Installing Downloaded Skins

[RAAF Roodster]

G`day Guys,

Just downloaded some P-51 Skins but cannot place them into their correct aircraft folders as WINRAR advises that it cannot find the specified path.

 

Is it because it is a .DDS file and will need the right program to open it?

 

Sorry if this is a "noob" question to you all, but I am only new to this and am loving every bit of this game..

 

 

Cheers

 

Roodster:thumbup:

[Sel94]

So when you download a new skin, first you want to unzip it so you get the folder with the .dds files in it. After that, copy(or cut) the folder with the dds files in it, then paste it into: [install directory]/Eagle Dynamics/DCS World/Bazar/Liveries/[aircraft], where [aircraft] is the aircraft that the skins are for. If everything went right, you should be able to select the skin in the mission editor. Hope this helps.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Sel94

[RAAF Roodster]

So when you download a new skin, first you want to unzip it so you get the folder with the .dds files in it. After that, copy(or cut) the folder with the dds files in it, then paste it into: [install directory]/Eagle Dynamics/DCS World/Bazar/Liveries/[aircraft], where [aircraft] is the aircraft that the skins are for. If everything went right, you should be able to select the skin in the mission editor. Hope this helps.

 

 

Sel94; What program do you use to open the files?

[Sel94]

I use WinRar, but the default unzipper that comes with Windows should work fine. Here's a guide that will hopefully help. For this tutorial I will be using a user-made F-15C skin, but it should be the same for any plane.

 

1) Unzip the downloaded skin package. (You can see here, for me it is 'Extract files' because I'm using WinRar, but the 'unzip' option in Windows should work the same.)

 

 

2) Unzipping the zip file should create a new folder. (This part can be done differently once you get the hang of it, but I'll try and explain it in the most understandable way.) Now keep going down into the folders of the new folder until you reach the dds files.

 

Note: Some skin creators will do thing differently, you may only have to go down into 2 folders, or sometimes a few more depending on what they do, but this doesn't change anything.

 

 

3) Now go up just one level, so you can select the folder containing all the dds files. Move it into Program Files/Eagle Dynamics/DCS Wolrd/Bazar/Liveries/[aircraft] by copying/pasting, or dragging it in.

 

 

The skin will now be select-able in the loadout options in the mission editor of the game.

 

Hope this helps, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Sel94

[RAAF Roodster]

Sweet.. All worked well... Thanks for your help Sel94

[redglass98]

Got all that to work but how would I make a particular skin my default skin for when ever I enter any game?

[NeilWillis]

Skins are chosen by mission preferences, so just open the chosen mission in mission editor, select the skin you want, and then re-save the mission.

 

You will of course have to do that for each different mission you wish to run.

[9.JG52 Ziegler]

Is there a way to change the number of your plane in game on a particular skin?

[TWC_SLAG]

I use WinRar, but the default unzipper that comes with Windows should work fine. Here's a guide that will hopefully help. For this tutorial I will be using a user-made F-15C skin, but it should be the same for any plane.

 

1) Unzip the downloaded skin package. (You can see here, for me it is 'Extract files' because I'm using WinRar, but the 'unzip' option in Windows should work the same.)

 

 

2) Unzipping the zip file should create a new folder. (This part can be done differently once you get the hang of it, but I'll try and explain it in the most understandable way.) Now keep going down into the folders of the new folder until you reach the dds files.

 

Note: Some skin creators will do thing differently, you may only have to go down into 2 folders, or sometimes a few more depending on what they do, but this doesn't change anything.

 

 

3) Now go up just one level, so you can select the folder containing all the dds files. Move it into Program Files/Eagle Dynamics/DCS Wolrd/Bazar/Liveries/[aircraft] by copying/pasting, or dragging it in.

 

 

The skin will now be select-able in the loadout options in the mission editor of the game.

 

Hope this helps, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

 

 

I'm really confused about these skin files, and how to get them to be shown in the mission editor. Example: In Bazar/Liveries/for the 109K I see 27 folders. They all have .dds files in them. Why don't I see them all as choices in the mission editor?

