FSX Repainting

[wji]

Just a report on my first atempt at repainting an FSX aircraft -- no joy.

I used DXTbmp to convert the .dds file to 24bit, repainted, and saved back to various DXT Ext formats and no joy -- just blank grey.

Oh well, back to the drawing board  :)

[SkyNoz]

Can you open a saved format from FSX and examine it. Sometimes I found out by opening and saving it will give default saving format, also to make sure that when you save out of your paint program the layers are flattened and check the alpha.. I think that's why it may not laod.

[wji]

Thnx for the tip
It seems many FSX users are having success changing the FSX aircraft-exterior .dds file-format to .bmp(DXT), so I'll have to check into it a little more carefully.

I want to paint my FSX Mooney like my realworld one so I can dub outside- shots into my YouTube videos  

[igorski]

Any solid info in this area would be apprecieated, I dont have FSX yet but one of my guys is trying to repaint the defualt aircraft with no success yet! The aircraft vanishes when he re-saves the files as DDS!  ???

[wji]

I'm thinking the DXTbmp we came to know and love (mainly because Martin Wright gave it to us FREE) outputs a different DDS file than the one used in FSX.

I've outputted from DXTbmp every fileformat available (.dds; .dxt3; .dxt1; .dxt5) and still no joy viewing my repaints in FSX.

Ah, shucks!  :D

[igorski]

Is there anything from Microsoft? A new version of Imagetool perhaps?

[SkyNoz]

Try this Converter wji, it should be updated with specified format's.


http://www.ati.com/developer/compress.html

[wji]

Thanks for link, but . . . I'm going take the wait-and-see route. I d/l said program but it's not user friendly. DXTbmp has a DDS-DXT5 output but it won't show up in FSX.

I'm going take the wait-and-see route . . .

[bbstackerf]

This probably the hard way, but this is my solution. You need the DDS converter available in the link in FSX FAQ.

I just open the dds files for the aircraft in the converter (the ones you want to modify) , convert them to bmps..keeping them in the same texture folder, open as normal with DXTbmp and and your paint prog to edit. Save them back to the texture folder bmps like normal, and convert them back to dds files with the DDS Converter prog.

Kinda the long way around, but it DOES work. And after a few times it fairly quick and painless.

Keni

[Hagar]

Why don't you mail Martin Wright & ask his advice? I'm sure he will update DXTBmp if necessary.

PS. Never mind. I see he's on the case.

[wji]

"PS. Never mind. I see he's on the case."

Roger that, Hagar . . . click the Mips box and viola!

I even have the YouTube video of my first FSX repaint -- the Default DC-3.

Thanks to Martin Wright.

[Demo]

Open the FSX texture in DXTBmp and flip the image and Alpha... not mirror... the DDS are upside down and converting to BMP requires them to be rightside up to be applied to the aircraft correctly... do you repaints in what ever program you use and save making sure the image and alpha are right side up XD... thats how mine worked anyways... i repainted the blank 747 with no hassle...

(PS i saved mine in DXT3 if that helps at all... i havent experimented with anything else)

[wji]

FSX .DDS do not require flipping in DXTbmp

If going from (or to) Extended BMP; e.g., DXT3, flipping the image and alpha is required.

Here's what Martin Wright states:

"Nothing much has changed.... DXTBmp will edit DDS just the same way you edit Extended Bmp.
All the current FSX formats are supported.

If editing an existing DDS file the procedure is exactly as before.

If editing an extended bmp but wanting to save in DDS format you may need to flip the image and alpha before saving as the data in DDS is stored the other way up." -- M.W.

[Demo]

i converted .dds to DXT3 and it applied the texture all wrong. it was resolved when i flipped it to right side up... guess i don't really know what we are doing different...

[Felix/FFDS]

i converted .dds to DXT3 and it applied the texture all wrong. it was resolved when i flipped it to right side up... guess i don't really know what we are doing different...

I beleive that the dds format actually reverses the texture top to bottom.