I have a painter question to open things up :-)

[DHenriques_]

Up until today I had very little experience installing repainted liveries. As of this morning I now simply have little experience as I have now installed one made for me
I believe I understand correctly that the cfg file in FSX has to be changed to reflect each new livery and that these liveries as they are created by the painter have to be assigned a number that will be inserted in the cfg file in a specific order on the list. As each livery is created, how does the painter know what number or numbers to use since once the initial install of the aircraft has been made people will all be adding liveries that come from different sources and no two cfg files will exactly match for these numbers?
For example, right now I have the initial 3 Mustangs in FSX. I haven't as yet installed the skins package. So my cfg file was numbered 1-2-3 before I got this single new livery to install today. If I had installed the skins package I would have 9 on the list.
How does a painter doing a new livery know what number I will need to keep things in order when he creates a new livery?
I know the answer is going to be simple..........like change the number the painter uses to match what is needed before you change the cfg file for the new livery. What I can't figure out is that a new livery must need a call of some kind and this means the right number in all the files for the new livery would seemingly have to match somehow?????
Am I missing something here that might help me understand this process a but better?

As a suggestion; for all the newbies dealing with installing additional liveries for A2A airplanes, how about one of you "painter guys" doing a short but precise tutorial on how to get everything in and running smoothly with added liveries and making that a big sticky on this new Repainters forum??
Dudley Henriques

[mattgn]

Dudley, I think that most painters add a readme file to their skins, explaining how to edit the .cfg file and with what, and where.
They don't know what the next number in the sequence will be: so in the readme, they'll include the text for the .cfg file, and tell you to change the "[fltsim.X]" number to whatever is the next number in your skins list.
e.g.
[fltsim.X] <------ this bit
title=Spitfire Mk Ia R6835
sim=spitIa
model=Ia
panel=
sound=
texture=R6835
etc etc

That's how the skins I've added have been done, but my knowledge is limited and airing for one night only. So I do apologise in advance for any lack of aforementioned thingy.
I'm quite sure that the pros amongst the community will gladly make a concise and easy to follow tutorial for us all.


Best regards
Matt

[DHenriques_]

Dudley, I think that most painters add a readme file to their skins, explaining how to edit the .cfg file and with what, and where.
They don't know what the next number in the sequence will be: so in the readme, they'll include the text for the .cfg file, and tell you to change the "[fltsim.X]" number to whatever is the next number in your skins list.
e.g.
[fltsim.X] <------ this bit
title=Spitfire Mk Ia R6835
sim=spitIa
model=Ia
panel=
sound=
texture=R6835
etc etc

That's how the skins I've added have been done, but my knowledge is limited and airing for one night only. So I do apologise in advance for any lack of aforementioned thingy.
I'm quite sure that the pros amongst the community will gladly make a concise and easy to follow tutorial for us all.


Best regards
Matt

Thanks. Sounds like a good way to do it. I have noticed however that some painters pre-number their cfg add to file. I take it what happens in this case is that the painter doing the skins takes a look at the basic aircraft cfg file and chooses the next number in line.
What I'm not getting is that if a painter does it this way, there must be an "assumption" that the receiver of the skin will look at his/her individual cfg file that might have any number of additional skins already in it and know enough to change whatever number the latest painter chose to the next number in line as that number has to be to work properly.
My main point is that there will be newbies out here (like me for example ) who don't know to do this.
It would be easy if every painter used a boiler plate readme format but apparently a lot of repainters take for granted that the receiver will know exactly what to do with the files.
For example I've seen instructions that assume a base starting folder and pick up the installation at an intermediate folder in the installation path. VERY confusing!! There isn't a standard apparently. What I'm saying is that the repainters at A2A establish a standard and post it as a sticky. This should be a great help to all the newbies doing liveries for the first time............and this Mustang will be VERY popular!!!!
)
DH

[wallydog]

