AH III skin tutorial

[Vraciu]

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?

[Devil 505]

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.

[Greebo]

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.

[Vraciu]

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.

[Vraciu]

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.

[Devil 505]

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?

[Greebo]

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.

[Vraciu]

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. 

[Vraciu]

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!   

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...

[Devil 505]

I see reflections.   Trees, etc.  Not with perfect resolution mind you, but definitely too much.

Black-out the _E file.

Reflection-B-Gone 

[Vraciu]

Black-out the _E file.

Reflection-B-Gone 

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.   

[Vraciu]

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.)

[Greebo]

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.

[Vraciu]

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. 

[Fencer51]

Dear god, can they make it any more complex..