Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Greebo on April 21, 2016, 03:28:37 PM
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This is an update of a tutorial for the new AH III skin file system I originally posted in the beta forum. I've corrected a few things in it that are no longer true.
The current AH II skins system uses image maps to control the diffuse, bump and specular effects for each individual pixel of a skin, with text files to alter other lighting effects globally over the whole skin. When AH III does go live then all skins will be changed to a new system where only image maps are used to control these effects. The AH III skin files will have different names and existing skins will have their files renamed automatically by HTC. Until AH III goes live any skins submissions will use the existing system.
Shown below are six versions of the same section from an existing Ki-43 skin that I have updated to the new AH III format. Some of these are the same as before or just renamed and some are new.
The Diffuse Map is the basic skin file that all skins share, it is simply a painting of the skin draped over the 3D shape. No changes have been made to this file, even the name stays the same as before. It may be that some skinners will want to reduce or remove some baked-in shading effects from their diffuse maps that can better be done with the other maps.
The Bump Map from AH II is no longer used for AH III but one is still needed in order to create its replacement, the normal map. On it lighter shades represent raised areas and darker shades lower areas.
The Normal Map replaces the old AH II bump map. It does the same job of creating fake bumps and dips on the surface of the skin by creating shadows and highlights derived from the position of the sun. A normal map stores information about the relative angle of each pixel to the surface, not just its relative height, so it tends to be a lot more detailed.
For example the bump map image below shows some blurred dips on the fabric control surfaces and blurred bumps around the rivet lines. However I created these for use with the normal map. On the old bump map blurred shapes like these to have a badly-banded appearance on the skin (put another way, it looks crap). On a normal map however there is much less banding and these effects can give a decent illusion of dips between the underlying structure of the airframe. The blurred white lines are made from a copy of the rivet layer which is then just gaussian blurred by several pixels.
Nvidia make a free normal-generating plug-in that works with Photoshop and Paintshop Pro:- https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop
There is also a free normal tool available for Gimp: http://registry.gimp.org/node/69
Some normal software is stand-alone and some can be linked to your graphics editing program as a plug-in that you can access directly through a menu command. Your graphics program's help file should tell you how to set up a plug-in if you don't know how. Before making a normal map you first need to make sure the bump map image you are making it from is in the right format. All the other files listed here are saved as 8-bit bmps (256 colour or greyscale) but the normal-generating software will only work on higher bit rates, 16 or 32-bit. Increasing the bit-rate can easily be done in any graphics program.
Once you activate your normal software it will bring up a window giving numerous display options. On the Nvidia plug-in that I use the only settings I have altered from default are "Invert Y" and "Scale". Invert Y changes the look of the normal file so that it appears light is coming from the top rather than the bottom of the image and this makes the resultant normal image a lot easier to understand. Scale alters the size of the bumps, a bigger number means bigger bumps. You can also reduce the bump sizes by using less extreme shades of grey on your original bump map but generally it is better to use the scale setting.
The Specular Map is essentially the same as in AH2 but the file's suffix has changed from _B_a to a more logical _S. This file controls how the surface of the skin reflects the sun's rays. Lighter areas are more reflective and darker less. This file makes a big difference to bare metal skins like this Ki-43, the bright reflections on the metal areas and weak ones on the paintwork create a powerful illusion.
The Environment Map is a new file with an _E suffix. It controls how the skin reflects the sky and land around it. The environment map is easily created from a copy of the specular map and looks quite similar to it. This is because different surfaces tend to reflect both the sun's rays and the environment to a similar degree, i.e metal reflects both types of light better than paint. An area of the environment map that is close to white will give a chrome-like appearance to the skin. While this can look quite pretty my personal view is that this is not very realistic for a WW2 metal finish so I like to dull this effect down. This is why the environment map shades shown below are a bit darker than their specular map equivalents. The only areas that are near-white are glass areas and highly polished inner gear pistons.
The Power Map is another new file with a _P suffix. It controls how sharp the highlights are on the skin. This is also created from the specular map and also looks similar to it, with sharper highlights shown in lighter shades. It looks similar because shiny surfaces like metal tend to have sharp highlights and matt surfaces like paint or rubber have vague highlights.
There is one different effect that can be added to the power map however. It is possible to make the edges of the panels to either side of panel lines have extra-sharp highlights. On the power map image below you can see I have got lighter lines outlining my panel lines and this is fairly simple to achieve. If you have several panel line layers make copies of each layer and merge these. Call this layer "Merged panel lines". Now make another copy of this layer, call it "Panel line edges" and turn all the lines on it white. Using copy and paste carefully position four copies of the white lines so that each copy is one pixel offset to the top, bottom left and right. What you should end up with is a panel line layer in white but with three pixel thick lines. Next move back to the "Merged panel line" layer, use a select tool to select all the lines, go back to the "Panel line edges" layer and hit the "delete" key. This erases the centres of your three-pixel thick lines, but leaves the outer lines intact. The merged panel line layer can now be deleted. For this bare metal skin I made a second copy of the panel edges layer and put one above the paint layers and one below to create harder edge highlights on the bare metal areas.
Putting it all together. The alpha skin viewer has a number of new buttons to help skinners work with these new files. These allow the effects of each map to be viewed in isolation, or with all the effects shown together or, as in the "Lighting Only" screenshot below, with all the effects except the diffuse map shown. Here you can see the effects of the normal map, the panel lines scribed into the surface and the structure ripples in the highlights on the wing. Also the specularity, environment and power differences in the reflections between the painted and bare metal areas. The environment effect is displayed best on the side of the fuselage which is bluer on its top half and greener below.
