Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: oboe on May 25, 2017, 04:57:10 PM
-
This is one of the other schemes I wanted to work on; I wanted to see what it would look like on the bare metal base I had created. The spec file is closer; I hope I've been able to show how the ailerons and flaps are bare metal while the main wing surface is painted. I understand the pilot was a barber in civilian life, and the name of the ship was supposed to be "Snoot's Snipper" but the ground crew made a spelling error. There's no weathering or paint chipping yet. I don't know if you can tell but I've created a new pilot for these planes - new leather jacket with 8th AF arm patch, new life preserver, new flying helmet and Polaroid B-8 goggles.
(http://i.imgur.com/1ef2nFD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cOlPiLw.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/POzNkYO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NJCOUKJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Q7Wuaom.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/0eW152Y.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/u4tm2k0.jpg)
-
Oh, that's nice. :aok
-
Thanks, I see a couple of errors already - I just missed them until I'm looking at the screenshot I made.
I hope someone chimes in about the shade of blue for the nose. Honestly I don't see how that WWII color photo can be accurate - its seems too purplish to me when I sample it and use that shade. I've seen many different shades of blue for the Blue-nosers not sure what to think. Maybe those guys mixed their own paint back then and the result was a lot of variation between individual aircraft?
-
It's 352nd for sure, but it's not Punchy Powell's "West by Gawd Virginian" though...
Just kidding, looks great. :D
-
Thanks, I couldn't find any images of Powell's '51 with a Malcolm canopy installed. I looked just for ya, Nef! :salute
Here's one of Sweet & Lovely, see how the blue is more of a medium shade:
(http://i.imgur.com/4C4kx38.jpg)
But these images definitely show Snoot's Sniper with a darker shade. Unless its something that happens to color film over the years?
(http://i.imgur.com/VyALEoU.jpg)
Oops, I see it was the crew chief who was the barber, not the pilot..
-
Not bad. The blue is bound to be darker though.
Hurry up with Banshee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :x
-
Yes, I think I'll have to darken the blue.
Doing this one helped me discover a panel line error I never would've found in Banshee, because the invasion stripes were covering it up and making it hard to spot.
Also interesting, the lower side cowl panels seemed slightly polished where they are bare metal, opposed to the fuselage panels adjacent to them, which look more like weathered aluminum. I'll have to see if I can duplicate that look with the spec and env. maps.
-
Also interesting, the lower side cowl panels seemed slightly polished where they are bare metal, opposed to the fuselage panels adjacent to them, which look more like weathered aluminum. I'll have to see if I can duplicate that look with the spec and env. maps.
Probably has a thin film of oil in that area.
-
I definitely see some oil and grease stains, but in this image I think I'm also seeing sky reflections in the unpainted engine cowl panels, but the fuselage panels seem much less reflective:
(http://i.imgur.com/cOlPiLw.png)
-
what I mean is this: oil from there could spread out even more and leave a residue which would protect the area from oxidation - therefore more reflective
-
:aok
-
:aok :aok :aok
-
Looks to me like the aluminum needs a little less power and more specular. A little too flat.
-
Very nice Oboe :aok
-
Looks to me like the aluminum needs a little less power and more specular. A little too flat.
By less power you mean toward the black color band and not white correct?
The effect of this makes the reflection less stark/more spread out I think.
I post this question on behalf of others as well for understanding.
-
Go the other direction in your thoughts. The specular needs to be tightened up a bit with a touch more added to the aluminum.
-
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>
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.
-
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. :salute
-
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.
-
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.
-
That's how I read it... But I think Devil is right. Going black avoids that gel look on metal.