Paintkit for Ants Airplanes Drifter A-582 Ultralight V1.0
=========================================================

In this paintkit you will find a number of photoshop files. The original program I used was Corel Paint Shop Pro and I have exported the original files in photoshop format for the widest compatibility.

This is not a tutorial on how to make new paints. It is assumed that the user knows how to use their paint program and how to convert textures to dds format. There are quite a few textures in this paintkit and quite a bit of detail in the textures. Note also that this paintkit was developed for the benefit of the developer and his particular way of working, not to make life easy for repainters. As a result you may find textures for one particular part spread over multiple sheets. This was done to make best use of the texture sheets. 

LICENSE
=======
This paintkit cannot be redistributed and is only available from antsairplanes.com. Any textures you make with this paintkit may be distributed only if they are available for free. Charging a fee for creating repaints with this paintkit is not permitted.

LAYERS TO ADJUST
================
If you are creating a new repaint you do not need to create every texture sheet. Using fallback references in the texture.cfg file you can refer back to the base texture folder which contains 25-455 textures. Here is a list of the textures you may need to create (don't forget to do any Spec textures as well if necessary):

W582_Cockpit2.dds
W582_Cockpit3.dds
W582_Cockpit4.dds
W582_DiscoBag.dds
W582_Engine1.dds
W582_FloatTop.dds
W582_FloatSide.dds
W582_FloatStep.dds
W582_FuelTank1.dds
W582_FuelTank2.dds
W582_FuseBits.dds
W582_FuseBoxes.dds
W582_FuseElev.dds
W582_Fuselage1.dds
W582_FuselageBottom.dds
W582_FuselageSides.dds
W582_FuselageTop.dds
W582_FuseMain.dds
W582_FuseTube.dds
W582_Helmets.dds
W582_Panel.dds
W582_Passenger.dds
W582_Pilot.dds
W582_Prop2.dds
W582_Seat1.dds
W582_Seat2.dds
W582_Seat3.dds
W582_SerialNumber.dds
W582_WingLeft.dds
W582_WingRight.dds

HD textures (for the love of God please read this bit if nothing else)
======================================================================

W582_FuseElev, W582_Panel, W582_WingLeft and W582WingRight are 2048x2048 pixels in size. These files should be saved without mipmaps. If they are saved with mipmaps then you need to ensure that TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=2048 (or higher) in the [GRAPHICS] section of the FSX.cfg file is set. If TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024 is used then FSX will only use the 1024x1024 mipmap and the detail will not be as sharp. By saving the files without mipmaps it forces FSX to use the 2048x2048 textures even if the TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024.

Registration Numbers
====================
The model has been cleverly coded so that if the text "Nnumber" is written in the title of the fltsim variation in the aircraft.cfg file the model will display the atc_id on the side of the fuselage tube as well as the small plate on the left hand side of the fuselage just behind the front throttle. 

If you are painting the registration number in your textures ensure you do not have "Nnumber" in the title. If you would like your paint to use a variable registration number then ensure you leave the registration number area blank as well as the serial number texture on the left hand side of the fuselage just behind the front throttle.

Specular Maps
=============
The model has been created to largely avoid using specular maps (to save RAM mainly) and most surfaces either have an inbuilt specular affect which cannot be altered or no specular at all. For example, the fuselage textures have a white spec effect except for the FuselageTop texture which uses a spec map to remove spec effects from the antislip areas.

Reflection
==========
The model has been created to largely avoid using alpha channels to map reflections (to save RAM mainly) and most surfaces either have an inbuilt reflective amount or none at all. For example, the fuselage textures have a slight reflective effect except for the FuselageTop texture which uses an alpha channel to remove reflective effects from the antislip areas.

General Layout
==============
The general layout goes like this. Note that I don't always use this exact layout but understanding this layout should give you an idea of what I am trying to do.

Starting from the bottom layer and working up:

Background/Base/Ranges:
This is the bottom layer and contains screenshots from the modeling program. This way I know where all the polygons go. Keep this layer visible at all times.

Colour:
For large blocks of colour. For your repaints you can duplicate this layer and then simply fill in the new colours you would like. Detail such as stripes, logos , lines, rivets etc go in separate layers that are above the Colour layer. Keep this layer visible.

Detail:
Any detail layers can detailed parts such as tyres, nuts and bolts, etc etc. Generally you wouldn't want to change these details as they will most likely be common to all aircraft. Keep these layers visible.

Rivets:
This layer holds the rivets detailing. Rivets are bump mapped as well but having this layer helps give definition to the rivets. Note that the rivets in the Drifter are pop rivets so they have a hole in the middle. Keep this layer visible at all times.

Screws:
Contains screws that occur in the fuselage. Keep this layer visible.

Dirty and Dirtier::
Contains dirt detail. Use both dirt layers if you want the repaint as dirty as possible. Use either layer if you want a bit of dirt and neither layer if you want the repaint as clean as possible. You can also use the transparency of the dirt layers depending on personal taste.

