rFactor 2: Skinning tutorial

Gijs van Elderen · May 20, 2015

rFactor 2: Skinning tutorial

Template database: Click here
- ISI Clio
- ISI FR3.5
- ISI Go-Karts
- SCES ARX
- SCES 919
- URD EGT Cars
- URD T5 Cars
- Lola Rebellion
- DW12 Indy Car

ISI Skin data base:

All file names should be OK, just replace the XX with your car number.
Note: you can copy/past you alt_XXdriver.dds and alt_XXhelmet.dds to an other car. Just rename the XX with a different car number.

- Create a Folder on your desktop : example: "29 Gijs van Elderen"
- Open the Templates with photoshop or gimp
- Save-as a .dds file.

- replace the XX with your car number
- what you don't add will be a default texture.
- Window and text transparency tutorial: Click here

To make the complete package transferable via custom skin sharing:

- Open the Mas2.exe Utility via the rFactor 2 launcher

- Drag and Drop all your renamed .dds file(s) into the utility

Set the Compression to High so that the file upload (and then download by others) is smaller by: Using the Options --> Use File Compression --> Level 9 (Highest) - this will compress a single 5MB .dds to under 1MB in size for transfer!
Go File -->Save As and save this with the same name as your main .dds livery: like alt_XX.mas

- Use that alt_XX.mas as alt skin

Create a dir/folder: "UserData/player/settings/........"

Copy/past your new alt_XX.mas into the "loose skin folder" (UserData/player/settings/.........)
Click on "reload"
Select your skin

Create a new driver/AI

Gijs van Elderen · May 20, 2015

1-minute tutorial to window textures

This tutorial is based on Photoshop CC but should work on any other Photoshop version with the nVidia Plug-in installed.

1. This is where you start at. You have your name and numbers on your window template but they show semi-transparent in game.

2. Hold down Ctrl+shift and click on every "T" or thumbnail of any layer you want to be opaque. This will select the contents of the clicked layers. Everything in the selection has dashed line around them

3. Click "Channels" on the right. Then click "Alpha 1". Make sure you still have the selection (dashed lines) visible and no white text.

4. Select brush tool and pick white color (white means 0% transparent, black 100% transparent). Then just paint over the selection so the numbers and names become white.

5. Select the "RGB" channel located above the Alpha channel. Alpha channel should NOT be visible. Save the image as DXT5.

6. Reload your car and enjoy the beautiful windows!

Gijs van Elderen · Jul 8, 2015

Tip:

While skinning with photoshop or gimp and having rF2 in windowed mode at a small resolution.

- Load the skin in rF2. (I start with an alt.dds with the wireframe)
- Make changes to the skin
- Save and overwrite the alt.dds skin in the loose skin director
- Click on reload in rF2
- And preview the result in rF2.

hwangm · Jan 15, 2016

Thank You

tjc · Feb 2, 2016

Good stuff, many thanks.

Tomas Torasen · Feb 3, 2016

Cool, thanks! Was looking for something like this. Wanted to make some skins for the flat6

Marc · Feb 9, 2016

Thx @Gijs van Elderen
this helped me alot last couple days, but now i`m having a weird problem...
i painted a few cars, when i was done and have checked the skins inside the game i put all .dds files together within a .mas for better handling/sharing. Now there`s the Flat6. I extracted the XX_BBSRIMS.dds somewhere from the install directory. It works fine so far as a XXALTBBSRIMS.dds but when i put all files toghether in a .mas just the Rims don`t get loaded?!

I read a bit about these .veh files but until now i don`t know exactly how to use them or if it even will help me?!

I am very new to rFactor skinning at all, any ideas?

Gijs van Elderen · Mar 13, 2016

Creating a skin for automobilsta, rF1, rF2

Mankiewicz · Jan 4, 2017

hey guys, some1 can help me to get the body.psd of the megane trophy 2008. im getting mad at looking for it, it seems not to be listed on isi's and 397's forums

Andrew Ford · Jan 5, 2017

Ok... I need help!
So for the RDLMS I have created car livery parts in GIMP i.e. Banner., rear banner, wing and corvette/main body.