The in-game screenshots shows what it looks like when its all put together.
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/Jonchaz/Aces%20High/AH3_Skinning_Tutorial_Maps_SC1_zpswxuyctsa.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/Jonchaz/Aces%20High/AH3_Skinning_Tutorial_Maps_SC2_zps7qfz8rsa.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/Jonchaz/Aces%20High/AH3_Skin_Tutorial_Lighting_Effects_SC1_zpspeevccvu.jpg)
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/Jonchaz/Aces%20High/AH3_Skinning_Tutorial_In-game_SC1_zpssztlxegv.jpg)
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Very nice work, Greebo.
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Thanks for putting this together for us Greebo. :salute
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Thank you Greebo.
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Agreed. Thank you.
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I think this should be stickied.
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Much appreciated, Greebo. Thanks for sticking it, Skuzzy.
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I think this should be stickied.
Much appreciated, Greebo. Thanks for sticking it, Skuzzy.
Yeah, STICK IT, Skuzzy! :neener:
:rofl
(Just kidding.)
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Oops I meant sticky-ing it!
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Is there any plan to remove the bright seam line on the shadow side of objects where they meet another object plain?
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Is there any plan to remove the bright seam line on the shadow side of objects where they meet another object plain?
Yes. Skuzzy mentioned it in another thread - but it will be after AH3 goes live.
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Yes. Skuzzy mentioned it in another thread - but it will be after AH3 goes live.
Did not say that. I said it is on the list to be fixed, but it is down the list. It may be fixed before we go live, or it may not. I really do not know the "when".
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My mistake.
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Great tutorial.
In your KI screenshot do you have REFLECTIONS enabled in the graphics tab?
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I have everything in graphics option set to on or maximum detail except environment mapping which is at one notch.
I'll have to update this tutorial sometime, it is a little inaccurate or incomplete in places now.
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I have everything in graphics option set to on or maximum detail except environment mapping which is at one notch.
I'll have to update this tutorial sometime, it is a little inaccurate or incomplete in places now.
When I enable REFLECTIONS my skin looks closer to a mirror than aluminum. But turning it off makes it look odd.
Also, enabling POST LIGHTING is causing things like radiator scoops that should be BLACK to look grayish. What controls that?
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When I enable REFLECTIONS my skin looks closer to a mirror than aluminum. But turning it off makes it look odd.
as in shinier or reflective of the environment. I had an issue of powerful reflections on flat paint. This is controlled by the _E file. It needs to be much darker than the other specularity maps.
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The specularity file controls the strength of the reflections from the sun. For matt paint I usually have it set to a greyscale value (i.e black=0, white=255) of about 50 and for bare metal 100-130. The power map controls how focused those reflections are and for matt paint I use a grey value of about 25 and for bare metal 80-100. The environmental map controls the reflections from the landscape and sky and I set this to about 10 for matt paint and 70-100 for bare metal. My bare metal colour in the diffuse file is RGB 140/140/150 which is way darker than the colour I used to use for AHII skins.
Post lighting is not something that can be controlled by the skinner. You just have to make a decision whether to edit your skins so they look how you want with it turned on or off. Unfortunately its not possible to make your skin look the same for every player's settings, its always a compromise.
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as in shinier or reflective of the environment. I had an issue of powerful reflections on flat paint. This is controlled by the _E file. It needs to be much darker than the other specularity maps.
Yep. Looks like I can see my teeth in the panels.
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The specularity file controls the strength of the reflections from the sun. For matt paint I usually have it set to a greyscale value (i.e black=0, white=255) of about 50 and for bare metal 100-130. The power map controls how focused those reflections are and for matt paint I use a grey value of about 25 and for bare metal 80-100. The environmental map controls the reflections from the landscape and sky and I set this to about 10 for matt paint and 70-100 for bare metal. My bare metal colour in the diffuse file is RGB 140/140/150 which is way darker than the colour I used to use for AHII skins.
Post lighting is not something that can be controlled by the skinner. You just have to make a decision whether to edit your skins so they look how you want with it turned on or off. Unfortunately its not possible to make your skin look the same for every player's settings, its always a compromise.
I think you lost me at the 25, 80-100 thing. This used to be in the materials.txt, etc. files right? That's no longer the case if I am reading you correctly.
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Yep. Looks like I can see my teeth in the panels.
But can you actually see what is around the plane, or does it just look too glossy?
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When you create the specularity, power or environmental maps the greys used on the 8-bit greyscale bmps have a numerical value where black is RGB 0/0/0 and white is 255/255/255. So the higher the number the lighter the shade of grey and the lighter the grey the more powerful the effect is. I used single numbers to indicate the grey values I use on my skins, so 25 means 25/25/25 and so on.
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But can you actually see what is around the plane, or does it just look too glossy?
I see reflections. Trees, etc. Not with perfect resolution mind you, but definitely too much.
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When you create the specularity, power or environmental maps the greys used on the 8-bit greyscale bmps have a numerical value where black is RGB 0/0/0 and white is 255/255/255. So the higher the number the lighter the shade of grey and the lighter the grey the more powerful the effect is. I used single numbers to indicate the grey values I use on my skins, so 25 means 25/25/25 and so on.
Got it. Thanks! :salute
Still wondering if black looks gray in shadow on your stuff with post lighting enabled. I need to take your KI for a spin offline...
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I see reflections. Trees, etc. Not with perfect resolution mind you, but definitely too much.
