[McWolf]

Hi All,
Many thanks for your great mod, I am pleasure share my NewMat mod which was done 3 year's ago, which make symbols and numbers looks shining to match aircraft skins. Ace High's Mat manager also include these from his following version and do further, he add lot of new symbols and numbers.

I just edited default ones, because there are many symbols and numbers made by 3rd party need to be further tuned to make text and symbol edges looks smooth, however it will take a lot of work.

Now by Avala's new planeshine mode, I edit some parameter in mats in order to make it match with the new shining effect.

The screenshot was taken before, but new one is similar effect


You can download from here, NewMat2.3.7z zipped with 7Zip (updated)
http://www.mediafire.com/?wnlerrwcj9f

Hi Avala,
I also have some question for it, could you kindly explain it to me?
Is it possible to replace the default mat export setting? if work, we can just set all export mat parameter, not edit the final mat file, now there are about more than 5000 mats, only part of total
Thansk

For example, in 1_JG1_.mat
[ClassInfo]
ClassName TMaterial
[General]
tfDoubleSide 0
tfShouldSort 0
tfDropShadow 0
tfGameTimer 1
tfDepthOffset 1
[LightParams] - reference from Avala's, in order to match aircraft body's new shining effect
Ambient 1.0
Diffuse 1.0
Specular 0.5
SpecularPow 16
Shine 0.0
[Layer0]
PaletteName
Frame 0.0
VisibleDistanceNear 0.0
VisibleDistanceFar 10000.0
TextureCoordScale 0.0 -0.2 1.8 1.8 -tune symbol size and position
ColorScale 0.95 0.95 0.95 1.0 -tune down the default color, make it darker
AlphaTestVal 0.5 // of [0.1, 0.5, 0.9] - reference from Avala's, but I don't know the meaning of this part // of [0.1, 0.5, 0.9]
tfNoDegradation 1
tfCompressMajorAlpha 1
tfNoCompress16Bit 1
tfWrapX 0
tfWrapY 0
tfMinLinear 1
tfMagLinear 1
tfMipMap 0
tfBlend 1 -make symbol and number edge soften and merge with aircraft skin
tfBlendAdd 0
tfTestA 1
tfTestZ 1
tfUpDateClear 0
tfModulate 1
tfNoTexture 0
tfAnimatePalette 0
tfAnimateSkippedFrames 0
tfNoWriteZ 0
tfTranspBorder 1
tfNoDegradation 1
tfTestZEqual 0
TextureName ../Emblems/1_JG1.tga

[PA_Willy]

Has this program got any relation with Mat Manager?

A differente program to get same results? Could you give me any link or forum to know anything else about this application?

Thanks in advance.

[McWolf]

no relation with Mat manager, there are some dicussion in UBI IL2 Forum before. My user name is Mc_Wolf there, you can also find some discussion in SimHQ.

my mod is just another choice comparing with ACE's work. Basically, I just mod default mat, so it's lite version and just copy the folder into IL2, I also include a readme inside.

[Username]

Hi Mc Wolf - I mentioned in another thread that Avala's planeshine mod gives a great effect to aircraft skins and canopies but unfortunately makes some Mat Manager markings look a bit too shiny. They no longer blend in perfectly with the skins.

I assume this is because Aces (Leigh) used your lighting parameters in his mats and the two effects overlayered don't look quite right. This could be remedied by editing Mat Manager's files but it's a big job and I don't know how to do it.

I was kind of hoping you could liaise with Avala to arrive at a solution - presumably the mats can be edited simply as a batch?

[McWolf]

Hi Mc Wolf - I mentioned in another thread that Avala's planeshine mod gives a great effect to aircraft skins and canopies but unfortunately makes some Mat Manager markings look a bit too shiny. They no longer blend in perfectly with the skins.

I assume this is because Aces (Leigh) used your lighting parameters in his mats and the two effects overlayered don't look quite right. This could be remedied by editing Mat Manager's files but it's a big job and I don't know how to do it.

I was kind of hoping you could liaise with Avala to arrive at a solution - presumably the mats can be edited simply as a batch?

Hi Username
In my previous setting discussed with Leigh, it should be difference, the below is mine for default without mod, I am not sure what Leigh use for his works now. If you wish edit, it can be edited with Notepad++, replace these parts, at the bottom line of mat file, it indicated the texture file. My NewMat has new symbol folder, you will find a fold Emblems. If someone know where the default texture are, then we can replace all with new correct colored and sized one.

[LightParams]
Ambient 0.85
Diffuse 0.9
Specular 0.5
SpecularPow 6
Shine 0.0
..
TextureName ../Emblems/1_JG1.tga

with Avala's great shine mod and my little NewMat mod, IL2 looks really very nice, As I said in UBI forum before, it should be done by Oleg's team, it's more easier for them to set all output mat file with these new shine effect:lol:

[Guest]

If I understand you correctly, you ask if all .mat files with their values can be replaced with one .mat file or with some batch?

