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GMAX Prop Texturing

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I have a good prop blade which I need to texture so that it has white tips. I have paintshop pro, but I have not used it much yet. Can somebody give me some advice on how to map textures to a part in GMAX?Roberthttp://home.nethere.net/kerr/virtual.htm

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Guest odog

you should do the tutorial on discreets website, but here it is in Odogian... hope you can follow. :-)1. make a texture 256x256, name it prop_T (any ole schmoe texture will do for now, after you stick it, you can adjust it later.2. save it as a 24bit image, put it in a seperate folder named "xxx_gmax_textures" 3. create a prop disc in gmax, make it like 24 sided cylinder, and like .5 thick, what ever looks right on your plane.4. name it "prop0_blurred_01" this is critical5. put it in place and make sure the pivot is Y axis forward and Z axis up.6. convert it to an Editable Poly.7. Open the Material editor, click NEW, click STANDARD.8. click on MAPS, next to diffuse it says "NONE" click on that and then 'bitmap' and find your prop_T texture.9. click apply10. click the show map in viewport tool (blue and white box on the ME)11. click on UVW mapping. Select a planar map, Now you can adust the UVWmapping to your liking.12. now we need to just adjust the opacity of the texture down to like 40 or 50.12&1/2... to do this you need to get to the parent texture, in the ME. Hit the BLACK ARROW that points up, next to the blue and white box. Scroll up and you'll see the OPACITY setting, adjust this to your liking.lastly... export and add a 32bit version of your prop_T texture in the planes texture folder.done.. simple :-rolllooks like this in FS.http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/20669.jpgsame needs to be done for you "prop_slow" disc.good luck, let me know if you get stuck... do the tutorials, they explain better'n me.joe

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Odog-Wow! I wanna say that's a kingfisher you've got there, and an awful good looking one at that! Was the model designation OS2-U? Thanks for the step-by-step instructions, I will work thru the process over the weekend and let you know how it turns out. BTW, when I make my texture does the diameter/stripe width matter, or do you adjust accordingly when applying the texture in GMAX?Robert

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I printed out your instructions and got to the point where I could see the prop texture in GMAX, but no joy in FS. PaintShop didn't offer the ability to export in 32 bit so I used 24bit. Is that the problem?Robert

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Guest odog

you need to use IMAGE TOOL to convert the texture...hmmm where was that found... came in one of the SDKs you do have the MDL sdk's right...? if not get em!someone will have to help out with a link, I moved my image tool out of the original folder so cant tell you where that came from either.once you have image tool, open your texture in it and convert it to 32bit... now it will work in the sim.joe

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Actually, it comes with fs2k2 pro. I used it & now have a faint but visible prop circle. I need to figure out how to make the stripe more prominent while keeping the overall prop disc fairly transparent, but I think it's just a matter of tweaking what I have. Thanks for the help!Robert

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Guest odog

good for you... :-beerchug duh, i forgot IT came with FS.Try adjusting the opacity setting in gmax, you can see on my Kingfisher its too light too.I would also suggest looking at a prop texture from a plane you really like and try to copy how they did it.I think prop textures are quite overlooked, ive seen only a few really nice ones.good luckjoe

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Guest Fabio Miguez

Hey Robert.Just to let you know I am enjoying your model very much. The crhome looks great, you are very talented.Two things I wanted to drop a note about:1 - Can't tell by looking at the real pics, too small, but does the real one have visible rivets? I believe it would, right? If so, you could draw those in a texture and apply it to the aircraft in FS, to make it more real. You can stil have the reflection and chrome going over it.2 - The VC looks fabulous. The view forward though appears to be a bit restricted by the structural member in the windshield. But since your Dad owns the real thing, and you've flown it, I assume that's how it goes?Keep up the great work!