Black-out the _E file.
Reflection-B-Gone :devil
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Black-out the _E file.
Reflection-B-Gone :devil
Lol! Too funny.
I wanna' say I tried that but when I checked the box for REFLECTIONS in the graphics tab it was still shiny.
And NOTHING affects how post lighting renders stuff in shadow. I've tried everything. It doesn't look right.
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Does the power map "focus the beam" of the sun on the metal?
(I have noticed that my AH2 skins that were converted have a pretty tight sun spot on the wing but my attempts to duplicate that effect are not quite succeeding.)
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Yes, the specular map controls the strength of the sun's reflections and the power map controls how focused they are. For both maps shiny surfaces should be lighter and dull, matt surfaces darker. The best way to get a handle on what the various effects do is to create both a pure white bmp and a pure black bmp to use as test pieces. Rename them to act as the power map and see what happens with each.
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Yes, the specular map controls the strength of the sun's reflections and the power map controls how focused they are. For both maps shiny surfaces should be lighter and dull, matt surfaces darker. The best way to get a handle on what the various effects do is to create both a pure white bmp and a pure black bmp to use as test pieces. Rename them to act as the power map and see what happens with each.
I tried that with Environment. Worked well. Just want to be sure I am hunting the right whale.
Thanks a lot. :salute
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Dear god, can they make it any more complex.. :bhead
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Dear god, can they make it any more complex.. :bhead
If you have an AH II template with bump and spec maps its not too much trouble to convert it to AH III spec, its just some renaming, downloading the normal software, changing colour bit-depths and copying the spec map twice to make the power and environment maps.
If you don't have bump and spec maps on your template it is more work to create these but they don't have to be as complex as the ones I do. As an extreme example for a GV skin you could quickly create plain dark grey 1024 bmps for the power, environment and specular maps. These would be darker for the environment and lighter for the specular and this would give the equivalent result of the old AH II text lighting effects file. I'd suggest at least defining any shiny metal cables or tools as lighter areas though. If you don't want to make a normal map either I could supply a plain Jane (i.e. no bumps) normal map that would allow the skin viewer to display your skin properly.
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One could always use the default normal map to start with. Most of the planes have a default normal map.
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One could always use the default normal map to start with. Most of the planes have a default normal map.
And they look terrible if the bitmap details do not match the normal map.
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And they look terrible if the bitmap details do not match the normal map.
Yes, there is that.
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And they look terrible if the bitmap details do not match the normal map.
Definitely a problem.
I still think the default Normal maps should be disabled if one is not submitted.
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Definitely a problem.
I still think the default Normal maps should be disabled if one is not submitted.
That is never going to happen. It makes the skin look flat as a pancake.
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That is never going to happen. It makes the skin look flat as a pancake.
That's better than having rivets in all the wrong places and panel lines that don't line up with the skin map. That looks FAR worse.
Panel lines on most planes are subtle any way. Less is more.
:salute
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If you chose to move the rivets and panel lines from the default location, then you also assume the responsibility for creating a normal map to match it.
In AH2, if you did not submit a bump map, we used the default bump map. Never heard anyone complain about it.
Regardless, we require a normal map. No skin will ever be approved without a normal map. Skins with no normal map have no place in the game. They look bad without one.
All the AH2 converted skins have a normal map. We converted the supplied bump map to a normal map. If a skinner did not supply a bump map, then the skin is using the default one. If the material.txt file was there we used it to create a specular map, if not, then we used the default one.
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If you chose to move the rivets and panel lines from the default location, then you also assume the responsibility for creating a normal map to match it.
In AH2, if you did not submit a bump map, we used the default bump map. Never heard anyone complain about it.
Regardless, we require a normal map. No skin will ever be approved without a normal map. Skins with no normal map have no place in the game. They look bad without one.
All the AH2 converted skins have a normal map. We converted the supplied bump map to a normal map. If a skinner did not supply a bump map, then the skin is using the default one. If the material.txt file was there we used it to create a specular map, if not, then we used the default one.
I'm not trying to debate you (and I mean no disrespect) but I am telling you they look horrible with the default normal map imposed upon them. I've flown all the Pony skins offline to get ideas for mine. The default normal map makes many of them look terrible.
The converted bump maps also don't look right. You're using a sledgehammer to drive a nail.
Devil 505 has also noted this so I know it isn't just me.
Nobody complained in AH2 because, like me, they said NO WAY to the default bump map. The converted skins/skinners weren't given the choice in AH3.
Say what you will, but the default normal map on the D looks bad when forced on skins that don't use the same rivet/panel lines. The Dora also has problems.
I've found numerous mistakes on every skin in terms of where things should go (including my own). It's a judgement call what to move where. But imposing a blanket map on skins isn't the solution.
I know I won't win this fight, but you're wrong on this one, boss. Skins without a normal map look better than they do with a poorly fitted default normal map forced onto them. :salute :cheers:
Edit in: Is there a way for some of us to be given the opportunity to update the normal maps for you on orphaned skins? I would be interested in trying.
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The other issue with many converted skins is how skins that did not have a specular map in AH2 are displayed in a high gloss. It makes the default bump maps look even worse.
Here is the default 109G-2: The normal map here looks fair.
