Some Recent and Not so Recent Skins

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Here's a P-38 in the markings of the 95th FS, 82nd FG which was part of the 12th AF in italy.



DW

[_AH_Col._Hogan]

Ohhh droool, that beaut needs to be Hoganized!

S!

[_AH_Gonzo]

That looks awesome DW!

Any chance I could get a copy of that template so that I could change the tail colour?

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Yeah I could do that Gonzo. I'm also working on the other two squadrons in the group that had black and yellow tails with slight variations. The black of the 97th FS is easy :



But I'm trying to do the 96th FS's markings :



The sticking point is the checkers wrapping around the nose. The way the texture is mapped to the model it's doing all kinds of wierd things at the top and bottom. I'm experimenting to try and minimize the screwiness.

DW

[_AH_Col._Hogan]

Hey that one already has an H on it.

S!

[_AH_Twisted]

The sticking point is the checkers wrapping around the nose. The way the texture is mapped to the model it's doing all kinds of weird things at the top and bottom. I'm experimenting to try and minimize the screwiness.

~S~ DW

I had a play for a couple of hours this morning with the checkering The majority turn out sweet. Clear and like they are supposed to.

What is happening from what I can see is since the way the panels merge it is a true 3D cone, while the skin panel is a 2D arc. Thus you get the pulling and stretching on the top and bottom seems. This is also causing the colors to be pulled and blend. I honestly don't think there is much you can do to to make the checkering come out as a square or even rectangle shape. I tried angles, going down to single pixel, blends and even warp yet it still pulls and mishapes the final square to the seem.

About the only thing I can suggest is using either a off white/ dirty stripe top and bottom on the join seem or an anti-glare top with a single strip bottom. This way when it pulls it, it is pulling a single color.

You can't make up for poor modeling physics on how a 2D panel is applied in a 3D application.

~S~

PS. I found 5 other P-38's with checkering on the nose and all had the same fault so no one has figured it out yet either.

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Yeah Twist, I messed with it a bunch and came to the same conclusions. It's like the texture is mapped to be viewed from a certain angle independant of the angle of the surface it's covering, very strange. I was hoping maybe it could be compensated for, but I don't think it can. Major bummer.

This is the best I could come up with. From the side it looks perfect, but top and bottom it looks messy.



There is a similar problem where the insignia is on the right boom. If you look at it square on, the top and bottom tips of the star are curved to the right. But if you view it from an angle farther aft it looks fine.



DW

[_AH_Twisted]

Yep I wound up with basically the same checkering on the top and bottom seems. Only mine was probably worse due to trying to keep the sizes similar to the side checkering.

Yes it is real P.I.T.A. and bummer. Have you thought about or tried to put the anti-glare down the nose to hide it, at least on the top? I know it looks somewhat funky but at least in looks better than the messed up checkering when viewed from the side and top. When viewed straight down or from head-on or rear it doesn't look too bad actually. You can make it flow from the front of the fuselage.

Other than that DW awesome skins !

[_AH_DarkWolf]

I found a profile for this a/c in "P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Forces".



At first I thought how gaudy. Then I realized, how JACK!



DW

[_AH_Moggy]

Nice aluminum finish.  Is that one you built?

[_AH_DarkWolf]

No, thats just one of the only images of the a/c I could find online.

DW

[_AH_Col._Hogan]

Nicely done on that Jack skin.

S!

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Here's a late war PTO P-47. Has kind of a mixture of various 35th FG markings.



DW

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Yet another P-47, this time kind of a late '43 european theatre scheme you might see on a late P-47C or early P-47D.



I don't have a jug problem you do.

DW

[_AH_Col._Hogan]

Thanks for the new jugs, they look great

S!