put picture on Cockpit

[ju8712124822]

Hi

First my mother tongue is not English.

 

And when I play dcs world, I'm think about why I cant put picture on Cockpit

 

I can do this in IL2:GB

Maybe can do this in my F-5 F-16 And M.2000

Is a little Function but I feel good in IL2

 

So can we put picture on Cockpit?

[bies]

I use it in IL-2 to have important aircraft engine regime limits.

 

In DCS i use kneeboard for similar purpose, it can be edited similar to IL-2 cockpit picture.

Edited August 12, 2021 by bies

[Revi]

Hey!

You are able to add a picture, or anything really by changing the cockpit textures.

 

For example, considering the F/A-18C Hornet, you can find the cockpit textures in here:

DCS World/Mods/aircraft/FA-18C/Cockpit/Textures

 

then simply extract the "FA-18C-CPT-TEXTURES.zip" to a location that is most comfortable to you, and edit the .dds files in Gimp/photoshop or any other editing software that support importing and exporting .dds files. 

 

When ready, compress the files again into the same package and enjoy!

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Revi
Extra information

[Tippis]

6 minutes ago, Revi said:

Hey!

You are able to add a picture, or anything really by changing the cockpit textures.

Not really in the sense that's being suggested here.

Changing textures does not create any geometry onto which the image is mapped. All it does is make some normal part of the aircraft look decidedly silly.

 

As mentioned, the kneeboard is probably the most immediate way of doing this in DCS at the moment, and it does so without any of the complications of ruining the default textures.

[Revi]

Ah, i did not realise that there was any criteria involved in giving advice and solutions to someone his question.

A normal map would solve your issue with not having any "geometry". 

 

I myself added a couple of pictures in certain ww2 aircraft and i can confirm, it does look very good!

It all depends on your own creativity and skills i assume. 

 

 

[Tippis]

6 minutes ago, Revi said:

A normal map would solve your issue with not having any "geometry".

No.

You'd still be adding a misplaced texture over geometry that serves a completely different purpose, and the only difference is that it would (very weirdly and not very prettily) create shadows. The effect of normal maps is still fake and it does not turn a curved or button-festooned or crinkled mesh into a flat surface — it just alters the faked detail on that surface. You could conceivably do it with displacement maps, but DCS doesn't use those so that would entail hacking in an entirely new renderer.

 

If there already is a flat surface, then sure, you could probably fill it with something other than what's there already, but even then, altering the module cockpit textures would be the Wrong Way™ of doing it.

 

6 minutes ago, Revi said:

It all depends on your own creativity and skills i assume.

It really doesn't. No matter how creative or skilful, you're still breaking the module — doubly so if you actually alter the 3D mesh to make it work the way it should.

[Revi]

@TippisI have to disagree strongly with you on this one. 

Almost all, if not all, stickers/pictures/information labels, are textures in combination with normal maps in DCS.

 

Besides that, it has been mentioned nowhere that we are speaking about a actual mesh/3D model here, he simply wants to add a picture in his cockpit. 

 

Also, not sure why adding a edited texture in a cockpit would be the "wrong way" of doing something.

 

I am simply giving him advice on a question, that was "can i add a picture in the cockpit", answer is "yes".

 

No where is mentioned that it has to have any geometry, 3D mesh, or shadows. 

 

I feel like this is just arguing because of arguing, without anything of value into the mix. 

[Tippis]

2 minutes ago, Revi said:

@TippisI have to disagree strongly with you on this one. 

Almost all, if not all, stickers/pictures/information labels, are textures in combination with normal maps in DCS.

…and that doesn't change the simple fact that you cannot alter the mesh with normal- or bumpmaps to give it a different shape. Thus, you can't conjure up the kind of image frame the OP is suggesting.

 

2 minutes ago, Revi said:

Besides that, it has been mentioned nowhere that we are speaking about a actual mesh/3D model here, he simply wants to add a picture in his cockpit. 

He mentioned doing it in a specific way, as done elsewhere. It works there because those cockpits do get the geometry for it if you pick an image to display there. And given the cockpits he's talking about, there would pretty much have to be additional geometry since they distinctively lack any suitable flat surfaces. With the forum rules being what they are, I can only suggest you read it more closely and check out the methodology described by yourself — I am quite literally not allowed to do it for you.

 

2 minutes ago, Revi said:

Also, not sure why adding a edited texture in a cockpit would be the "wrong way" of doing something.