(http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff252/DropkickYankees/Aces%20High/ahss16_zps30fbo8q1.png~original) (http://s241.photobucket.com/user/DropkickYankees/media/Aces%20High/ahss16_zps30fbo8q1.png.html)
Now here is 7.Jg77 by Fencer - an older skin with neither a spec or bump map in AH2
(http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff252/DropkickYankees/Aces%20High/ahss15_zpsy1qxlhcx.png~original) (http://s241.photobucket.com/user/DropkickYankees/media/Aces%20High/ahss15_zpsy1qxlhcx.png.html)
none of this normal map detail is subtle and it stands out terribly because of the shine. Just look at the dented panel inside the rivet lines. It looks like a big coin from Mario Bros is laying on the wing. Not to mention that the shine alone looks very fake.
A change in the default specularity on these older skins can help make them look acceptable until they can be properly updated.
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^^^^^ The half-orange-belly 190 Dora has the same problem as do many of the D Mustangs. So the specularity is perhaps the bigger issue.
All of my D Mustang skins suffered with those tiny squares of specularity after the conversion and they each had bump and spec maps in AH2. :headscratch:
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I think it might be a problem with both the Specularity and Environment maps. I would say it affects the majority of custom skins for me, even though they are flat green or camo-painted, they have the mirrored chrome look given by high-value environment and specularity values. It could be most players disable bump mapping off - I've noticed that makes the problem seem less apparent.
(http://i.imgur.com/hD8JGXr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Jr5KzG1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/7Ii2ncY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/JJ7lQO6.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dfSHUDA.jpg)
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I'll try again.
The converted AH2 skins, mostly look like crap due to the fact the original skin only came with the diffuse texture. Using the default normal, specular, power, and environment maps was the only option for AH3. Eventually, we will get around to dropping skins which could not be properly converted.
WE ARE NEVER GOING BACK TO USING ONLY A DIFFUSE TEXTURE FOR A SKIN!!!!!
If you do not like the look of your skins in AH3, then fix them!
All the skins were converted from AH2, using the data the skinner had submitted. If the skinner never submitted bump maps, or specular information and relied on the default, then that is what the skin got in AH3, the default. Our other choice was not to convert any of he AH2 skins which did not have bump or specular information.
Even if a bump map was available, there had to be a set of choices on the creation of the normal map. We used an average. It may not be the best, but the skinner can fix it if it is not.
We were not, and will not, sit and hand convert skins. The skins are there, like them or not, and are available to the skinner to update.
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That's not true, Skuzzy. ALL OF MY SKINS HAD BUMP AND SPEC MAPS and still got slammed by the default. Either that or the conversion screwed them up somehow. I've updated them so they're fine now but many skins out there are orphans.
I don't think we are advocating "going back" to a single-file skin system. It's a moot point I guess as what we need to do is determine where we go from here.
As stated, I have updated mine so they look okay now and will be improved as I master the new system. WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP YOU FIX THE ORPHANED SKINS so they look better?
Can we volunteer to update some of them?
I am willing to take on the P-51D to start then the B. I can tweak them to look a little better so these skins don't take a hammering from the default spec and normal maps.
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I apologize. I just looked at the sources and found several of your skins with bump and spec, but they did not convert. There was a header issue with the files. Sometimes some paint programs do some funny things with headers which the converter was not prepared to handle.
The orphan adoption program is on the list to be completed. It will be part of the skin admin utility. Coming up with all the rules for it has been a challenge.
Right now I need to finish the skins download page.
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I apologize. I just looked at the sources and found several of your skins with bump and spec, but they did not convert. There was a header issue with the files. Sometimes some paint programs do some funny things with headers which the converter was not prepared to handle.
The orphan adoption program is on the list to be completed. It will be part of the skin admin utility. Coming up with all the rules for it has been a challenge.
Right now I need to finish the skins download page.
Thanks, man. Apology not necessary, but appreciated.
Let us know how we can help. A lot of those skins are worth preserving if we can do it. I'm definitely willing to pitch in. :cheers: :salute
(I hope we keep credit to the original skinner for adopted skins with maybe an attaboy to the adopter in parenthesis. Lol.)
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I'll offer to help too. And if all we're doing is fixing errors created during the conversion, there is no reason to credit us on the skin.
I'm guessing a lot of the chrome-look skins (the drab and camouflaged ones) could by fixed by just resubmitting the original diffuse map along with plain specular and environmental maps containing very low values.
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I'll offer to help too. And if all we're doing is fixing errors created during the conversion, there is no reason to credit us on the skin.
I'm guessing a lot of the chrome-look skins (the drab and camouflaged ones) could by fixed by just resubmitting the original diffuse map along with plain specular and environmental maps containing very low values.
That's what I'm doing with my older skins. If I can provide a detailed map, I will. But if not, a plain spec map will be used just to get the sheen under control.
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I cannot get the NVidia Normal plugin to load. I have installed it in both PS7 and CS2 and neither are taking it.
The file 'normalmapfilter64.8BF' is in the plug-ins/filters directory but it is now loading into PS or CS2. Not showing on the list of plug-ins either..
Any ideas?
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I cannot get the NVidia Normal plugin to load. I have installed it in both PS7 and CS2 and neither are taking it.
The file 'normalmapfilter64.8BF' is in the plug-ins/filters directory but it is now loading into PS or CS2. Not showing on the list of plug-ins either..
Any ideas?
I believe you have to use the 32 bit version for CS2. I ended up installing both to my CS2, so one of them should work.
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Yeah I got that just after I posted, then evidently you convert it to rgb 32bit, then save it as dds.... ????
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Yeah I got that just after I posted, then evidently you convert it to rgb 32bit, then save it as dds.... ????
You mean the bump map file? Yes, start with a 32 bit RGB file and then convert to a normal map. Then save as a 32 bit bitmap.
