Learn how to do a good repaint?

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S.Alva
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Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by S.Alva »

I would like to learn how to do a good repaint fore this aircraft, I need someone who can explain how?

What program do I need? Photoshop? Gimp? :shock:

Best Regards/
Stefan
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ICDP
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by ICDP »

Hi S.Alvå,

The paintkit should work with GIMP, so grab yourself a copy of that from here.

http://www.gimp.org/

1st thing to do is familiarise yourself with the layout of the paintkit. There are some basic notes in the readme so have a look in there. It is also important to get as many images or profiles of the particular aircraft you wish to paint. Scour the net or books to get ideas for the Spitfire you wish to paint.

You will note that the paintkit consists of 4 PSD files.

spit_t.psd
spit_t_ALPHA.psd
spit_t_spec.psd
spit_t_spec_ALPHA.psd

Spit_t.psd is the main texture and should be where most of your work is done. Pretty much all you need to do is type in the squadron code letters using fonts available from here. Look for any WWII RAF fonts, download and install them.

http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/

Have a look at some of the existing textures from your WoP3_Spitfire texture folders (eg texture P7308 or R6835). These will give you an idea as to how your code letters and serials should look and where they are placed on the texture. Also note the layer order to see where markings are placed in the layer order. Once you have got the markings how you want them you need to copy your markings layer into all the other PSDs so that the specular maps and the reflections match up. If you look at the Spec and Alpha textures you will see how the markings layers should look in each. Copy that format and you won't go too far wrong.

You need to save each of the 4 textures as .BMP files.

spit_t.bmp
spit_t_ALPHA.bmp
spit_t_spec.bmp
spit_t_spec_ALPHA.bmp

When all 4 textures are save you need to copy the ALPHA textures to the main and specular textures. Open all 4 bmp files in your art package of choice, copy the entire contents of the spit_t_ALPHA.bmp and paste it into your blank alpha channel of the spit_t.bmp. Flip the entire canvas vertically then save the file as a DXT5 (D3D/DDS) file. Then do the same process for the spit_t_spec.bmp and spit_t_spec_ALPHA.bmp files. The Specular texture can be resized to 2048x2048 before saving as a DDS file.

You have now created 2 .dds files that can be used with the A2A WoP 3 Spitfire.

It sounds more complicated than it really is, the old saying of practice makes perfect is very true in this case. Give it a go and post here if you need help or advice.

S.Alva
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by S.Alva »

Thanks!
I have some teach-time ahead, starting tomorrow. Wish me luck ;)

Best regards/
Stefan
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S.Alva
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by S.Alva »

Hi, I have almost finished my first repaint. But I need help with one thing:
How do I save the files as DDS files?

Regards/
Stefan
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Bleddyn
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by Bleddyn »

If you are using Gimp as suggested above you need a DDS plugin.

http://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/

:)
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S.Alva
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by S.Alva »

Hi,

When the Photoshop says that it's "too many channels to export (5)" when I'm trying to save the bmp files as DDS files, what does it mean?
That I have "(5)" channels too mush or that I only can have 5 channels in the repaint?

Thanks/
Stefan
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nath2889
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by nath2889 »

save your paint in the psd format it started off as
download DXTBMP it can be found on this link then scroll to bottom of page to get the download
http://www.btinternet.com/~mnwright/programs/dxtbmp.htm

after you download it open the psd files in it and use it to convert to dds but make sure you flip files vertically first and turn of MipMaps before saving as dds format

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Lewis - A2A
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by Lewis - A2A »

Too many channels to export means an alpha or somesuch is selected and it shouldnt be I believe.
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ICDP
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by ICDP »

With your PSD file open select files 'save as' and save the finished texture as a 32bit BMP file. Open the main texture BMP file and the alpha BMP files, copy the alpha bmp to your main texture alpha channel and then flip the entire texture vertically.

Now you can select save as DXT5 (dds) file.

Ian P
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by Ian P »

I have to ask this, but presuming most people wanting to do repaints have the deluxe version of FSX and thus the SDK, why do people insist on using Martin Wright's tool and not Imagetool for doing DDS conversion? Imagetool will do it without the need to flip and without needing to download additional software you don't already have.

I'm not criticising... I've just had a lot of problems with DXTBMP that I've never had with Imagetool and am wondering why others choose to use DXTBMP instead?

Ian P.

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Tako_Kichi
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by Tako_Kichi »

Lewis - A2A wrote:Too many channels to export means an alpha or somesuch is selected and it shouldnt be I believe.
'Too many channels to export' means that you haven't flattened the image to a single layer before trying to export. Make sure you save the file as a layered .PSD file before flattening otherwise you may not get back to it later!

If you are using Photoshop then you need to get the nVidia plug-in (available from the nVidia website) which allows you to export DDS files directly and thus eliminate the extra DXTBmp step.

With the DDS plug-in you paint as normal, save the layered file as a .PSD, then flatten the image and flip it vertically (DDS files need to be flipped due to a bug in FSX) and finally do a 'Save As' (not a 'Save') and select DDS as the format. In the pop-up DDS settings window make sure that you select 'DXT5 ARGB 8ppp | interpolated alpha' in the drop-down menu and click the 'No Mip Maps' radio button (these settings will be remembered for the next time you use the plug-in) then click 'Save' on the pop-up window.
Larry
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Tako_Kichi
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by Tako_Kichi »

Ian P wrote:I have to ask this, but presuming most people wanting to do repaints have the deluxe version of FSX and thus the SDK, why do people insist on using Martin Wright's tool and not Imagetool for doing DDS conversion? Imagetool will do it without the need to flip and without needing to download additional software you don't already have.

I'm not criticising... I've just had a lot of problems with DXTBMP that I've never had with Imagetool and am wondering why others choose to use DXTBMP instead?
If you are using Photoshop with the DDS plug-in you don't even need to use Imagetool (or DXTBmp) as you can do everything in the one program. The plug-in can be found here....

http://developer.nvidia.com/object/phot ... ugins.html
Larry
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Ian P
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by Ian P »

Until last night I was using GIMP, Larry. Last night, my wife felt massive pity for me and purchased Photoshop Elephants, sorry, Elements 9.

Be gone, GIMP! Never more to darken the memory of my system! :roll: :lol:

I've not looked for a DDS plug-in for Elements yet. Might do so.

Ta!

Ian P.

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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by jcblom »

Ian P wrote:I have to ask this, but presuming most people wanting to do repaints have the deluxe version of FSX and thus the SDK, why do people insist on using Martin Wright's tool and not Imagetool for doing DDS conversion? Imagetool will do it without the need to flip and without needing to download additional software you don't already have.

I'm not criticising... I've just had a lot of problems with DXTBMP that I've never had with Imagetool and am wondering why others choose to use DXTBMP instead?

Ian P.
I don't have deluxe, so no SDK. I did manage to track down the imagetool, to see how that worked, but I never liked working with it.
DXTbmp allows me much more flexilibilty, and since I'm used to working with it, I'll continue doing so. Also, I never had a single problem with it. If it ain't broken, don't fix it!
Imagetool may still be floating around on my computer, but no idea where...
FS painter. You'll find most of my FS9/FSX/P3D paints here.

S.Alva
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Re: Learn how to do a good repaint?

Post by S.Alva »

Thank you all, for your help I have now made my first repaint, it is the first time that I draw in Photoshop and Gimp, so it took a while before I learned programs.
I still have some work to do, the original had a white nose and the yellow stripes out on the wing ;)

Here are some pictures.
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