 

I download skins, extract them to my desktop, and copy them to the right a/c in Bazar/Liveries, but I never see them in the mission editor.

 

What is happening, here?

[Weegie]

I'm really confused about these skin files, and how to get them to be shown in the mission editor. Example: In Bazar/Liveries/for the 109K I see 27 folders. They all have .dds files in them. Why don't I see them all as choices in the mission editor?

 

I download skins, extract them to my desktop, and copy them to the right a/c in Bazar/Liveries, but I never see them in the mission editor.

 

What is happening, here?

 

Unfortunately there is another complication, which might be a problem

 

When a skin is created how it looks and when it appears is governed by the the "description.lua" file which should be there along with the "*.dds" files

 

If that file is opened with a text editor (notepad for example) you will see near the bottom a "countries" line with curly brackets and a code inside.

 

That code dictates when the skin should show in DCS and is dependent on the country you are flying for.

 

It gets even worse as some planes won't show for certain countries but we won't go there just yet.

 

So for the Bf-109K4, when you go into the Mission Editor and highlight your aircraft, you'll see country, that has a bearing on which skins will show.

 

I'd suggest for the Bf-109k4 select Germany as your country and most, if not all the skins should show

 

Let us know if that fixes it, if not I'll probably need to re-think and that could take a while as I don't think quickly :huh:

[Weegie]

Also ASS-uming you already know that to select a skin you need to click on the relevant aircraft then when the details are shown in the right hand side you select the weapons tab and the skins are there

 

 

This is for an older version of DCS but it works just the same way in the current versions. The difference now is a preview panel has also been added to enable you to see the skin without actually having to execute the mission first

 

Hope that helps

[TWC_SLAG]

Also ASS-uming you already know that to select a skin you need to click on the relevant aircraft then when the details are shown in the right hand side you select the weapons tab and the skins are there

 

 

This is for an older version of DCS but it works just the same way in the current versions. The difference now is a preview panel has also been added to enable you to see the skin without actually having to execute the mission first

 

Hope that helps

 

Weegie,

 

I made sure I had the 109K and Germany in the mission editor, but I still see only 10 of the listed 27 skins. I think they are the ones that came already installed in the game.

 

I also looked at the vids, and couldn't see anything I wasn't doing.

[Weegie]

VJ

 

First have you done a "repair" using the DCS updater to check that all is well with your install? If not its probably where I'd start

 

Good video explaining it here, forgive me if you know all this

 

 

I'll try to make a short"ish" video running through the whole skins procedure from install to going into the game and selecting skins later today, to see if that helps too

 

I'll post up a link when done

[TWC_SLAG]

VJ

 

First have you done a "repair" using the DCS updater to check that all is well with your install? If not its probably where I'd start

 

Good video explaining it here, forgive me if you know all this

 

 

I'll try to make a short"ish" video running through the whole skins procedure from install to going into the game and selecting skins later today, to see if that helps too

 

I'll post up a link when done

 

 

Will do the repair right away. Looking foward to your vid. Thanks for taking the time and effort to help me out. Without theses forums, I would be helpless.

[Weegie]

Will do the repair right away. Looking foward to your vid. Thanks for taking the time and effort to help me out. Without theses forums, I would be helpless.

 

My pleasure but after making a video I had to back track myself as I found at least one probably more of the skins were not showing in game.

 

I could not get the Bf-109K4 BMW F1 team skin to work, so there may well be something a little flaky going on

 

However I retested with some other skins and they appear to work fine..................So it might not be your fault, depending on the skins you are trying to load.

 

I'll go ahead and make a couple of videos anyway to show how its done, if only for you to confirm that what you are doing is correct.

 

Sorry for the delay but I got caught out with this myself

 

When they are done I'll post them up

[Weegie]

Now I have just tried it one more time and this time the skin loaded so I am not sure what is going on

 

I'll clear everything and make the videos again

[Weegie]

Ok sorted the issue with the BMW skin out, as usual finger trouble on my part

 

I've made a couple of "quick and dirty" videos on how to load the skins and then select them in the game

 

I'll upload them to You Tube tomorrow and post the links.

