Rivets and Bump Maps

[Vraciu]

Also you can do most of the work by for both of them by just taking your original skin, converting it to grayscale, and playing with the colors/saturations of the layers

Also if you modified your panel lines at all from the original and don't change the bump or spec maps it will look stupid
Also if the default spec map takes in dirt/paint differences that aren't in your skin it will look stupid

Will try the suggestion on grayscale.  As for the panel lines, yes, I have almost entirely obliterated them and done my own.  I was told not to copy the original as that's a big no-no.   So I am basically re-inventing the wheel which is taking forever--lots of do-overs....



http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,357987.msg4775548.html#msg4775548

[Vraciu]

I just tried the P-51D in my skin viewer and it didn't crash. I don't have any custom skins for the P-51D though, only the default. That might be the issue.

Hmmm....

Or it just means my PC sucks!!

My screenshots are so pixelated (they don't look that way in the game but the output file is horrid, which makes me look even worse for my efforts).

[Vraciu]

Plug these numbers into your materials file:

0.259,0.259,0.259,1.000,Ambient
0.741,0.741,0.741,1.000,Diffuse
0.000,0.000,0.000,1.000,Emissive
0.208,0.208,0.208,0.000,Specular
33.420,Power

Can I edit the materials file outside Skin viewer?

[ink]

Can I edit the materials file outside Skin viewer?

should be able to.....isnt it just a text file?

[Motherland]

Will try the suggestion on grayscale.  As for the panel lines, yes, I have almost entirely obliterated them and done my own.  I was told not to copy the original as that's a big no-no.   So I am basically re-inventing the wheel which is taking forever--lots of do-overs....



http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,357987.msg4775548.html#msg4775548

If you're doing a skin that includes bare metal, you absolutely, 100% need to do your own spec map

Can I edit the materials file outside Skin viewer?

Yeah it's just material(s?).txt in the skin folder

[Dragon Tamer]

Yes, it's just a text file that sits inside the skin folder you are working with. It's worth noting that if the text file doesn't exist in the skins folder, then any changes you make to material properties in the skin viewer will not be saved (at least that's how it used to be).

There should be 2 material files and they should be named as follows:

material.txt   This is for when bumpmap and specmap are disabled.

bumpmat.txt  This is for the material properties when bumpmap and specmap are eneabled.

Both files affect the overall look of the plane (can't be adjusted for a specific part).

[Vraciu]

I don't even touch the bump map for my skins. It's not required and I will most likely mess it up worse than it already is. The bump map is what gives the plane depth when it's enabled (rivets look like they are standing up, panels look stacked etc).

The specular map on the other hand, I always try to modify. This is what gives the plane it's shiny appearance. This should line up exactly with the plane.bmp file.

After much experimentation I am leaning toward this thinking.   It seems that whatever BUMP effects I put in are either unnoticeable or way over-the-top.   The exception being the anti-glare panel and the spinner.   The bump map REALLY helps flatten those out nicely.

Where I am at a loss is how much depth should each panel have.  A Mustang is flush riveted with subtle waves in the panels.  I don't see how I can duplicate that without it looking like a cartoon.   So frustrating.

[Devil 505]

The bump map REALLY helps flatten those out nicely.

Remember, the BUMP map does not alter the shine. That is the SPECULAR map.

[Vraciu]

Remember, the BUMP map does not alter the shine. That is the SPECULAR map.

Well, when I applied black to my BUMP map it made the color of the OD on my nose flatter...   It has some affect on it, no?

[Vraciu]

Are my bumps supposed to be slightly off center?

[Saxman]

I've noticed that the Skin Viewer doesn't seem to match with how the bump maps are rendered within the actual game. IE, stuff that appears inverted from some angles in the skin viewer (sunken panel lines appearing raised, etc.) render just fine in the game itself.

The viewer is nice for a quick look, but I'd double-check how it appears in the game itself before making any adjustments.

[Greebo]

Vraciu, did you insert a copy of the main skin as a layer in the bump and spec maps to check everything is lined up? What the bump mapping does is to create highlights and shadows where a bump would be. So a recessed horizontal panel line on the side of the fuselage would have a white line below it and a dark line above assuming the light is coming from above. So in that respect the bump map effects are always slightly offset to the skin objects they are simulating.

Personally I don't like heavy bump mapping on planes. If you look out the side of the cockpit and see overdone highlights and shadows moving around the panel lines on the top of the wing as you maneuver it just looks unrealistic. So I turn down the effect by reducing the last number in the bump map text file to around 0.025 or 0.03.

For aircraft the specularity map is a far more useful effect, particularly for bare metal. Heavy bump mapping looks a lot better on GVs.

[Vraciu]

Vraciu, did you insert a copy of the main skin as a layer in the bump and spec maps to check everything is lined up? What the bump mapping does is to create highlights and shadows where a bump would be. So a recessed horizontal panel line on the side of the fuselage would have a white line below it and a dark line above assuming the light is coming from above. So in that respect the bump map effects are always slightly offset to the skin objects they are simulating.

Personally I don't like heavy bump mapping on planes. If you look out the side of the cockpit and see overdone highlights and shadows moving around the panel lines on the top of the wing as you maneuver it just looks unrealistic. So I turn down the effect by reducing the last number in the bump map text file to around 0.025 or 0.03.

For aircraft the specularity map is a far more useful effect, particularly for bare metal. Heavy bump mapping looks a lot better on GVs.

I did. Traced it in grayscale as you suggested.  They line up as best I can see.

[Greebo]

Then its probably just the bump map effect creating off-centre highlights and shadows as I suggested above.

[Vraciu]

Then its probably just the bump map effect creating off-centre highlights and shadows as I suggested above.