FREE Skins

LAST EDITED ON Nov-28-03 AT 09:22 AM (EST)

Hi Fella's...Just a quick experiment to see if this idea will work. Below you will find some skin textures from my skin library for use as you see fit. My thinking being that those of us that take pics can help skinners, though we may not be prolific skinners ourselves. However, we can shoot/share skin pics such as this via this forum (or elsewhere?). In so doing, a small library of skins will become available to those that really enjoy reskinning. Here goes nuttin'!Copywrite Disclaimer: These photos were taken by myself, Andre Ming, and are posted here as public domain to use freely. No credit to me is required.Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations

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http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fc758df2fd4d8c2.jpg

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fc7591c3062b7d7.jpg

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fc7593b30b72b7e.jpg

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fc7595d3110c1cc.jpg

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RE: FREE Skins, yellowdog, Nov-28-03, 10:12 AM, (1) RE: FREE Skins, crstagg, Nov-28-03, 11:02 AM, (2) RE: FREE Skins, Coonskin, Nov-28-03, 08:40 PM, (3) RE: FREE Skins, Hack, Nov-28-03, 09:03 PM, (4) RE: FREE Skins, goldenpig, Dec-18-03, 09:58 PM, (19) RE: FREE Skins, yellowdog, Nov-28-03, 10:06 PM, (5) RE: FREE Skins, Coonskin, Nov-28-03, 11:52 PM, (7) RE: FREE Skins, century242, Nov-28-03, 10:13 PM, (6) RE: FREE Skins, wdq4587, Dec-15-03, 04:02 AM, (15) RE: FREE Skins, wecline, Nov-29-03, 10:58 AM, (8) RE: FREE Skins, Coonskin, Nov-30-03, 02:25 PM, (9) RE: FREE Skins, michaelnscale, Nov-30-03, 04:46 PM, (10) RE: FREE Skins, jpmurd, Dec-01-03, 04:40 PM, (11) RE: FREE Skins, Coonskin, Dec-01-03, 11:28 PM, (12) RE: FREE Skins, Coonskin, Dec-01-03, 11:41 PM, (13) RE: FREE Skins, dmikulec, Dec-02-03, 03:06 PM, (14) RE: FREE Skins, heffed, Dec-18-03, 10:46 PM, (20) RE: FREE Skins, wdq4587, Dec-16-03, 03:52 AM, (16) RE: FREE Skins, JonN, Dec-18-03, 08:01 PM, (17) RE: FREE Skins, Coonskin, Dec-18-03, 09:19 PM, (18) RE: FREE Skins, JonN, Dec-19-03, 00:13 AM, (21) RE: FREE Skins, wdq4587, Jan-02-04, 06:45 AM, (22)

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Hey, Andre. Creative idea, but there are a couple of related problems I can see with it that affect the quality of a skin. 1)These pics are a little big, which means they will have to be resized down to probably 1/4 of what you show 2) the size limits and types of files available for upload don't allow for high quality pictures to be uploaded in the first place. For instance, in the second picture the right side of the gondola has a circle with some lettering in it. It's already impossible to see what it says inside the circle b/c of pic quality. Reduce that pic to skin size, paste it on the side of a 3D model, import it into the sim and viola--you've got a blob. It'd be a lot better working with a high-quailty .bmp image sent through e-mail than a compressed, lower quality .jpg image uploaded to these forums, IMO. Nice thinking, though!

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>Hey, Andre. Creative idea, but there are a couple of
>related problems I can see with it that affect the quality
>of a skin. 1)These pics are a little big, which means they
>will have to be resized down to probably 1/4 of what you
>show 2) the size limits and types of files available for
>upload don't allow for high quality pictures to be uploaded
>in the first place. For instance, in the second picture the
>right side of the gondola has a circle with some lettering
>in it. It's already impossible to see what it says inside
>the circle b/c of pic quality. Reduce that pic to skin
>size, paste it on the side of a 3D model, import it into the
>sim and viola--you've got a blob. It'd be a lot better
>working with a high-quailty .bmp image sent through e-mail
>than a compressed, lower quality .jpg image uploaded to
>these forums, IMO. Nice thinking, though! Then Post them as ZIP files in the Library for download with small pics in the forum.