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Ok, I think I am missing an important point...
You do not use your skin bmp.. you have to use your panel lines, rivets and other parts that cause depth on the skin to create a 'bump' map then convert that to a normal map.. What file format is the normal when we are done?
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I never HAD a bump map file for any of my skins.
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Ok, I think I am missing an important point...
You do not use your skin bmp.. you have to use your panel lines, rivets and other parts that cause depth on the skin to create a 'bump' map then convert that to a normal map.. What file format is the normal when we are done?
Yes, The bumpmap will be grayscale before conversion. Everything needs to be a .bmp.
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I cannot get the NVidia Normal plugin to load. I have installed it in both PS7 and CS2 and neither are taking it.
The file 'normalmapfilter64.8BF' is in the plug-ins/filters directory but it is now loading into PS or CS2. Not showing on the list of plug-ins either..
Any ideas?
I remember for PSP that I had to tick an "enable plug ins" box and point the program to the folder the plug-in was installed to.
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Still missing something..
Got the normal / bump map generation down.. :banana:
However, the file size of my bmp's are 1meg, and the ones in the default skin directory are 4 meg.
What file format and bit size should all the _N _E and _S files be?
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Hi Fencer,
Are you using Bright? I had to stop using it to export my bmps, because it uses 8-bit depth, and the Normal and Diffuse maps need to be 32-bit depth now. I think that probably explains the difference between a 1 MB vs 4 GB file size - the color bit depth is 8 rather than 32 bits.
The other files - Specular, Power, and Environment, should be saved as 8-bit grayscale images.
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Also Paint Shop Pro can't save a bmp as 32-bit, only 24-bit. While 24-bit files work in the viewer and the game HTC won't accept this format, so before submitting the skin I use Photoshop to increase the bit-depth of the skin and normal bmps to 32-bit.
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Thanks guys,
I cannot save a psd doc as a bmp at 32 bit in CS2... I think I know why the artists are all nuts... its not genetic, its from the work.
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And... I saved the P-51D_S and P-51D_E files as 8 bit greyscale bitmaps... and in the skin view they are having no effect. I set them to black and their is this wonderful shine and mirror finish all over... :furious
Crayons, basic, sturdy and in 100 colors. That's what we need to move to.
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Looks like your missing the _P file. Just copy _S and rename it _P.
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You don't have to save the psd as 32-bit, if its 24 bit or 8 bit per channel (same thing) that will do. When you are saving your skin as a bmp then save it as a 32-bit bmp. The game and viewer aren't ever going to see your psd file so it doesn't matter if that isn't 32-bit.
It is important the normal file is set up properly first or none of the other effect files will work.
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Thanks guys,
I cannot save a psd doc as a bmp at 32 bit in CS2... I think I know why the artists are all nuts... its not genetic, its from the work.
I have to use GIMP 2.6 to convert my files to 32-bit. I still can't make normal files. I am modifying my existing ones line by line and pixel by pixel. :bhead
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You don't have to save the psd as 32-bit, if its 24 bit or 8 bit per channel (same thing) that will do. When you are saving your skin as a bmp then save it as a 32-bit bmp. The game and viewer aren't ever going to see your psd file so it doesn't matter if that isn't 32-bit.
It is important the normal file is set up properly first or none of the other effect files will work.
I cannot save a bmp as a 32 bit file with CS2 or PS7. I am not worried about the 32 bit PSD file, you misunderstood my frustration, sorry.
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Sorry Fencer, I misread your post. I'm using Photoshop Elements 10 and I can save as a 32-bit bmp with that.
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And... I saved the P-51D_S and P-51D_E files as 8 bit greyscale bitmaps... and in the skin view they are having no effect. I set them to black and their is this wonderful shine and mirror finish all over... :furious
Crayons, basic, sturdy and in 100 colors. That's what we need to move to.
It is a bit frustrating at first, but in many ways easier than the old system once you get into the groove.
I still cannot stand the skin viewer controls. :bhead
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Ok...
Got Gimp. Figured out that I needed to export to save as BMP. Given options for saving as bmp for 32 bit.
First Choice. "Compatibility Options" Click or unclick "Do not write color space information?" ???????
Moving to "Advanced Options" Under 32 bits I have an option to click "X8 R8 G8 B8" Assuming that is a yes.
Now I get this nice BMP file at 4 megs..
Do this for both my "Skin file" and my "Normal" File. Already have the S, E, and P files saved as 256 color greyscale 8 bit BMPs.
AND..... BLAMMMMOOO it shows the default skin in the viewer.
There is not some weird thing where the files need to be lower case or something "Daleish" is there?
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Ok...
Got Gimp. Figured out that I needed to export to save as BMP. Given options for saving as bmp for 32 bit.
First Choice. "Compatibility Options" Click or unclick "Do not write color space information?" ???????
Moving to "Advanced Options" Under 32 bits I have an option to click "X8 R8 G8 B8" Assuming that is a yes.
Now I get this nice BMP file at 4 megs..
Do this for both my "Skin file" and my "Normal" File. Already have the S, E, and P files saved as 256 color greyscale 8 bit BMPs.
AND..... BLAMMMMOOO it shows the default skin in the viewer.
There is not some weird thing where the files need to be lower case or something "Daleish" is there?
Of the conversion options it's the one on top (of the two). I forget what it says but it's usually the default selection.
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Ok...
Got Gimp. Figured out that I needed to export to save as BMP. Given options for saving as bmp for 32 bit.
