Bare metal skin effects

[Kazaa]

Where do you gents find the time to create your works of art?

[MotleyCH]

Nice tutorial, Greebo 

Here are a few unfinished attempts on my 364th FG skin..added a few layers of scratch marks

[oboe]

Thanks for that info about MSFS.  Wish we could have cool features like that in AH2 - especially the alpha channel for skinning.    You can't shoot anything or do damage in MSFS, correct?

[jocko-]

Hehe, yeah, you can't do any damage in M$FS although the Sabre will 'fire' it's guns when airborne and the master arm switch on. You use the brakes key. Actually this is perfect for the Cold War era I'm skinning them for. Sure, shots were fired, but mostly at the gunnery range... 



Aircraft has an interesting scheme - before 422 (Tomahawk) Sqn flew over to it's new NATO home at 4 Wing, Baden-Soellingen, Germany, it received Canadair Sabre F.4s that were built for but diverted from an RAF delivery. The Sabres carried RAF roundels and fin flashes, and in some cases, both RAF and RCAF serials. Not long after arriving in Germany Canadair had it's Sabre Mk.5 ready for RCAF use and it replaced the aging Sabre Mk.2s overseas. 422's F.4s finally made it to the RAF and were used until replaced by the Hawker Hunter.

[Motherland]

That's magnificent work, jocko. The skins you've done for Aces High are awesome, too. Fencer's not kidding about the Brits

Out of curiosity, how big are the bitmaps for that skin in particular?

[lyric1]

That's magnificent work, jocko. The skins you've done for Aces High are awesome, too. Fencer's not kidding about the Brits

Out of curiosity, how big are the bitmaps for that skin in particular?

Quick fix it Jocko is not a Brit.

[jocko-]

Thanks for the kind words Mother, but yeah, as Fencer (and Lyric) pointed out I'm a Canuck  

The Sabre uses 3 1024x1024 files for the exterior of the aircraft alone, one for the fuselage sides and fin, one for the top surface of the wings and stab and the other for the underside of the wings, stab and fuselage. Landing gear doors and other airframe internals are scattered amongst the 3 files. The cockpit internals and wheels/oleos consist of many smaller files. I prefer AH2, one file and you can refresh everything in the Skin Viewer to check your work. In FS9 I have to reload the game and fly the aircraft each time I want to check my work... and did I mention the M$ external view system is a clunky steaming pile?

Very slow going compared to skinning in AH2.

I plan to change the cockpit to more closely resemble a Canadair Sabre, I've already done the throttle grip, the original was white with a black top, the one my Dad (Ex-Sabre jockey) has is an overall beige-grey colour. The 'pit is very accurate and about 90% of the switches work as advertised. It's fun turning the clock back fifty years and shooting approaches with just a radio compass (ADF) and a stop watch  




2 Wing, Grostenquin, France




Inst. approach chart for 2 Wing circa 1963

 

[SectorNine50]

I don't see any distances on the legs of the approach there.  How do you judge the time needed on each leg?  Or do you have two ADF needles and just fly one heading until you come upon the correct heading from the next radio?

I love these radio approaches, pretty entertaining to say the least.  I'm still not 100% comfortable with them, but I'm getting there!

[FTJR]

I was going to suggest that they're timed approaches. However there is a limitation of 20 nm.

[jocko-]

Yep, the beacon is located on the field so it's a timed approach using rated turns. The 20nm limit ensures you are in protected airspace and will satisfy terrain clearance using the appropriate minimum altitudes.

[Sol75]

Greebo! Thanks for the tutorial sir, just finished making my base for the 38 I am skinning... posting it in another thread.  Bare metal done via your tutorial, I think it turned out ok, let me know what you think!

Again, AWESOME tutorial sir!

 

Sol

[Vraciu]

This is a great thread.  Deserves to be pinned.

My problem with pulling this off is the terminology used.

Can someone please translate the meanings of the layer names?   I feel like I need to diagram them as 1, 2, 3, etc. because for some reason when I do this it comes out screwed up.  I must be placing the rivets/layers in the wrong spots.

Devil505 sent me a similar tutorial and I am having the same issues with it.   It ALMOST works but comes out slightly too stark.

[Greebo]

My original post still has some useful info but is 5 years old and out of date now. It predates bump and spec mapping in AH and the material file shown in it is wrong for current skins.