3DSMax Runway decals tips & tricks

  • Dear all,

    Runway decals using the Kingsman example textures are beautiful, I really love this part of airport design.

    Setting the textures properly in 3DSMax is however very tricky due to low contrasts

    Below is a snapshot of the the UVW editor, where I set the texture for the 0 of my runway 05 marking - it looks all grey and you hardly see that there are actually numbers.

    [Blocked Image: http://i65.tinypic.com/2czoyex.jpg]


    I wanted to share a workaround I quickly set up by making a dummy copy of the original texture repainted in yellow for an enhanced contrast.

    Below is the same picture as above, simply using the "improved contrast" dummy texture. When I'm happy with texture placement I simply apply the original Decal texture an I'm done... maybe it would be worth mentioning such a trick in the wiki pages.

    [Blocked Image: http://i63.tinypic.com/11rd4wm.jpg]

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

    • Official Post

    Very good point out. I would be there forever in the wiki if I added all of the tips and tricks of 3DS Max as there's an endless amount of different features.

    Very good of you to point this one out though.

    Those of us that are real-world pilots have learned to look into photos like this and see those hidden items; part of the medical cert :)

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • Those of us that are real-world pilots have learned to look into photos like this and see those hidden items; part of the medical cert :)

    I only own a poor EASA Class II medical attachment, that won't allow me seeing that texture in the UVW unwrapper...

    Are there really so many tips & tricks for 3DSMax on this forum ? I think I didn't see them, too bad they're going lost in the depth of lost threads instead of being gathered at one place...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • I only own a poor EASA Class II medical attachment, that won't allow me seeing that texture in the UVW unwrapper...

    Are there really so many tips & tricks for 3DSMax on this forum ? I think I didn't see them, too bad they're going lost in the depth of lost threads instead of being gathered at one place...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Unfortunately we don't have the time to train users on how to use 3DS Max or any other modeling program out there; that is solely up to the user.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff