Anyone using GIMP to Paint/Skin Cars

[ThatRacingGuy]

Hi there

I am new to making skins and i want to learn it

But programs like Adobe Photo'Shop cost money

So can you make skins with GIMP (Free Painting Software)
If so Then could you guys please learn me how to skin with it?!?
Thanks

 

[Paulo Gomes]

A short toturial, not how to paint but especially in how to open, save and upload the skin was great! for example I now we need a plugin, but I don't know how to used..

 

[tpw]

I make a few FVee skins using Gimp. Once you get your head around layers, alpha channels, masks etc it's pretty straightforward. I recommend you start with the FVee as it's pretty straightforward to see how it all fits together. To get started:

1. Get hold of Gimp Portable: 2.8: http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable
2. Install the DDS plugin so that you'll be able to save your skins in DDS format: https://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/
3. Download the templates you want to work with:http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/stock-car-extreme-templates-viewers.76177/

Templates are generally in photoshop PSD format. They'll load into Gimp no worries. Unfortunately Gimp won't save PSD files 100% correctly, you will lose layer groups. So, save in Gimp's native XCF format, which properly preserves layers and allows you to come back and fiddle with things later.

Use the various layers and wireframe guides to paint your skin. I won't tell you how to do that since mine are pretty much crap. All I will say is that image translucency is the key. The more opaque part of an image is, the "glossier" it will be on the car. Usually a final opacity of about 25% will pretty much look like slightly glossy paint. 5% will be very matte. 95% opacity will be almost metallic reflective.

Once you are happy with the final image and its various translucencies, you will need to first save it as an XCF as explained above.

Actually exporting to the final skin requires two steps, because Gimp cannot properly flatten multilayer images to DDS.

Export the file as a PNG, which will flatten all the layers and save appropriate transparencies

Load the PNG back into Gimp, then export it as DDS. Make sure you use DXT5 compression and save mipmaps (the scaled version of the skin for more distant LOD).

A correctly saved DDS skin should be 5.33 MB in size.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can provide any more info.

Good luck skinning, I hope to see them in the mods section soon!

 

[ThatRacingGuy]

I make a few FVee skins using Gimp. Once you get your head around layers, alpha channels, masks etc it's pretty straightforward. I recommend you start with the FVee as it's pretty straightforward to see how it all fits together. To get started:

1. Get hold of Gimp Portable: 2.8: http://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/gimp_portable
2. Install the DDS plugin so that you'll be able to save your skins in DDS format: https://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/
3. Download the templates you want to work with:http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/stock-car-extreme-templates-viewers.76177/

Templates are generally in photoshop PSD format. They'll load into Gimp no worries. Unfortunately Gimp won't save PSD files 100% correctly, you will lose layer groups. So, save in Gimp's native XCF format, which properly preserves layers and allows you to come back and fiddle with things later.

Use the various layers and wireframe guides to paint your skin. I won't tell you how to do that since mine are pretty much crap. All I will say is that image translucency is the key. The more opaque part of an image is, the "glossier" it will be on the car. Usually a final opacity of about 25% will pretty much look like slightly glossy paint. 5% will be very matte. 95% opacity will be almost metallic reflective.

Once you are happy with the final image and its various translucencies, you will need to first save it as an XCF as explained above.

Actually exporting to the final skin requires two steps, because Gimp cannot properly flatten multilayer images to DDS.

Export the file as a PNG, which will flatten all the layers and save appropriate transparencies

Load the PNG back into Gimp, then export it as DDS. Make sure you use DXT5 compression and save mipmaps (the scaled version of the skin for more distant LOD).

View attachment 105740

A correctly saved DDS skin should be 5.33 MB in size.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can provide any more info.

Good luck skinning, I hope to see them in the mods section soon!

This helped on the technical side of things.

but how do you acctualy skin the cars?
Like creating a livery

 

[tpw]

Do you mean how to actually create a new car?

Let's say you want to create a new Formula Vee. If you look in your GSC installation Stock Car Extreme\GameData\Vehicles\F_Vee\TEAMS you'll see that each car has a VEH and a DDS file.