First Choice. "Compatibility Options" Click or unclick "Do not write color space information?" ???????
Moving to "Advanced Options" Under 32 bits I have an option to click "X8 R8 G8 B8" Assuming that is a yes.
Now I get this nice BMP file at 4 megs..
Do this for both my "Skin file" and my "Normal" File. Already have the S, E, and P files saved as 256 color greyscale 8 bit BMPs.
AND..... BLAMMMMOOO it shows the default skin in the viewer.
There is not some weird thing where the files need to be lower case or something "Daleish" is there?
No. use A8 R8 G8 B8.
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So many options... hehehe :bhead
For GIMP with the TE and OE, I've found clicking (checked) the compatibility option "Do not to wright the color space info" is always required and the 24 bit option is the right combo for most things AH. The exceptions are when the alpha channel is required, but then these guys are much better advisors.
:cheers:
Edit: The "color info" is used for later versions of Windows bitmaps, 5 now iirc. Most games still use version 1.
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No. use A8 R8 G8 B8.
No. use A8 R8 G8 B8.
That option is greyed out.
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That option is greyed out.
Both are for the Alpha channel. Or at least one of them is.
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That option is greyed out.
Here's how I do it in PaintshopPro to Gimp.
I save my .psp file with all the layers. This is what allows Gimp to convert with the A8 option.
I open Gimp and save as a .bmp -- when the conversion menu pops up I leave the default selections (Merge Visible and A8) as they are and save it as P51d.bmp (or whatever).
Copy/paste/replace in the AH3 directory.
If you try to convert a .bmp it won't work. Convert your original format file.
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That option is greyed out.
When you save to .bmp, select "Merge visible layers" not "Flatten Image"
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Well diddly me blind.
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In GIMP 2.8 and above, it had a feature to Export the image and it takes care of the flatening.
That protects your .xcf files.
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In GIMP 2.8 and above, it had a feature to Export the image and it takes care of the flatening.
That protects your .xcf files.
Export didn't work for me on 2.8 that's why I rolled back to 2.6.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=383983.0;attach=26322)
In-game:
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=383983.0;attach=26324
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In CS2, when I merge only visible layers I get no option to set the file to a 32 bit file. Then the Nvidia Normal Plug-in will not work... :bhead
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In CS2, when I merge only visible layers I get no option to set the file to a 32 bit file. Then the Nvidia Normal Plug-in will not work... :bhead
Don't merge it in CS2. Instead, try to merge it in Gimp (2.6 not 2.8). That's the only way it works for me.
I also use different pre- and post-conversion file names and formats.
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But I have to merge it inorder to get the normal program to work.
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But I have to merge it inorder to get the normal program to work.
Ah, okay.
I've had very little success with Normal files...
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But I have to merge it inorder to get the normal program to work.
What I do is save my grayscale bumpmap then load that file and then convert to a normal map.
Also, to let you know what my method overall is: Every plane type I make has 3 separate .Psp files. One base skin, one for the bump map and one for the spec maps. I use GIMP 2.6 to edit all of them and only use CS2 to convert the bump map to a normal map.
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Finally...
Process is as follows for me..
Create Skin. Save as PSD file in CS2. Open in Gimp 2.6, merge visible layers, save as bmp at 32 bit RGB.
Create Bump Map. Save as PSD file in CS2. Open in Gimp 2.6, merge visible layers, save as bmp at 32 bit greyscale.
In CS2 open up bump map file created above and saved as 32 bit RGB. Utilize Nvidia Normal plug-in to generate Normal Map. Save file as bmp.
In Gimp 2.6, open Normal map file. Save as bmp at 32 bit RGB.
Rinse and repeat for greyscale 8 bit _E, _P and _S files.
Also note that the files are named, P51D.bmp , P51D_N.bmp, etc etc.. not P-51D.bmp... (DO NOT ASK)
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Grayscale can usually just be your .psd in grayscale converted directly to bitmap within the host program since they don't need to be 32-bit.
Sorry I wasn't more specific on the filename conventions.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,378949.msg5120541.html#msg5120541
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I cannot save a bmp as a 32 bit file with CS2 or PS7. I am not worried about the 32 bit PSD file, you misunderstood my frustration, sorry.
I use Photoshop CS2 to convert to 32 bit all the time. Here.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=378949.0;attach=26681)
That is where you select 32 bit. The mode of the PSD must be RGB, and the color depth, 8 bit, where you create the new image/PSD. You can always convert to any other mode you need from this one.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=378949.0;attach=26683)
I have not had any problem using the NVidia normal map plugin with CS2. Once I convert to gray scale (bump map) it works fine, but it does take a while.
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It is all good now Skuzzy thank you. I have a procedure and it works for me. I just spent 15 mins flying a Mustang over Holland having a good ole time. Wish my legs worked better so I could throw it around the sky with the rudder, but its not that bad.
Could not sleep so I spent the last 4 hours generating the _S, _E, and _P maps. Need to adjust the _S as I don't think the aluminum is shiny enough. I got the _B map underway as well. Once I get all the basic maps done I will go through and up date my P-51Ds using modified maps for each specific bird.
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Glad you got it sorted out Fencer.
I don't think the B-maps are used any longer; in fact I'm not sure they're accepted...
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You need to create the bump map, so it can be converted to a normal map. You'll drive yourself nuts trying to manually create/edit a normal map.
Yes, you are correct, *_B.bmp files are no longer needed, or supported, for the submission.
