth crisp anti-aliased lines look far better than the jagged pixelated lines you usually use?


also i noticed that you don't run full screen AI in your screenshots, despite the fact your PC looks like it could handle it. is this by choice or do you not know about it? i personally think it makes the game look 10 times better.

[Krusty]

Biggs, it breaks down to this:

You only get so many pixels to work with on the wing. To make the pixels as small as possible you do 1-pixel lines.

UN-aliased they have steps but only take up 1 pixel in those steps

ALIASED they take up between 1 and 2 pixels depending on the angle, as they alias across areas too small for pixels to display, as a result they fade in and out and get thicker and thinner along the path they follow, because they are aliased.


IMO the stepped looks better than the irregularity that aliasing them gives you.


I'm a fan for aliasing things, but it doesn't work on 1-pixel lines.

[Stoney74]

Look at Fester's panel lines on the top wing of Big Beautiful Doll.  They're nice and smooth and look good.  I've seen some skins where the jagged stair steps ruin what is otherwise a nice skin.

Just my opinion Gents...

[Spikes]

Lookin' good!

[Major Biggles]

Originally posted by Stoney74
Look at Fester's panel lines on the top wing of Big Beautiful Doll.  They're nice and smooth and look good.  I've seen some skins where the jagged stair steps ruin what is otherwise a nice skin.

Just my opinion Gents...

yup. i don't know what you're using krusty, but photoshop CS2 anti-aliases lines very smoothly, they're sharp and crisp, and look a ton better.

anyways, that's the only thing i can complain about fencer, the colours and overall look is right up there with greebo and fester

[Fencer51]

Ok did anyone look at the skin or did you just respond as usual?

Note the flap lines on the underwing shot, as well as the upper wing panel lines.

And the port nose lines.

I wanted to see if anyone would notice the anti-alienated  lines.

I think they are blurry and look like crap.  But as normal I am open to trying different skinning techniques and did several things differently on this skin.

I am using the line tool with the anti-aliase check box selected.  If I am not doing it correctly please let me know.

[Fencer51]

Originally posted by Krusty
Biggs, it breaks down to this:

You only get so many pixels to work with on the wing. To make the pixels as small as possible you do 1-pixel lines.

UN-aliased they have steps but only take up 1 pixel in those steps

ALIASED they take up between 1 and 2 pixels depending on the angle, as they alias across areas too small for pixels to display, as a result they fade in and out and get thicker and thinner along the path they follow, because they are aliased.


IMO the stepped looks better than the irregularity that aliasing them gives you.


I'm a fan for aliasing things, but it doesn't work on 1-pixel lines.

And I agree with his description above completely.

[Citabria]

I can blow your whole jagged lines don't use antialiasing theory out of the water with one simple fact.

everyone uses transparency for single pixel lines to make them look thinner. this is a form of antialiasing using transparency to reduce size.

antialiasing a slanted or curved line is no different when you think about it. makes no difference if 1 pixel or 2 are used when you are using 10-20% fill or opacity every single line curved or not is antialiased regardless.

[Krusty]

I don't think I understand what you mean...

I don't use transparency with my lines, if I understand (but I'm not sure I do!) what you've typed. I use solid square pixels with a pencil tool

[Citabria]

and then you set layer transparency or opacity or fill to a setting of anywhere from 5-30% no doubt.


why would you do that since you are using solid pixels?

because you are in fact antialiasing your solid pixel by a factor of 75% or more to a size 4 times smaller than it actually is using transparency of the panel lines layer.

this fact makes arguing about not using antialiasing on the curved or slanted lines themselves before making the layer transparent kind of ironic.

[Krusty]

Blending options are not the same as anti-aliasing. The shade of my pixels may be altered based on the color beneath it, but the pixels and their relative transparency to others on the same layer remains the same.