Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Greebo on January 28, 2005, 06:32:02 PM

Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on January 28, 2005, 06:32:02 PM
I've been playing with the specularity settings in V2.02 on these Liberator skins. These shots are all taken with the Ki 84's material file, except with the specularity turned down to 0.1.

The new version does not fix the dark panel on the nose, but I've found a way of largely getting round it. You need to create a patch the same shape as the anti glare panel on the original skin, as shown below. The RGB colours of this panel should be made 1.92 times brighter than the base colour. For instance the Olive Drab colour on the Nan skin is RGB 85/79/68. So I made the glare panel 163/151/131; each number is 1.92 times bigger. This cancels out the effects of the panel, which makes everything on it 52% darker.

(http://www.gfg06.dial.pipex.com/nannosedemo.jpg)


This is a USN PB4Y-1 of VPB-111.

(http://www.gfg06.dial.pipex.com/ladyluckscreenshot.jpg)


This is the "Naughty Nan" a 1944 8th Air Force Liberator of the 705th BS of the 446th BG.

(http://www.gfg06.dial.pipex.com/naughtynanscreenshot.jpg)


This is a Liberator of 70 Squadron RAF, based in Italy, hence the Mediteranean colours.

(http://www.gfg06.dial.pipex.com/70sqnrafscreenshot.jpg)


This is a shark mouthed 1943 8th Air Force Liberator of the 67th BS of the 44th BG.

(http://www.gfg06.dial.pipex.com/sharkmouthscreenshot.jpg)

I'll post them to the Skin Department after I've played around with the new settings some more and tidied a few things up.
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: sullie363 on January 28, 2005, 07:15:44 PM
And now I need new pants.  :aok :aok :aok
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Octavius on January 28, 2005, 07:21:35 PM
eeexcellent!
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: United on January 28, 2005, 07:23:13 PM
Wow.  Speechless.
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Waffle on January 28, 2005, 09:13:23 PM
I bet you would've flipped out if they only could add material tags starting with the p38..... :)
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on January 29, 2005, 02:37:48 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Waffle BAS
I bet you would've flipped out if they only could add material tags starting with the p38..... :)


The thought had crossed my mind, it would have been just a tad annoying..... :)
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Waffle on January 29, 2005, 06:30:37 AM
one thing that looks a little odd to me is the mottled weathering layer - the splotches.... looks a little "off" some how.... maybe lower the opacity / or blur / directional blur it. Theres too much of it all over everything - no direction / cause of wear.

That make sense? and your second one has a non painted replacement cowling on one of the engines :)
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on January 29, 2005, 12:54:23 PM
Yes, I was going to look at the weathering etc. I've tried to concentrate the dirt around the walkways near the spars and on top of the fuselage, but I haven't tuned it for the different skins. The dirt shows up way more on the blue than the olive drab or browns. Not happy with the stretching effect over the top of the cowlings either. Up to now the gloss glare has tended to drown all this stuff out preventing me editing it. The info I've got on the Nan shows the replacement cowl, so I'm going to keep that. Think it adds a bit of character.
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Waffle on January 29, 2005, 01:10:28 PM
Weathering is a big thing to making planes look different, even though they have different paint schemes / materials.

I know theres alot of skins that have the same weathering/wear on a different paint job....makes them all look the same to me after awhile...

Jump into a plane - "hey, this ones got the same oil stain on the wing" lmao!..."hey, so does this one...and this one too!"

You could honestly take one paint scheme and make it look like 3 different  planes by changing weathering.

That's one of my pet peeves on skins. The cookie cutter approach.
 
Granted - panelines / rivets / ect...you'd duplicate...
but if the weathering on each bird is her own, as her paint is...it makes for a much better quality of skin.
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on January 29, 2005, 05:29:05 PM
Personally I think its wasted effort to completely redo the weathering from scratch for each skin. How many people look that closely? Certainly I intend to adjust opacities and colours of the weathering layers to suit each colour scheme. I'll probably add some individual paint chips and stains and paint patches for each skin but that's about it.
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Waffle on January 29, 2005, 05:47:11 PM
See - you're doing it :)

with the paint chips, ect - opacities...not saying start a completely new weathering job, but just working with what you've done and adding/subtracting from that makes them look different. Just a little different icing per each cake.

 Looking forward to seeing them in the game soon!
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: SELECTOR on January 29, 2005, 05:55:06 PM
greebO .....you musyt have a time machine.. how can you find all the time to do it .....excellent job.....

if i may i would like a costal command colours b24...i know they were slightly earlyer models but, as i cant see us getting the earlyer version it may be excepted....:aok
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Stang on January 30, 2005, 01:48:03 AM
Every time I check this forum I ruin a pair of boxers.  You guys rock!   :eek:
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on January 30, 2005, 06:57:30 AM
Quote
Originally posted by SELECTOR
if i may i would like a costal command colours b24...i know they were slightly earlyer models but, as i cant see us getting the earlyer version it may be excepted....:aok


Kev and Rogerdee are aleady working on Coastal Command Liberators and as there are 4 or 5 guys doing various Liberator schemes for only 16 slots it would be a bit selfish of me to add a third. I've already posted two B-24s and when these four are done that will probably be my lot, for the MA at least. I might do one of the wilder 8th AF formation ships that Majors posted me, just for fun. BTW there were Coastal Command Liberators with the front turret.
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on January 31, 2005, 03:48:21 PM
I've just posted the PB4Y-1 to The Skin Department (http://www.ah-skins.com/index.php).
Title: Liberation Day
Post by: Greebo on February 02, 2005, 01:21:55 PM
The 67th BS Liberator is now up at The Skin Department (http://www.ah-skins.com/index.php).