Need help with Alpha layers ... calling Abraxa!

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

This all sounds very technical to me but there is something fundamental that I am not getting

I thought it was impossible to edit damage layers for any type of aircraft? All I did with making skins is some panellines, camouflage and markings. Where can you edit those damage layers? Aren't they coded in the sim, just like the "default" skins for the diffrent aircraft types?

[Serval]

You bet when we have a BoH project you will have to learn it

Kamikuza is going to edit a default skin, so he got the default template that includes the alpha layer that cuts away what has been shot away.

If you look at the D.XXI skin, you see holes and torn off wings (projected red over the skin). Maybe hard to imagine, but since you don't live to far away you are allways welcome to view this on a 3D model

Here some fake screenshots (3D max with IL-2 screenshot as background) Viikate made to show what the damage would look like in game.

[Abraxa]

Yup, what Serval said.

Each hard coded 1024x1024 skin (they're coded as TGAs, not BMP) is associated with several skins of different dimensions (512x512 etc. scaling down) together with few damage textures (light medium, heavy damagement).

The alpha channel allows the damage texture to appear over the ordinary texture when the bird is hit, according to where and how severely the aircraft was hit.

[Kamikuza]

Awesome thanks guys ... Abraxa you got mail

So just to be sure - I ignore the dam, damage1 & damage2 layers on the MiG-3 .psd & use the purple Alpha layer in my Skin1o.tgb ...? Do I need to change the purple to black?

[Serval]

No, you don't need to change it to black. Alpha layers are allways black and white (grey for partially transparent). It is just shown in a bright color so you notice it. See my screenshots.
Since you got the PSD the alpha layer should be set up just fine.
Save as 32 bit TGA (as said above) and you have a TGA file with the alpha channel included.

[Kamikuza]

The alpha layer from the .psd is the purple one I added it the way I did with the Il-2 alpha layer which WAS black & white (not purple & transparent) and the result is the same - the alpha layer transparencyizes the skin

So I'm assuming it's right

[Serval]

Duh and we start mixing up.
It's a channel not a layer. Photoshop shows it in the channels windows next to the R, G and B channels.

[Kamikuza]

No no the layer I got from the .psd is called 'Alpha' & it's purple. It IS the holes in fuselage (I checked) & in my .tga's I made it the alpha layer ... LOL

[Serval]

Oh OK, I allways thought the technique was called Alpha channel.

[Kamikuza]

... uh?