Up until today I had very little experience installing repainted liveries. As of this morning I now simply have little experience as I have now installed one made for me
I believe I understand correctly that the cfg file in FSX has to be changed to reflect each new livery and that these liveries as they are created by the painter have to be assigned a number that will be inserted in the cfg file in a specific order on the list. As each livery is created, how does the painter know what number or numbers to use since once the initial install of the aircraft has been made people will all be adding liveries that come from different sources and no two cfg files will exactly match for these numbers?
For example, right now I have the initial 3 Mustangs in FSX. I haven't as yet installed the skins package. So my cfg file was numbered 1-2-3 before I got this single new livery to install today. If I had installed the skins package I would have 9 on the list.
How does a painter doing a new livery know what number I will need to keep things in order when he creates a new livery?
I know the answer is going to be simple..........like change the number the painter uses to match what is needed before you change the cfg file for the new livery. What I can't figure out is that a new livery must need a call of some kind and this means the right number in all the files for the new livery would seemingly have to match somehow?????
Am I missing something here that might help me understand this process a but better?

As a suggestion; for all the newbies dealing with installing additional liveries for A2A airplanes, how about one of you "painter guys" doing a short but precise tutorial on how to get everything in and running smoothly with added liveries and making that a big sticky on this new Repainters forum??
Dudley Henriques

Hello Dudly,

When Installing new textures, you will always need to update each plane's aircraft.cfg file and add the texture folder containing the new livery/texture files to your aircraft's folder. Most texture downloads will contain a readme file with instructions and the appropriate text to paste within the aircraft.cfg but the installer will have to manually change the fltsim.xx line to reflect the next consecutive number in that person's list of textures.

[fltsim.0] <----- change the number here to the next consecutive number
title=P-51D 'Kwitcherbitchin'
sim=p51d
model=pto <----- this is calling the Pacific Theater P-51D Model
panel=
sound=
texture=Kwitcherbitchin <----- calls the appropriate texture folder for your aircraft- in this case texture.Kwitcherbitchin
kb_checklists=P-51D_check
kb_reference=P-51D_ref
atc_id=472854
atc_airline=Air Force
atc_type=North American
atc_model=P51
atc_flight_number=
atc_heavy=0
ui_manufacturer=A2A North American
ui_type=P-51D Mustang
ui_variation='457th FS'
ui_typerole="Single Engine Prop"
ui_createdby="A2A Simulations Inc."
description=P-51D-25 44-72854, 457th FS/506 FG, 'KWITCHERBITCHIN', flown by Captains William B Lawrence Jr and Alan J Kinvig. Based at Airfield No 3, Iwo Jima, Summer 1945. The victory flag is Captain Lawrence's, representing the unidentified single engined aircraft he shot down on the 16th July 1945. The blank victory flag probably represents the Ki-44 Tojo he damaged on the 10th June 1945.
atc_id_color=0x00000000
atc_id_font=Verdana,-11,1,600,0
prop_anim_ratio=1.02
visual_damage=0

[DHenriques_]

Up until today I had very little experience installing repainted liveries. As of this morning I now simply have little experience as I have now installed one made for me
I believe I understand correctly that the cfg file in FSX has to be changed to reflect each new livery and that these liveries as they are created by the painter have to be assigned a number that will be inserted in the cfg file in a specific order on the list. As each livery is created, how does the painter know what number or numbers to use since once the initial install of the aircraft has been made people will all be adding liveries that come from different sources and no two cfg files will exactly match for these numbers?
For example, right now I have the initial 3 Mustangs in FSX. I haven't as yet installed the skins package. So my cfg file was numbered 1-2-3 before I got this single new livery to install today. If I had installed the skins package I would have 9 on the list.
How does a painter doing a new livery know what number I will need to keep things in order when he creates a new livery?
I know the answer is going to be simple..........like change the number the painter uses to match what is needed before you change the cfg file for the new livery. What I can't figure out is that a new livery must need a call of some kind and this means the right number in all the files for the new livery would seemingly have to match somehow?????
Am I missing something here that might help me understand this process a but better?

As a suggestion; for all the newbies dealing with installing additional liveries for A2A airplanes, how about one of you "painter guys" doing a short but precise tutorial on how to get everything in and running smoothly with added liveries and making that a big sticky on this new Repainters forum??
Dudley Henriques

Hello Dudly,

When Installing new textures, you will always need to update each plane's aircraft.cfg file and add the texture folder containing the new livery/texture files to your aircraft's folder. Most texture downloads will contain a readme file with instructions and the appropriate text to paste within the aircraft.cfg but the installer will have to manually change the fltsim.xx line to reflect the next consecutive number in that person's list of textures.

