Help With T-6 Texan II

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Reggie
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Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Reggie »

I've finished a very basic repaint of the Hellenic trainer PC-9 converting it to a T-6 Texan II (A & B models). The four I've finished are:

T-6B NAS Whiting Field "E"
T-6B NAS Pensacola "F"
T-6A NAS Pensacola 421st FTS
T-6A Columbus AFB 37th FTS

Again, these are very basic and the "B" models are not numbered. The "A" model is numbered all the same, I was just trying to get something going and populate my flightsim. This is my first attempt at repainting. I used DXTBMP and saved them in DXT1 format.

If anyone wants to take them now and polish them up and number them, I don't mind. I don't want to upload them to the general public in this basic level. Simmers deserve to have a completed product. E-mail me at reggiechitwood@centurylink.net and I will send you the files.

Thanks to Dave Friswell and everyone at MAIW for bringing military aviation to flightsimming.

Reggie
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by MIKE JG »

Reggie the best format for ai textures is DXT3 saved with mipmaps if you want to use that format instead.
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Reggie
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Reggie »

Thanks Mike. I did use the MipMap feature, then DXT1. Then I saved them as an extended bitmap.

I'll change them to DXT3 and see what happens.

Regards,

Reggie
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Greg
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Greg »

Make sure if you're changing to DXT3 with mips that your textures have an alpha channel. There's a considerable performance issue if they don't.
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Reggie »

OK, if someone has a minute, here's my proceedure. I don't have a manual with DXTBmp, do I'm wingin' it.

I open the file in DXTBmp.
I select "Preview", then select "DXT3". A window pops up with the file in DXT3.
I close that window and save the file as an "Extended Bitmap".

When do I "Apply Alpha To Image" during this process? And if I close the DXT window, does the image stay in DXT3 when I save it?

Thanks,

Reggie
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by MIKE JG »

Under the "Preferences" menu, make sure you have the "display alpha channel" option checked on.

That will display a separate smaller alpha channel window in the upper right portion of the main DXTBmp viewer. Drag and drop the texture you want to convert to DXT3 format into the main window. It will be displayed along with any alpha channel it might have which will be displayed in that separate window in the upper right. Note that this smaller window has icons that allow you to import/export the file as well as send the file to your graphics editor. For a regular AI texture that does not need any parts of the texture to be reflective, you want this alpha channel texture to be 100% white, the whole thing. So if that smaller window is anything other than all white, send it to your editor, change it to all white and then import it back into the alpha channel window. Then save the original texture as DXT3 which will save the main texture and embed the alpha channel which you created along with it.

That should take care of it.
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Victory103 »

I guess Reggie and I are doing the same work on the DFAI PC-9/T-6, he is slightly ahead of me as I just got Gimp downloaded. Just wanted to confirm that none of the pro repainters use "imagetool" from the SDK? I have DXTbmp as well.
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by lewis »

I uploaded a T-6 package for Laughlin AFB. It includes a few frames for Randolf too. You can get them here: http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=139033

Got some for Pensacola I might upload in a later moment. Lewis
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T-6 Texan ll  Laughlin AFB.JPG
T-6 Texan ll  Laughlin AFB-5.JPG
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Victory103 »

lewis,
Thanks I have had yours bouncing in the DLF/RND pattern in both FS9 and FSX. Just needed to get Columbus/Vance/Sheppard and now North Whiting in the "popsicle" scheme
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Reggie »

Thanks for the assist. I was already using the Alpha Channel panel and didn't realize it. I just needed to save it in DXT3 instead of DXT1. The repaint came out great with no FPS problems.

Sorry I can't upload a screenshot yet.

Lewis, what font do you use for the tailcodes?
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by phantomfreak »

FYI, The Pensacola T-6s are also painted in the international orange and white scheme also. The orange is where the blue is.
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by flyerkg »

Lewis, Thank you for providing these Texans. I am looking forward to swapping out my T-34s in a way, but will probably always have a backup for the original package for when I am in the mood for retro.

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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Ripcord »

Guys I just wanted to check in and see if there have been any more USAF T-6 repaints done -- cheers

Mark
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Victory103 »

Ripcord, there is one in the new KRMG T-6 paintkit for a "RA" USAF version, but it's in psd format and I have yet to convert it over. My idea was just to use the one as a stand in to the DFAI T-6 using the FP's listed above.
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Ripcord »

I have been using the freeware AI that come with the T-6 freeware from IRIS. I'm just not good at repainting and probably that is unwise to have more than a few of them together anyway - will kill FPS or even just overload my system. Anyway the work Lewis has done here is brilliant. Not wanting to ask but still, shame on me for not keeping my eyes open.

Have been trying my hand at sceneries for KDLF and KEND.
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Re: Help With T-6 Texan II

Post by Victory103 »

Got a .dds file for "XL" based T-6A for the new KRMG model, weird that in Martin's AIE it will not display textures, but in FSRepaint it does, need to see it in FSX. You could also grab a few "AP" AETC T-6's from the NAS Pensacola package, they are already in AF colors. I would not use the IRIS for AI, one of my fav's for player flown though.
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