Author Topic: Merged: Old Aircraft in Pixels posts  (Read 14710 times)

Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #15 on: March 08, 2019, 11:05:18 AM »
The Mercedes-Benz D.IIIa top-end gets a [texture map] overhaul:



Offline IvotB

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #16 on: March 08, 2019, 08:38:10 PM »
It's a nice package :)  In building I haven't passed the second phase for the tail assembly. I downloaded the instructions of the WnW Albatros to find some help, but I'm not sure if it will give me the details. But is a different kind of building and a nice game for us modellers, but even more so for our children who are addicted to their tablets and smartphones. Perhaps this way they may be lured towards the real thing: actual model building ;D

regards,
Ivo

Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #17 on: March 08, 2019, 10:48:00 PM »
Hi Ivo--

First, thanks!,

Second, regarding getting stuck at the tail building step: something similar was reported by one of the testing elves. It seems it was possible to attach the curved piece to the leading edge of the framework such that it appears to be in the right place, but it doesn't lock. In that case, the last remaining part (the angled piece that forms the upper trailing edge) will not attach. When something like this happens (or for instance you "drop" a part and it gets buried inside the model) there is a RESET button that will do just that for any loose parts. It's the circle with the arrows chasing each other in the upper right corner second one down.

Having said all that, I did make a modification to that step which went live with the very latest version - 0.1.6.  This is the Version that introduces the checkerboard Bavarian scheme. If you have this version and you are still getting stuck on the tail step, please let me know!

Thanks again,

--Bo


Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #18 on: March 21, 2019, 09:35:05 AM »
The latest version (0.1.7) is live, lots of new and refactored content in the form of Albatros bits.








more info

Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2019, 01:56:07 PM »
Work continues on the Albatros D.V/a (virtual) model -- notably, the undercarriage geometry was recently completed:





Meanwhile, a new feature has been developed. A couple of raw shots from the upcoming "Museum Photo Studio" feature, which complements the existing "Aerial Action Photo Studio."




watch it in action here!: https://youtu.be/Cw9puDetOTs

And we're expanding! -- a very, (extremely) preliminary shot or two of the next model to be featured in Aircraft in Pixels:




And very soon I should be able to share news of an very interesting collaboration project with someone many of you have heard of ;)

more info

Finally --  we have a new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aircraftinpixels

Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #20 on: June 15, 2019, 09:23:09 AM »
This happens to not be the collaboration that I was hinting at in the previous post, but nevertheless I'm extremely grateful to Richard @ Aviattic for supplying a full range of artwork for me to use in Aircraft in Pixels, starting with his unsurpassed lozenge camouflaged fabric patterns in all the flavors...

Here is a test application on an Albatros D.V lower wing model, screen shot taken straight out of the game:





(lower loz slightly distorted -- will be fixed next go round...)

Offline Gene K

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #21 on: June 15, 2019, 10:13:27 AM »

 .... a very, (extremely) preliminary shot or two of the next model to be featured in Aircraft in Pixels:

Another one to look forward to! When do you anticipate the Dr.1 will be available for purchase?

Gene K

Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #22 on: June 15, 2019, 10:55:12 AM »

Another one to look forward to! When do you anticipate the Dr.1 will be available for purchase?

Gene K

Hi Gene!

Probably this Fall is realistic for an early release version. There's work left to do on the Albatros D.V as well as the framework to support multiple models -- but I've made a lot of headway in that regard -- partly goaded along by the Fokker Dr.I -- partly by the yet to be announced collaboration ;)

Thanks for your interest & support,

--Bo



Offline Whiteknuckles

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #23 on: June 15, 2019, 12:58:56 PM »
Hi Bo,

forgive me if you have answered elsewhere: with your excellent renders, such as the D.V's undercarriage, how do you get the texturing/patina to look so great?
Is it based on photo's of your models or just another awesome skill of yours??

