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vgbaron

Tutorial for polished metal aircraft skin

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Title says it all - anyone know of one. I'm thinking of something similar to a p_51 or Connie bare metal aircraft. How would someone paint that?

I've seen several tutorials on creating brushed metal etc using the gradient tool which works "partially" but the foe and aft sections do not line up properly.

I assume I can/should spend some time tweaking fore and aft until the do. just wondering if there's a slicker (easier?) way.

Thanx,

Vic


 

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In flightsim-world we see two kinda bare metal aircraft.

Simply said the real and the faked ones.
Its possible to PAINT the aircraft looking like a bare metal plane.
Like painting a bare metal airplane on a painting on the wall.
This looks realistic in a flightsim too , BUT it looks only realistic when the sim is paused.
When flying and moving we discover the bare metal not to have the dynamic bare-metal gloss and mirroring.
In other words we can NOT paint real bare metal.
We can paint the bare metal over the whole plane , but it stays death.
Using gradients on different parts of a texture gives troubles as you described , parts do not fit properly.
Is there a solution for that? Yes there is, its named the "total-fuse" , thats a huge texture with all parts joined together , representing the complete fuselage and V stab.
Just make your paintwork on that totalfuse and when finished cut it in parts wich you can paste into the individual texturesheets , colors and gradients will join nicely on the plane now.
Look for explanation about the "Total-Fuse" in the Painting Faq`s ( question and answer nr 22 ) 

In some flightsims we have real reflectivenes and we can have real bare metal with real-time reflectiveness.
Thats means when I put a bare metal airplane in a wood under the trees the plane will show green.
Flying over a desert it will look yellow seen from the bottom and blue like the sky seen from top.
This real reflectivenes ( mirroring if you like) gives us even the possibility of seeing the registration of a plane mirrored in the fuselage of a plane nearside.
Or making the surface of a mirror in a canopy real mirroring so we actually can seen the sailplane we are towing.( not kinda camera view, no real reflection) 

This real reflectiveness is not something the textureartist can paint on his textures. Its something wich has to be build in the simulator itsellf.
This reflection asks for a pure white plane to have a chromium-like airplane in the simulator.
Making the texture darker will reduce the reflectiveness and lighter and darker parts can enhance the effect.

Here some screens showing this real-time reflection on airplanes I painted.
You can see the landscape wich the Beech is flying over morrored in the enginecowling.
This is not an animation, we can recognose buildings, roads and rivers during our flight.
 

beech.jpg

 

dcbare.jpg

 

And a screenshot showing the same DC3 Skysleeper in a  "fake-bare-metal"  non-real-time-reflective version.

dstgr.jpg

 

Both DC3 actually have almost the same textures 

The upper one flies in X-Plane 11 wich is full PBR-Metalness-supporting.
The lower one flies in X-Plane 9/10 , and though it looks very well on this screenshot , its as death as a stone  viewed flying around.
The quality of this  faked bare is about the max to be achieved and I used a "total-fuse" for this paintjob.

So, in a nutshell:
We only can have really real bare-metal planes in a simulator wich supports real time reflection , reflecting the real surroundings of the plane.
 


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I suspected as much. P3D does handle the reflections. I've been tinkering around with Manfred Jahn's c-47 and experimenting. I can see some progress. I'm having a big issue trying to get the color right. Either I'm too gray or too white. I guess it's just trial and error.

 

Thanx,

 

Vic


 

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I do not have P3D

You say P3D handles the reflections.
Does P3D show real time reflections as I described.
Can you tell me something about it? Or show screens displaying the effect.

When P3D handles the reflection I cannot see any difficulty.
Just download a perfect working model/livery displaying real reflection and make your texture look alike.

As I said, I do not know P3D, maybe its not programmed in the sim only and has it to be implemented in the MDL file as well.
In that case it might be impossible to achieve real reflections on planes who have reflection not programmed in the MDL file.

In XP11 its programmed in the simulator itself and the effect can be added to ALL models , including the models who were initially developed for XP 9 and 10 

 


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I did some homework.

The answer is here     http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/97890-Prepar3D-V3-1-is-out!
In P3D  real reflection can only be achieved when there is a code for it in the MDL file of a plane and a dynamic environment bitmap is used.

