Jo-Baby - P-51D 52FG, 4FS - Updated AH3

[Vraciu]

I think it looks great! Can only get better:-)

Thanks, bro.   I keep trying to improve it.   Learning little by little.   It sure looks good from inside the cockpit.   I finally was able to get some highlighting of panel lines in there after listening to these guys explain it over and over and over again.  Not quite as good as the way they do it but I like it.    I'm a minimalist because that's the way I think airplanes actually look.  Nobody agrees with me so at least that makes me unique.   

I agree with your comment on the lighting htting the curves and sometimes the dents in thr metal is what causes many of thr color variations, least from what I can see from your examples.

IF you were to vary the color on the frame panels ever so slightly (and maybe some very small tweaking on bitmap angles to adjust how the light reflects) it may mimic the light reflecting effect for our virtual world. I'm sure you'll get it close to perfection in the long run!

I will give it another shot and see what I can do with it.    I just finished up adding a bunch of stuff I didn't notice before.    Will take a day off from it and then hit it again to see if I can tweak these panels.

I hope you come back, will miss another pilot with knowledge taking off for the final time.

Thanks man.  You're likely one of the very few who thinks that, but I appreciate it.

I won't lie, I was pretty hacked off when I wrote that.   I love this game.   Walking away is not going to be easy.  I've already calmed down some.   Gonna' take a couple of weeks away from everything and reset my headgear.   A few deep breaths and all that...

 

[oboe]

Vraciu,

I just noticed your screenshots dont' have the bright "shadow gap" bug on the shadowed side of an object.  Doesn't that bug affect you?  I thought it was universal....

[Vraciu]

Vraciu,

I just noticed your screenshots dont' have the bright "shadow gap" bug on the shadowed side of an object.  Doesn't that bug affect you?  I thought it was universal....

It does and that brings to light (pun) another issue I am having.   I do not have shadows or reflections enabled.   It seems that doing so really screws with how the skin looks. 

When working with OD I don't have many issues but with metal....yikes.   I am getting washed out in the light and goofy shadows opposite.   Black still looks like gray or charcoal in shadow.   It's extremely frustrating. 

I guess it's the nature of the beast.   

I am also getting other weird effects.   Where the skin wraps around you will see lines at where the skin meets itself, the main wheels show through the gear doors at certain angles, etc.

I suppose these issues will be addressed in the new shape layout down the road.

[Vraciu]

Do you have a screenshot of it?  I'll try and duplicate it on my end to confirm.

[oboe]

Here's one that shows it a little.  I didn't realize you had shadows turned off, that explains it.



You can see under the stabilizer, the shadow has a bright line.  should be nothing but dark shadow under the stabilizer.  This is not unique to your skin - its any skin castig a shadow.  Was reported in Beta bug testing but HiTech hadn't decided how to fix it. 

[Vraciu]

Also by the propeller blade, no?

I seem to recall getting those.   Will turn shadows on when I do my next test flight.

[oboe]

Also by the propeller blade, no?

I seem to recall getting those.   Will turn shadows on when I do my next test flight.

Yep, there too.  Good eye.  I think everybody gets them - the graphics engine just does that with shadows.  Must be a tough fix, or one with an unacceptable tradeoff.

[Vraciu]

Yep, there too.  Good eye.  I think everybody gets them - the graphics engine just does that with shadows.  Must be a tough fix, or one with an unacceptable tradeoff.

Well, as I see it there are probably half a dozen fixes this engine needs.   In some ways I preferred the old one.   Hopefully once they get this one sorted out it will be solid like AH2 was.

The skin joints, bleed through, blurring of the panel with Post Lighting enabled, and the effect on dark colors in shadow are my top three.  The latter though, is a must-have.    I think what drives that is the same thing that makes bullet holes look white in certain lighting.   It's REALLY screwy.

[Devil 505]

Well, as I see it there are probably half a dozen fixes this engine needs.   In some ways I preferred the old one.   Hopefully once they get this one sorted out it will be solid like AH2 was.

The skin joints, bleed through, blurring of the panel with Post Lighting enabled, and the effect on dark colors in shadow are my top three.  The latter though, is a must-have.    I think what drives that is the same thing that makes bullet holes look white in certain lighting.   It's REALLY screwy.

The bullet holes I think is just the spec maps for the hit objects being full reflection for some reason.

[Vraciu]

The bullet holes I think is just the spec maps for the hit objects being full reflection for some reason.

Ahhh...   I never considered that.

Something that needs tweaking for sure.