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Fabio-Thanks for the comments. I still have a lot of work to do, and a lot of things to learn. I'll try to get some pics on my site to show the real-life forward view.Robert

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Hey Fabio-I reworked the pics to give a better idea of how it looks "over the nose" in the real plane. Enjoy!Robert

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Guest Fabio Miguez

Hey Robert.The updated site looks great, good comparison pics!I have noticed the following, which are to be taken as just observations, for the model already looks very good. Also, the pics are a bit small, so I could be wrong:1 - In the first side-by-side pic, it seems the air outlet from the engine cowling, on both sides, is a bit narrower than the real one. Possibly "bending" it a bit more to the outside would result in a closer shape to the real one2 - The corners of the metal are, I believe, sharp corners on your model. I am talking about the bends, for example, on the fuselage. When you bend metal, as you know, it is not possible to have sharp bends, there is always a radius. In this case I believe the aircraft would look more realistic if you built in a bit of a radius on these sharp corners. It would almost be too small to see from looking at the overall plane, but I do believe it would make it look more realistic, even though if you aksed someone, they probably wouldn't cite this. Just something your eyes would find pleasing. Know what I mean? ;-)3 - The air intakes in the engine cowling appear a bit too big if compared to the real one. Also, on the pic in the left the metal seems to bend inwards a bit, forming a nice round "lip". Perhaps this is something you could do.4 - I see now how the inner view is like. You represented it very well. If possible, I would round the corners of the structural member in the windshield, since that is one of the most looked spots by users. But I know that can be a lot of work at this stage.5 - Finally, by looking at the wing pic, seen from inside, it appears you could benefit from a base texture like I mentioned earlier, depicting rivets and plate lines, where the metal plates join.Notice also that some of these might have been done by you already, and I just didn't notice. Also, as mentioned, these are just observations. The model is already amazingly close to the real one, so excellent job!Best regards

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Hey Fabio.Good eyes! Probably easiest to reply to each comment individually...>1 - In the first side-by-side pic, it seems the air outlet>from the engine cowling, on both sides, is a bit narrower than>the real one. Possibly "bending" it a bit more to the outside>would result in a closer shape to the real one.You are right on this one. I suspected my openings were oversize, and in fact the side-by-side shots confirm this. I plan to rework the cowl cheeks using the method I used on the bottom scoop. I formed the opening using a torus, which was stretched to the proper shape. I then cut the back side off and used 'connect' to join it to the main box.>2 - The corners of the metal are, I believe, sharp corners on>your model. I am talking about the bends, for example, on the>fuselage. When you bend metal, as you know, it is not>possible to have sharp bends, there is always a radius. In>this case I believe the aircraft would look more realistic if>you built in a bit of a radius on these sharp corners. It>would almost be too small to see from looking at the overall>plane, but I do believe it would make it look more realistic,>even though if you aksed someone, they probably wouldn't cite>this. Just something your eyes would find pleasing. Know>what I mean? ;-)These areas are actually individual panels, giving the plane a 'boxy' look. This was quite an exercise in the use of smoothing groups to get right!>3 - The air intakes in the engine cowling appear a bit too big>if compared to the real one. Also, on the pic in the left the>metal seems to bend inwards a bit, forming a nice round "lip".> Perhaps this is something you could do.It's on the revision list-I figured out a better way to get the rounded opening when I made the lower scoop.>4 - I see now how the inner view is like. You represented it>very well. If possible, I would round the corners of the>structural member in the windshield, since that is one of the>most looked spots by users. But I know that can be a lot of>work at this stage.I'm not sure which part you're referring to. Is it the black centerpost or the chromed box, which is the compass housing?>5 - Finally, by looking at the wing pic, seen from inside, it>appears you could benefit from a base texture like I mentioned>earlier, depicting rivets and plate lines, where the metal>plates join.I agree, I'm just starting to learn how to texture.>Notice also that some of these might have been done by you>already, and I just didn't notice. Also, as mentioned, these>are just observations. The model is already amazingly close>to the real one, so excellent job!Thank You for your observations and comments, Fabio. I appreciate your interest in my work.Robert

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