Having some serious issues

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vortac12
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Having some serious issues

Post by vortac12 »

I have created a few paints for various aircraft using photoshop in the past. I am using Photoshop CC2020 and NVIDIA Texture Export tools. I am trying to paint the P40 Warhawk and I am having a couple of issues.

1. I was able to get the Alpha channel to export on 2 of the textures section (P40B1_t and P40B2_t only)
2. I am not sure I am setting the options correctly in the NVIDIA texture tool plug-in when exporting.
3. I think this because I am only getting a satin looking all black aircraft in the simulator.

I am assuming that I am either doing something wrong during the export, like not making the correct selections in the tools, or I am doing something completely wrong.

My workflow has gone like this,
1. I turn on the layers in the PSD file I want, add my graphics
2. Flatten the image
3. Go to the Texture Alpha PSD and then select color range so all the gray scale is selected and copy the selection
4 Go to the regular texture PSD, select the all white alpha channel and then select paste in place.
5. Flatten the image
6. Crop down so that only the texture I am currently saving is there so that instead of viewing full, I am looking at P40B1 ect
7. Flip the selection vertically
8. Save as the correct texture section making sure that alpha is selected as the save as. I save as .DDS
9. This opens the NVIDIA Texture tools plug in options. I keep the settings that opens with which is format of BC7 RGBA 8bp Explicit Alpha and I select both for color and alpha and hit save.

I haven't done a texture in over a year and the NVIDIA tool interface is completely different so I might be getting something wrong.

Thank you

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

When I am ready to import the alpha channel into the main texture I do the following.

1. First, I save the P40B_Full_ALPHA.psd then, select Layer > Flatten Image. Discarding hidden layers.

2. Hit Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C. - This selects all and copies to the clipboard.

3. Switch to the P40B_Full.psd

4. Select the Channels Tab and click on the white Alpha channel

5. Hit Ctrl+V. - This pastes in the saved clipboard.

6. Click on the RGB channel and save the P40B_Full.psd

I am then ready to cut it up and save the required .dds. The image is automatically flattened and flipped vertically in the Nvidia saving process. Since I'm using CS 6 I have an older Nvidia plug-in but these are the settings for DXT5 I use.

Image

I've been doing it this way for years so, hope this is helpful.

Steve

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

vortac12 wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 01:42 9. This opens the NVIDIA Texture tools plug in options. I keep the settings that opens with which is format of BC7 RGBA 8bp Explicit Alpha and I select both for color and alpha and hit save.
I've done some research. I believe the BC7 format refers to the Intel Texture Works DDS plug-in and not the Nvidia. Unless of course Nvidia has released a new version for CC. I also think you need to save as BC3 8bpp (Linear) for DXT5 compatibility. That seems to work for me at least. BC7 file type colours are all wrong in sim when I use it in P3D v4.5.

Steve.

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Ron Attwood
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by Ron Attwood »

This sounds more like brain surgery that airplane painting! :shock:
"It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled"

vortac12
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by vortac12 »

Ron Attwood wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 18:51 This sounds more like brain surgery that airplane painting! :shock:
Yes you would think it would be a lot easier lol.

vortac12
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by vortac12 »

bladerunner900 wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 07:57
vortac12 wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 01:42 9. This opens the NVIDIA Texture tools plug in options. I keep the settings that opens with which is format of BC7 RGBA 8bp Explicit Alpha and I select both for color and alpha and hit save.
I've done some research. I believe the BC7 format refers to the Intel Texture Works DDS plug-in and not the Nvidia. Unless of course Nvidia has released a new version for CC. I also think you need to save as BC3 8bpp (Linear) for DXT5 compatibility. That seems to work for me at least. BC7 file type colours are all wrong in sim when I use it in P3D v4.5.

Steve.
The new texture plug in looks nothing like that anymore. There is no longer an option to flip vertically, if there is, I have no clue where it is. I think you all are correct in that the settings I have chosen for the BC7 file type is wrong.

vortac12
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by vortac12 »

bladerunner900 wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 05:44 When I am ready to import the alpha channel into the main texture I do the following.

1. First, I save the P40B_Full_ALPHA.psd then, select Layer > Flatten Image. Discarding hidden layers.

2. Hit Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C. - This selects all and copies to the clipboard.

3. Switch to the P40B_Full.psd

4. Select the Channels Tab and click on the white Alpha channel

5. Hit Ctrl+V. - This pastes in the saved clipboard.

6. Click on the RGB channel and save the P40B_Full.psd

I am then ready to cut it up and save the required .dds. The image is automatically flattened and flipped vertically in the Nvidia saving process. Since I'm using CS 6 I have an older Nvidia plug-in but these are the settings for DXT5 I use.

