[WIP]SKIN: SH5 Tarnmatte Anechoic Coating

[TheBeast]

Originally Posted by 7thSeal

Man thats looking really nice, will you also have it available for those who use the upgraded tower?

Yes. The improved tower is almost identical to the first tower in regard to texture locations.

[SteelViking]

Yeah, actually reaper7 and BIGREG have been talking about getting all the antennae to work realistically(Reaper7 doing the coding for commands, and BIGREG to do the animation controllers).

Anyway, TheBeast, I know a good deal about image editing and graphics work, but I don't know a whole lot about Goblin/gr2 files. So, since you always post pictures from some 3d editing software(I assume Goblin) I figured I would ask you this. Do you know any way to change texture assignments? In other words, how do you assign certain textures to certain objects? I figure it has to be in the gr2 files. I mean, I know the basics of Goblin: how to set it up, how to open/merge different files for rooms, and how to do simple controller changes, but that's about it.

I really wish I could find out, because I am pretty much stalled on doing anything else in the subs interior until I do. So, any help you (or anyone else for that matter) could give would be greatly appreciated.

[TheBeast]

Originally Posted by SteelViking

Yeah, actually reaper7 and BIGREG have been talking about getting all the antennae to work realistically(Reaper7 doing the coding for commands, and BIGREG to do the animation controllers).

Anyway, TheBeast, I know a good deal about image editing and graphics work, but I don't know a whole lot about Goblin/gr2 files. So, since you always post pictures from some 3d editing software(I assume Goblin) I figured I would ask you this. Do you know any way to change texture assignments? In other words, how do you assign certain textures to certain objects? I figure it has to be in the gr2 files. I mean, I know the basics of Goblin: how to set it up, how to open/merge different files for rooms, and how to do simple controller changes, but that's about it.

I really wish I could find out, because I am pretty much stalled on doing anything else in the subs interior until I do. So, any help you (or anyone else for that matter) could give would be greatly appreciated.

From the way I understand it, we are unable to edit the .Gr2 files but I think the texture assignments are in one of the .FX or .SIM files that you merge after loading the .GR2 file.
You may want to ping PRIVATEER and find out what he has to say. He know a lot about GoblinEditor.

[SteelViking]

Interesting, thanks for the tip. I will send him a PM, and see if I can figure it out with his help.

[Capt Jack Harkness]

Originally Posted by coronas

I do an Alberich texture; I don´t know if can be usefull for your excellent work so feel free to use, modify, change, etc.
It´s a .jpg, you can changing to .dds with Painnet.

This looks awesome as a base for Alberich!

[coronas]

Originally Posted by Capt Jack Harkness

This looks awesome as a base for Alberich!

Thanks, Capt!
I don't know the pattern of Alberich instalation, so I follow the British' modern style.

[Capt Jack Harkness]

Well it was installed as pictured in my earlier post of U11:



But the metal bands you see dividing the sheets of Oppanol were only left on until the adhesive cured, so in the end I don't think the seams were really visible at all. Here are two pics of U-1105 "Black Panther" to give you a look at Alberich after installation:





Note the difference in size and shape of the limber holes vs the standard type VIIC.

Once the sheets come off, however, I think they had pretty standard Helgrau paint underneath, so there wouldn't necessarily be a panel of rust where a sheet peeled off, but I don't know, photos of Alberich-equipped boats are more scarce than the boats themselves. One other note: By the time U-480 was built, the adhesive had been improved so the coating may not have peeled at all (U-11 had that problem in '41 and it was supposedly fixed by '43 when U-480 was built).

[coronas]

I did battered. After weeks at sea, fighting and exposing to the elements, it´s easy take some damage and rust over Alberich.




Another pattern less battered.