 


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If you want to convert MJ C-47 with P3D DR, try this...

P3D Dynamic Reflections

This is an older pic of a beta MDL using DR that Manfred let me test.

P3D-2.jpg

I've upgraded to using Photoshop 6, use to use Paint.NET program. This pic is an new Beta MDL from Manfred to added more detail to the model. ETA is unknown since Jan Visser is currently working on he C-47.

FSX-SE

M-1112317.jpg

 

 

 

Edited by TuFun

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Thanks TuFun.

Excellent explanation.
This confirms what I was thinking of , explained in a better way.

Leen


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Now the Dagor engine can do self reflection which is used in War Thunder. Example the tail surface showing self reflection.

War+Thunder+Screenshot+2017.04.02+-+22.5 

Currently P3D doesn't do this, and not sure if X-Plane 11 does this either. Someday I suppose.

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Thanks very much for your info and contribution to this topic.

I did not notice any self-reflection in X-Plane 11 so far.
There is reflection of the surroundings wich actually performs quiet nice depending on the quallity of the model.
This reflection-thing however has no noticeable effect on the FPS in XP11.
The Beech shown above ,wich is extreme reflective, gives the same FPS when flying without the metalness-effect. and I do not have a super-PC.

Leen
 


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This is my first try at reflective textures. I am using P3D 4.2 with dynamic reflection option enabled. I am using C47 Beta 3.14 with no modifications.

Hard to see in a screen cap but the reflection of the ground on the side of the fuselage  is visible in flight and it moves as the a/c moves. 

All I've tried with this is just apply the color and create an alpha layer.

Vic

2018-4-7_9-31-29-273 (Large).jpg

2018-4-7_9-31-29-273.jpg


 

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Its all very grey and I have the impression this model ( the actual MDL file of the plane)  is not set for dynamic  global environment mapping..
This looks to much like the FSX SE gloss shown some screens above.
Please do not see this a criticism ,just helping to guide you in the right direction.
As I do not have P3D myself I cannot do experiments nor test your files myself.
I am sorry.

Did you read and understand this....... previous given link        I think its all about this setting in the MDL file.
There are many planes NOT ready for realtime reflection , following the instructions behind the link it might be possible to activate this.
Be carefull of spending much energy on something wich wich is not possible to accomplish.
Do you have an existing real bare-metal version of this plane or are you the first one trying to add real bare-metalness to the plane?
As a starting painter its wise to do something others already did before you , they made a green plane you make the same in blue.

Leen


 


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LOL! Leen, the only way I'm going to learn is by constructive criticism so feel free. You may be right about the MDL file but two things make me hesitant - the linked thread is from 2016 which was before P3D enabled dynamic reflections and it references C-47 V3.12 not 3.14.

I'll look at the MDL file.

Actually I'm just experimenting with techniques just to see what will happen. I have seen almost chrome polished DC3's but, as I said, I'm just trying things to see how they look.

 


 

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Thanks,

As I said I do not have P3D myself, so more or less I am just guessing.
Just guessing and assuming, trying and experimenting gave me the knowledge I have gained till  now, enough to make reasonable paints anyways.
So, when I am not sure ( it happens often)  , I just encourage others to follow the same path.
I am confident the solution of your problem lies somewhere in there.( the MDL) 
If not, I`ll add the real solution to my knowledge and say thanks to the one bringing it to us.

Leen


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ok - the MDL file was not converted in 3.14 so I followed the instructions in the link. Lightened up the color a bit. Actually if there is a difference in reflectivity it appears very little to me from one MDL file to another.

Interesting.

 

2018-4-7_13-23-30-54.jpg


 

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Gman5250 over at SOH is the guy you want to contact about bare metal for P3Dv.4.  A true artist when it comes to textures and modeling of aircraft.

Bare metal example of a C-46 textures he did...

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/109766-Broken-Software-Two-Strikes-and-Counting?p=1131716&viewfull=1#post1131716

True glass for a B-26K only in P3Dv.4, something Gman5250 added.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/108139-SOH-A-26-Invader-the-story-continues?p=1131202&viewfull=1#post1131202

I use FSX-SE for test only, don't have X-Plane 11 and P3Dv.4.

 

Edited by TuFun

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