Charles

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Made from the pics above.Was it worth messing with?Well, I have my opinion... but I'll leave it up to you.Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations

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http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fc7f9145376125e.jpg

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I think they look great! Thanks for sharing, Andre. Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.comPro Series SuperPacks

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-18-03 AT 10:06 PM (EST)

Yes I think they are very cool and incredibly useful as well... Personally I would use them as very helpful reference as I steer away from using straight-out photo textures. But nonetheless, they are very useful and a really generous offer to those who reskin. I've added them to my library... thanks man! Here's my contribution... it's of little use to me as there is far too much graffitti and I don't feel like going in and clone stamping it all out... But maybe it will be of use to someone else. Enjoy.=|GoldenPig
visit me at www.dannybeck.com
www.mapleleaftracks.com

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OK, ok, so I've tossed out the turkey and am sitting down to some crow now. . . I haven't skinned in a while, so I'll just stuff my mouth full to keep me quiet.

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"OK, ok, so I've tossed out the turkey and am sitting down to some crow now..." LOL! Well, it was a bit unfair. You see I had an ace in the hole in that I knew what can be done in a photo shop program now. That MSTS car you're looking at above had the skin sharpened, enhanced, etc, etc. (In fact, now that I look at it some more, it really could be desaturated some, IMHO.)Also, most rolling stock uses 512 textures, so some degradation is unavoidable when using slab textures. However, I like 512's on rolling stock on account of the secondary nature of it, preferring to use larger textures on the real stars of the show: Engines. (And maybe cabeese.)Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations

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Looks good AndreRegards,
Erik Pierson
Sacramento, Cawww.sacramentolocomotiveworks.com

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You have very good idea. Although only a very few people can offer photos for MSTS paint. Most railfan's photo for good looking reason do not have a good angle for paint. And most photo posted in web do not have enough resolution. And I still had to say, use photo as texture for loco paint is still a challenge work than paint freight wagon or passenger car.Then about your photo, your photos looks good, although a little blur. Your reskin FSR1021 is also good, but compare to the original photo, that's not look like as smooth as original photo. (It look like made by wood). I guess you have made too much sharp operation on photo and that reduce the graphic quality. I think you photo resolution is enough for freight wagon paint. Since reduce image size to fit 512 width also mean sharp, you don't need sharp it. And in my experience, if you want to sharp image for texture, "unsharp mask" can give good result. It sharp edge but let rest area still smooth.

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Andre,If these are a sampling of your picture-taking expertise, I certainly would subscribe for them! I do agree that collecting photos as .bmp files would take some time, but they could easily be converted into .jpg files before "shipping". In any event, since I am using cable modem, download time is not vital for me.All of my recent boxcars in "photo-real" reskinning have been done exactly as you have proposed. Although I have been doing these skins mostly with boxcars, I would welcome some photos as you have shown here for other type rolling stock. Your pics sure do have character!Please let me know where I can find more of your photography!Bill Cline

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LAST EDITED ON Nov-30-03 AT 02:27 PM (EST)

Hi 'ya Bill:Thanks for the kind words. The photos above are full size off the original digipic. (Extraneous clutter is cropped to reduce KB size.) I also uploaded them "raw", hence no sharpening or anything. This was so that any users could run them through their program and adjust them to suit with me having tampered with them.I can save them from the digicam as a bmp, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra size when dealing with 512 textures? Anyway, I'll share more skin pics eventually.Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations

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Excellent work....hope you plan to share. I'm one of those that can take the digitial photos and post - but I have not mastered the reskinning.Small contribution I know - but it's the best I can do for now.Again, excellent job...we definitely need more gondolas in the library.Thanks! Michael

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I will definately download that gondola when it shows up. GREAT job. John

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Have no idea whether it will show up in the Library or what. Spent some time on dial up modem uploading to the Library, only to be told upon completion that the "File name already exists". The zip file was named "FSRgon1.zip". Did a search of the Library for that name, couldn't find a thing. Go figure.I see no point in renaming it again and reuploading seeing as there was not a file in the library named "FSRgon1.zip" to start with. So, whether it shows up or not, remains to be seen. I tried.Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-03 AT 11:43 PM (EST)

Found the problem. It was the infamous "I.D. 10 T" error.Should appear in the Library in a day or so.BTW: Toned down the glowing trucks before uploading. Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations

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http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fcc188953296d38.jpg

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I've got my copy ... fantastic skinning job sir.--
Dave Mikulec (former Charter Member)"the Ohio Southeastern - NKP Project"

Route homepage:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/m/dmikulec/OSES/index.html

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>Found the problem. It was the infamous "I.D. 10 T" error. I get these more and more the older I get. -Jeff

Union Pacific is my drug.