Because liveries exist for a reason: so that you don't mess with the integrity of the module. Editing the textures requires a mod manager and will break IC, and neither of those are necessary when the livery functionality exists to yield the same result in an approved way.

 

10 minutes ago, Revi said:

I am simply giving him advice on a question, that was "can i add a picture in the cockpit", answer is "yes".

The answer is really “not in any that will look good or that will replicate what you're thinking of, but for most things you want to put there, the kneeboard offers that functionality”.

[Wing]

3 minutes ago, Tippis said:

…and that doesn't change the simple fact that you cannot alter the mesh with normal- or bumpmaps to give it a different shape. Thus, you can't conjure up the kind of image frame the OP is suggesting.

 

He mentioned doing it in a specific way, as done elsewhere. It works there because those cockpits do get the geometry for it if you pick an image to display there. And given the cockpits he's talking about, there would pretty much have to be additional geometry since they distinctively lack any suitable flat surfaces. With the forum rules being what they are, I can only suggest you read it more closely and check out the methodology described by yourself — I am quite literally not allowed to do it for you.

 

Because liveries exist for a reason: so that you don't mess with the integrity of the module. Editing the textures requires a mod manager and will break IC, and neither of those are necessary when the livery functionality exists to yield the same result in an approved way.

 

The answer is really “not in any that will look good or that will replicate what you're thinking of, but for most things you want to put there, the kneeboard offers that functionality”.

 

I am trying to figure out what the entire point of you entering this conversation was... and what exactly you have brought to the table that is productive for the OP?

Theres alot of wording here - but not a whole lot of contribution to what actually the OP was asking for. Revi did a nice job actually answering the OPs question.

[Tippis]

2 minutes ago, Wing said:

I am trying to figure out what the entire point of you entering this conversation was... and what exactly you have brought to the table that is productive for the OP?

To point out that you can sort of do this with the kneeboard, but not really the way the OP wants, and to dissuade from the bad practice of modifying core module files, especially since that won't achieve what the OP is asking for anyway.

 

Bies gave a good, sensible, and correct answer.

 

[Revi]

@TippisAllright mate, this will be my last reply to you since i feel like all my positive vibes are being sucked out from under me. 

 

Again, he asked a question, i gave him a solution. 

 

No one said it has to be done in a certain "correct" or "right" way.

 

You simply came in here and made up your own rules about what is good and what is bad.

 

We can go into all the details about every single aspect but that is not the point of this topic, the point is to give @ju8712124822a solution for his request, which i did, he can decide for himself if he wants to go that route, or another one.

 

There is no "good" or "wrong", and if there was, it is not up to you to decide which is what. 

 

I am sure you will respond again with all kinds of fancy words and made up rules about how things should be and what is the "correct" way, i assume everyone can decide for themselves how to spend their time. 

 

I wish you the best, have a great day!

[Tippis]

11 minutes ago, Revi said:

You simply came in here and made up your own rules about what is good and what is bad.

They're not “my rules” nor are they made up.

 

There is an official, standard, IC-compliant way of altering the appearance of the cockpit, and there's a way that will break IC, runs the risk of ruining the module, and which will get wiped with updated and repairs. It's just how ED have decided to code the game (and the first layer of multiplayer anti-cheat measures).

 

So yes, there is indeed a good and correct way of doing things, and a bad and incompatible way of doing what you're suggesting. You're quite right though: I'm not the one who has decided which is which. The game itself does (and, by extension, the developers). Coincidentally, based on what you said here and in a couple of other threads, it sounds like you enjoy doing visual mods. You should check out the way to do that the proper way of adding those to the game since it will significantly simplify the process for you.

 

There's also the far more immediate way of accomplishing the whole thing, which is the kneeboard. No livery faff needed — just dump images in the appropriate directory (again without disturbing the base module).

Edited August 18, 2021 by Tippis

[Art-J]

Kneeboard is nice and all for storing mission/aircraft data, but it also is useless for OP if he just wants to put that manga chick picture on his instrument panel... We don't know which of these two functions he's after, but judging from his post I 'd hazard a guess the latter. Revi's solution, although not perfect, would be the only option then.

 

IC and the issue of mods getting overwritten can also sit anywhere between "important factors to consider", or "completely irrelevant", depending on if he plays multiplayer at all and if he's using mod managers in his PC games.