If it could be done, (if I understand you, which might not be the case) and you know how to do that, that would be great. That is beyond my skills I am afraid. But there is also one more problem, I set values in .mat in two slightly different ways, for simple “shine” and for more “shine” (p51 ona, for example) Is it possible to have that batch in several groups?
Also every object have their .mat file, can we set them too with some batch or something like that? In that case all ships, vehicles, tanks, houses (objects in all) can be “shiner” (more realistic light looking), just to find some good-looking and realistic values (sun reflecting on metal hangars roof)


Or I misunderstood you at all?


AlphaTestVal 0.5 // of [0.1, 0.5, 0.9] determines how game sees alpha channels for given object, how much transparent, I think that also interacts with .tga textures alpha channels opacity.

And I think that you just discovered solution with "planeshine” collision with mat manager, this is it:

tfBlend 1

I set it to “0” because I was getting some strange things (ghostly looking plane), and thought its better to set I to “0” just in case. And its also in original set at “0”.

Also if you set this values in Gloss1D0o which I used, because it is for overall plane, it will alter also looks of the plane.

[LightParams]
Ambient 0.85 (plane would be darker)
Diffuse 0.9 (also darker)
Specular 0.5
[i]SpecularPow 6 (light would be looking more flat, in original its 4 I set it to 16)
Shine 0.0[/i]


But I think that the file for “markings and roundels” is “Overlay.mat” (it is up to 10 that overlays.mat per plane) because it calls theirs textures. I think it must be set there.

And folder for symbols, markings and roundels I found extracted here:

\3DO\Plane\TEXTURES

I would like to hear what you think about all of this.

[Guest]

Just tried with single “Overlay.mat” file for plane, don’t works. Seams that each symbol (marking) texture must have its own .mat file, which is with same values like Gloss.mat file, just like you made it McWolf. (although I have not yet tried it)

[Faucon]

A real great mod, thx you!!

[Trooper117]

Does this work for all nations?

[McWolf]

Hi Avala,
Thanks for your reply.
What I mean is that these mats for marks are set by the 3D mode, I think it's a stupid way and no choice way to modify these output mat files, because these mat files are automatically produced by the game, that's why there is a cached folder and it can be default clean after you quit game. If we can edit the initial setting, then we don't need to modify all marks mat, just correct these setting, then the game will produce all mat files with the new shine effect, it's the best way I wish to get.

Is there any tools to extract and check 3D mat setting? maybe I can try it and find how to make it work.

Re tfBlend 1
Your shining setting already make these default aircraft skin looks little bright than the default one, tfBlent 1 cause some very shine problem before, but it's caused by GPU driver, seems ATi 9800, Leigh also mentioned it before, I had 9800 before, same problem, however, from Nvidia 7800, Ati19xx, seems it's no problem again.

If you set tfBlend 0, all marks have zig-zag edge by default(that's why I don't use Ace's one,I mentioned it to Leigh at that time, but we all know soften all 3rd-party marks will take lot of work, I gave up at that time, but now sure how about it now), looks not very good, what I always wished is make all marks merge with aircraft skin, looks like a singe one, as you see, the default setting make it look like hover on the skin, a flat marks on a curved body.

By the way, could you kindly explain it more to me about AlphaTestVal 0.5 // of [0.1, 0.5, 0.9]? because if we can set the marks little transport, it maybe make the existing marks have some effect of skin, now these marks are still a cover, not merged with skin's texture.:roll:

Merry Xmas to all IL2er. :-)

[McWolf]

Does this work for all nations?

Yes, support all default nations. You can try it, if you don't like it, just simple delete that two folders, quite simple. :wink:
But maybe you know, there are over 5000 mat files are normally used, if I miss something, please let me know. Now I don't know how these random numbers are produced, cause some AI planes still have no modified mat

[renmik]

Hi McWolf,

works fine here, very good Mod...no bugs or errors.

Many Thx...man, I love it !!

renmik

[McWolf]

Hi McWolf,

works fine here, very good Mod...no bugs or errors.

Many Thx...man, I love it !!

renmik

Hi renmik,
Good to know it's fine for you, enjoy, my pleasure.

I also post some screenshots taken before, the newmat2 is similar but better, please note the nations marks on wings

[Phillip]

Looks really great dood! Can you please in version 2 fixed the crappy US star?

Phillip

[McWolf]

Looks really great dood! Can you please in version 2 fixed the crappy US star?

Phillip

hi Philip,
Could you kindly give me a sample link for the correct whitestar? I had these before, but I already stop to edit mat for over 2 years, a lot of marks collected before are lost