I’ve seen a couple of posts about this previously but I’ve not noticed a response/fix for it so sorry if it’s been covered already! I know there’s currently a issue report on the github about it too but wanted to see if anyone had found a fix. I’ve followed the guides and tutorials to try and create a livery on the Asobo A320neo. Generally it’s all okay apart from when I get to the tail on the fuselage object, when I try and paint on there at all the livery doesn’t apply properly and just creates a random mess of colours (it also seems to be acting like it’s tiled for some reason). When painting other parts of the fuselage it does also seem to be painting on the tail in lines. This does also go across to the texture PNG on which the tail texture overwrites and covers most of the base and what you’ve already put on there. The rudder is perfectly fine and without issue.
If anyone’s able to help then I’d really appreciate it! Desperate to create the livery of a childhood airline I loved but I keep on running into this issue
I have been painting some liveries for MSFS and all is well except I always end up with a white propeller instead of the original darker colour. Could someone please explain what I’m doing wrong? Thanks
Doh! Should have said! The DH2 Beaver that was released with the anniversary edition. Other aircraft don’t seem to be a problem. Can I reverse this ? Thanks.
The beaver gets its prop texture from DHC2_Beaver_Ext_03_albd.png.DDS and you can see a propeller shaped section in the attached picture. When creating your own texture you need to copy the section inside the yellow border across from the original texture to your texture. This area is slightly different in each of the various original textures. For instance the Milviz version (texture folder 7) gives you a lighter propeller, while the default texture folder gives you a blue propeller. Texture 2 gives you a darker propeller. Some also have oval propeller manufacturer brand logos on them in red or blue.
So I know I’m late to this party (indeed if there is anyone still at the house or if everyone’s left) but as someone who is very used to programs like Substance Painter or (my favorite) 3D Coat what I’d really like to do is just take the plane into those programs and paint there (and export the files for use with MSFS). On first reading (and, honestly folks, I tried to read this thread but I’m an old man with a limited life left and I didn’t think I could make it all the way through) I’m just looking to see if this makes it possible.
So I get that you can take the “plane” into Blender and paint there - can I then export the object as an OBJ/FBX and paint on it elsewhere (like in 3D Coat)? If so, what the heck do I do then? I mean, Coat will export textures in the right UV mapping for what you bring in, but I’m not sure I understand the process here (for someone who only has Blender installed on his machine for use as an import/export program - all my serious work is done elsewhere, like Max or iClone).
I guess I’ll install this and see if I can puzzle it out, but it would be great to have just a very quick overview (something like 1. Import model into Blender, 2. Export to FBX, 3. Import to my paint program of choice, 4. Export textures and – what? - import those textures back to Blender? And then 5. Export the textures in the right format for MSFS out of Blender?).
(Also - if it helps, I did install the plugin to Photoshop where I can edit the textures there, and I was able to use them for my own livery, but without a 3D painting program it’s a VERY hit or miss way to draw 2D for 3D space).
Microsoft Flight Simulator (FS2020) - 3D Livery Painting for free! - YouTube this might help a little bit although it is outdated in the meanwhile. Since the latest version on github is able to convert and import the textures automatically into blender first, you can then also export these from blender and apply them in substance painter afterwards. If you export as glTF from blender for example the textures get applied as a abledo + roughness + metallic + normal map layer automatically in substance painter if you select this model for a new project.
Okay, I’m making progress (I think) but in order to get this working I need the GLFT files in the first place, and my (limited) understanding is that Asobo doesn’t make these available (they are all compiled files, to protect content creators I guess).
Is there a source for the plane files themselves for me to use? I’m really only looking to repaint the Cessna 172.
Okay, I DID fine the Glft files but none of them load into Blender correctly. They all throw a python error about scale.
Does the dev still frequent this thread? Or has he given up? With the latest version of Blender and the latest aircraft Glft files perhaps this just doesn’t work anymore.
