rFactor 2: Skinning tutorial

rFactor 2: Skinning tutorial

Template database: Click here
- ISI Clio
- ISI FR3.5
- ISI Go-Karts
- SCES ARX
- SCES 919
- URD EGT Cars
- URD T5 Cars
- Lola Rebellion
- DW12 Indy Car

ISI Skin data base:


All file names should be OK, just replace the XX with your car number.
Note: you can copy/past you alt_XXdriver.dds and alt_XXhelmet.dds to an other car. Just rename the XX with a different car number.


- Create a Folder on your desktop : example: "29 Gijs van Elderen"
- Open the Templates with photoshop or gimp
- Save-as a .dds file.

nvidiatools.png

- replace the XX with your car number
- what you don't add will be a default texture.
- Window and text transparency tutorial: Click here

To make the complete package transferable via custom skin sharing:

- Open the Mas2.exe Utility via the rFactor 2 launcher
schermafdruk-2015-04-30-21-30-05-jpg.91195

- Drag and Drop all your renamed .dds file(s) into the utility

schermafdruk-2015-04-30-21-37-18-jpg.91196


Set the Compression to High so that the file upload (and then download by others) is smaller by: Using the Options --> Use File Compression --> Level 9 (Highest) - this will compress a single 5MB .dds to under 1MB in size for transfer!
Go File -->Save As and save this with the same name as your main .dds livery: like alt_XX.mas



- Use that alt_XX.mas as alt skin


grab_003-jpg.93397


Create a dir/folder: "UserData/player/settings/........"

grab_004-jpg.93398


Copy/past your new alt_XX.mas into the "loose skin folder" (UserData/player/settings/.........)
Click on "reload"
Select your skin


grab_005-jpg.93399


Create a new driver/AI

 
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In Gimp: Alpha transparency is handeld with a "mask layer" = opacity.

So before you save you should have your color map + a mask layer. See screenshot at page 21 of the gimp tutorial. This mask layer = is alpha channel when saved as .dds
Thanks Gijs. Sure I did this but will check later today. Still wonder why the shell would be more grey than black but i will give it a go and also play with brightness.

Lastly,
Any ideas about problem 2? Where the logo layer for the rear wing should be or why it gets hidden when i put it under "paint here"? Thanks again
 
Guidelines: https://www.studio-397.com/guidelines-for-artists/

This is actually nothing new and applies to DX9 aswell to avoid "washed out" colors.

Albedo range:
Black and white range:

rF2's black and white range is a bit different as you would see in photoshop/gimp.
Especially the white range:
Anything from 210(grey) to 255(full white) will show as full white in rF2.

To put is simple:
- white / light grey (210) = white in rF2
- anything above (210 white) = overexposed white (aka washed out colors)

If you already have a dark car skin or your car skin doesn't overexpose in DX9: You are OK. :thumbsup:





What's new for DX11:

The 210-255 overexposed white rang in DX9 will be get a bloom effect in DX11.

AlbedoCalibrationChart.png



How to quickly update car skins:


  • Open your file in Photoshop. On top of all layers add these two FX layers:

  • They will be used to lower the white output and the global color saturation. Here is the skin before using the two FX layers:

    and here is the same skin with the FX layers setup:

    With these settings being used:

    And finally, here is a preview of the skin in-game, before and after the fix:
 
I wonder whether a simple fix may be just to double up on the OA layer. If it's a good template and the OA is done properly it'll grey out white. The only thing is then you need to lighten up the blacks. Simple if you keep all your older skins in vector form.
 
If the car modder already did their OA properly for DX 9. You don't have to do anything. ;)
This is true to a point. Firstly the word "properly" could be rarely used on far to many mods.
Secondly, going on this all your blacks that you may even have used 15 to 35 or so in the GRB scale would/could be to dark. So you may get away with a darker OA shading layer for white, it would only serve to compound the problem for you darker colors needing to make them lighter than you'd normally be comfortable with. I guess that will have to be a new learning curve. It's good to have a few of those to keep it interesting.
 
Hi Gijs,
Thanks for the guide, very helpful indeed!
I am intending to create a skin for the Nissan GT500 2013, but I am not able to find a template and the link on your page is giving an error. Do you still have a template for this car?
 
I tried everything to avoid the Car looking washed out. But still no good result. May someone could tell me how to fix it? I added the two Layers as mentioned in previous Posts. Then flattened the Image an saved in dds dxt5 interpoled alpha. With PS Elements 7.0

15g2dja.png
 
I tried everything to avoid the Car looking washed out. But still no good result. May someone could tell me how to fix it?

My guess is you took the silver-grey Mercedes as a starting point for your skin. That won't work as we had to give that car a very special material to match the factory livery. Please pick any other Mercedes as a starting point and you will see your livery will look different (correct).
 
My guess is you took the silver-grey Mercedes as a starting point for your skin. That won't work as we had to give that car a very special material to match the factory livery. Please pick any other Mercedes as a starting point and you will see your livery will look different (correct).

I saw that Yesterday when I changed the related .veh file in my driver file.
Thx for your fast response.

Edit: Is there any solution to the Problem that Cars look so weird at Night? When they are Illuminated by other cars or light of the Track everything is fine. But in Dark sections its like the reflect from nothing and the Skin is not really visible.
 
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In that last shot, if you drive in pitch dark in the middle of the night, it is normal that the car is this dark. At best you could argue that if there is a clear sky, you might see a reflection from the moon. Our old shaders don't reflect very much at night. If you look at the new GT3 Challengers pack, you will see those cars have much better defined reflections at night. That does not mean though they are much brighter. You need more light in the surroundings of the car for that.
 
In that last shot, if you drive in pitch dark in the middle of the night, it is normal that the car is this dark. At best you could argue that if there is a clear sky, you might see a reflection from the moon. Our old shaders don't reflect very much at night. If you look at the new GT3 Challengers pack, you will see those cars have much better defined reflections at night. That does not mean though they are much brighter. You need more light in the surroundings of the car for that.

Yeah but normally at dark places the Car should not look so Chromy. But thx for the fast help and good responses.
 

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