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-16-03 AT 03:54 AM (EST)

Now I will show all of you my result.At first I need say I show these have no meaning to competition with Coonskin's work. I only want to show how we can improve our works. And I wish there are more and more good looking free MSTS addon appear. I prefer texture made from photo. May be I can write some tutorial but write in English is difficult and time consumer to me.
First FSR1021 I take more than 2 hours to process. It's some difficult than I just thinking. I had to sharp it. I use "unsharp mask" at first at texture I scaled. I don't satisfy with the result, then I apply "unsharp mask" to original photo and scale it again. After that I made the FSR1015 use same process, take less than 1 hour. I use HSB adjustment to process rest texture part (not scale from photo). One thing we know now is the picture looks a little blur mean much resolution degrade. If it's clear, we don't need sharp it, or only a little sharp is enough for texture size is not big enough. (This model take about 900 pixel on width, more than I think 512. Original photo have 1365 pixel width and about 1250 pixel is valid)After all done, I still not satisfied the result. That seems not much improvement. The surface was smooth, but still big difference with original photo. I notice after render, color changes bad! That seems can not improve for large area with similar color as I know before. Unless I can find some good way to dither it. But there are another difference, the color of MSTS screenshot (photo #1 #3) really different with the original photo. I know why. That's setting in .env file. Sun shine color change with time, and may be also surround light color. They are not pure white. I check the HSB values of screenshot and photo, and decide to compensation it. The difference is Hue: 7 Saturation: 7 Bright: -7, I decide use HSB adjust value -5,-7,7 to compensation. That's the result (photo #2, #4).After I have done these, when I write these. I think I made some mistake. Since color difference is from RGB part. I should not use HSB adjust to compensation. I should use Level adjust and change R G B channel individual. The simple way should by use a gray texute (RGB=100 or 200) to make a screenshot. Check the R G B value of screenshot. (I have done that before). Then calcuate the compensation ratio and adjust R G B levels.About color compensation of MSTS texture. I have more word, there are many factor, not as simple as this case. But I will stop talk now. Unless all of you don't feel anger I redo other people's work.

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http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fdeb8ef5b4d5195.jpg

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fdeb8fc5b7e0d21.jpg

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fdeb94c5c39cafd.jpg

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3fdec82602e4bda4.jpg

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Not bad at all, Wang. I wouldn't mind adding them to my collection. I hope Coonskin has no objections to them being uploaded...Jonathan Nikiforovs.
Milepost 180, CP Belleville Sub.Repainter for Yonder Locomotive Works.

"A crictic is a man who creates nothing and thereby feels qualified to judge the work of creative men. There is logic in this; he is unbiased - he hates all creative people equally." - Lazarus Long

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"I hope Coonskin has no objections to them being uploaded... "No objections whatsoever. Note the above EULA on the original pics.In fact, that quickie that I skinned to gig ol' Yellerdog with can be pulled from the file library and replaced with this one.Andre Ming
THE Big Cheese and Great Poobah of V Scale Creations
Keeping CHRIST in my CHRISTmas!

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>No objections whatsoever. Note the above EULA on the original pics.Whoops, looks like my eyes missed that part.
But then, I didn't take much time to read the text, just look at the pics..Jonathan Nikiforovs.
Milepost 180, CP Belleville Sub.Repainter for Yonder Locomotive Works.

"A crictic is a man who creates nothing and thereby feels qualified to judge the work of creative men. There is logic in this; he is unbiased - he hates all creative people equally." - Lazarus Long

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Sorry to miss this thread for a long time. I just check the forum and still see JonN is the last one post. So I think it's no change. Your skin do not have fault. Only you lack the experience of make reskin. Trick to compensation MSTS flaw is not easy to learn.I will upload it soon. Wish I can understand 3 readme files which is which one.

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