Repaint request/help

[BlueFinn 21]

Hi all,

Im trying to do a repaint of SE-DZZ which is a Learjet 35A from Scandinavian AirAmbulance, however Im facing some problems with the lines on the fuselage.

How can I make it so that the lines match up? It seems to be quite challenging but I see that some of you have succeeded in this. Maybe you can shed some light into this how to do it.

Thanks!

[scottb613 1,188]

51 minutes ago, BlueFinn said:

Hi all,

Im trying to do a repaint of SE-DZZ which is a Learjet 35A from Scandinavian AirAmbulance, however Im facing some problems with the lines on the fuselage.

How can I make it so that the lines match up? It seems to be quite challenging but I see that some of you have succeeded in this. Maybe you can shed some light into this how to do it.

Thanks!

Hi...

Welcome to the wonderful world of painting... Actually - this paint kit is well made - even including a "paint here" layer for beginners... It's one of the easiest and best to learn the ropes with - as the major components are broken down into very few parts... Getting things to line up is nothing more than taking a swag at it - then pixel by pixel manipulation to perfect the alignment...

If you're working in PS or PSP - look into "Vector Graphics" (Gimp doesn't support this) - as it's the easiest way to paint stripes and patterns commonly found on aircraft - using Bezier Curves - it takes a little time and effort to master though...

I would highly recommend getting Arno's (MCX or Model Converter X) from FSDeveloper - as it will save you countless hours in the painting process - it loads the "xxx.mdl" file for the Lear - presents it in 3D - and with a simple click of the button reloads the textures you are working on to check alignment - this takes a fraction of the time it would take to check your work in the actual sim itself... It's far easier to manipulate the camera in MCX as well - making it quicker to get the area of the model you're actually interested in... This texture checking task is repeated over and over again - hundreds of times - during the painting process...

Regards,
Scott

Edited September 1, 2019 by scottb613

[scottb613 1,188]

Hi...

One other thought - load one of the default paint textures into your painting program - as some have lines running the length of the bird - very similar to your paint - you could use them as a guide to get your straight line - aligned...

Regards,
Scott

 

[BlueFinn 21]

11 hours ago, scottb613 said:

Hi...

One other thought - load one of the default paint textures into your painting program - as some have lines running the length of the bird - very similar to your paint - you could use them as a guide to get your straight line - aligned...

Regards,
Scott

 

Thats a good idea, will try it tonight. Thanks!

[scottb613 1,188]

8 hours ago, BlueFinn said:

Thats a good idea, will try it tonight. Thanks!

Hi...

One more thought - if you are using PS or PSP - make sure you get the Nvidia PS Plugin (works with both) - so you can read and write DDS files directly... I'm not sure if Gimp has something similar…

Remember - layers are your friends - put each detail of your paint on a separate layer so you can manipulate them all independently and at will...

For exterior textures I use "DDS DXT5 with Interpolated Alpha" - also check the box that you want "MIPMAPS" and to "FLIP" texture while saving...

Regards,

Scott

Edited September 2, 2019 by scottb613

[MatzeH84 81]

I'd consider myself as a Noob in painting, so for me it's usually many hours until the outcome comes even close to what I expect to see on the model. So I can feel your pain 😉

As said before, import a similar livery as a new layer, and make it half transparent. This way you have a great helper in the background. And I second the suggestion to use MCX- I really saves a LOT of time!

Once thing that is really nasty (at least for me) is when certain parts are getting distorted/ torn/ spread (I guess you know what I mean) on the model. For example the small part above the tail fin, the area around the front landing gear door, or generally the belly and roof textures. So you actually have to paint a curved something to make it appear straight. So what degree you have to distort it when painting.. you can only try. I hate that part. I am currently painting a med livery for my VA, and getting totally mad to get some belly textures matched with the side textures (the checkered paint).

Some paintkits offer helper lines for such problems (like the Aerosoft Twotter for example), but most do not. SO for me it's trial and error, a lot of swearing and a lot of coffee to tget it done 😉

 

BTW: I am saving the textures as DXT1 no alpha via DXTbmp, would there be any reason to make that DXT5? AFAIK the alpha isn't needed anymore with PBR in place..

Edited September 14, 2019 by MatzeH84

[BlueFinn 21]

Thank you for all your useful advice Scott and Matthias! I shall put it into use as soon as I can.

[scottb613 1,188]

@MatzeH84

Hi Matthais,

If not aware -  there's a texture option in MCX where it displays the texture in alternating colored squares - this shows you how the texture is mapped to the shape so you can see where distortions or stretching takes place - just a visual queue to help you when painting...

Regards,
Scott

Edited September 19, 2019 by scottb613

[westman 257]

On 9/1/2019 at 4:58 PM, BlueFinn said:

Hi all,

Im trying to do a repaint of SE-DZZ which is a Learjet 35A from Scandinavian AirAmbulance, however Im facing some problems with the lines on the fuselage.

How can I make it so that the lines match up? It seems to be quite challenging but I see that some of you have succeeded in this. Maybe you can shed some light into this how to do it.

Thanks!

Any progress ? iam very intrested in this livery ,  this repaint  gone be used 95% of the time flying in Scandinavia when it is ready, a must have 

Hope that you upload it here , if not PM me where to get it.

Thanks / Hasse

Edited October 3, 2019 by westman