I have a skinning problem and I need your help

[paleologos]

Take a look at the screenies first:


In the first picture, close range you can see the eyes almost as I intended.
In the second picture I have marked the problem with green circles: the black areas around the eyes.
Does a more experienced skinner know a way to fix this?
I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

[attyla]

This appears to be a problem with the normals file. Did you make a new file? What did you use? Photoshop or GIMP?

[paleologos]

The entire texture file is new. I used photoshop to make the normal map.
The problem is with the semi opaque rim before the transparent area of the eye openings.
As far as I am concerned this remains the only noticeable imperfection of the texture file.
I would very much appreciate any help.

[attyla]

Unfortunatly i don't use photoshop, so i have to deal with GIMP and i only may give you my way to resolve this problem without manipulating the transparency settings
Ps
If i remember it well, i have seen it on this forum tutorial about this topic.

[AnthoniusII]

Advice: When you created "holes" with normal map, don't create holes in the texture its self.
What i mean...The helmet is pianted steel metal...Where the eye holes must be let them painted steel !
Just use your Photoshop oval tool to mark where the holes are and then go to alpha chanel layer and paint that marking as black (ONLY IN ALPHA CHANEL LAYER).
Example:
Watch the eye holes of the closed coif ...

In texture layer its self the coif has no holes at all.
But in the alpha chanel ones it has. The result is what you see.


Try it...

[paleologos]

Just use your Photoshop oval tool to mark where the holes are and then go to alpha chanel layer and paint that marking as black (ONLY IN ALPHA CHANEL LAYER).

I make the skins with GIMP as it is divinely intuitive to learn and only use photoshop for the normal map according to the tutorial.
I don't know the oval tool, what is it?
I tried what you recommended and in the first go I got no eye openings, in the second go I got pitch black eye openings.
I can't understand what I do wrong, I just know I do it wrong.

Unfortunatly i don't use photoshop, so i have to deal with GIMP and i only may give you my way to resolve this problem without manipulating the transparency settings
Ps
If i remember it well, i have seen it on this forum tutorial about this topic.

ANY help is very much needed, just give what you can, please.

[BM309K58SMERCH]

Oh, now I see where Anthonius is getting at... This is a very simple trick of adding transparency instead of adding holes to the model or the texture. I suggest using Photoshop for this as I can't recall the equivalent in GIMP. Getting a mistake here is a result of overlooking any minor detail.

You don't need to edit the main texture at all, no black spots there. All you have to do is simply make an alpha channel, and fill in the areas that you want to "erase" with black. In your case, you want to "erase" some holes in the front of the armor to make eyeholes.
Look at this GIF as a demonstration:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I wanted to make the cams (wheels) and the red dot sight without having to make a seperate model, so all I had to do was go into the Channels box, open the Alpha 1 Layer, selected the area that I wanted to "erase", and filled it in with black. The result is visible in the final screenshot.
If you don't have Alpha 1 in the Channels list, then click on the little paper called "Create New Channel", this automatically makes Alpha 1 for you. It will be all black, so just use the fill tool and change it into white. From there, you just add the black spots where you need them.

I hope this clears up some fog.

[paleologos]

@BM309K58SMERCH

Will do, keeping my fingers crossed.

[paleologos]

Nope, didn't work, my texture file already has an alpha channel and the areas in question are already black in the alpha channel.

[attyla]

so try to make it my way:
1. make your norm file;
2. select all of objects;
3. copy selected objects (you need to make it very carefully);
4. open "clean" normal file (like mtw2_ee_peasant_normal.texture);
5. paste copied objects into "clean" file;
6. save new file using your specific name.
I know that it is very primitive way but what can i say?: it is sufficient for my needs

[paleologos]

so try to make it my way:
1. make your norm file;
2. select all of objects;
3. copy selected objects (you need to make it very carefully);
4. open "clean" normal file (like mtw2_ee_peasant_normal.texture);
5. paste copied objects into "clean" file;
6. save new file using your specific name.
I know that it is very primitive way but what can i say?: it is sufficient for my needs

I've been doing something similar for quite some time now, as the best way to ensure that my files do not retain residue data from previous WiPs before I save them.
I find your techique a bit cruder than mine though:
After I create a new blank file of equal dimensions, I use the "Select by Color" Tool on a transparent pixel of the file I want to save.
This selects all transparent areas, then I press Ctrl-I to "Select Inverse" and then it's copy-paste.

But as I said I've been doing that and still I got the problem.
I am at a loss.

[AnthoniusII]

Holes CAN NOT BE CREATED IN NORMAL MAP texture...
Open your skin (not the normal map one).
Select the eye holes, go to the ALPHA Chanel (that is WHITE) and fill what you chosed with BLACK color.
Save the dds skin and load it.

[paleologos]

Holes CAN NOT BE CREATED IN NORMAL MAP texture...
Open your skin (not the normal map one).
Select the eye holes, go to the ALPHA Chanel (that is WHITE) and fill what you chosed with BLACK color.
Save the dds skin and load it.

I am not using dds format.
I do the work in GIMP, then export to tga.
Then open tga with PS and make the normal map with the Nvidia filter.
Save in PS as tga, then open with DXTBitmap Manipulator and save as CA Texture, DXT5.

The holes are already in the the skin file as transparency areas.
Any ideas?

[makanyane]

alpha channels don't work well in the M2TW engine you'll get different effects as you zoom in/out, including 'holes' closing up as you get further away.

it's probably showing parts of the texture you thought were alpha'd out in the eye area as you zoom out - I suspect the only thing you can do about that is paint in an eye/skin colour in the bit of texture that you think shouldn't be shown, so when bits of that appears in the zoomed out view it doesn't look so odd

[BM309K58SMERCH]

In addition to what Makanyane said, can you also upload the files so that we can have a look at the problem? (If you don't mind)

[paleologos]

In addition to what Makanyane said, can you also upload the files so that we can have a look at the problem? (If you don't mind)

I appreciate the offer and I don't mind but I solved it!
AnthoniusII was right, I just couldn't understand what he meant right from the start.
Here's a srceenie...


AnthoniusII deserves the first rep point, I wish I could rep everyone that tried to help.
Edit: I actually can, great! Thanks guys!