Okay, just to cap this off (in case any poor newbee like myself finds this thread) - you can’t do it anymore. At least, not like this.
Asobo made their own import/export version but it can’t load in the files Asobo provides for the planes (apparently this is a copy-protection thing). And the original python file provided here no longer works for the current flight sim. So if you had in mind to paint any of the original planes (like the Cessna 172, which is all I ever wanted to repaint) forget about it. At least, not in 3d (you can still PAINFULLY try in 2D, but it’s a younger-man’s game - it will NEVER be that good).
Now, for copy-right free planes it ought to still work but Asobo has made sure you can’t make your own repaints of any of the standard ones. Thanks (NOT).
For the error you are receiving, I’m sure that was addressed by a later version of the io_msfs_gltf.py file.
Have you tried the version from the page here:
It just doesn’t work anymore (at least, again, on the Asobo models like the Cessna 172).
Note that someone reported the same issue in that Github months ago with no response from anyone. I think the latest MSFS broke it (or perhaps the one several months ago).
Sorry if this is uninformed, but is this for both versions of the 172? Maybe just the steam gauge 172 is encrypted, and there’s a model for the G1000 version that you can open which uses the same basic textures?
Don’t know if you’ve seen these:
Maybe this technique helps someone. I wanted to paint up the family Long-EZ and needed a way to do sharp lines across curving surfaces.
But thanks to the texture support in the updated Blender glTF plugin, I was able to export the model to OBJ with the texture information preserved. I could then open that OBJ in Rhinoceros and draw all of my paint lines using 3D splines. I could then split the mesh into pieces along those lines without disturbing the UV coordinates. The UVEditor in Rhino then shows the cut lines you just made on top of the actual texture. I exported the cut line curves to Illustrator for coloring and then I had a transparent layer I could drop back into the original texture. This might work in Max or other 3D modelers too.
A lot of that could have probably just been done by painting the texture on in the side view in Blender like you see in the YouTube tutorials. But I definitely want to have precise control of those lines as they go all the way around the nose on other liveries and this will work really well for that.
Yeah, those were all done a while ago - and I’ve tried all the versions of the 172 but they won’t load.
And it’s not just me - others on that Github (for the plugin) have complained without any answers. It just doesn’t work anymore. So no easy repaints (no way this old man is going to try painting via 2D. Sigh).
I had a problem updating this but there is a way. You need to use the updated Import-Export: glTF 2.0. Not the old one by bestdani. The new importer/exporter resides in C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\Blender 3.3\3.3\scripts\addons and looks like io_scene-gltf2. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful but I only just managed to muddle through myself!
Could anyone kindly explain or direct me to a good tutorial on how to use metallic textures. I can download and use these lovely metal textures using Blenderkit but not sure of what base material/texture to use and also how to export the metal textures to the DDS format required for MSFS.
I don’t know how you are getting this to work. That version you tried is the same one I tried and it does NOT load the Cessna. Is there ANY way you could just share the Blender file? I can’t see how this would violate any TOA or anything else given that you could open it up yourself. All I want to do is paint on the Cessna and no matter what I try I can NOT get the file into Blender.
My email is mike at kelleytown dot com just in case you want to send it to me or post a link privately (or there must be PM here as well). This would make a GREAT birthday present to me (tomorrow, like that matters :>).
I want to write this on the forum just to be clear: this issue with no longer being able to load in most of the models in MSFS into Blender is all over the web. NO ONE can do it anymore - apparently something broke with more recent versions of MSFS. The relevant error is “MSFS_Texture_dds not available” and it’s not available because those models were compiled using that version (which Asosoft even says won’t work anymore).
So I’m not sure how you’re loading in these models. Again, I’m using exactly the same script you are, in exactly the same Blender and I’m not alone in folks who can’t get this to work. My hunch is you’ve not updated your MSFS and that’s why it still works but if not I haven’t a clue.
(And there are long threads posted elsewhere on why Asosoft won’t allow this anymore).
