Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: oboe on June 28, 2017, 03:16:49 PM
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I added a bluish tinge to the bare metal, which also ended up darkening the diffuse map and looks better than the old version when side-by-side. Tweaked the Power, Spec, and Env maps. Still not sure how close I am. I keep thinking I'll find the perfect balance. Maybe I need to dial back the specularity more, and crank up the power even higher? Or, enhance the contrast in the metal shade variations within the panels on the spec map?
This is Don Strait's "Jersey Jerk" from the 356th FG. Was pretty tedious lining up all the diamonds on the nose but I was curious to see how this scheme would look in AH3:
(http://i.imgur.com/ColRpsi.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KEY4j9S.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/RogjADw.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/P0OyDkD.jpg)
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It's quite nice. The belly struck me the most. Really sharp.
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I think that is my favorite representation of aluminum yet!
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That looks damn good.
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And to beat a dead horse..
Another example of why we need either a P-51K or a few orphaned skins put out to pasture. Just thinking out loud. Pardon the repetition.
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And to beat a dead horse..
Another example of why we need either a P-51K or a few orphaned skins put out to pasture. Just thinking out loud. Pardon the repetition.
Whatever the case may be, Oboe can take his experience from this skinning and apply it to his older ones :cheers:
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:aok
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Very nice Oboe !
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Looks really good Oboe. I don't think you need to increase the panel shade variation on the diffuse, any more and it would look draw your eye too much.
One minor criticism I'd make is that on the shot of the underneath of the aircraft the rivets and fastener highlights look too visible on the painted areas. Perhaps you could make copies of these layers and place one of each above and one of each below the paint layers with the ones above set to a lower opacity.
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Looks really good Oboe. I don't think you need to increase the panel shade variation on the diffuse, any more and it would look draw your eye too much.
One minor criticism I'd make is that on the shot of the underneath of the aircraft the rivets and fastener highlights look too visible on the painted areas. Perhaps you could make copies of these layers and place one of each above and one of each below the paint layers with the ones above set to a lower opacity.
You mean the unpainted areas?
I was looking at Brat III the other day, specifically the rivets on the inner wing panels. I think he got the belly just about perfect. Maybe you're right on the highlights for the inner panel wing bolts but the rest I'd leave alone.
If anything I think the fuselage might be a tad "chalky" in some spots. Still excellent overall.
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Thanks guys. I would be interested in seeing the picture of Brat IIIs belly, Vraciu. I have quite a collection of P-51 photos now myself, but not sure how many good shots I have of what I refer to as the "belly pan" - the center section of the wing bottom - I've left it bare metal, and seem to recall that the fasteners on the perimeter of this section are quite large and noticeable, but can't recall of the top of my head whether that is from studying Cactus' or Fester's super detailed skins, or if I have a photo of it somewhere.
I know what Vraciu means when is says "chalky", and I suspect it means I have spec/power set too low, as chalk is not reflective at all. Also I agree Greebo that the variation in contrast in the bare aluminum is at the edge of "too much" but I was wondering if reducing the contrast here (diffuse map), but increasing it on the spec map would achieve the desired result. My rivets for the painted area of the wing are in a separate layer so its easy to dial back the opacity of them to make them less visible.
It really helps to take screenshots and get feedback. You guys are invaluable, and I've also spotted a few things wrong that I missed despite just staring, panning, staring at it in game, under different lighting conditions.
I also think I want to try an increase the power and env values for the painted nose - I'm trying for a harder finish there - I think what I have looks more like a "satin" finish.
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Here you go. Yes, they're VERY noticeable. Wish I had taken this from head on. Looked just as you rendered them.
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=387905.0;attach=27792)
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Whatever the case may be, Oboe can take his experience from this skinning and apply it to his older ones :cheers:
True. Seems to be our only option right now.
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True. Seems to be our only option right now.
Ah, but all my older skins are P-38s, and a new P-38J model has already been shown on AH's Occulus Rift store front page.
I did start with my bare metal experimentation with a '38J, but when I saw the new model I shelved it. All my '38 skins could disappear at any time - I have no idea what HTC's time frame is for the introduction of the new '38 (I assume the G and L new models wouldn't be far behind), I have no way to tell whether it'd be worth my effort or not; how long any updated skin might last in game before the new models roll out.
I have a more than a few bare metal 38's that are just painful to look at - the conversion process left them with an overall chrome-like finish.
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What about your B?
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I'll have to take everything I learned with this '51D and apply the changes to the 3 '51B skins (Beantown Banshee, Snoot's Sniper, and Bonnie Bea) I'm working on. I definitely like the bluish tinge to the aluminum, for example. And I'll have to change their spec, power, and env values too.
After that its only the N-map, and not sure how I want to handle that. I think I'll start with a completely minimalist approach. What do you N-maps look like? Do you take them down to the rivet level?
My skinning focus right now is to learn how to create absolutely eye-popping bare aluminum skins. I'm closer now than I was before, but still feel like I can do more.
