352nd FG P-51B "Snoot's Sniper" work-in-progress

[Skuzzy]

Go the other direction in your thoughts.  The specular needs to be tightened up a bit with a touch more added to the aluminum.

[oboe]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I appreciate it.  Will fix the issues I spotted and crank up the spec some and dial back the power on the bare metal.

<S>

[Vraciu]

Go the other direction in your thoughts.  The specular needs to be tightened up a bit with a touch more added to the aluminum.

Oh, I got you (I hope).   You're talking about the _S map not the _P map.

Lighter on the _S.   

The Power _P map where metal is concerned is in effect somewhat opposite the _S map in terms of what to shoot for in grayscale.    If I am reading this all correctly any way. 

[Vraciu]

Maybe I have the nomenclature wrong regarding more vs less. 

If you say less power to me that means go darker on the P map so it "spreads the beam" out for lack of a better word.     Is that the right way to understand it?

[Skuzzy]

It can be confusing depending on the perspective you are looking at it from.

When I say reduce the power, I am talking about narrowing the specular effect.

When I say increase the specular, I am talking about raising the intensity of the specular effect.

[Vraciu]

It can be confusing depending on the perspective you are looking at it from.

When I say reduce the power, I am talking about narrowing the specular effect.

When I say increase the specular, I am talking about raising the intensity of the specular effect.

Got it.  Yeah I have the power nomenclature backwards.  I think in terms of the light beam intensity so it is reversed in my head.   I will try to remember that going forward.   

[Devil 505]

It can be confusing depending on the perspective you are looking at it from.

When I say reduce the power, I am talking about narrowing the specular effect.

Sound to me like you want him to make the power map whiter - which would be the wrong way to go. Metal reflects wider than gloss paint. The lighter the power map, the more focused the shine and the more it looks like a gloss coat over the base material.

Power maps should be near black for bare metal.

[oboe]

My understanding was more towards the way Devil explained, and the power map is fairly dark already, but I can make it even darker.

But, Skuzzy's use of the phrase "narrowing the specular effect" make me think he wants the bare metal reflections more focused, and thus a lighter, not darker map shade should be used for the bare metal.

One of these days I'm going to do a chart which will list all the typical elements of an AH3 skin and the suggested range of values for the Specular, Power, and Environmental maps.

[Vraciu]

That's how I read it...   But I think Devil is right.   Going black avoids that gel look on metal.