I have been learning some very neat tricks for PSP7 on the net lately. I can create some fabulous looking parts. Problem is, when I take that bitmap into FS2002 models, they seem grainey. I cannot seem to get that smooth looking colour or shadow transitions that I see on so many models. Anyone have any advice?Thanks

Make sure you are saving the textures as 24 bit bitmap (not 24 bit jpeg) in PSP, and then DXT3 in imagetool. Other formats (such as 8 or 16 bit) use fewer colors to make up the image, and will appear grainy or blocky. Hope this helps, Ryan the Glidiator

glidiator,thanks for the reply , but I am afraid I am missing a step or something. I save the bitmap as 16million 24bit in psp. I have tried saving it as DXT3 and 1 and for some reason the gauge does not show up in FS. If I save it as 32 bit, it looks very grainy.????What did I do wrong?

I'm not really sure what to tell you! I haven't tried making gauges before, I thought you meant external textures. Maybe FS doesn't allow dxt3 for gauge files? One thing you might want to try is making sure the texture's file name has the ".bmp" suffix. I've had problems with the texture not showing up because of that. Sorry I can't be more helpful, Ryan the GlidiatorAnybody else know what's going on?!

>glidiator, >>thanks for the reply , but I am afraid I am missing a step >or something. I save the bitmap as 16million 24bit in psp. I >have tried saving it as DXT3 and 1 and for some reason the >gauge does not show up in FS. If I save it as 32 bit, it >looks very grainy.???? If you are making a gauge bitmap, you can't use anything except 8bit indexed or 24 bit RGB .bmp files...Also, make sure that you are using a large enough image for the gauge elements.This image is used in the 1040 folder and is 418x421, 8bit indexed .bmp file in the gauge. (I had to convert to .jpg for here...)This background is the 'nightlighted' version that is used when the panel lights are turned on.

I am really not up to speed on how resolutions and the panel mm measurements work. I made a large highly detailed gauge background for my XML fuel gauge and EIS gauge, but hard to hurridly reduce them to infitesmal so they would not display HUGE on my panel. I cannot edit their size in the FS Aircraft Editor because it will not load a panel with XML gauges. So I just look at it on the panel and then reduce it until it fits.Why is this? Where can I scale the gauge so I can use my beautiful background graphic. My fuel gauge is only 150 x 150 px however I cannot use it. Had to go with a 50 x 50.Confused,Steve

Thanks a bunch for the info, but I am still having the same problem. I save a picture as a 16 million 24 bit and it looks great until I see it in FS2002.I have posted an example of what the file looks like when it is saved and the second image is what it would look like on a gauge.

>I am really not up to speed on how resolutions and the panel >mm measurements work. I made a large highly detailed gauge >background for my XML fuel gauge and EIS gauge, but hard to >hurridly reduce them to infitesmal so they would not display >HUGE on my panel. I cannot edit their size in the FS >Aircraft Editor because it will not load a panel with XML >gauges. So I just look at it on the panel and then reduce it >until it fits. If you compress the gauge with the cab utility, it will then load in the editor for normal placement. Even FS Panel Studio will not work (at this time) on 'uncabbed XML gauges.'