Silver

[Tweek]

Is there a certain type of grey (along with an alpha channel) that is used for a silver/bare metal paint? I'm going to attempt a repaint of T-33, G-TBRD and was wondering whether there is a special technique for doing this. The dayglo orange should be interesting too

Oh, and here's a picture:

http://www.airliners.net/photos/photos/5/8/4/922485.jpg

[Travis]

There's no real "set" color for this.

[Sytse]

May I suggest using gradients instead of just one type of grey...

[Tweek]

There's no real "set" color for this.  You just have to fiddle with different combinations until you get something that works the way you want it.

I always used something between 150 and 200 for the gray, then (depending on reflection needs) between 50 and 150 for the alpha.

For that dayglow orange, notice in the picture that it is faded in certain places, so highlights and shading would be needed.

Also, the metal doesn't have a "polished" look, so you would need to put on a lighter gray with a low reflection (gray=175, alpha=150 or 200).  That should get the look you're going for.

About the alpha... How do you actually change the value of it? Is there a setting in Dxtbmp or is it done through the actual editor?

[Travis]

In DXTBmp, when you separate the texture from the alpha you can opt to save the alpha under a different name.  Just look at the right-hand section of the screen.

Edit the alpha in the normal way you would edit a texture, adjusting for where you want reflection.  255=white=no reflection.  0=black=mirror finish.

[Felix/FFDS]

Another consideration as to why a repainter has to be careful about setting *any* specific combination of grey/ gradient/ alpha, etc for "silver" is that it also depends on the underlying material that the modeller used.

A modeller may use a lighter (i.e. "whiter") material for some of his parts, and darker for others.  Using a set value of alpha an grey may interject unwanted shadings.

Another thing to consider is to slightly vary the alpha in places, so as to simulate the possible variations between sheet metal areas.

[Tweek]

Another thing to consider is to slightly vary the alpha in places, so as to simulate the possible variations between sheet metal areas.

Yes, the wingtip tanks for one are faded, so will have a lot less shine to them. I'll experiment with it now.

[Tweek]

Success I see how the alpha works now, just a matter of painting the bloody thing first! (tip tanks are pretty much done, basic colouring of the wings, etc...)

[Ivan]

Best thing is to find something with the same color (not photopaste) and use that gradient