Skinning method is there a set of instructions on getting started & more advanced wrk

[BOBC]

Hi,
Just wondering if there is a beginners guide, not scattered thoughout many threads, but all in one place as to how to go about skinning, where the files are held, what works, what to avoid, how to modify the rivet layers where correction is needed etc. as I need to do, any templates to be had etc.

Cheers

BOBC

[major_setback]

Simmers Paint Shop has tutorials and is the best place to ask for advice:

http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/forums/

Main site page. Tutorials are in the list on the left hand side:

http://www.simmerspaintshop.com/

Templates can be found here: http://www.airwarfare.com/sow/index.php/downloads/viewcategory/9-paint-schemes

The rivet layer is hard coded, so you can't change it. It can be modified a bit though. If you look in the link above for the official CoD templates from cliffsofdover.fr you will see that they are a combination of the rivet layer and the wear layer as a combined layer. These were released to aid skinners. You can use it as a layer within your template..They show where the panel lines and rivets are, and you can lighten/daken those areas where the lines/rivets are to change their appearance (to compensate a little for the hard-coded lines/rivets).

There is also a hard coded wear layer. Cockpit interiors, and flap interior colour, and undercarrriage colours are hard coded too.

Good luck,

Cheers, Setback

[major_setback]

You can also use the 'templates' in this download as a guide for painting camo outlines. They are from 1c and also official CoD templates.

http://www.airwarfare.com/sow/index.php/downloads/viewdownload/11-templates/258-official-cod-textured-templates-pack

These aren't layered templates like some of those found at the Airwarfare site. They are plain jpegs. You can combine them with the ones I mentioned above, as different layers (in Photoshop or Gimp) to give you a good idea of where different parts of the aircraft are located on each skin.

To find locations of any part of the skin on the in-game aircraft: use 'Tom's panel finder' made by TF developer VO101_Tom

http://www.pumaszallas.hu/Private/VO101_Tom/Panel_Finder_by_Tom_2_2048x2048

Put this skin in all your skins folders and use it on any plane to find where small parts are located on the skin. You will see the grid superimposed on the aircraft showing numbers and colours all over the aircraft. Paste it in your template too; it will show where the corresponding parts of the grid are on the skin you are making.

I suggest you make a separate layer for each colour you use when skinning. Then you can easily change it independently of the other layers. Use layer masks for the colours if you know how to do it, it will make skinning a lot easier. If you have a layer mask on top of a solid layer of colour then painting it black or white will determine how much of the lower layer shows, and it becomes very easy to erase or add detail.

As mentioned above, there are some layered templates at Airwarfare. Others you might have to make yourself if can't find the appropriate one for the aircraft you are doing. But look at those first to see how it should look.

Cheers, Setback

[major_setback]

Layered templates by KeefyBoy (Checkmysix) of this ATAG/TF forum. I hope he won't mind me sharing them:

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=190093

These should make things very much easier.

[ATAG_Flare]

cliffsofdover.fr is down now I believe, the owner couldn't keep the site up anymore.

[major_setback]

cliffsofdover.fr is down now I believe, the owner couldn't keep the site up anymore.

Yes, that is correct. That is why I re-uploaded all the skins that were there (in the past), to the Airwarfare site.

They are available from the link I posted above.

Cheers, Setback

[ATAG_Flare]

Yes, that is correct. That is why I re-uploaded all the skins that were there (in the past), to the Airwarfare site.

They are available from the link I posted above.

Cheers, Setback
That's great! I was really sad when that site went down but I guess I can still get these skins. Thanks for doing that!

Flare

[major_setback]

That's great! I was really sad when that site went down but I guess I can still get these skins. Thanks for doing that!

Flare
Oh! Maybe you misunderstood me. I re-uploaded all the official templates from there, not ALL the skins. Sorry for any confusion.

Cheers, Setback

[ATAG_Flare]

Oh! Maybe you misunderstood me. I re-uploaded all the official templates from there, not ALL the skins. Sorry for any confusion.

Cheers, Setback
Ohhh. Whatever. I guess there are still plenty of excellent skins out there. :salute: to you and everyone else who makes the excellent skins for this excellent sim. It's really appreciated!

Flare

[Grey]

Layered templates by KeefyBoy (Checkmysix) of this ATAG/TF forum. I hope he won't mind me sharing them:

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=190093

These should make things very much easier.
This one was helpful, thanks!

[Wolverine]

Hi everyone,

I would like to add skickers on my stuka 87 but I can't open it cause it is a mrk extension and I can't open it with Photoshop. Is there a way or another to open that file or to modify a skin?

