Simviation Forums

Sorry to ask again folks but has ANYONE done this successfully and can tell me how, numpties-guide please.

I have got DECAL_NNUMBER to work perfectly.  What I need to know is how to get other decals to work.

Is there anything special about the part I'm trying to map the texture on?  I'm using a simple plane like I did with DECAL_NNUMBER.

Is there anything I need to know about the texture map itself?  I'm using colour 0,0,0, for the background and hoping that just the foreground colours will show up but I get a black rectangle instead.  (DXT.3)

It's driving me nuts!

Another problem is the decal simply making a transparent hole in my model in FS.  Model is already textured with a shiny metal surface, is this similar to the problem you get with reflective canopies...?


Thanks.


Kev

Hi Kev,

So what's it going to be this time, Gmax or fsds?  ::)

I should be able to walk you through it using a multi material and need I say it...ok I will...Gmax.  ;)

FSEdge

:-)
I use GMAX to finish off my models.
So, yes please, lead me through it.


Kev

Hi Kev,

I haven't forgotten you. I am putting a video together and will be done soon. I'll post a link to it in a short while.

FSEdge

Thanks, looking forward to it.  :-)


Kev

Hi Kev,

I hope this helps. When you first load the video be patient. It will load up to 50% before it starts running and there might be buffering issues. If the sound moves ahead of the video just back the video up a little. It should run nicely on the second run through. The duration is approx. 15 minutes. If you have questions feel free to email me.

Decal Video

FSEdge

Er, how long does this thing take to load?  I'm on dialup in the UK, paying through the nose!  15 minutes so far and nothing showing up....


Kev

You better forget it then. The file is roughly 58 Meg.

If you want I can upload it and let you down load it for later review. Sorry, but that is as small as I could compress it. If I archive it I can probably get the size down to 40 or 45 Meg.

Let me know what you want.

FSEdge

Eek!  That would take something like all day...

Er, can't you just post some instructions?

I've got DECAL_NNUMBER to work OK but I'd like to add some lettering on top of the fuselage (it is supposed to represent a hatch) and a name on each side of the nose.

Fuselage texture is already polished metal and my efforts so far are just making ractangular see-through patches.  :-/


Kev

Adding text to other locations on the fuselage can't be done by way of DECAL_NNUMBER. The texture name has a special meaning in FS and is only controllable through the aircraft menu. You will need to approach the text from another angle.

FSEdge

I know.  I'm not trying to use DECAL_NNUMBER.

There is also a DECAL_WHATEVER... for logos etc.
Some of the default FS2002 and FS9 aircraft use them.

The FS2002 Dash 8 and the FS9 Jenny, for a start.

Examining the source for these aircraft has not helped me at all though.  :-(


Kev

WOW,

I totally misread your first post. Somehow I just read DECAL_NNUMBER. Sorry about that.

I poked around in the Jenny a bit and also looked into the texture being used. From what I can tell at first glance, the texture has an alpha channel and it's compressed to DXT1. I'll play with a few test objects and see if I can produce the same results as the Jenny.

Cheers Edge, if anyone can figure it out you can.  :-)

I tried DXT1 and got a black rectangle.  DXT3 gives me a transparent rectangle making a hole in the model.

My model textures are DXT3 to give a nice polished metal effect and I wonderd if the hole was a similar effect to the one you get when you use a reflective canopy and glssy textures on say, a prop or helicopter rotor, one intersects the other and you get zilch...

I look forward to your results and will hold off uploading my wonderplane until then.  :-)


Kev

Hi Kev,

Well I think I figured out the DECAL_ texture.
Here is what I did:

1.Created a polygon in the area I wanted the decal to be and placed it just to the outside of the model.

2.Mapped and added Standard Material to the new polygon.

3.Created a texture in PSP with an alpha channel and saved it as DECAL_.tga and also DECAL_.bmp (to be used in Gmax for placement on the polygon).

4.Opened Imagetool and loaded DECAL_.tga.

5.Changed the DECAL_.tga format from 32 bit to DXT1 and then exported to FS aircraft \texture folder in my aircraft container.  

6.Exported the Gmax model to FS.

That

Er, y'know when I said "numpties guide..."?


> 1.Created a polygon in the area I wanted the decal to be and placed it just to the outside of the model.

I managed that bit.

> 2.Mapped and added Standard Material to the new polygon.

I don't quite understand that bit.

> 3.Created a texture in PSP with an alpha channel and saved it as DECAL_.tga and also DECAL_.bmp (to be used in Gmax for placement on the polygon).

Colours?  I'm guessing black for the parts I want invisible, i.e. where I want my original texture to show through.

Why both formats?

> 4.Opened Imagetool and loaded DECAL_.tga.  

Dunno what Imagetool is but I used DXTBmp to do the same.  I don't know what colours should be used for the alpha channel but I'm guessing black again...

> 5.Changed the DECAL_.tga format from 32 bit to DXT1 and then exported to FS aircraft \texture folder in my aircraft container.    

Did that.

> 6.Exported the Gmax model to FS.  

...and got a hole where the texture should be.  :-(

> That