Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: oboe on August 03, 2008, 10:48:02 AM

Title: I need expert skinner advice/opinions with a BMF problem
Post by: oboe on August 03, 2008, 10:48:02 AM

Got a problem unique to bare metal finish P-38s, and need your advice/opinions.

The problem is that the matte finish underlying the antiglare panel areas on the 3D model doesn't correspond to the real life antiglare panel areas of most P-38 skins.   The matte area provided in the 3D model doesn't cover enough area, meaning that the anti-glare panels on P-38s usually suffer from having two distinct specularities, and it is noticeable depending on the sun angle.   Generally, the lower the sun angle, the worse the appearance.   I can see the effect at all local times in-game except a couple hours before and after 12 o'clock noon.

Here's an example, using Kev367th's 5FC P-38J skin:
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Antiglare-problem-outside-v.jpg)

Another example, inside looking out from one of my BMF P-38s:
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Antiglare-problem-inside-vi.jpg)

I've experimented with differing the shades of the areas to compensate, but haven't been successful.   I think there is just no way to compensate for specularity differences.

So, I can either stick with historically correct antiglare areas and put up with the distraction of different specularities, or clip the antiglare area to correspond to HTCs matte finish on the 3D model.

Here's how Swanee Jr looks when I do that (and she looks worse from inside the cockpit):
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/Antiglare-problem-clipped-p.jpg)

And here's how here antiglare SHOULD look, if kept historically correct:
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/tjlaven/P-38J-479FG-435FS-Swanee.jpg)

Neither way looks good to me; I can't stand the look of incorrect antiglare panel areas, but I'm also distracted by the
differing specularities when I use the correct antiglare panel areas.

So my question to the skinning community is, which one bothers you the least, and why?

Thanks.

Title: Re: I need expert skinner advice/opinions with a BMF problem
Post by: Greebo on August 03, 2008, 10:52:00 AM

I'd go with the default panel areas, the specularity difference would bother me a lot more than the innaccurate positioning.