Two issues:
1. I want the main skin to be metallic black and yet it comes out grey! I've tried filling the car background and also the file called "Alpha" to 22 on the black/white colour palette from the layers menu. I used this shade as it seems another metallic black ISI car in rfactor 2 was this shading. How do I achieve a nice shiny black metallic effect please?

2. Using gimp i followed a tutorial to upload the alt.dds from rfactor 2, and superimpose the main body file (flattened on to it). How do I do this for the other car parts please?

Frustrating as I haven't a background in this stuff but feel I'm close to cracking it!
The sooner I get this done the better!

please help!
Thanks
Andrew

Gijs van Elderen · Jan 5, 2017

Andrew Ford said:
"Alpha" to 22 on the black/white colour palette from the layers menu

The alpha channel of the .dds + reflection fresnell settings in the shader = Reflection on the car. So what worker on the ISI vette, doesn't mean it works the same on another car.

Andrew Ford said:
it comes out grey

I guess "chrome-like" grey?

Maybe @klo-che can give you some pointers and common practice with their carbody shader to create black metalic.

=Fieldzy= · Jan 5, 2017

I add noise to the layer to get the metallic from the effects menu. Hope this helped.

Andrew Ford · Jan 5, 2017

Gijs van Elderen said:
The alpha channel of the .dds + reflection fresnell settings in the shader = Reflection on the car. So what worker on the ISI vette, doesn't mean it works the same on another car.

I guess "chrome-like" grey?

Maybe @klo-che can give you some pointers and common practice with their carbody shader to create black metalic.

Thank you.
Offline the car comes up grey.
Online it looks just shiny metal/metallic. Am I correct to simply colour the alpha layer and the paint here sub layer (showing black)?

Also, any ideas how i add all the body parts to the final product? do they need merging somehow?
Thanks again...or if anyone else can help that would also be appreciated.

Paul field...I will look at the noise menu - thanks. main thing i want is black. that is the priority but metallic would be the final piece.

Andrew Ford · Jan 6, 2017

Matt Horst · Jan 7, 2017

Two things that would help tutorial wise for gimp is how to work with alpha layer to adjust the how much shine or gloss the paint has,and also how to make a mask layer.These are two things i and a lot of others struggle with i think.

The corvette template has no mask layer it seems witch makes it much harder to work with.

As for the file names here is an example.

So it's goes something like:
alt_"your skin name".dds for the body
alt_"your skin name"EXTRABODY.dds for extra body parts
alt_"your skin name"WINDOW.dds for the window

Gijs van Elderen · Jan 7, 2017

Gimp pdf skinning tutorial:

http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/making-a-car-skin-for-rfactor-2-tutorial.10505/

Andrew Ford · Jan 7, 2017

Thank you matt horst!
I now have all the car parts on!

2 problems remain:
The "black" body remains silver/mirror like no matter how i colour the bodywork layer or alpha layer (once it is in the layers menu).
N.b. i have not removed any layers or merged them down ...not sure if i need to. Also i havent removed wire frame but i have flattened.

2...the rear wing: if i write a logo on top of the black wing, it only appears visible if i put it to the top of the other layers. However, in game, the logo then displays on the underside of the rear wing! Wtf!

So many people kindly do tutorials but they're all in bits. As a teacher, I might try and throw a complete on together at some point showing the areas I messed up with....once I figure them out! Ha!

Andrew Ford · Jan 7, 2017

I used the quoted tutorial but it doesn't cover alpha channel issues or my 2 problems :-( .Thanks tho Gijs

Gijs van Elderen · Jan 7, 2017

Matt Horst said:
corvette template has no mask

Mmm, normally a template should have a default alpha channel (photoshop cc) or masking layer (photoshop elements/gimp).

If possible you can copy/past the black/white body-shade/shadow layer to the alpha channel. And and make it darker/lighter with "levels" or (brightness/contrast).
This will give a much beter then a fill color.

@Andrew Ford : make sure you save as DXT5 (.dds with alpha)
DXT1 has a full white alpha layer: this makes the car full reflective.

Andrew Ford · Jan 7, 2017

I have saved as dx5 on each occasion with mipmaps (whatever they are!).

Can i check, am i supposed to change the alpha and body layers using colour palette in the layer menu?that is what i have been doing. Thanks for replies