Military AI Works

Hi all,

I decided to attempt to paint this scheme on the Skysim Hawk, its coming along ok so far although I have hit a few texture mapping issues as you can see below. I have tried to fix the top of the wings but I can because there are two different areas that use the same single mapping area if that makes sense? Its not as bad as the underside but I will attempt to try and fix that if I can. This is my first display scheme on any aircraft. Let me know what you guys think


OETB20 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

OETB21 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

OETB22 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

Regards
Dale

Wow, good job mate. I see what you mean about the "slight irregularities". Unfortunately I don't have this but I might be right in saying that if you give Tranquil a shout, he may be able to help.....

Otherwise - bloody marvellous!

Thanks Daryl,

I have been messing around on it all afternoon trying to get it to look right and this is as far as I can get, I am happy with it in general but it is just that mapping error that is a slight problem. But here it is now and I will be releasing it like this unless anyone puts there had up and offers to help me with it.


2012 Hawk1 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

2012 Hawk2 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

2012 Hawk3 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

2012 Hawk4 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

Regards
Dale

If this is a "payware" aircraft then those mapping errors are a total disgrace and I would ask for my money back. The centre wing mapping should be perfect in that area of the aircraft and having the flap mapping so far out of alignment is also unforgivable. I can excuse a half pixel error in mapping alignment because I know how difficult it is to get it right but when your paying cash for it, I expect a little more bang for my buck.
I would toss that model into the bin and use the NBAI-Hawk with adjustment to there FDE.
cheer's,

Yes it is payware, made by Rick Piper. It isn't great but the model itself is fantastic one of the best aircraft in the hangar its just the mapping that lets it down and one or two other small things. It wasn't to expensive if I remember correctly but considering that it payware I would have expected better.

Dale,

Just a suggestion. Can you get any clues to help you from looking at a camo skin. That may show where the demarcation lines cross over parts etc.

Chris

Ha Ha! lol
Dale, if they can get away with supplying the rank & file simmer with that then I think we need to increase our fee's here at MAIW. I know that sometimes you simply can't map an airframe 100% on an AI airframe because of the lack of polys and the fact that we are looking to keep the overall mapped parts draw call down to a minimum but a payware airframe that can be more than 10 x the polys and use almost the same in texture files should be spot on.
I have made an AI which was soley developed for one paint job, the AT-3, and it's paint kit is a bugger to work out but at least it can be painted "given a lot of effort" to other schemes. I'd still ask for my money back!

Sounds like another reason to stick to the black or grey birds to me.

This is an example of a mapping error on the wing. As you can see the same area on the texture sheet has been mapped twice on the wing

Skysim Hawk mapping by DaleRFU1, on Flickr

These are really basic error's by the author and really easy to fix, so there is no excuse for it.

On small jets like this and even the F-35, the texture mapping can take the whole wing as one part and give excellent quality to the repaint. An upper surface and lower surface and sometimes wing tip outer surface.

The NBAI Hawk texture below shows what I'm talking about. The wing and all control surfaces are mapped as one part and then separated for the animation of flaps and landing gear doors. This ensures that the mapping is spot on when all the parts meet together.
The only time that you would separate wing sides, flaps, landing gear doors is if the model is of a large aircraft that requires larger, more detailed texture to be applied to those surfaces but even then, it is not difficult to align those separated parts within half a pixel if not perfect, without batting an eye lid.
Even my Airbus A332 MRTT was textured as a solid wing and then all the flaps, and spoilers cut out afterwood.

Very poor workmanship for a payware model and very sad to see that something like that is being sold in the first place. Long live freeware models.

The F35B test mapping of the underwing using the USAF Thunderbird colours. It showed me that the flaps were perfectly texture aligned to the wing with a small issue at the mid fuselage front section where the wing joins a forward part under the cockpit. Easily seen, easily fixed. It turned out being an error on the texture sheet, not the model it self.

Mark

That is looking just fantastic. can't wait to see it flying around in my sim

Pete,
This is just a test paint on the B-model for which the USAF Thunderbirds would never use for there formation team. May be the A-model might be a rank outsider for it, but again I doubt it. So this paint job is not for release but may be one of the painting team might do a may be repaint at sometime.
This is also a much earlier version of the B-model, Kevin Reed is now the cheif of its development to hover animation stage.
cheer's,