Thanks

Wolverine

[major_setback]

Hi everyone,

I would like to add skickers on my stuka 87 but I can't open it cause it is a mrk extension and I can't open it with Photoshop. Is there a way or another to open that file or to modify a skin?

Thanks

Wolverine

You are probably looking in the wrong place. All of the plane skins are jpegs/jpgs. You can find them here (they might be in a different location depending on where you have you're install, and maybe even depending on operating system..I'm not sure):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\il-2 sturmovik cliffs of dover\PaintSchemes\Skins

There is a separate set of skins under 'User/..' but don't use these, and don't save you're edited skins to this location or they won't show in the game (this applies to my own install, but I think some others have actually found the reverse to be true!! :-( So experiment a bit if you can't see your edited skins in-game.

By the way, Photoshop CS2 is now openly available for anyone to download for freeeeeee eee!!! (though there have been reports of it not wroking with everyone's operating system).

Cheers, Setback

[major_setback]

If you just mean the 'nose art', then I'm afraid I don't know of any way to edit them. I don't think it's possible. You would have to edit a skin, adding the nose art yourself.

[Wolverine]

You are probably looking in the wrong place. All of the plane skins are jpegs/jpgs. You can find them here (they might be in a different location depending on where you have you're install, and maybe even depending on operating system..I'm not sure):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\il-2 sturmovik cliffs of dover\PaintSchemes\Skins

There is a separate set of skins under 'User/..' but don't use these, and don't save you're edited skins to this location or they won't show in the game (this applies to my own install, but I think some others have actually found the reverse to be true!! :-( So experiment a bit if you can't see your edited skins in-game.

By the way, Photoshop CS2 is now openly available for anyone to download for freeeeeee eee!!! (though there have been reports of it not wroking with everyone's operating system).

Cheers, Setback


Hello Setback,

I went to F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Cliffs of Dover\PaintSchemes\Skins\Ju-87B-2 and there was no jpegs/jpgs file only files with mrk extension. I opened all planes folder skins and only the bf planes, Hurricanes and Spitfires could be modified cause they have jpegs/jpgs files. Is that normal?



Thnks a lot.

Cheers, Wolverine

[major_setback]

I'm not at my home computer just now. I'll have a look at how it is in the game tomorrow.

Thinking through it though - You might not have any skins there if you haven't downloaded any. The hard coded in-game default skin won't show. The mrk file you see may be the 'nose art' (not editable as far as I know). I just do skins...maybe other forum menbers who know the game structure better than me can give more advice?

Try making your own skin using one of the templates from the above posts, or using my 'generic skin' (doesn't have markings, but you can turn on in-game markings). If you use either of these and share them with community members then please remember that you should give credit to the skin/template makers. It is very rude to just change a skin slightly and then claim it is your own, as some people have done in the past (not to me). Just mention us whenever you share it.

The template is already multi layered.

Here are the templates by Checkmysix/Keefyboy :
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=190093

And my generic skin (it isn't totally finished in this version...it's a work in progress):
http://www.airwarfare.com/sow/index.php/downloads/viewdownload/44-ju-87b-2/798-generic-ju-87-skin-for-tf4-light-plane-shine

To download mine - clik the 'download' button in the information box marked 'Data' on the right hand side. Pictures and screenshots are disabled on the site just now but the download should work.

Cheers, Setback

[Wolverine]

I'm not at my home computer just now. I'll have a look at how it is in the game tomorrow.

Thinking through it though - You might not have any skins there if you haven't downloaded any. The hard coded in-game default skin won't show. The mrk file you see may be the 'nose art' (not editable as far as I know). I just do skins...maybe other forum menbers who know the game structure better than me can give more advice?

Try making your own skin using one of the templates from the above posts, or using my 'generic skin' (doesn't have markings, but you can turn on in-game markings). If you use either of these and share them with community members then please remember that you should give credit to the skin/template makers. It is very rude to just change a skin slightly and then claim it is your own, as some people have done in the past (not to me). Just mention us whenever you share it.

The template is already multi layered.

Here are the templates by Checkmysix/Keefyboy :
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=190093

And my generic skin (it isn't totally finished in this version...it's a work in progress):
http://www.airwarfare.com/sow/index.php/downloads/viewdownload/44-ju-87b-2/798-generic-ju-87-skin-for-tf4-light-plane-shine

To download mine - clik the 'download' button in the information box marked 'Data' on the right hand side. Pictures and screenshots are disabled on the site just now but the download should work.

Cheers, Setback



Thank you very much Setback it is very appreciated from your part! :IAG:


Cheers, Wolverine