Image

I've been doing it this way for years so, hope this is helpful.

Steve
That is how I was doing it, and for some reason, it kept pasting the Alpha as a new layer on the regular layers page. Or nothing would happen at all when i clicked on paste. Thanks everyone!

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

Ron Attwood wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 18:51 This sounds more like brain surgery that airplane painting! :shock:
Maybe. But after doing it for so long the merge, copy and paste is done in seconds. What takes time is learning the layout of the paint kit. Chopping up the P-40 paint kit into 10 separate pieces, 5 for the main texture and 5 for the spec, is a real pain. I much prefer the all-in-one paint kits.

Steve.

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

vortac12 wrote: 01 May 2020, 02:06That is how I was doing it, and for some reason, it kept pasting the Alpha as a new layer on the regular layers page. Or nothing would happen at all when i clicked on paste. Thanks everyone!
During my very brief sojourn with CC I had the Nvidia plug-in working in Photoshop. There was a problem if the texture had more than one alpha as I recall, but deleting any extra ones fixed that problem. What stopped me was the thought of renting software. Maybe it's fine for businesses but for a retiree and hobbyist like me? No thank you. CS6 is more than enough for me, artwork and photography.

vortac12
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by vortac12 »

bladerunner900 wrote: 01 May 2020, 06:31
vortac12 wrote: 01 May 2020, 02:06That is how I was doing it, and for some reason, it kept pasting the Alpha as a new layer on the regular layers page. Or nothing would happen at all when i clicked on paste. Thanks everyone!
During my very brief sojourn with CC I had the Nvidia plug-in working in Photoshop. There was a problem if the texture had more than one alpha as I recall, but deleting any extra ones fixed that problem. What stopped me was the thought of renting software. Maybe it's fine for businesses but for a retiree and hobbyist like me? No thank you. CS6 is more than enough for me, artwork and photography.
It definitely has it's good and bad points. On one side, every month you are paying a small portion of the purchase price and it never ends. On the other side you always have the update version. Instead of paying $100 plus dollars every year at one time, you spread it out. then on the other hand, if you buy it once, you don't have to upgrade if you don't want to and you can still use the product. Once you stop paying the monthly fee, you can't use old or new versions anymore. What helps for me though is that I am a student so I only pay $19 a month for every single Adobe product. I use Premiere, Audition, Photoshop, Lightroom, and occasionally Illustrator so it is A LOT cheaper for me to rent then to buy all of these.

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

I just spent the last hour on Adobe live support. Trying to get Lightroom 6 activated. Seems it was installed on too many computers. If it was CC then it would have been easy to resolve but because it's stand-alone, the web site just did not want to know.

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Ron Attwood
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by Ron Attwood »

bladerunner900 wrote: 01 May 2020, 06:14
Ron Attwood wrote: 30 Apr 2020, 18:51 This sounds more like brain surgery that airplane painting! :shock:
Maybe. But after doing it for so long the merge, copy and paste is done in seconds. What takes time is learning the layout of the paint kit. Chopping up the P-40 paint kit into 10 separate pieces, 5 for the main texture and 5 for the spec, is a real pain. I much prefer the all-in-one paint kits.

Steve.
Try a Carabeo, they'll keep you occupied for yonks. :D
"It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled"

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

Ron Attwood wrote: 01 May 2020, 15:38Try a Carabeo, they'll keep you occupied for yonks. :D
I.... don't even know what that is. :oops:

Although, a search did bring reference to this in the results. They make it perhaps?
https://www.diamondaircraft.com/en/priv ... /overview/

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Ron Attwood
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by Ron Attwood »

It's an mixture of Carenado and Alabeo both of which insist on making a straight line into a corkscrew. Not to mention spraying model parts all over two or three textures. They are like doing a jigsaw puzzle with bits from another puzzle. Riveting.

Not to mention absolutely no layers and no helpful mesh layer.
"It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled"

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bladerunner900
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Re: Having some serious issues

Post by bladerunner900 »

Ah! All is clear.

Just had a flash-back to a WWII film I watched when I was a teenager where... A German half track pulls to a halt in some desert, probably the Sahara. The commander jumps out of the cab, kicks the front wheel and shouts "Alles ist klar". I Think it was his only line in the film. The Desert Rats I think but can't be sure now. Isn't it strange what tricks the mind can get up to when it's bored :)

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