[AIRCRAFT] Metallic Surfaces, Chrome and Aluminium

  • I'm all for sharing with others what I've learned in developing Aircraft for Aerofly, at least when I can find the time, because if more people are involved in creating content for Aerofly we all benefit.

    One of the challenges I've encountered is getting metallic surfaces on my Aircraft. Notably on the US Navy Buffalo. I came up with a solution that looked pretty good but I would say it looks more chrome than Aluminium. I was never very keen on the fact that it always looked a bit shiney on unlit surfaces... fine for chrome, but not the metallic Aluminium paint often used, that is kind of more matt. Anyway you might want chrome...

    so here is how its achieved. The above does have a normal and ambient texture applied...

    but more crucial are the _color, _reflection, _specular and _specular_alpha....

    _color top left, _relection top right, _specular bottom left, _specular_alpha bottom right. Note reflection texture is more saturated red for shiney areas, less so for painted areas

    KR Matt

  • Here is the Matt Aluminium Recipe

    normal and ambient applied as above...

    color, reflection, specular and specular_alpha as below...


    note: top right on color texture... metal grey is much darker

    top right... reflection is grey not red

    bottom left specular.... painted areas dark, metal lighter

    bottom right specular_alpha... painted areas lighter, metal darker

    KR Matt