Reloading aircraft in FS9 whilst painting

[martinlest2 58]

For a few tries, when I want to test what my paint looks like in FS9, choosing another aircraft and then reloading the one I am working on shows my last alterations. But after a few goes that stops and I can only see what my changes look like by restarting FS9. Using the 'Reload Aircraft' option doesn't refresh the plane either. How do I get the a/c out of FS9 memory so that each time I reload the plane I see my changes? Having to restart FS9 every time is obviously very tedious!

 

Thanks

[N60JBravo 27]

My preferred method is to use the demo version of FSRepaint, available at the Abacus website.

 

It is a useful tool as a viewer and also comes in handy when you are trying to match up lines or find a spot on a texture.

 

It requires much less in the way of resources than FS9 and removes the need to even turn FS on until you want to fly your new paint.

 

regards,

Joe

[peppy197 165]

I edit my Standard.xml document to include  (I did this is FSX, not sure of the document name in FS9)

 

<Entry>
            <Key>CTRL+P</Key>
            <Down>RELOAD_USER_AIRCRAFT</Down>
        </Entry>

 

 

Of course you can use a different key

 

It will reload the aircraft with modifications without doing anything else

[martinlest2 58]

Thanks for the ideas. As I said though, "Using the 'Reload Aircraft' option doesn't refresh the plane either.." Will have a look at FS Repaint

[CaptKornDog 281]

FSRepaint is the way to go.

 

(I use the reload user aircraft method if I'm tweaking aircraft.cfg files or the like).

[martinlest2 58]

I don't think I repaint enough aircraft to justify $29 I'm afraid, especially as I am not working at the moment!

[N60JBravo 27]

I don't think I repaint enough aircraft to justify $29 I'm afraid, especially as I am not working at the moment!

My preferred method is to use the demo version of FSRepaint,

You do not need to buy it.

 

Download it and install it.

 

You can do everything with it in the demo version except save your work.

 

As you are using another program for the actual painting this is not an issue.

 

regards,

Joe

[martinlest2 58]

I am not sure I follow this (sorry!). What is it exactly is FSRepaint that I can't save? I assumed that that would mean it was pointless working with it. But I can save my repaints made in FSRepaint with Photoshop?

 

Thanks again for the advice.

[Scorp 15]

You can also use ModelConverterX found at FSDeveloper.

[outlaw2001it 0]

I use FS Repaint, and at times have to shutdown FS9 in order to see my repaint...Windows XP. More than likely this is caused by memory usage within FS9, and other external programs. 

[N60JBravo 27]

I am not sure I follow this (sorry!). What is it exactly is FSRepaint that I can't save? I assumed that that would mean it was pointless working with it. But I can save my repaints made in FSRepaint with Photoshop?

 

Thanks again for the advice.

As you know, FSRepaint is a payware repainting program.

 

You can download and install it for free. Once you do that you can use all of the features within FSRepaint, just that you can't save any changes you make.

 

If you wish to use the internal editor in FSRepaint and save your changes, you have to buy it. The internal editor is on par with MS Paint.

 

My workflow is to have FSRepaint open, alongside Photoshop and DXTBmp.

 

I have already set up FS with the new texture folder and aircraft.cfg edits so my new livery is active. I populate that new texture folder with copies from an existing texture folder.

 

I open the texture I am working on in DXTBmp and "send to editor" which shows up in PS as norm.bmp.

 

After making any edits in PS to the texture from the paintkit, I copy the edited texture to norm.bmp and save.

 

In DXTBmp I "refresh from editor" and save as my bitmap format of choice.

 

I can now load the plane in FSRepaint and see my textures on the plane without having to load scenery, traffic and weather.

 

If I need to change something I go back to PS, make edits, copy to norm.bmp and save, in DXTBmp I "refresh from editor" and save as my bitmap format of choice.

 

Now to see my changes in FSRepaint all I have to do is press F5 to refresh the textures and, bingo, there they are.

 

Much faster than loading up FS every time I need to change something, which in the final steps of polishing a repaint is numerous and often.

 

I recommend you try it yourself, you can lose nothing but a little time.

 

regards,

Joe

[martinlest2 58]

Joe, Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply in such detail. I'll give it a go (and post back - though it may not be for several days).

 

Martin  :-)

[martinlest2 58]

I wanted to repaint a b787, but I see that FSRepaint, when it scans for aircraft, only finds a small percentage of what I have in my FS9/Aircraft folder. Not a single 787 comes up for instance, even though I have a number of them in FS9. Shouldn't I be able to locate every aircraft I have when I run (and refresh) FSRepaint?

 

What is the column on the left reading? The entry in aircraft.cfg which starts 'ui_manufacturer=' ?

 

LATER: Wow! I just noticed the programme, in searching for aircraft, overwrites a load of my aircraft.cfg files with its own, different, version! Luckily I have them backed up and can get back to the originals, but I am binning this software before it does any more damage.

[N60JBravo 27]

6+ years of using it without problems here.

 

The only time I had a problem with it was when there was an error in the aircraft.cfg to begin with.

 

The only thing that happened was the aircraft.cfg was changed to all caps.

 

Easy enough to fix.

 

regards,

Joe

[martinlest2 58]

Hi Joe. Well, not that easy. I have my aircraft.cfg files all arranged so that I can select aircraft in FS from the country of origin and then airline. This makes it much easier (as I have so many a/c to choose from) to decide which a/c to fly for a chosen departure airport. For example:

 

[fltsim.0]

title=Boeing 787-8 V3 ags Air India

sim=787-8

model=787-8 ags v3

panel=

sound=

texture=ai

kb_checklists=

kb_reference=

atc_id=VT-ANA

atc_airline=Air India

atc_flight_number=788

ui_manufacturer=India - Air India

ui_type=Boeing

ui_variation=b787-8

description=b787_8

atc_heavy=0

 

[fltsim.1]

title=Boeing 787-8 V3 ags All Nippon Airways

sim=787-8

model=787-8 ags v3

panel=

sound=

texture=ana-oc

kb_checklists=

kb_reference=

atc_id=JA-803A

atc_airline=All Nippon

atc_flight_number=788

ui_manufacturer=Japan - All Nippon Airways

ui_type=Boeing

ui_variation=b787-8

description=b787_8

atc_heavy=0

 

FSRepaint messes this up, not just capitalising but changing the data I have written into the cfg file. Obviously the problem is my 'fault' because of my changed cfg format. Also, getting the lettering back as above is not easy at all - FSRepaint turns all the script to capital letters. As I say, the only way is for me to find which aircraft.cfg files FSR has altered and copy over my backups.

 

More importantly, the programme doesn't even find at least half the a/c I have installed at all..

 

Thanks again..

 

M.