Riveting

[Dragon Tamer]

I've been reworking my B-29 skin, and I fixed a huge issue I was having. With the last skin, the panel highlights and the rivet shadows were contradicting each other making the panels look like balloon animals. Luckily this has now been fixed and I can sleep at night again.

My new problem is that I've never seen a B-29 in person. I don't know if the rivets were flush or raised... while I personally like the raised look, I want the skin to be historically accurate. Can someone give me some insight?

Thanks,
Player1

[danny76]

Having seen the thread title I was expecting a thoroughly immersive and absorbing read

[FTJR]

They look flush to me,

http://www.photovault.com/show.php?cat=Military/AirForce&tg=MYFVolume08/MYFV08P09_07

Just google it.

[Dragon Tamer]

They look flush to me,

http://www.photovault.com/show.php?cat=Military/AirForce&tg=MYFVolume08/MYFV08P09_07

Just google it.

Thank you sir, it's not the answer that I wanted to hear though. Oh well I'll just have to find another way to get creative with the skin. I'm thinking maybe a few Easter eggs.

I tried Googling it but I couldn't find any close up pics... and I got a lot of random racist crap that I'm not going to share...

[Greebo]

The B-29's external surfaces were flush riveted.

[HornetUK]

If you look at the Enola Gay in the Smithonian the rivets are flush. However I think it adds to the aircaft to have some sort of rivet in the bumpmat as it gives a distortion in the aircaft skin which it would in the plate metal. For me it makes it look less like a coke can and more of a real aircaft. I guess it is a question of artistic interpretation & what also gives a good look and feel to plane. What does everyone else think"????

[HornetUK]

here is pictures of my skin i have finished so you can see what i mean

[lyric1]

 

[Krusty]

Hornet, that's excessive. Looks more like an 1800s steam locomotive than a streamlined aircraft.

You can get plenty creative with how you make rivets appear, but IMO simply making them all giant bumps isn't very appealing.

Let's take a look at the real thing, shall we?



"rivets" as a skin features are truly blown out of proportion in this game. Honestly in most cases you couldn't see them unless you walked up and put your hand on them. There are some cases of much larger screws, panel fasteners, etc, which were visible from further out, but these are not rivets.

Example of fastener screws on this present-time P-40:



Edit: moving my last comment to the proper thread.

[HornetUK]

We have to work in the confines of aces high.

my aircraft is modeled on Enola Gay as it is the only "silverplate" b29 which i can get large hidef images of. Sure Ihave to use one size dot but over all when you zoom out the effect is good. as in my image attached.

[Krusty]

I think the effect is far too much when you actually see it. There's too much reflection and I don't know what settings you're using for the materials.txt files but it's ramped way off the charts.

My favorite way to suggest rivet detail is to discolor the reflections, to draw the eye to it. Or to change how things weather (with a bit of shadow on the rivets to suggest recessed dimples). These and many other ways are better than making giant dome rivets. I know we are working within the limits of AH's bitmap resolution, but still there are other ways which work better within our limited resolution.

[HornetUK]

well in truth the gound does not help it and the other thing is that bockcar is not as shinny as the enola gay. Well I have had alot of people test it for me and have actually made it more refective because of what i have been told me.

[Torquila]

That is beautiful; all the more appetising to shoot at!!! 

[HornetUK]

Thanks for the kind comment but hay yes it looks good to me to but it has a hornet on it if you look and it has a sting to lol