Carenado Mooney: How to paint new tail number?

[ryanbatc 12,857]

Does anyone know which file controls the tail number?  I love the default German livery - but want to change the tail to a US...and I want to paint it, not just use the in-game overlay.

[hs118 707]

I'm still figuring some things out but in the aircraft.cfg file is where you set the ATC ID. There is a another line in the cfg file that enables the use of the ATC ID on the aircraft livery. (At work now so no access). The line entry is really easy to find. 

Regards not using the default "swooshes", there is a texture file with extension "png.dds" that is a square that has the 2 colors of the default striping. If you delete the colors and just leave it transparent, the "swooshes" will not be displayed and you can paint the textures similar to older versions of the sim.

Hope this helps, as I mentioned, I'm still trying to figure it out.

[fppilot 4,371]

15 minutes ago, yurei said:

I'm still figuring some things out but in the aircraft.cfg file is where you set the ATC ID. There is a another line in the cfg file that enables the use of the ATC ID on the aircraft livery. (At work now so no access). The line entry is really easy to find. 

I documented the process some time ago, but I can report it does not work for all aircraft and liveries.  It works for the models where tail numbers are based on fonts,  but does not work for tail numbers that are designed into the textures.

[Steve Dra 7,588]

I've fiddled, but it's a moving target....and to be honest, I'm having too much fun flying in MSFS to sit down and do my fiduciary painter's duties. (Wait...you guys don't pay me for my paints...ok...going to sluff off my duties! hehe)

I've not fiddled with the Mooney's reg number as they changed the way they are doing it from the last version, literally as I was playing around with how to do it....so like any artist, I threw a tantrum, threw my paintbrush across the room, fired up MSFS and said "I can live with the default Reg until they stop playing with how they want it to finally work" 🤣

This is custom though...and not seeing much change to the default planes I've played with so far (its painted on to the fuse in a custom font in the example below).   Before you ask, its' a lot of work....and when I get over my Mooney tantrum and start looking at her again, I'll see what I can do for you. 😉

 

This little scene from one of my favorite Disney movies keeps pooping in my head when i thought of a painter throwing a tantrum:

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by Steve Dra

[hs118 707]

I've changed the ATCID using the aircraft.cfg on the Rob Young turbo Bonanza. It apparently is using the livery info from the default Bonanza.

[ryanbatc 12,857]

4 minutes ago, yurei said:

I've changed the ATCID using the aircraft.cfg on the Rob Young turbo Bonanza. It apparently is using the livery info from the default Bonanza.

 

Right, but this is the CFG controlled livery that you can type in the starting menu screen.  I'm just speaking of the painted livery.  Or did they make it 3d with blender and stick it on?

Is there no DDS file that contains the registration?

Edited October 13, 2020 by ryanbatcund

[hs118 707]

10 minutes ago, ryanbatcund said:

Right, but this is the xml or js controlled livery that you can type in the starting menu screen.  I'm just speaking of the painted livery.  Or did they make it 3d with blender and stick it on?

Is there no DDS file that contains the registration?

With the default planes/liveries it appears to be controlled with these 2 lines of the aircraft.cfg. The second appears to turn the display on the side on/off.

atc_id = "ASYG" ; tail number
atc_id_enable = 1 ; enable tail number

here are a couple more entries that control the side number display

atc_id_color = "" ; color for the tail number : i.e. "#ffff00ff"
atc_id_font = "" ; font for the tail number

PS the name of the file that controls the color of the "swooshes" is BONANZA_AIRFRAME_LIVERY_ALBD.PNG.DDS

Edited October 13, 2020 by yurei

[Flieger-Marius 250]

23 minutes ago, ryanbatcund said:

Or did they make it 3d with blender and stick it on?

That's what they did. Liveries are part of the model and can be controlled via a single file (set of colors and alpha to get a white plane).
I assume there must also be some similar definition on where exactly the registration has to be rendered.
 

EDIT: I have just double-checked and there definitely is a definition for registration placement in the model.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Flieger-Marius

[ryanbatc 12,857]

12 minutes ago, Flieger-Marius said:

That's what they did. Liveries are part of the model and can be controlled via a single file (set of colors and alpha to get a white plane).
I assume there must also be some similar definition on where exactly the registration has to be rendered.
 

EDIT: I have just double-checked and there definitely is a definition for registration placement in the model.

 

Tricky.....  Ok that sucks for me haha!  Would it be easy to change with blender if a person were to youtube a quick tutorial?

[hs118 707]

5 minutes ago, ryanbatcund said:

Tricky.....  Ok that sucks for me haha!  Would it be easy to change with blender if a person were to youtube a quick tutorial?

I think if you set ATC_ID_Enable to 0 and the Livery.png.dds to transparent, then you can paint the tail number like you might be used to. At least, that seems to be working for the Bonanza I'm painting.

Edited October 13, 2020 by yurei

[Flieger-Marius 250]

To my best knowledge (which isn't much for that matter), models can't currently be imported with enough fidelity, animations etc. that they would be of any further use. 

 

Just now, yurei said:

I think if you set ATC_ID_Enable to 0 and the Livery.png.dds to transparent, then you can paint the tail number like you might be used to.

Exactly! This, let's call it the classic approach, is still available. Be warned, the UV mapping doesn't make it easy, though.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Flieger-Marius

[ryanbatc 12,857]

Their UV wrapping is just a wreck for most of these models I've noticed.

[Flieger-Marius 250]

Indeed it is. I'm taking this new sim as a bit of a chance to learn a new workflow myself.
I'm currently taking ideas from this video to get the mapping sorted.