[TheBeast]

Looking closely at these pics I do see form marks on the boat, both vertical and horizontal marks. Yes the limber holes are different but I can't do anything about that.
Also, if a panel began to peal away, the crew would most likely cut the loose area off attempting to preserve as much of the panel as possible. So missing partial panels, to me, would be more realistic then several entire huge panels being removed. Also note in these pictures that this is regular Alberich coating, not the Improved Alberich Coasting. From the reads I have done, the improved Alberich was much smaller sheets then they used originally.
Also, this is a game and there are some limitations. I can not make the boat look as though it has been eating twinkies every day for the last 2 years or changes the size or placement of the venting holes etc.

The one thing I am interested in that apears in the one photo is the Hinged Snorkle currently in the lowered position.

Originally Posted by Capt Jack Harkness

Well it was installed as pictured in my earlier post of U11:



But the metal bands you see dividing the sheets of Oppanol were only left on until the adhesive cured, so in the end I don't think the seams were really visible at all. Here are two pics of U-1105 "Black Panther" to give you a look at Alberich after installation:





Note the difference in size and shape of the limber holes vs the standard type VIIC.

Once the sheets come off, however, I think they had pretty standard Helgrau paint underneath, so there wouldn't necessarily be a panel of rust where a sheet peeled off, but I don't know, photos of Alberich-equipped boats are more scarce than the boats themselves. One other note: By the time U-480 was built, the adhesive had been improved so the coating may not have peeled at all (U-11 had that problem in '41 and it was supposedly fixed by '43 when U-480 was built).

[Capt Jack Harkness]

So the holes are something the game cuts out of the texture? If so, wouldnt it be possible to at least put the rectangular gaps in the rubber around the original limber holes and bump map them for some depth? I think that very well might be how the boat was actually done.

[TheBeast]

Originally Posted by Capt Jack Harkness

So the holes are something the game cuts out of the texture? If so, wouldnt it be possible to at least put the rectangular gaps in the rubber around the original limber holes and bump map them for some depth? I think that very well might be how the boat was actually done.

I was thinking the same thing. I will try that on a new Alberich skin "not weather" and see what the effects looks like.

Alos, you wouldn't happen to have a good picture of a Tarnmat Coating on something other then a snorkle would you?
I want to add a few sheets of Tarnmatte on the tower of this current skin but all WWII photo's I find are not very good and I can not use sketche as they really dont show what it looked like.

[Capt Jack Harkness]

No promises, but I'll see what I can do.

[Capt Jack Harkness]

Unfortunately this is the best I can do:



From all the sources I've read, it was exclusively applied to snorkels. If you wanna make a non-historically accurate skin, though, that's cool. As a note on color, the base rubber (BUNA) is black like the Oppanol that Alberich is made of, but it also had iron-oxide (rust) in the mix so it may have been some shade of red. The pic above seems to hint that it was not black. Oh, and the texture is quite three-dimensional, so it will require extensive bump mapping to be accurate.

[TheBeast]

Originally Posted by Capt Jack Harkness

Unfortunately this is the best I can do:



From all the sources I've read, it was exclusively applied to snorkels. If you wanna make a non-historically accurate skin, though, that's cool. As a note on color, the base rubber (BUNA) is black like the Oppanol that Alberich is made of, but it also had iron-oxide (rust) in the mix so it may have been some shade of red. The pic above seems to hint that it was not black. Oh, and the texture is quite three-dimensional, so it will require extensive bump mapping to be accurate.

I never found any article stating it was exclusively used on snorkles. Almost all the articles I read stated it was mainly used on snorkles.

As a side not. I managed to make the Imp Alberich, Tarnmatte and Imp Tarnmatte available as upgrade packs in port. I am running with the Imp Tarnmatte now and it appears to work. When using External View submerge and I get right next to the boat, I can not here the boat at Minimum or Slow Speed but when I go to Half Speed I start hearing the boat like I did before the upgrade when the boat was at Minimum Speed.

As for changing the Snorkle Texture, not sure if I can since the Tarnmatte also changes the shape.

[Capt Jack Harkness]

Working Alberich? Nice!