Adventures in Multi-Material Texturing!

[Guest]

I've just spent the better part of the day 'mastering' the creation and use of multi-material texturing using color and Material IDs...This is a way cool method of texturing a single object, since it allows for the exact selection of a specific group of polys.I did however, lose about two hours chasing down why my stupid textures wouldn't display in FS2k2, when they clearly were showing in GMax!!!Some of you are undoubtedly already thinking; "Bill got bit by the powers of two thingy again." You would be right.I thought I was being careful, but somehow in my 'haste' to see the results of my hard work, I managed to create a perfectly lovely .bmp of 1024x1023... :(One stupid pixel too small! Ah well, at last "Fr. Stupid" figured it out... Here's a couple of screen shots of what I've been doing.

[Guest]

>I've just spent the better part of the day 'mastering' the >creation and use of multi-material texturing using color and >Material IDs... And... here are a couple of pics showing the interior textures applied... We're hoping to have this 'buttoned up enough' to unleash this cutie for "Final Beta Testing" by late tomorrow afternoon.I'd deeply appreciate some of you folks trying it out and providing some feedback before its released to the public on November 15th.Thanks!

[Guest odog]

Hi Padre, I've never seen that "unwrapped" veiw before, is that an external prog. or is it one of the mystery tools? I think Im doing my textures a similiar way but, having a flattened image would kill alot of the trial and error method i currently use. I'm at about the same step as you are with yours. I was wondering, is that SamBob's model? or is he involved with your project? We're going to be at the same FS focus group in Chicago next weekend...I couldn't remember. Your model looks the goods! here's where Im at, hope to get alot done this weekend.

[Guest]

I was wondering if the digital pictures I took of my socks was going to make it into the back seat floor. ;-) Can any else spot the added "realizm"?BobThe windshield boys are still trying to get the replacement made. gmax can do it, I just don't know how. I have read the infoprmation on lofting, and it does loft, but not the way we need it.gmax masters -- I have four edges defined, I would like to use two as "rail curves" paths and two as cross sections (shapes). I can do it in rhino put one day of gmax is not enough for me to do it in gmax.Can I send the four splines to a "gmax master" for help?THANKS -- I promised Bill I would have this by CoB today so he could release his limited first production test of the new TB20GT aircraft. EDIT -- We r:rsam@mtco.com

[Guest odog]

Whoa, Almost posted right ontop of you, I guess that answers one of my questions, Hi BobIm no master, but send All the info youve got to my mailbox faceplant3d@msn.com and ill see what I can do... just be clear on what you need.

[Guest]

>Hi Padre, >> I've never seen that "unwrapped" veiw before, is that an >external prog. or is it one of the mystery tools? >> I think Im doing my textures a similiar way but, having a >flattened image would kill alot of the trial and error >method i currently use. >> I'm at about the same step as you are with yours. >> I was wondering, is that SamBob's model? or is he involved >with your project? We're going to be at the same FS focus >group in Chicago next weekend...I couldn't remember. 1) I will post a "how I did it" soon, but basically it involves creating a 'master texture,' assigning as many ID 'slots' as you're going to need, and then giving each ID a unique color.You then go through the part, and select all the polys that're going to make up one complete textured section, and make them all the same color (this will give them identical ID's).You would then apply a series of 'Mesh Selects,' 'Select by ID' each group of polys in turn, and apply a UVW modifier. Unlike what you may have been doing, you simply set each UVW map to the same, square size, and don't try to reposition the map... leave everything centered.The last step involves applying a final Mesh Select, lasso [a]all[/b] polys, and then apply a UVW Unwrap modifier at the very top!Click Edit to enter the UVW Unwrap Editor, and you can then select, move and resize each of the UVW maps to 'fit' the available space.Make sure the UVW Unwrap Editor is at full screen, use the magnifying glass to zoom in until the grey box just touches the top and bottom of the work area, and press Print Screen.Paste the screen capture into your paint program, and you now have a perfect UVW map that you can use for your base textures, and be guaranteed that it will fit exactly!!!There is an excellent tutorial at the FS Alpha Design Group that explains this in detail (with pictures). Even thought the tutorial is geared towards a building, the technique is easy to apply to an airplane... :)2) Yes, this is SamBob's model, much massaged by yours truly! Bob has been creating most of the exterior parts, I've put them together and built the interior (mostly) from scratch. The neat seats came from a Corvette (I think) and the seat covers were borrowed from the Beech Baron...3) I've anticipated a huge demand for the Socata TB20GT, so I built a lovely factory in which to produce them. I hope there's enough room! Our offices are located on the 12th floor of the West Tower.4) Your model is looking fantastic! Good work!

[Guest odog]

:-xxrotflmao I LOVE the name!!!!Thats a great method of texturing, I love to model...hate to texture!I'll have to give it a try, maybe it will eventually be easier.Im massaging the front window now.

[Guest]

>I was wondering if the digital pictures I took of my socks >was going to make it into the back seat floor. ;-) Can any >else spot the added "realizm"? Hmmm... I've been thinking... should be put a coat on floor too? Perhaps some luggage in the baggage locker?I like the multi-material technique so much, that I'm going to re-do the exterior as well (probably not in time for Final Beta though!)...That way, I can 'pump up' the areas that need the greatest amount of detail for finer texturing by someone who's actually GOOD at the fine art of painting!

[Guest]

Don't we need a 12 gauge while flying in the remote areas of Canada?I think we can barrow one or two from:http://www.3dcafe.com/asp/meshes.aspThe seats came from the Midnight Auto Supply House. Phone in your order two days in advance and they will bring them right to you. Bought some VW seats bucket seats that way for my 57 chevy two door sedan 40+ years ago. At that time, they would slide right off the mounting tracks. Terrible!I sure like that new factory building you found for us. Probably need to "order" some nice cars for our customers to drive when they come into watch the TB20GT being built just for them. We could use a nice brick sign with our logo on it so we can park each new production aircraft in front for the "family" picture of the customer with his new toy, kind of like what Saturn does for auto customers. We made need to shorten the company name on the sign to just the first letter of each word?Bob

[Guest]

>Don't we need a 12 gauge while flying in the remote areas of >Canada? >>I think we can barrow one or two from: >http://www.3dcafe.com/asp/meshes.asp I've already got a collection of three rifles, one of 'em can go on the rear deck of the a/c? :)>I sure like that new factory building you found for us. >Probably need to "order" some nice cars for our customers to >drive when they come into watch the TB20GT being built just >for them. We could use a nice brick sign with our logo on >it so we can park each new production aircraft in front for >the "family" picture of the customer with his new toy, kind >of like what Saturn does for auto customers. We made need >to shorten the company name on the sign to just the first >letter of each word? The building is courtesy of "Doc Moriarty," the same gentleman who wrote "MDLCommander."I thought about the sign, but who'd know what it meant with just the letters? :)The brick wall is easy enough, and gmax was kind enough to supply some nice brick texture. But, what LOGO?