Mirror-like Decals in msfs

[EagleSkinner 36]

Everytime I open a different aircraft to try making a different texture I get a new problem. The image below shows my dilemma on the Extra 330. I've solved the matter of hiding the aircraft registration decal, but despite blanking out the decal albedo texture (as you can do on the C172) I still get the main airframe paint decal forced upon me by the model. Those grey areas are in fact mirror-like when you have the sun shining at them and, more to the point, they physically overlay any user desired paintscheme. The two small white patches (nose and tail fin) are the Extra logos - and before you tell me these MUST be there, I could point you at realworld versions that do not have these.

Does anyone have any idea where these decals can be edited, made transparent or even deleted?

[Crankpin 16]

Hi Eagle

As you know they MUST be there. 🙂 sorry couldn't resist - but they must eh.

I haven't touched the Extra, but what I've learnt from other texture 'sets' and a quick glance through the Extra folder would lead me to investigate .... for the metal effect - it has to be a _COMP_ file, my first suspect would be 'EXTRA_330_EXTERIOR_LIVERY_COMP.PNG.DDS' - you need to make that invisible - so transparent the RGB and Black the Alpha - that's a maybe but it's what I'd try first.

For the decals - looks like 'EXTRA_330_EXTERIOR_DECALS_ALBD.TIF.DDS' ... probably just need to Alpha channel Black behind those decals.

That should be enough info to be dangerous - let me know.

Cheers

John 

[EagleSkinner 36]

Yep - I just made black texture / black alpha dds files.

Problem solved! I was still thinking FSX where the alpha is shininess...

So now I need to persuade Asobo to create a second wing texture sheet - I hate mirroring of textures! I wonder if I could edit the model in Blender? For those who are 3D modelers, it's a piece of cake to create a second texture, rename it to texture-sheet-2 (or whatever) and copy paste that name into the anchor points on the model. Takes just a short while. OK, you might waste a bit of texture sheet, but hey - they should have done it right first time. LIC gave me a second set of wings and a new mdl file for their Christen Eagle in just a couple of hours.

But otherwise, the first problem is solved with the decals. All I need to do now is the same for the Extra company logos. Yep - there are some out there without the makers logo on.