[fltsim.0] <----- change the number here to the next consecutive number
title=P-51D 'Kwitcherbitchin'
sim=p51d
model=pto <----- this is calling the Pacific Theater P-51D Model
panel=
sound=
texture=Kwitcherbitchin <----- calls the appropriate texture folder for your aircraft- in this case texture.Kwitcherbitchin
kb_checklists=P-51D_check
kb_reference=P-51D_ref
atc_id=472854
atc_airline=Air Force
atc_type=North American
atc_model=P51
atc_flight_number=
atc_heavy=0
ui_manufacturer=A2A North American
ui_type=P-51D Mustang
ui_variation='457th FS'
ui_typerole="Single Engine Prop"
ui_createdby="A2A Simulations Inc."
description=P-51D-25 44-72854, 457th FS/506 FG, 'KWITCHERBITCHIN', flown by Captains William B Lawrence Jr and Alan J Kinvig. Based at Airfield No 3, Iwo Jima, Summer 1945. The victory flag is Captain Lawrence's, representing the unidentified single engined aircraft he shot down on the 16th July 1945. The blank victory flag probably represents the Ki-44 Tojo he damaged on the 10th June 1945.
atc_id_color=0x00000000
atc_id_font=Verdana,-11,1,600,0
prop_anim_ratio=1.02
visual_damage=0

Making more sense by the minute
DH

[Skycat]

The important thing is to never break the sequence of numbering. If delete paint #6 from your aircraft.cfg, for example, and the numbering sequence is now 4,5,7, 8, 9...etc., all the paints after #5 won't appear in your menu.

Similarly, you can't "delete" a paint by changing its number to [xx] in the aircraft.cfg, or to [x6] or something like that or else the sequence will be broken and all the paints following will not appear.

However, if you feel you have too many paints in your menu and you want to remove some, but you don't want to lose the entry in your aircraft.cfg or go through the trouble of deleting the entry and renumbering everything following, you can simply delete or rename the texture folder that the entry points to. FSX will can move on to the next entry in the aircraft.cfg catalogue and display the higher-numbered skins; and, you can easily restore that texture later if you wish.

[DHenriques_]

The important thing is to never break the sequence of numbering. If delete paint #6 from your aircraft.cfg, for example, and the numbering sequence is now 4,5,7, 8, 9...etc., all the paints after #5 won't appear in your menu.

Similarly, you can't "delete" a paint by changing its number to [xx] in the aircraft.cfg, or to [x6] or something like that or else the sequence will be broken and all the paints following will not appear.

However, if you feel you have too many paints in your menu and you want to remove some, but you don't want to lose the entry in your aircraft.cfg or go through the trouble of deleting the entry and renumbering everything following, you can simply delete or rename the texture folder that the entry points to. FSX will can move on to the next entry in the aircraft.cfg catalogue and display the higher-numbered skins; and, you can easily restore that texture later if you wish.

I think I'm beginning to get some of this. I've been thinking the sequential numbers in the cfg file were directly connected to a like number in an aircraft's texture folders and that the number in the cfg file was connected to a call for that texture. Apparently the linkage between the cfg file and the texture folder for a specific texture comes from something else in the cfg text that is linked.
This being the case I would imagine you could insert say a Moonbeam McSwine in a list of 9 aircraft as #10 for example, then remove it as number #10 inserting another airplane as #10, then later on come back with Moonbeam and insert it back in as #11.
So if I'm getting this right, it doesn't matter at all WHICH skin is in which numbered slot as long as the numbers have no break in the sequence. So Moonbeam could be #1 or #100 and it can be called up in the selection pane as long as it's textures are in the folder with the cfg file.
Hope I'm getting this right!! )
DH

[Skycat]

Correct.

[zenandzen]

This may help...

FSX Repaint Manager (386KB) - Flight1's FSX Repaint Manager will allow you to easily package and install almost any repaint for FSX. It even works for non-Flight1 products also! If you are a repainter, simply use this tool to package and distribute your repaint. If you are an end user, you simply use this tool to install the repaint using just a few mouse clicks. It is designed to work universally with almost any aircraft. The repaint manager installer can also be redistributed with your repaints or products.

http://www.flight1.com/view.asp?page=library