Post by hornit - HJG on Feb 2, 2022 16:14:44 GMT
Ive been updating and looking at some aircraft I have not flown in a while and thought I would bring this up again. A few years back I mentioned some things about realism in FS9 and textures that can help it along a bit. First is shadows. When the textures permit it, meaning decently mapped, some shadowing can really enhance the realism when viewing these masterpieces in external views. Also weathering and proper color balance are important. One area in particular has always bothered me a bit and tends to bring out the "cartoony" nature of models and textures. That area is the transparencies in airliner and big aircraft cockpit glass areas. The alpha channel can be manipulated in some models to improve window color and reflection, but in some models its limited, leaving you with what appears to be perfectly transparent and almost invisible glass. If you look at photos of airliners check out the cockpit areas, usually they are dark, and its hard to make out any detail inside since its all in mostly shadow in there. They way I fix this is to darken the interior textures(the ones with pilots/panels/shirts/walls etc.) dramatically giving what I believe to be a more pleasing and realistic look when you view the airplane externally. These two shots give an example and sometimes its rather stark. I prefer the more real look of the one in which its hard to see inside. Just a quick tip and an easy fix for anyone who knows how to paint!
