Questons about repaints and time

[Aris11b 0]

First all a BIG THANK YOU goes out to all that do take THEIR FREE TIME in order to make these for us at NO COST. THANK YOU!The questions I have, have to do with the repaint requests (mods please move if this is not in the right forum)I've noiticed that out of the repaint request forum there are 28 pages. Out of those 28 pages I see very few replies to the requests, but a heck of alot views, and I'm am wondering do most of these request go under answered due to lack of interest by the repainters, or is it lack of time?What is generally the average time to complete a repaint? Are the default FSX AC harder to do than FS9? Are Payware AC easier to do?I know some would point out that this should be about flying as a posed to what an AC looks like, but lets face it, after awhile default AC do lose their appeal.I appreciate it, that someone as taken their FREE time to make these repaints and upload them for others to enjoy, so that we are not stuck with the same old same old, boring stock default paints. It's nice to fly different airlines and military AC whether they are "real types and what if's".Is eye candy a bad thing in the flight sim world? :( So basically my question would be.....Is it lack of interest by a repainter, lack of time, or AC sim type ?Thanks for any and all answers to the questions, as repainting or trying to repaint AC for me is a lost cause. :( CheersAri

[TerrenceK 0]

I've noiticed that out of the repaint request forum there are 28 pages. Out of those 28 pages I see very few replies to the requests, but a heck of alot views, and I'm am wondering do most of these request go under answered due to lack of interest by the repainters, or is it lack of time?What is generally the average time to complete a repaint? Are the default FSX AC harder to do than FS9? Are Payware AC easier to do?Is eye candy a bad thing in the flight sim world? :( So basically my question would be.....Is it lack of interest by a repainter, lack of time, or AC sim type ?

I'd say it's a lack of time. Eyecandy is certainly not a bad thing, but it has made the average time for a repaint rocket skyhigh. People are used to more detail, more eyecandy, which means the TA's and painters 'have' to put more time into a repaint.It does depend on the aircraft though. Denis is spewing out freeware high quality liveries for PA's A320 family like mad. Tom Collins does the same for Overland and more recently for Project Opensky's T7.On the HD textures, we spend somewhere between 30 and a 100 hours per livery. This includes the kit building process and research time. As it is FSX only, bump and specular maps are included in the building process. The more liveries we make with a kit, the lower the average hour per livery.Last but not least, 28 pages, not that many granted requests : Perhaps this is not the right place to do requests? I bet ya, you will be able to find a lot of those requests already made and available in the many file libraries on L'internet (starting with AVSIM's).

[Aris11b 0]

Thanks for the reply TerrenceK..... now I have a little more understanding about the process as far as time. So would you say that most painters perfer the payware AC as opposed to default?I've noticed that most repaints are done " when for default FSX " are for the bigger AC like the - 321, 747,737, CRJ700 or even the C172.Is it most painters choose these type of AC to repaint because this it what they fly most? The reason I ask this question would be due to the lack of repaints I've searched for, for other AC in FSX like the Lear 45, King Air,Beech Baron etc. I do have 1 or 2 repaints of these AC but I see that most of the repaints are for the bigger AC. I hope that I don't miff any of the Painters out there with all the questions, as this is not my intent.I'm just trying to get more understanding of how it is you do the things you do, like I've said before it's way beyond me to try repainting, evertime I've tried I end up feeling like :( after alls said and done. I have great respect for all that do this not only for free, but of their free time as well.I couldn't imagine what it must feel like to upload a new paint and watch the download numbers jump up.Thanks again TerrenceKCheers Ari

[jdwgraf 52]

Another reason that the default aicraft are not popular with painters , is that the way Microsoft ( ACES ) did the texture mapping for the aircraft , making it more difficult to make a repaint . Think of a bitmap showing only one side of the aircraft , so any text or logo's would be okay on one side but mirrored on the other . Unfortunately this also occurs with payware aircraft too .John Glanville

[Aris11b 0]

Thanks for the info jdwgraf...so even though the FSX default AC do come blank or in all white paints because of the way ACES mapped it, it makes it harder to do.Now I understand why some requests are granted and some not.Seems to me that its not just a matter of the time it takes because of the way its "formatted" would you say, I would think it would also have to do with how interested a painter is on taking on the project, yes?Man I envy you guys who do this and make it look not only, real, and good, but easy.What is about the average time in learning how to do this and be not only good at it, but be good enough that it is easy. Was it something that most or all have had to work at a lot to get good at it, or did some of you pick it up really easy?I've seen some of you "Painters" out there that upload a couple times a month. Repaints are for me the first thing I look at on any of the sites just to see what you have all uploaded. By the way does anyone know the max number of repaints per AC that FSX will allow or hold?Thanks again jdwgraf, for the info and more insight as to what it is that you all have to go through in order to put these things out to us.It is very much appreciated.CheersAri

[Guest FelixFFDS]

I'd say that there are two "learning curves" if you're starting from scratch.First and foremost, mastery of image/editing./painting software you're using - whether a freeware like GIMP!, or a commercial editor like Photoshop, if you don't know how to use the program, you'll spend a lot of time just learning the bits and pieces of it, let alone gettin the actual repaint done.Second - learning the VERY basics of FS-X (or flightsim) repainting. This part is easy - you need a texture converter, to convert the model's textures to a format useable in your paint program, and then to convert it back. A program like MArtin WRight's DXTBMP does it, and even Microsoft's Imagetool.Now the fun part begins. Does your model aircraft have eye candy (bump maps, etc)? You may have to create your own layered images so as to put in panel lines, lettering etc. The actual painting is a matter of your creative ability and how well you know the paint program and its features. That "weathered look" may be a combination of brushes, area blurs, layered blends,..... This is where the artist's creativity comes out,, and what differentiates the beginner from the practiced artist.Anybody can pump out a repaint in a couple of hours .... But a masterpiece takes time.An experienced repainter can turn out an excellent variant in a couple of days, but that's because he's spent countless hours on that model, has created his own shortcuts/layered templates, etc etc etc.Nothing replaces practice.Sanity is not a requirement to practice the repainting hobby (it may even be a hindrance!)

[Aris11b 0]

Thanks Felix for the info. I have Paint.net and use it mostly to do touch ups and fixes to my screen shots. I've heard it can be used to do repainting "even in .dds"? I just seem to get lost in the layering thing and flattening and arghhh... here comes the headache again :( . I do open it up from time to time when I'm off work just to see, but I usually end up right back where I started again....no where.It's something I know for sure IF, IF I do ever learn how to do this I will end up spending a great deal of time with it as there are....oh at least 50 paints I'd like to see for starters and those are just the default AC :( Thanks again for the info FelixCheersAri