skinning help

[Wildcat1]

Hey guys, I'm trying to male a very simple skin for the A6M2, and I was wondering if anyone had experience using the program "GIMP"? Layers confuse me, and panel lines are a whole other story.

Also, the default bitmap is 512x512, even though the plane is a 2048 texture. Is this normal? I still have to resize it? Any help would be great.



P.s. Ty very much krusty for the skinning tutorial, has helped me out a ton so far!

[Krusty]

Textures that come with the game max out at 512x512.

You must install the hi-res pack. That will give you 1024x1024 defaults. Without the hi-res pack anything you set tops out at 512, simply because that's all the game comes with to save on space. You may set it to 2048 but it will only actually run at 512.

2048 is only for cockpit internals and B-29 exteriors so far. You will need to work in 1024x1024 textures for your A6M2. That is the required submission size for any skins on fighters.


P.S. If the hi-res pack doesn't help (it should) then you will have to up-sample the default to 1024 and re-do the details to look better at that size.

[Stoney]

Wildcat,

GIMP is a fantastic program that has all the functionality you need to do high-quality skins.  Go to www.gimp.org and run through the tutorials.  I know its a lot of time learning the program and not working on your skin, but its sort of an investment you need to make to get the payoff at the end.  There is a tutorial on how to use layers (which is very important--maybe the most important).  Also, you want to concentrate on selections and paths as these are two other components of the software that are extremely important.  You'll need to use paths for any curved lines, and they have some other functions as well (I use them for angled lines as well).

Anyway, feel free to ask if you have any other detailed questions.

Good luck...

[Wildcat1]

Thanks guys.

Krusty: I have the hi-res pack downloaded, maybe I forgot to install it properly . Anyways I deleted the file and I'm downloading it again. I'll let you guys know how it works out.

[Stoney]

Aren't the old model skins 512X512?

[Krusty]

A6M2 is newly remodeled. Also the really old ones are 256x256.


Maybe it's so new they haven't got the hi-res pack updated?

[Wildcat1]

A6M2 is newly remodeled. Also the really old ones are 256x256.


Maybe it's so new they haven't got the hi-res pack updated?

nope, i had forgoten to save the .exe file when i first downloaded the hi-res pack. it's working now, thanks for all the help.

btw here's the skin, A6M2 Type 0 Model 21 AI-1-119 flown by CPO Saburo Saito on the carrier Shokaku in January 1943. note the yellow band on the leading edge, and the weathering on the cowling:


any more info on the pilot would be great, so far all i've found out about him is simply that he was an ace.

can't wait to get started!

[Stoney]

nope, i had forgoten to save the .exe file when i first downloaded the hi-res pack. it's working now, thanks for all the help.

btw here's the skin, A6M2 Type 0 Model 21 AI-1-119 flown by CPO Saburo Saito on the carrier Shokaku in January 1943. note the yellow band on the leading edge, and the weathering on the cowling:
(Image removed from quote.)

any more info on the pilot would be great, so far all i've found out about him is simply that he was an ace.

can't wait to get started!

See if you can find some photos to confirm the weathering and details.  Sometimes those profile artists include their own interpretations and "custom" features.

For some reason I had it in my head that he was doing an F4F skin, hence the 512X512 comment.

[ink]

some hints for GIMP

does not have an auto save...so save often

The layers in the right side panel is how you know what "layer" you are working on, the one highlighted in blue is the layer you are currently editing...you may not "see" that layer in the window, if the "eye" icon is not depressed.

make sure the layer tab is highlighted to see the layer stack.

this comes in handy when doing the lines and rivets and over all shapes of the components.

I myself am new to skinning...but I am not "new" to GIMP so anything you have an issue on, ask for I am sure we can figure it out
I have been using GIMP since I started using computers.


Paul

[Wildcat1]

well, i dug a little deeper and found NO credible information on AI-1-119, so instead i'm diverting my attention to the A6M3, and doing V-190:

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/a6m3/3032.html

only quirk about this aircraft is that the "V" on the tail indicates it belonged to the Tainan Kokutai, and to my knowlege i don't think they ever opperate out of Buna, New Guinea. was this simply a ferry or liason zeke? these are legitimate photos from December, 1942, but no clear historical image of the whole airframe exists. a computer rendering shows the aircraft with the distinctive yellow band on the leading edge. did most zekes have this in late 1942? here is the clearest historical photograph i can find:



computer rendering (IL-2):



thanks