Thanks in advance,

Andrew
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Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #24 on: June 16, 2019, 12:39:13 AM »
Hi Bo,

forgive me if you have answered elsewhere: with your excellent renders, such as the D.V's undercarriage, how do you get the texturing/patina to look so great?
Is it based on photo's of your models or just another awesome skill of yours??

Thanks in advance,

Andrew

Hey Andrew!

An awesome skill... or merely something I know how to do, depending on your perspective :)

I'm afraid this gets into how the sausage is made... have a seat.

The model starts out as a mesh:



We can view it with shading and apply colors to the individual parts in the modeling tool, but the magic happens later:



First, we have to map out all the faces of the mesh onto a flat "texture space." This is called "UV mapping." This is the least fun step, but also highly critical to get nice results. This is a map of everything in the model pictured above, minus the wheels and tires, which were done separately:



Now we import the model into a tool called Substance Painter. This is where the magic happens.  One of the first steps is generating Ambient Occlusion -- the shadows that occur in nooks and crannies. Think of it as akin to a pin wash in 'real' modeling. With this step it's already starting to look convincing...



Next, we apply a "steel" texture to the entire model. This is a recipe that comes out of a bottle, so to speak. The recipe is made up of several layers that work to together to make a convincing looking metallic material.



Now comes the "albatros paint" layer. This is a recipe that I've come up with, based on stuff that others before me have created -- it's a multi layer concoction that starts with a uniform color base layer, and adds various layers of imperfections, grunge and chipping, all generated based on the geometry of the model. In short, it's kind of magic:



Wood and other materials are created in a similar way. When it's all done, Substance spits out a bunch of "maps" -- 2D image files -- with different properties of the materials each going into a separate map all laid out according to the UV map created earlier. For instance, there is a map for "glossiness" which is a black and white image, with black standing for full-on shiny gloss, and white completely matte, with all the shades of grey representing the continuum in between. These maps are imported into the project in the game engine, where the model will ultimately be rendered in real time. This picture shows a bunch of maps of all kinds in the game engine, with the "albedo" map -- the "base color" if you like, enlarged in the inset. The blue maps are "normal" maps -- these affect the apparent geometry and make things like paint bubbles and scratches appear to have real depth by altering the way light bounces off the model at that particular point. The gray scale maps are things like glossiness, metallic, and ambient occlusion...:



All these maps are recombined into a "material" in the game engine. When the resulting materialis  applied to the sample sphere, it looks like nonsense:



but when it's applied to the actual subject... viola!

« Last Edit: June 16, 2019, 07:34:18 AM by Flugzeugwerke »

Offline Gene K

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #25 on: June 16, 2019, 03:10:36 AM »
An awesome skill... or merely something I know how to do, depending on your perspective :)

Yes on both counts, I think! Your "sausage making" summary just underscores your technical competence as well as your artistic talent.

Gene K

Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #26 on: June 16, 2019, 10:44:14 AM »
Thanks Gene :)

Here's an update on the Fokker ... Aviattic "Fokker Streaking" artwork applied to the WIP Dr.I model. My virtual application mimics exactly how you'd do in with the real decals -- CDL underpainting with assorted grunge & mottling, and the streaking overlaid.




Offline Whiteknuckles

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #27 on: June 17, 2019, 09:29:45 AM »
Thanks very much for the detailed explanation Bo - definitely a skill and a talent I'd say!

Wonderful work - your post actually helped explain some of the terms the Livery makers use in X Plane :)

Andrew

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Offline uncletony

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Re: Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V Early-ish Bird Special
« Reply #28 on: June 17, 2019, 09:44:23 AM »
My pleasure Andrew. :)

Offline uncletony

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Aircraft in Pixels No. 2: Albatros D.V/a Update
« Reply #29 on: June 19, 2019, 10:52:55 AM »
Basic upper wing structure for generic D.V complete. Still need to add a bunch of details -- gusset plates, compression bars, & details specific to D.V and D.Va variants. & then of course "paint"...