Less shiny things...

[Sir_Crashalot]

Hello,

is it possible to reduce the amount of reflection I have on my aircraft? For instance I have Carenado's Cessna 185F in a bare metal dirty finish but it shines like a mirror. I know it has something to do Alpha Channel but how to do this? Has envmap something to do with it?

Thanks in advance,

Carlo

[Opa]

Hello,

is it possible to reduce the amount of reflection I have on my aircraft? For instance I have Carenado's Cessna 185F in a bare metal dirty finish but it shines like a mirror. I know it has something to do Alpha Channel but how to do this? Has envmap something to do with it?

Thanks in advance,

Carlo

Have you tried contacting Carenado (there is a contact option on their website) and/or checking for updates for your particular aircraft there also?

Just a couple of ideas.

[Sir_Crashalot]

Thanks David. I'll give it a try.

Carlo

[Daube]

In the meanwhile, if you want to experiment, I believe that the intensity of the shining is directed by the clearness of the Alpha Channel of the texture.

So theorically, if you edit the texture with DXTBMP, and make its Alpha Channel darker, the texture should become less shiny.

[garryrussell]

Have you downloaded on of the enhanced envmaps?

This make dull aircraft shint but if the aircraft was made correctly in the first place it is too shiny. 8-)

If you have, then I suggest you put the original back.

[Sir_Crashalot]

I've been using the envmap of REPro. I'll put the original back in, let's see what it does.

Thanks for the advice,

Carlo

[garryrussell]

Any better??

[Sir_Crashalot]

Yep. Much better. Although some add-on aircraft still are a bit to shiny to my likings. I'll get used to it, I think.

Thanks for the advice anyhow. And sorry for the late reaction. Forgot all about this post.

Carlo

[garryrussell]

No prob

The too shiny ones may well have been made that way :-?

These enhanced maps should be outlawed as it means the goalposts are shifting.

The work is set to these results and unfortunately because of some aircraft paints being dull because they were done badly there has been a tendency to 'improve' them but this throws everything made properly out the window.

Glad your problem is somewhat relieved

ATB

Garry

[Fr. Bill]

In the meanwhile, if you want to experiment, I believe that the intensity of the shining is directed by the clearness of the Alpha Channel of the texture.

So theorically, if you edit the texture with DXTBMP, and make its Alpha Channel darker, the texture should become less shiny.

Actually, it's just the opposite... 

Pure white Alpha channel = completely flat (no shine)
Pure black Alpha channel = mirror finish!

[garryrussell]

Bill

Is FS.X is opposite to FS.9 in this respect?

Or is that just transparency :-/

I have no way of checking this at the moment

[Daube]

In the meanwhile, if you want to experiment, I believe that the intensity of the shining is directed by the clearness of the Alpha Channel of the texture.

So theorically, if you edit the texture with DXTBMP, and make its Alpha Channel darker, the texture should become less shiny.

Actually, it's just the opposite...

[Fr. Bill]

Bill

Is FS.X is opposite to FS.9 in this respect?

Or is that just transparency :-/

I have no way of checking this at the moment

Ah, that's the million dollar question! You see, the Alpha channel on the Diffuse Color can be used for either "reflections" (aka: shine) -or "transparency" depending on how the modeler set up the material and/or filename (in the case of FS9).

In FS9 only, a suffix of _T to a filename forces the Alpha channel to control transparency, otherwise it is used to control reflection...

In FSX, the suffix has no meaning at all. The presence or absence of a Specular Color texture and flags in the FSX Material are what controls the Alpha channel's behavior.

[JoBee]

In FS9 only, a suffix of _T to a filename forces the Alpha channel to control transparency, otherwise it is used to control reflection...

That's simply not true.

As an example, all the default FS9 aircraft have textures with the _t suffix and also have reflections.

This has to be dictated in the .mdl and filename has no control.

The only thing _t tells us, if I am not mistaken, is the plane was made with GMAX, as opposed to FSDS.

cheers,
Joe

[Fr. Bill]

Actually that last is certainly not true, as the suffix _T is required in FSDS.

I suppose it is possible that my assertion concerning the use of the suffix flag as a switch is incorrect, after all I've only been about this professionally for twelve years now...

...I've still got a lot to learn!