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Would like to try out modding but need some kind of guide!


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Hi.

I used to do some skinning in IL-2 Forgotten battles and would now like to try working a little with CMBB. So I was wondering if there is some kind of modding guide out there for Photoshop, which not only tells how to go about wth the bmp's, but also has a pedagogic approach to the techniques in the paint program. Maybe not so much how to simulate rust or weathering effects, as how to arrange layers and prepare the bmp's so that you easily keep details and lines from getting painted. In IL2 there were these void files that was nothing except for the outlining of the plane and the details. And from there you build it all up. Is there such a tutorial lurking somewhere? Or am I doomed to hard trial and error work?

Regards

Gurra

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I think you're probably doomed to trial-and-error ;)

I don't believe there's any kind of tutorial like this out there. As you stated, most of them deal with weathering and dirtying and camouflaging, etc.

Most modders seem to mainly mess about with weathering, coloring, and details. There are an intrepid (or quite possibly insane) few (including myself, MikeyD, Juju, Tanks-a-lot, and probably a couple others whom I'm forgetting) who make mods "from scratch" using a variety of techniques. Most everything involves using the stock BMPs as templates and going from there.

I, and I'm sure anyone else, would be more than happy to answer specific modding questions.

Also, check out Gautrek's modding forum. I don't have the URL offhand but it's in his sig if you can track down one of his posts.

smile.gif

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"Intrepid (or quite possibly insane)" pretty well covers it. ;)

There are a few strict rules that must NEVER be transgressed:

First rule is the artwork dimensions.

The bmp art's height/width must have a pixel depth of either 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 ,64 ,128, 256, or 512 pixels. Try a piece of art 65 pixels wide instead of 64 and the machine will probably bomb.

Art must be RGB color mode.

Art should probably stay BMP format, though I believe one or two other formats like JPEG will work too.

The knockout color (for roadwheels and windshields, etc.) appears to be 100% Magenta, though I play it safe and sample a knockout color from a bmp file where I know its working. Off by just a touch and your 'knockout' color will be a flat pink sheet in the game. Also, in Photoshop don't use "anti-aliasing" for your tools while working with knockout Magenta. Anti-aliasing will attempt to blend the edge of the knockout object with the next pixel over, giving you a pink outline in the game.

As to artwork itself, do anything you want any way you can manage it! Some textures are reworked photographs of models, some use photos of the real vehicle(!), some adapt scans of vehicle scale plans to the polygon, some are drawing in Adobe illustrator then imported into Photoshop, some are drawn outright in Photoshop.

I'm reminded of the old joke - A visiting classical musician comes to New York. He steps out of the subway and, looking around confused, asked a ittle old lady how to get to Carnegie Hall. Her answer: "Practice my boy, practice."

How do you make mods? Practice, practice. ;)

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Hello.

Thanks for your response. After I posted my request and read your answers, I felt like a guy who thinks he can drive a Formula 1 car just because he´s had a drivers license. I realise it´s just not to imply put a mod together. But I am interested of learning the work. I´ll just look around at the proposed sites and see where they take me.

Regards Gurra

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