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It is all good now Skuzzy thank you. I have a procedure and it works for me. I just spent 15 mins flying a Mustang over Holland having a good ole time. Wish my legs worked better so I could throw it around the sky with the rudder, but its not that bad.
Could not sleep so I spent the last 4 hours generating the _S, _E, and _P maps. Need to adjust the _S as I don't think the aluminum is shiny enough. I got the _B map underway as well. Once I get all the basic maps done I will go through and up date my P-51Ds using modified maps for each specific bird.
Adjust the individual layers in your greyscale .psp or .psd maps, save them, then save them as a .bmp as p51d_e etc. That's how I am doing it.
I've noticed that trying to get my NMF to shine makes it look like a gray paint with clear coat over it (Devil505 made that observation), so a mild built-in sheen actually helps them pop. Haven't perfected it yet but I'm getting there. Something to keep in mind lest you spend hours and hours and hours hunting a white whale.
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What's the diff between 32 bit and 24? I'm just learning the process before jumping in. I did some skins in other games and the squaddies have requests :lol
I was only able to get the skin to export from GIMP 2.8 using the advanced options, check do not save color space, and saved in 24 bit RGB. Saving in 32 bit gets me a shrunken and discolored skin like above.
It appears to work or is another function not useable if it's not in 32? Sorry, lots to read and missed earlier explanations if said already. At work so no pictures right now.
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Can we get the examples reattached to this? Photobucket's latest suckiness has killed all of them.
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I have been meaning to rewrite the tutorial as it was originally written during the AH III beta and is no longer entirely correct or as complete as I'd like. I'll try to get it done in the next couple of weeks and host the pictures on the HTC server.
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I'm a little lost about normal mapping. To me, from a 3D animation point of view a normal is the 1D plane on the outside of a 3D mesh and the angle of that normal tells which way that 1D piece of geometry will face. If you've got your normals flipped you'll see holes in your 3D model because they're facing inward, for example.
Looking at the 2D bump maps that are being called Normal Maps here is a little bit confusing. It looks like your bump map has drop shadow effects on it with highlights and shadows being pre-set colors.
I tried downloading and installing that plugin pack linked on page one, but now what? I don't know how to find it to use it in CS5. Can I just manually set drop shadows on things to get the end results I need, or is there more to it than that? I assume there's more to it, but honestly the default normal map on the P-47N has me scratching my head. Why couldn't we have just had higher fidelity bump maps? It would have removed the banding issue. I don't know what a Normal map brings (aside from higher resolution, smoother bumps) that a bump map doesn't.
Perhaps this conversation has already been held. I haven't kept up on AH3 changes until now.
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Krusty, you are referring to face normals. There are also vertex normals.
Here is a decent explanation of a normal map: http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Normal_map
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The ides of using a normal map is to allow for more subtle variations in angle than a pure bump map could do. In theory it should even be possible to mimic the rippling of the aluminium skin against the framework below. Currently this effect is spoiled in AH III due to its aggressive skin texture compression that makes the normal effect rather blocky when viewed close up. HTC are still working on it though.
I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly how to find the normal map plug-in in CS5 as I use Paint Shop Pro. For that program what I did was install the plug-in making a note of where it went on the HDD. Then in PSP I went to File/Preferences/File Locations and ticked "Enable Plug-ins". The in the same File Locations window I selected "Plug-ins" and hit "Add". Then I browsed folders to the plug-in file and hit "OK". Now when I want to run the plug-in I just click on "Effects/Plug-ins/Nvidia Tools/Normal MapFilter" and it runs. I'd imagine the CS5 process would be similar, searching the CS5 help file for plug in should say exactly how its done.
Once you get the plug-in set up in CS5 the workflow goes like this: If you already have a bump map file for an AH II skin then start by renaming it from xxxxx_B.psd to xxxxx_N.psd. Then change its colour depth from greyscale to 8-bits per channel. After that you just save the file as a 32-bit bmp and load this bmp back into CS5. Then run the normal map plug-in on the bmp and it converts it into a normal map bmp. When creating a new skin from scratch what I usually do is finish the diffuse map, rename a copy of this with the _N suffix and edit that to make the bump map.
The composite shots below give an idea of how the normal map is generated. The top right bump map is run through the normal map plug-in and ends up as the normal map on the bottom right. The only things I adjust in the plug-in window are "invert Y" which gives the appearance of light coming from above rather than below on the map and the "Scale" where a higher number increases the effect. I use 3 on my aircraft skins and 10 on my GVs. Any other adjustment I do on the bump map itself.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=378949.0;attach=27890)
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Krusty, and others, I went to YouTube and plugged in GIMP Normals to learn how it use their plugin.
Just did the same with 'CS5 Normal map plugin' and got a list. The first one looked okay but there's a screen full on this returned page:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CS5+Normal+plugin
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Good idea, Easycor.
I'm not at home at the moment but I think I'll use one of those tonight and see if I can get the plugin working.
Of the first few, this is probably what I need:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG3pTxgZdsI
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I have written a rough first draught of a new version of the original post of this thread. I still intend to create some new screenshots for it and add website links etc. When its finished I'll create a new thread and ask Skuzzy to kill this one. If anyone has any corrections or suggestions to the following, please post them.
AH 3 Skin Files Format Guide
AH 3 introduced a new file system for player created skins and existing older skins were automatically converted to this format, at least to some extent. The old AH 2 skins system used text files to alter some lighting effects globally over the whole skin whereas AH 3 uses image maps to control these effects on a per-pixel basis. This guide is intended to explain the new AH3 format and assumes some knowledge of skinning whether for AH 1 or 2 skins or some other game. It isn't a beginner-level “how to skin” guide.