 

I only hope you can understand my rather horrid Glaswegian accent and the numerous Emmms and Ahhhs that pepper the videos. They were not intended to be polished items just a little guidance.

 

A You Tube professional I am not and never will be

 

Of course you may be doing all this stuff already, but if you are and still experiencing problems then the fault lies elsewhere

 

Just hope it may help a little

Edited November 13, 2016 by Weegie
Additional information

[TWC_SLAG]

Ok sorted the issue with the BMW skin out, as usual finger trouble on my part

 

I've made a couple of "quick and dirty" videos on how to load the skins and then select them in the game

 

I'll upload them to You Tube tomorrow and post the links.

 

I only hope you can understand my rather horrid Glaswegian accent and the numerous Emmms and Ahhhs that pepper the videos. They were not intended to be polished items just a little guidance.

 

A You Tube professional I am not and never will be

 

Of course you may be doing all this stuff already, but if you are and still experiencing problems then the fault lies elsewhere

 

Just hope it may help a little

 

Weegie,

 

I did a repair, but that didn't seem to help. What I did find is that I am way too naive about some things. I assumed that I could use any (for example) 109k livery I wanted to, anywhere I was flying the 109k. Not true.

 

It depends on what mission I pick. I downloaded the BMW F1 skin, like you did. I could could see it listed for some missions, but not others.

 

I tried the same for the 190d and the P51. Same result.

 

BTW, in Bazar/Liveries, it seems there are no skins listed for the F-86. I looked under "F" for F-86 and "S" under Sabre. Nothing. But there are skins listed in the missions.

 

Maybe the skins are applied by mission location or time period?

 

If any of this is true, I think we should be able to pick any skin we want, and use it all of the time, if we want. No matter what mission.

 

I'll wait to see your vid, before I complain to higher-ups. :)

[Weegie]

Weegie,

 

I did a repair, but that didn't seem to help. What I did find is that I am way too naive about some things. I assumed that I could use any (for example) 109k livery I wanted to, anywhere I was flying the 109k. Not true.

 

It depends on what mission I pick. I downloaded the BMW F1 skin, like you did. I could could see it listed for some missions, but not others.

 

I tried the same for the 190d and the P51. Same result.

 

BTW, in Bazar/Liveries, it seems there are no skins listed for the F-86. I looked under "F" for F-86 and "S" under Sabre. Nothing. But there are skins listed in the missions.

 

Maybe the skins are applied by mission location or time period?

 

If any of this is true, I think we should be able to pick any skin we want, and use it all of the time, if we want. No matter what mission.

 

I'll wait to see your vid, before I complain to higher-ups. :)

 

VJ

 

Some of the 3rd party aircraft use a different file path

 

The F-86 skins are located in CoreMods/Aircraft/F-86/Liveries/f-86f Sabre

 

PM me with some of the missions if you can & I can have a look for the Bf-109

 

Have a look at the videos tomorrow and if it still is a problem then I'm quite happy to try and help some more via PM's rather than gum up the thread with specific issues

 

Just a thought

[TWC_SLAG]

VJ

 

Some of the 3rd party aircraft use a different file path

 

The F-86 skins are located in CoreMods/Aircraft/F-86/Liveries/f-86f Sabre

 

PM me with some of the missions if you can & I can have a look for the Bf-109

 

Have a look at the videos tomorrow and if it still is a problem then I'm quite happy to try and help some more via PM's rather than gum up the thread with specific issues

 

Just a thought

 

The Sabre: See, I told you I was helpless without the forums. :)

[Weegie]

The Sabre: See, I told you I was helpless without the forums. :)

 

How do you reckon the rest of us picked up stuff, I still don't know crap compared to many on here

 

Anyway first video here

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO3YddqPaPE&spfreload=10

 

Second here

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z2hXf8_9bw&spfreload=10

 

Just hope you can understand me :music_whistling:

 

Pretty sure you know all this already

 

If you are having more specific issues perhaps you can spell them out.

 

Not saying for a moment I'll have an answer, but I can take a look and there are a lot of guys who are a lot more knowledgeable than me on here