There is definitely a logical way to create high quality repaints with what we have, once you get your head around the uv maps it's as straight forward as it has ever been.

It's still early days, I imagine it wont be long before we get detailed paint kits if that's what you're after.

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by overt

It can't be too hard to repaint.  In a matter of just a few days there has been an explosion of hundreds of repaints on the internet.  A lot of them by just a few guys.  

11 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

This one doesn't that's for sure.

Taking a quick look - surely to change the livery of say the DA62 you  would need to take a copy of DA62_AIRFRAME_LIVERY_ALBD.PNG.DDS into the community area -change the colours of the squares within it  (which look to me to correspond to the paints that have been used) and then create a variation ?

Creating the repaint is easy. Distributing the repaint seems harder. Sure if you are a one off then just drop your folder into the community folder and vola. However, if the person downloading your repaint already has repaints for say the CJ4 then your repaint needs to be integrated into the layout.json and aircraft.cfg of the other repaints as it seems there can be only one aircraft.cfg per default aircraft in the community folder structure. Here a tool by Lorby or someone else to combine and install multiple repaints into the community folder would be very much appreciated. 

It's a new world and we are struggling with an incomplete SDK.

15 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

So for painters this is easy? No it's not, not from where I'm sitting. And that's not even thinking about the actual painting. I've had several attempts to get going with some paints and the procedure kills any enthusiasm. I just give up. I'll leave it to the 10yr olds.

I download the "mega pack" to get the 172's.....I looked at them said What the..[offensive initials not allowed]....deleted the lot.

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by Nyxx

15 minutes ago, KenG said:

Creating the repaint is easy.

But that is the bit that styckx is complaining about above?

4 minutes ago, SteveFx said:

But that is the bit that styckx is complaining about above?

If you are expecting third party quality .PSD texture sheets, then no it is not easy. But, if you have dealt with FSX and Carenado sheets, then the process is very much similar. A simple recolor is very easy thanks to the livery file.

Best feature is I do not have to shutdown and reload the sim to preview the changes I've made to a texture. I can select another livery then go back to the livery I am working on and the sim shows the changes I've made instantly. 

Also with this new system, people can now make liveries for the for the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe aircraft without replacing the original textures.

Since it doesn't require their aircraft.cfg files to be decrypted.

4 hours ago, KenG said:

if the person downloading your repaint already has repaints for say the CJ4 then your repaint needs to be integrated into the layout.json and aircraft.cfg of the other repaints as it seems

The user installing liveries don't have to do that anymore. That's what the fsdeveloper thread I linked is talking about.
Once people learn the new system, repaints can be in separate addon folders, with no aircraft.cfg or layout.json editing required on the end of the person installing the addon, just drag and drop into the community folder.

Livery makers need is this at the top of the aircraft.cfg file:

[VARIATION]
base_container = "..\Asobo_B787_10"

And then all the livery information below it. No need for any general information, performance information or any of that info just the livery information. That code tells the sim to look at that base aircraft folder to fill in any missing information that the aircraft.cfg needs. 

Livery makers have already started using this system, I have 2 separate liveries in two separate addon folders in the community folder installed for a single plane, and they both show up fine under the livery tab.

The new system means no manual (or automated) text file editing.

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by Tuskin38

38 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

Also with this new system, people can now make liveries for the for the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe aircraft without replacing the original textures.

Are there any other additional steps? - I tried this and all appears fine - ie I see the new livery in the tab with the correct name and the right thumbnail but when then I load a flight the aircraft shows as bare metal.

  

26 minutes ago, SteveFx said:

Are there any other additional steps? - I tried this and all appears fine - ie I see the new livery in the tab with the correct name and the right thumbnail but when then I load a flight the aircraft shows as bare metal.

This is for the 787 but it should apply to most if not all planes

https://youtu.be/BqXozSQnLMI

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by Tuskin38

Right, I finally managed to get this to work.   

The instructions that Tuskin posted and the video were clear and understandable.  The problem that I was struggling with throughout was that the python script I had previously downloaded had an explicit  exclusion for json files and thus the layout.json that it constructed was fine for the livery selection but never worked in games as the texture jsons were not installed into the virtual file system...

To Ron I would say "Take heart!"  it will all be ok when the various tools and scripts get sorted.  

If you watch this other video from the same guy he goes through the process of creating a new paint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjw8WrbdFqk

and then the process that this thread is about is fairly straightforward if you have a script to create a valid layout.json.

21 hours ago, Tuskin38 said:

The user installing liveries don't have to do that anymore. That's what the fsdeveloper thread I linked is talking about...

OK, but all livery designers have to use the same process right? Or, the ones done the old way will trump the new system.

EDIT: I can't seem to get the process to work with the King Air. Seems something is tempermental.

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by KenG

1 hour ago, KenG said:

EDIT: I can't seem to get the process to work with the King Air. Seems something is tempermental.

Take a look at what SteveFx posted above, maybe you have the same problem 

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by Tuskin38

49 minutes ago, Tuskin38 said:

Take a look at what SteveFx posted above, maybe you have the same problem 

Thank you, but I am using the tool off the flightsim forums to create my layout.json file.

EDIT: I got it. The variation directory has to be exact to include all capitalization. i.e. asobo_kingair350 will not work you have to use the folder name exact in my case Asobo_KingAir350

 

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by KenG

1 hour ago, KenG said:

Thank you, but I am using the tool off the flightsim forums to create my layout.json file.

If the layout.json contains the texture json files then check the relative paths  in aircraft.cfg and texture.cfg. 

These apply in the virtual file system into which the packages are installed  not the paths  between community and official file trees.

The new and old way can coexist - i have tested it.

So e.g if you take just the DA62

1)   The Offical Asobo package 

Official\OneStore\asobo-aircraft-da62\SimObjects\Airplanes\Asobo_DA62\

   installs to <Virtual File System>MSFS2020 Main Directory\SimObjects\Airplanes\Asobo_DA62

2)  The MSFS mega patch package although its in the community folder references the same SimObjects\Airplanes\Asobo_DA62   directory so e.g

Community\liveries-da62\SimObjects\Airplanes\Asobo_DA62\

  Installs to  <Virtual File System>MSFS2020 Main Directory\SimObjects\Airplanes\Asobo_DA62  (and overwrites files or creates new ones)

3)  If I create a package under the community folder called steves_da62_paint that targets the directory SimObjects\Airplanes\steves_da62_paint  then that will be installed into the VFS alongside the original Asobo_DA62 directory   

Community\steves_da62_paint\SimObjects\Airplanes\\steves_da62_paint\

Installs to    <Virtual File System>MSFS2020 Main Directory\SimObjects\Airplanes\steves_da62_paint    

It references the main aircraft.cfg  which relatively is in ..\Asobo_DA62  and it doesn't matter whether that is the original or the overwritten version (so long as its still valid).

Edited September 6, 20205 yr by SteveFx
changed names and tried to make a little clearer