Phantom Mustang

[dhasdell]

I've got the FDG P-51b and c, for CFS2, and I've downloaded a favourite colour scheme: HO-W 'Princess Elizabeth'. However, it shows up transparent, like the Monogram Phantom Mustang kit I once built. Another skin where this happens, though less completely, is the Tuskegee 'Ina the Macon Belle'. I've contacted the skinner, David Green (DRG_1) but he says he's never seen it. It's not the mdl - I've tried two versions and used Dave Parsons' Mdlrepair with no success. Downloaded skins for Gentile and Goodson work perfectly.

Any ideas, please?

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

How's that for cammo

I guess it has something to do with alpha layers. Adlabs should know a great deal about this, wait for his comment

[adlabs6]

Hi there, it looks like the transparency is only on the silver areas, and this means it's probably an alpha layer to create some reflecion effects? I never had CFS2 so I don't know if it does support reflections.

If so, I'd recommend firstly... if CFS2 does support reflections then you need to find out why they are not showing up in your game. This could be a setting or a driver issue maybe, I can't say.

If there are any CFS2 users here who can answer on that, it would be appreciated!

Now, there is a way around this by editing the skin itself. Using DXTBmp you could clear the alpha channel away, so that there would be no areas trying to reflect. If you'd like to try this, let me know and I can post some more detailed steps though the process, it's pretty easy.

[dhasdell]

Yes please. I have DXTbmp, but haven't used it much - just to save a skin which wouldn't show at all in a different sort of bitmap which would.

[adlabs6]

Hi there, sorry for the delay in response. I've got an injured left hand, whoch makes typing slow. I'll put together some simple directions for that alpha trouble and post them asap.

[dhasdell]

Thank you. No hurry, unless you see it as physio for the hand. I have plenty of other things to fiddle around with.

[adlabs6]

Hi again, give this a try... load up the skin in DXTBmp, and click this button to erase the alpha layer:



Then resave and see if the skin shows up.

[dhasdell]

Thanks - sorry for not replying sooner. I'll give it a try, but previously when I looked using DXTbmp it seemed transparent there. I'll have a tinker with it and maybe post a screenshot.

[dhasdell]

No good, I'm afraid. The screenshots show the original loaded in DXTbmp, the version after the Alpha channel was removed, as suggested, and what it now looks like on the a/c. An improvement, in that it is at least solid, but . . .?





[Edited by adlabs6 to adjust image attachments]

[adlabs6]

Hi there,

I'm afraid that that gray color will be the result of reflections not working. It seems that this skin author chose a darker gray base color, and relies on the brighter reflections to make a more accurate color.

The two choices from here are:
1) Figure out why reflections aren't working in CFS2
2) Continue with the removed alpha path, but try to edit the gray color to something lighter to get a better looking result.

BTW... can you say if the reflections are only not working on this repaint? Do any other repaints you have show reflective effects?