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Right now the N maps do not handle rivet detail well at all. something about a dotted line of single pixels makes the map over react and creates a solid line that is much too wide. It looks awful to me so I do not include rivet detail on my N maps. Larger and more defined screw heads work fine, though.
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Right now the N maps do not handle rivet detail well at all. something about a dotted line of single pixels makes the map over react and creates a solid line that is much too wide. It looks awful to me so I do not include rivet detail on my N maps. Larger and more defined screw heads work fine, though.
Thanks for reminding me about that. I recall Skuzzy advising to go ahead and put them in even though it looks awful, on the assumption that one day it would be fixed. I can't really see myself doing that - I'd rather wait until the compression problem is fixed and then update the N-map.
I'm concerned if I haven't included much detail in the N-map it could lead to rejection of the skin. Do you do panel lines as well? I thinking I would avoid that too - I have a feeling the N-map would over-emphasize the hair's width gap between panels.
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I've had no problems adding panel lines to the N map. I add all the raised or recessed details except rivets.
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I've had no problems adding panel lines to the N map. I add all the raised or recessed details except rivets.
That't the thing I'm wondering about - what's raised or recessed about the joint between two panel sections? Isn't it just a flush, smooth joint?
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That's how I do it in general. If one panel stands proud of another, I will add a slightly lighter shade of gray to that section on the grayscale map. This is great for wing root fairings.
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I'll have to take everything I learned with this '51D and apply the changes to the 3 '51B skins (Beantown Banshee, Snoot's Sniper, and Bonnie Bea) I'm working on. I definitely like the bluish tinge to the aluminum, for example. And I'll have to change their spec, power, and env values too.
After that its only the N-map, and not sure how I want to handle that. I think I'll start with a completely minimalist approach. What do you N-maps look like? Do you take them down to the rivet level?
My skinning focus right now is to learn how to create absolutely eye-popping bare aluminum skins. I'm closer now than I was before, but still feel like I can do more.
You're wasting time. Banshee looks good as it is. Put it in.
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I'll have to take everything I learned with this '51D and apply the changes to the 3 '51B skins (Beantown Banshee, Snoot's Sniper, and Bonnie Bea) I'm working on. I definitely like the bluish tinge to the aluminum, for example. And I'll have to change their spec, power, and env values too.
After that its only the N-map, and not sure how I want to handle that. I think I'll start with a completely minimalist approach. What do you N-maps look like? Do you take them down to the rivet level?
My skinning focus right now is to learn how to create absolutely eye-popping bare aluminum skins. I'm closer now than I was before, but still feel like I can do more.
My N maps only have the horizontal stab fillet, gear bay, wing rib, gear door, and wheels. Everything else is blank. I wouldn't mind stealing your aileron fences though.
As Devil noted, the distortions caused by N map compression cause more harm than good.
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I've had no problems adding panel lines to the N map. I add all the raised or recessed details except rivets.
I have panel line issues. They are wide or banded depending on location. Ammo doors and latches in particular get really screwed up.
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My N maps only have the horizontal stab fillet, gear bay, wing rib, gear door, and wheels. Everything else is blank. I wouldn't mind stealing your aileron fences though.
As Devil noted, the distortions in the N map compression cause more harm than good.
Thanks, but Fencer did the best air fences I've ever seen - and he posted them in his thread "North American works" or something like that, if I recall correctly. Mine are incorrectly tear-drop shaped, but I have so many other things I've been concerned about I haven't worried about fixing them.
I supposed air fences WOULD be something additional to include on the N-map?
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Thanks, but Fencer did the best air fences I've ever seen - and he posted them in his thread "North American works" or something like that, if I recall correctly. Mine are incorrectly tear-drop shaped, but I have so many other things I've been concerned about I haven't worried about fixing them.
I supposed air fences WOULD be something additional to include on the N-map?
Yes.
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I chuck everything I can think of onto the N map; rivets, panel lines, fasteners, fabric stitches and so on. However I keep the levels low so the effects are subtle. You can only really judge this in-game looking out the cockpit over the top of the wing as the light shifts the shadows and highlights around. The normal compression issue is something HTC are looking at.
BTW the P-38s are not going to be updated straight away, most likely not until next year.
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I chuck everything I can think of onto the N map; rivets, panel lines, fasteners, fabric stitches and so on. However I keep the levels low so the effects are subtle. You can only really judge this in-game looking out the cockpit over the top of the wing as the light shifts the shadows and highlights around. The normal compression issue is something HTC are looking at.
BTW the P-38s are not going to be updated straight away, most likely not until all the AH1 stuff is redone and so probably not until next year.
It doesn't work, no matter how slight. You get bands and squares around the rivets that look terrible even at minimum setting. (The pic of Jo-Baby is old, prior to my deletion of the rivets from the N map and the current, fully updated Diffuse.)
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=375904.0;attach=23328)
(http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=385955.0;attach=27135)