AH 3 skins consist of one or more sets of five image files in a bmp format. To find out which files can be skinned for a particular ride you should log onto the AH Skins Management Page. Here the files are listed with their minimum/maximum allowable size and correct colour depth format and as either mandatory or optional. Default files can be downloaded from the hangar screen in-game or through the skin viewer which is available from HTC's website.
The file types used in AH 3 are as follows:
The Diffuse Map is the basic skin file that all skins share, it is simply a painting of the skin draped over the 3D shape. The main difference between AH 3 diffuse maps and earlier versions is that this file is now saved as a 32-bit bmp rather than 256 colour bmp. The diffuse map is always mandatory for any skin.
The Normal Map gives the illusion of bumps and dips on the surface of the skin by creating the shadows and highlights of these features derived from the current in-game position of the sun. The map stores information about the relative angle and height of each pixel to the surface of the 3D model. It is mandatory for all new skins, is a 32-bit bmp and uses an “_N” file suffix.
Creating a normal map is a two-stage process. First you must create a bump map and then use special software to convert this into a normal map. The initial bump map is pretty much the same as the one used in AH 2 skins where height is defined in shades of grey, with white being maximum height and black minimum. The difference is that in AH 3 the file is saved as a 32-bit colour bmp not as a 256 shade greyscale bmp. So to convert an AH2 bump map to AH3 bump map you would just rename it from a “_B” suffix to a “_N” suffix and increase the colour depth to 32-bit.
Converting your bump map to a normal map requires a normal map generator. Luckily these are available as free plug-ins for the most popular graphics programs. There are also stand-alone programs but these usually cost money.
Nvidia make a free normal-generating plug-in that works with both Photoshop and Paintshop Pro:- https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop
There is also a free normal tool available for Gimp: http://registry.gimp.org/node/69
Your graphics program's help file should tell you exactly how to set up a plug-in if you don't know how.
To use the normal map generator save your bump map as a 32-bit bmp, load this bmp back into your graphics program and run the normal map plug-in. Once you activate the normal software it will bring up a window giving numerous display options. On the Nvidia plug-in that I use the only settings I have altered from default are "Invert Y" and "Scale". Ticking “Invert Y” changes the look of the normal file so that it appears light is coming from the top rather than the bottom of the image and this makes the resultant normal image a lot easier to understand. Scale alters the size of the bumps, a bigger number means bigger bumps. I use a scale of 3 for aircraft and 10 for tanks, any other bump editing I do by using more or less extreme shades of grey on the bump map. Click OK and you have your normal map.
The Specular Map controls how the surface of the skin reflects the sun's rays. Lighter areas are more reflective and darker less. This file makes a big difference to bare metal skins, the bright reflections on the metal areas and weak ones on the paintwork create a powerful illusion. The file is a 256 shade greyscale bmp. It is essentially the same as the specular map used in AH 2 but in AH 3 the file's suffix has changed from “_B_a” to a more logical “_S”. It is mandatory for all new skins.
The Environment Map controls how the skin reflects the sky and land around it. It is easily created from a copy of the specular map and often looks quite similar to it. This is because different surfaces tend to reflect both the sun's rays and the environment to a similar degree, i.e shiny metal reflects both types of light better than paint. An area of the environment map that is close to white will give a chrome-like appearance to the skin. While this can look quite pretty my personal view is that this is not very realistic for a WW2 metal finish so I like to dull this effect down. So my environment map shades tend to be a fair bit bit darker than their specular map equivalents. The only areas that are near-white are things like glass navigation lights and highly polished inner gear pistons. The environment map is an optional file, has an “_E” suffix and is a 256 shade greyscale bmp.
The Power Map controls how sharp the specular reflections are on the skin. Like the environment map this is easily created from a copy of the specular map and also ends up looking similar to it. It looks similar because shiny surfaces like polished metal tend to have sharp highlights and matt surfaces like paint or rubber have vague highlights. My power maps tend to have grey values darker than the specular map but lighter than the environment map. On my power maps the shadow effects I use on the diffuse, specular and environment maps are deleted and white borders are added to the panel lines. The power map is an optional file and is a 256 shade greyscale bmp with a “_P” suffix.
The Alpha Map is used on some AH skins to create holes in the skin. Examples include the holes on the SBD-5 dive flaps, holes in tank tracks and the holes in WW1 aircraft damage files. Where an alpha map is included in the file list for a ride, a power map isn't. The map is a 256 shade greyscale where white is solid and black transparent.
You can in theory use an alpha map on any skin to turn parts of it invisible (instant clip-wing Spitfire etc) but you will only be able to view the result offline, HTC won't let you submit it like that.
Putting it all together. The AH 3 skin viewer has a number of new buttons to help skinners work with these new files. These allow the effects of each map to be viewed in isolation, or with all the effects shown together or, as in the "Lighting Only" screenshot below, with all the effects except the diffuse map shown. Here you can see the effects of the normal map, the panel lines scribed into the surface and the structure ripples in the highlights on the wing. Also the specularity, environment and power differences in the reflections between the painted and bare metal areas. The environment effect is displayed best on the side of the fuselage which is bluer on its top half and greener below.
The in-game screenshots shows what it looks like when its all put together.
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If you like, Skuzzy can replace your OP with your new one instead of losing all the info in this thread.
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My thinking was that subsequent posts might refer to something that I have taken out of the OP, but looking through the thread that doesn't seem to be much of an issue.