Save your DDS skin into this directory as FVee_100.dds
Copy FVee_1.veh and rename it FVee_100.veh, then open it in a text editor. You need to change the driver/team name, and make it point to FVee_100.dds for the skin.

Spoiler: FVee_100.veh

DefaultLivery="FVee_100.dds"
GenString=1

HDVehicle=FVee.hdv       
Graphics=FVee.gen
Spinner=FVee_Spinner.gen       
GenString=                     // Used to generate GMT names in *.gen file
Sounds=FVee.sfx                  // Sounds=default.sfx
Cameras=FVee_cam.cam            // Defaults to default.cfg in UserData directory
HeadPhysics=FVee_headphysics.ini         // Affects driver eyepoint only
Cockpit=FVee_cockpitinfo.ini
Upgrades=FVee_upgrades.ini
//AIUpgradeClass=rtSchool

//////////////////////////TEAM HISTORY AND INFORMATION///////////////////////////////////////////
Number=100
PitGroup="Group2"
Driver="Your Name"
Description="For_V: #100 Your Name"
Engine="1600cc VW Motor"
Manufacturer="VW"

Classes="reiza13"

Team="Your Name"
FullTeamName="Your Name"
Category="Formula Vee"

TeamFounded=n/a
TeamHeadquarters=n/a
TeamStarts=n/a
TeamPoles=n/a
TeamWins=n/a
TeamWorldChampionships=n/a

Next time you load GSC you'll see the new car and driver in the FVee list to choose from.

I hope this is what you were after.

 

[Paulo Gomes]

thank you so much @tpw exactly what a noob needs to know

 

[ThatRacingGuy]

Do you mean how to actually create a new car?

Let's say you want to create a new Formula Vee. If you look in your GSC installation Stock Car Extreme\GameData\Vehicles\F_Vee\TEAMS you'll see that each car has a VEH and a DDS file.

Save your DDS skin into this directory as FVee_100.dds
Copy FVee_1.veh and rename it FVee_100.veh, then open it in a text editor. You need to change the driver/team name, and make it point to FVee_100.dds for the skin.

Spoiler: FVee_100.veh

DefaultLivery="FVee_100.dds"
GenString=1

HDVehicle=FVee.hdv       
Graphics=FVee.gen
Spinner=FVee_Spinner.gen       
GenString=                     // Used to generate GMT names in *.gen file
Sounds=FVee.sfx                  // Sounds=default.sfx
Cameras=FVee_cam.cam            // Defaults to default.cfg in UserData directory
HeadPhysics=FVee_headphysics.ini         // Affects driver eyepoint only
Cockpit=FVee_cockpitinfo.ini
Upgrades=FVee_upgrades.ini
//AIUpgradeClass=rtSchool

//////////////////////////TEAM HISTORY AND INFORMATION///////////////////////////////////////////
Number=100
PitGroup="Group2"
Driver="Your Name"
Description="For_V: #100 Your Name"
Engine="1600cc VW Motor"
Manufacturer="VW"

Classes="reiza13"

Team="Your Name"
FullTeamName="Your Name"
Category="Formula Vee"

TeamFounded=n/a
TeamHeadquarters=n/a
TeamStarts=n/a
TeamPoles=n/a
TeamWins=n/a
TeamWorldChampionships=n/a

Next time you load GSC you'll see the new car and driver in the FVee list to choose from.

I hope this is what you were after.

I mean the skin itself not the Veh files

 

[Esotic]

Sorry, didn't notice this was the SCE forums (not Assetto Corsa). I'm guessing the techniques would still apply, but the directories/assumption would be different. Sorry for any confusion.

Please note my Skin Creation Automation tutorial over here: http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/skin-creation-automation.7361/

This is not a "beginners" guide, but there should be lots of good information in there about making skins with Gimp.

Cheers,

Dave\Esotic

 

[tpw]

thank you so much @tpw exactly what a noob needs to now

Thanks Paolo, I'm glad it helped you at least.

 

[xnorb]

I mean the skin itself not the Veh files

You open the PSD template and start painting what you want to paint?

If you want to know how to work with GIMP, there are about 2 bazillion tutorials to be found via google