Author Topic: A visual clue  (Read 1548 times)

Offline Skuzzy

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A visual clue
« on: February 22, 2017, 03:12:14 PM »
There has been a lot of discussion on the lighting of bare aluminum in this forum lately.  There seems to be some misunderstanding of the various maps and how they interact to provide the lighting clues of the surface.

To try and help clear it up, I have modified a B29 skin, with 27 sections over the top of the fuselage, each representing the various combinations of specular, power, and environment.  The reason there are 27 is due to my choosing to use 0, 128, and 255 as the values for each map.  That equates to 27 combinations.


I have attached an image of the skin, along with the numbers shown in each section.  The numbers are ordered as specular, power, and environment.


Here is a link to the zip file containing the Photoshop PSD's for this skin, along with the bitmaps, so you can play with it.

I hope this helps clear up how the various maps interact to provide the lighting details of the surfaces.  Any questions?
« Last Edit: February 22, 2017, 03:52:30 PM by Skuzzy »
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Online Devil 505

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2017, 03:38:19 PM »
This will be very helpful. Thanks Skuzzy.
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Offline hitech

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2017, 03:57:03 PM »
Or in my language the basic lighting is.

Final Color = DiffuseColor + (CubeMapColor * Env) + (SUNSpecularColor * Spec) * ((cosign of the Angle between reflected Light vector )^ Power)

Note Power = 1 when rgb is 0 power is 8 when rgb is 255

If you would want to make a perfect mirror Diffuse color should be black Spec 255 Power 255 Env 255
Not because finally lighting is the sum of 3 components is very easy to get a washed out look if the base diffuse color is to bright.

Power is simply a higher number makes the reflection a smaller (circle) while a smaller number makes the sun reflection over a bigger area.

HiTech


Offline Greebo

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2017, 04:06:52 PM »
The base aluminium colour for the diffuse definitely needs to be darker in AH3. I've gone from RGB 190/190/195 as my base aluminium colour in AH2 to 140/140/150 in AH3.

Offline Skuzzy

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2017, 04:12:41 PM »
Up until now, we had set the _E and _P files as optional for the bare metal planes, but that probably needs to be changed to "required" as you really cannot make a good looking bare metal skin without those two files in conjunction with the specular map.
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Offline Vraciu

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2017, 04:34:42 PM »
Good info, guys.   I will digest this and be back with questions.

I agree with Greebo though.   The light is definitely way too bright.    AH2 actually did a better job with reflectivity in direct sun compared to current settings in AH3, IMO.    :salute
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Offline hitech

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2017, 04:36:40 PM »
Good info, guys.   I will digest this and be back with questions.

I agree with Greebo though.   The light is definitely way too bright.    AH2 actually did a better job with reflectivity in direct sun compared to current settings in AH3, IMO.    :salute

That's not what greebo said.

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Offline Vraciu

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2017, 04:37:39 PM »
That's not what greebo said.

HiTech


In a roundabout way it is.   Basically compared to AH2 we have to darken our skins which means the light is brighter.    I guess I should have phrased that better.   
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Offline Vraciu

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2017, 04:39:04 PM »
Can you pin this, Skuzzy?   It's valuable info for certain.
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Offline oboe

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2017, 05:15:52 PM »
I know that Specularity equates to the "shininess" of a surface - I suppose I think of this as the degree of the surface's ability to reflect white light.

The Environment map relates to the surface's ability to "mirror" its surroundings.   As with a quality mirror, the reflection is always "perfect", but changing the Environment value is seems like its changing the opacity or transparency of this perfect reflection.

Can someone tell me in words, what the "Power" map does? 

Offline Skuzzy

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2017, 06:39:51 PM »
The power map controls the dissipation of the glare on a surface.  Take a look at the first 3 bands in the angled picture of the B29 I did.

Note how the "glare" is reduced at each band?  The first being 0, which is full glare, the second 128 reduces the glare by about half, and the 255 value reduces it to a narrower band again.

Download that B29 skin, take into the skin viewer or in the game, and move around it using different angles.  What the power map does is pretty well depicted in there.  I went through this so you guys could see what those maps do and how they play together.

If you are doing a bare metal skin and have not done power and environment maps, then your skin is not going to look very good.  You cannot do bare metal with just a normal and specular map and have it look its best.

The anit-glare panel on the P51D is very different.  Personally, I would start with a low amount of specular, with a high amount of power, and a touch of environment and go from there.  Very different from the bare metal, but without the power and environment maps you are probably going to get a washed out anti-glare panel.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2017, 06:35:43 AM by Skuzzy »
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Offline Greebo

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2017, 07:12:46 PM »
Increasing specularity makes reflections from the sun appear stronger while increasing power makes those specularity reflections smaller and more focused. In real life a shiny surface is smooth and most of the light hitting it bounces off in the same direction, like a mirror. A dull or matt surface is rough like sandpaper, matt paint is just gloss paint with a powder in the mix to make it rough. The light hitting the rough surface gets scattered in all directions making the reflections less focused and more spread out. So if you want to simulate a shiny surface you want both the specularity and power grey shades to be lighter than a matt surface.

Vraciu I did not say or imply the light is too bright in AH III. I was just describing the adjustment I made to my bare metal skins to get them to look better.

Currently my typical AH III bare metal settings are:-

Diffuse: Aluminium colour is 140/140/150.
Specularity: Aluminium grey shade is around 125/125/125, painted areas 50/50/50.
Power: Aluminium grey shade is around 95/95/95, painted areas 30/30/30.
Environment: Aluminium grey shade is around 65/65/65, painted areas 15/15/15.

Some NMF aircraft were a lot shinier than others so the above is only intended as a starting point.

Offline Vraciu

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2017, 08:00:51 PM »
Vraciu I did not say or imply the light is too bright in AH III. I was just describing the adjustment I made to my bare metal skins to get them to look better.

Currently my typical AH III bare metal settings are:-

Diffuse: Aluminium colour is 140/140/150.
Specularity: Aluminium grey shade is around 125/125/125, painted areas 50/50/50.
Power: Aluminium grey shade is around 95/95/95, painted areas 30/30/30.
Environment: Aluminium grey shade is around 65/65/65, painted areas 15/15/15.

Some NMF aircraft were a lot shinier than others so the above is only intended as a starting point.

It is definitely too bright for directly porting skins over.   I am still being unclear in my words.

The brightness in here is MASSIVELY higher than in AH2 as I see it.

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Offline Vraciu

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2017, 08:21:50 PM »
In AH2 the viewer seemed to directly translate into what we saw in the game.   To my eye...the viewer in AH3 is brighter than the game.

Am I to understand that the viewer light source defaults to max direct light?
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Offline Skuzzy

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Re: A visual clue
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2017, 06:07:41 AM »
The viewer has nothing to reflect off the surface so it may appear brighter in the viewer.

Just remember this.  If you do not supply a power and environment map, the graphic engine will use your specular map as the specular and power maps and then use .8 of that for the environment map.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2017, 06:25:43 AM by Skuzzy »
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