Question about .DDS for skinners.

[BoNidle]

I am starting to get back into skinning again after some time away but for the life of me I cannot recall the exact format in which I saved the Diff and the Spec!

 

At present I am saving both as DXT3 / Explicit Alpha / Generate Mip Maps / All

 

The result looks okay but I think I'm saving at least one of them incorrectly.

 

Any help with jogging an aging memory would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[==Wiggy==]

Well, I can only speak for myself. I save as DXT5, No MIPs,

[CHSubZero]

I save DXT1 with MipMaps

[GeorgeLKMT]

DXT1 for textures without alpha channel.

 

DXT5 for textures with alpha channel.

 

Mipmaps always on. If you save textures without mipmaps, I will be waiting under your bed with a fork when you go to sleep.

[BoNidle]

 

I found an old post from a few years ago where I was advising someone else (oh the irony).

I have used DXT5 / ARGB / 8bpp / Interpolated Alpha / Generate mipmaps / all

for the Diff on this wip F-86 (I tend to always go for natural metal Sabres).

However if I save the spec layer in anything other than the DXT3 format I mentioned above I get "crawling" tetures on panel lines.

Do you chaps save your spec layer in the same format as your texture? With mipmaps?

I'm pretty happy with my results for an "operational" Sabre rather than an "airshow" finish.

Edited February 11, 2018 by BoNidle

[==Wiggy==]

Nice looking paint!!!

 

Very interesting...I'm very new to textures in DCS....what is the benefit of using the MIP maps? I've never used them and I guess don't understand what they do. Also, why use something other than DXT5?

 

While where asking painters question and not to highjack this thread, I started another in the main forum about Bump/Normal map creation...Does anyone know how to do that for DCS? I've done it plenty in FSX/P3D but the process looks to be completely different based on the look of the textures when opened.

[BoNidle]

Thanks. Now i stand to be corrected on this as I am far from an expert, but I believe mipmaps allow the model to retain its detail the further away it is.

As I was on this thread the dust started to be blown off my memory and I recalled I used to use DXT 5 to save textures and DXT 1 to save spec. This FSX forum thread gives a better explaination.

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/470865-guide-mipmapping-and-optimising-textures/

Edited February 11, 2018 by BoNidle

[CHSubZero]

Also, why use something other than DXT5?

 

The size of the alpha layer is the same size as the RGB layer of your livery file. Most of the DIF files don't need the alpha layer and that's why I save them as DXT1 (no alpha layer). This reduces the file size by 50%.