Skinning Tutorial

[Ramon van Rijn]

I started this tutorial some months ago on RaceSimCentral, but after a while the graphics were lost. At the moment even the startpost was gone.

Recovered the text and reformatted it into a PDF.

Hope it is still useful for our members.

 

[Quattr0]

Ive put up with it long enough!
My skins just dont show, even if put in exactly the same folder as downloaded skins. No faults in .ini file and stuff.
No steam folder either.
Halp!

 

[James Yates]

Ive put up with it long enough!
My skins just dont show, even if put in exactly the same folder as downloaded skins. No faults in .ini file and stuff.
No steam folder either.
Halp!

So they are saved as the right format, .ini is all correct and placed in a folder in C:\Users\xxxxx\Documents\SimBin\RACE 07\CustomSkins?

 

[Quattr0]

I put them in the custom skins as I put downloaded ones, they work. Mine dont.
Ini is correct.
Location (self named folder)
E:\Program Files\GTR Evolution\CustomSkins

 

[Steven Palmer]

yes the wire layer helps a bit but you are right no easy way avadible, just try and error

I save the skin with the wire layer visible to help with alignment, then you can see where you need to move your object to, sadly as michael said though no easy and quick way. Remember you can change the colour of the wire layer too, just in case its hard to see against your base colour.

Just apply a colour overlay to the layer.

 

[Steven Palmer]

I put them in the custom skins as I put downloaded ones, they work. Mine dont.
Ini is correct.
Location (self named folder)
E:\Program Files\GTR Evolution\CustomSkins

post a screenie of your folder/files and the ini and we'll see if we can help

 

[Steven Palmer]

post a screenie of your folder/files and the ini and we'll see if we can help

HOLD ON!!!

the custom skins need to be in the My Documents\Simbin\Custom Skins folder

 

[James Yates]

I put them in the custom skins as I put downloaded ones, they work. Mine dont.
Ini is correct.
Location (self named folder)
E:\Program Files\GTR Evolution\CustomSkins

Is this by any chance the offline version? If so I'm not sure how the custom skins work for that. If you are running the offline one, just install the online version - you can still race offline and it allows the use of many of the mods and all custom skins.

 

[Quattr0]

Yes offline. But all other skins do work so i dont get it :S
Ok will do

 

[James Yates]

Yes offline. But all other skins do work so i dont get it :S
Ok will do

I don't think there are many advantages to the offline install over the online version... you can change a few more things but the online version works fine with skins and mods (all of the ones I've tried anyway) and is automatically updated.

 

[Will Marquez]

Hey guys,

Have a question about saving window skins in photoshop. After placing everything that I want on the windows (decals, etc.). I click on the alpha channel, flatten image, then save as .dds, DXT5 and generate 6 MIP maps.
But in game the decals on the windows are semi-translucent.

Am I going about saving it the wrong way? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Will

 

[Willie Watt]

Hey guys,

Have a question about saving window skins in photoshop. After placing everything that I want on the windows (decals, etc.). I click on the alpha channel, flatten image, then save as .dds, DXT5 and generate 6 MIP maps.
But in game the decals on the windows are semi-translucent.

Am I going about saving it the wrong way? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Will

Will:

You have to change the alpha channel behind the decals, the more white the less transparent.

easiest way is to CTRL+click on the layer thumbnail to select the decal. Go to Channels select the alpha and either paint in white or light gray if you like a little transparency. or if your background color is white, just press delete.

Biggest error here is not selecting the alpha channel.

 

[Esteban Maurel]

there's anyone can convert psd to dds?
i cant :s

 

[Matjaž Murn]

Hi!

Is there a way to change the color of the rims... I thought it wasn't, but after looking at a couple of skins here on the forum, I see there are a lot different rim colors...

Are those photoshopped or just changed in 3D MAX? Do the colors work ingame too?

 

[Willie Watt]

there's anyone can convert psd to dds?
i cant :s

Are you using Photoshop?


if so there's a dds converter on the NVIDIA website.

 

[Willie Watt]

Hi!

Is there a way to change the color of the rims... I thought it wasn't, but after looking at a couple of skins here on the forum, I see there are a lot different rim colors...

Are those photoshopped or just changed in 3D MAX? Do the colors work ingame too?

some cars have the options. I beleive that it's the gtr evo cars GT class.

others are photoshopped or changed in the rendering software.

 

[Steven Palmer]

As Willie said above only some cars can have the wheelcolour changed.

Read the template readme file it should be in your custom skin folder.

It's basically a line in the cars .ini file that needs amending

i.e wheelcolor = 1 (or 2 or 3 )

there's 3 ingame colours available. Black, White and Silver

 

[Matjaž Murn]

Ok, thank you. Since I can't find it in the readme file, I assume it's not possible for the WTCC cars...

Hope it will be with RaceON

 

[Jack Bauer]

I seem to be having an identical problem to Quattro...i've tried over and over agian, followed the tutorial to a "T", but my skins don't show up in game. After reading through this, the only possible conclusion I can come up with is that I'm fukin up something with the flattening process. Do I just flatten the whole thing from the top menu, or do I need to flatten a particular layer(s)? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Info:
Program in use - Photoshop CS2
Body I'm working - Honda Accord (WTCC07)
Saving in - C:\Users\xxxxx\Documents\SimBin\RACE 07\CustomSkins

 

[Jarrod Crossley]

You can selct flatten from any layer. Once selected you should get a popup box saying "disgarde hidden layers" select yes. Once image has flattened you can save as a dds.

If you are working on a car body there is no need to flatten, you really only need to flatten windows and helmets.

 

[Will Marquez]

Hi guys. Just finishing up my Formula Master skin and I've never done a helmet skin before. I use Photoshop to do my skinning. And just wondering how do I go about in saving it? (Flattening image, etc)

If anyone can help me out that would be great.

Thanks.