Shadows:
You may find multiple layers of shadows depending on the texture sheet. Usually they are blended with darken but the transparency can vary.

Noise:
The fabric textures (wings and elevator) usually have a light noise layer with only a 2% transparency to help prevent them looking too plasticky.

Names:
Contains names of the regions on the texture sheet to help identify what is what. Note that not all the names are complete. Keep this layer invisible for the final export.

Spec Colour:
Adds the colouring for the specular layer (add _SPEC to the file name when exporting) Usually a white fill at 20%. This will lighten the whole sheet to give the specular colour. Make this layer visible when exporting the spec layer.

Spec Detail:
Contains detail for the spec map. Make this layer visible when exporting the spec layer.

Alpha:
This layer or layers controls the alpha channel. For most textures this controls the amount of reflection of the texture. White means there is no reflection, black provides maximum reflection and is good for chrome parts. Make this layer visible when exporting the alpha channel.

BUMP:
These layers are for the bump maps. White is for bumps, black is for indentations. Turn on all bump layers to export the bump map otherwise keep these layers invisible. The bump maps require further processing before being able to be used as actual bump maps.

WHAT'S ON EACH SHEET
====================

W582_Cockpit2.dds

Front of the centre console and the main tube in the cockpit.

W582_Cockpit3.dds

Interior of cockpit, horizontal tube that the front pedals sit on, interior of the fuselage.

W582_Cockpit4.dds

Sides and top of the centre console. The two horizontal tubes in the vertical tube assembley directly behind the pilot.

W582_DiscoBag.dds

The blue bag located behind the pilot seat.


W582_Engine1.dds

Lots of stuff but the most important for you is the propellor blade textures.


THE FOLLOWING THREE TEXTURES ARE FOR THE FLOAT VARIATIONS ONLY

W582_FloatTop.dds

The top surfaces of the floats. Most of the tubing of the float supports


W582_FloatSide.dds

The sides of the floats.


W582_FloatStep.dds

The antislip surface on the top of the floats. The rudder parts.


W582_FuelTank1.dds

The Top fuel tank and the stand that it sits on. Various bobs and bits of the fuel tank.


W582_FuelTank2.dds

The Bottom fuel tank. The four small vertical tubes that connect the engine platform to the two rear facing horizontal tubes that hold the engine up.


W582_FuseBits.dds

Wheel Spats (wheel covers), Wheel Struts, Brackets that hold Tubing to fuselage.


W582_FuseBoxes.dds

Seat supports Exterior Faces, Back of Top Fuel Tank support, The two Tubes above the wings. 

 
W582_FuseElev.dds

HD 2048x2048 texture. Do not save with mipmaps. The Elevator and Horizontal stabiliser. You may need to adjust the transparency of the dirt layer depending on the colours used. Note use of noise layer.


W582_Fuselage1.dds

Exterior of the cockpit pod.


W582_FuselageBottom.dds

Bottom faces of the Fuselage.


W582_FuselageSides.dds

Side faces of the fuselage plus the main tube that runs from the fuselage back to the tail. The ignition key.


W582_FuselageTop.dds

Top faces of the fuselage. Note the use of the alpha channel to control reflectivity (black is reflective, white is not). Include the alpha channel in the diffuse texture. I had to use DXT5, I thought I could use DXT1 with alpha but this just wouldn't work for me!?!. Note the use of spec texture to control the spec effects. Save this as W582_FuselageTop_SPEC.dds (or not at all as you shouldn't need to change it)


W582_FuseMain.dds

Various parts of the fuselage that are bump mapped. Usually brackets. Plus the front wheel hubs for some reason.


W582_FuseTube.dds

Most of the tubing. There is a lot of tubing.


W582_Helmets.dds

Pilot and Passenger helmets


W582_Panel.dds

HD 2048x2048 texture. Do not save with mipmaps. The panel.


W582_Passenger.dds

The passenger.


W582_Pilot.dds

The pilot.


W582_Prop2.dds

Propellor parts for slow and fast moving (the still parts of the propellor are on W582_Engine1)


W582_Seat1.dds

The pilot seat, parts of the seatbelts.


W582_Seat2.dds

The passenger seat, parts of the seatbelts.


W582_Seat3.dds

The coloured backs of the seats, the interior faces of the seat supports.


W582_SerialNumber.dds

Serial number on the left side of the fuselage behind the front throttle and serial number on the right side of the main tube in the cockpit.


W582_WingLeft.dds and W582_WingRight.dds

The left and right wing top and bottom and interior. You may need to adjust the transparency of the dirt layer depending on the colours used. Note use of noise layer. DETAIL NORMAL layer contains the stitching, DETAIL VARIATION has a variation on the stitching pattern where the tail has more strips. If you are using the stitching variation then copy the wing bump maps from the texture.25451 folder into your texture folder so that the bump mapping will line up correctly.
Note the use of a noise layer to add a bit of texture to the textures.
