CS1.6 Camouflage/Cloth Skinning Tutorial
Difficulty: Intermediate |
| Category: CS > Skinning | Author(s): killing in the name of |
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: Adobe Photshop, MS Paint, Jed's Half Life Model Viewer
I noticed that the 1.6 section lacked a guide to camo/cloth skinning. So, here's my method. Keep in mind that this is my current and personal approach towards skinning for 1.6. My methods are always changing as I feel experimentation is a necessity towards finding new advantages in creating textures. First, you'll need a camouflage design and a cloth texture. For now, we'll use a desert camouflage design, and my own basic cloth texture I use for skins.
NOTE: This may be a tutorial, but I am not allowing that the cloth be re-used and re-distributed on this site.
- Desert Camouflage
- Cloth Texture
SETUP
The model that we'll be using in this demonstration is one of my terrorist models, which you can download HERE. And THIS will be the texture we will edit. We will only be skinning his shirt sleeve in this tutorial with some very simple wrinkles. Now, save the file and open it in Photoshop - let's get started.
Step 1: First, open the desert camouflage pattern and define it as a pattern and name it accordingly. Second, open the sleevesbb5.jpg file and select the blank white area. When the area has been selected, do a "layer via copy".
Step 2: Using your blending options, select the pattern overlay option and choose the desert camouflage from the provided textures - the texture should replace the blank field. In the pattern overlay menu, reduce the scale of the camouflage to 50% and flatten the image - Screenshot Here - 1
SHADING PROCESS - BURNING
Step 1: Here comes the shading - this is where the burn and dodge tool come in handy. Using your burn tool, apply the settings:
Brush size: 40
Range: Midtones
Exposure: 40
Step 2: Use long strokes to gain a smooth appearance to your shading. Using short, abrupt and jerky hand movements can cause shadows to build up and give an unappealing look of "blotchiness".
Be sure not to make it TOO dark. Also, notice how the southernmost parts of the shadow are darker and gradually lightens as it moves upwards - this will help when dodging comes into play. Try to follow my reference picture in order to grasp an idea of the light direction - Screenshot Here - 2
IMPORTANT:Keep in mind, the settings vary depending on the camouflage's color, contrast, and the settings of your burn/dodge tool. These exposure and range settings are only particular to this camouflage.
LIGHTING PROCESS - DODGING
Step 1: First, set your dodge tool to these settings:
Brush size: 40
Range: Midtones
Exposure: 12
Again, use long strokes to achieve a smooth appearance. However, as you're adding in your lighting, lightly run over the highest parts of the area of which you have already shaded - Screenshot Here - 3
Step 2: Now, to add in the brightest parts to your shading. At the areas where the light and dark shading meet, run over that area with your dodge tool with settings at:
Brush size: 24
Range: Shadows (as there are black spots on the design)
Exposure: 30
Lighten the areas directly in between the spot where the light hits the areas where shading begins. If all is done correctly, your camouflage should look as if it has some simple wrinkles as well as a light source. Screenshot Here - 4
Here's where you can choose to add in more shading and lighting. After following through with the previous steps, I simply added a bit more shading to give the shading more contrast than before. I switched the burn tool to a setting of 18% exposure and a size of 20 - Screenshot Here - 5
TEXTURING PROCESS - ADDING CLOTH
step 1" Open the provided cloth texture and define it as a texture. Now, select your camouflage design and do a "layer via copy". Using your blending options, choose "pattern overlay" and select the cloth texture. Once the cloth texture appears re-adjust the settings to:
Opacity: 32
Scale: 90
After you have re-adjusted the settings, flatten the layer - Screenshot Here - 6
Step 2: Your camouflage should now have a camouflage design with a cloth design overlaying it. You'll notice that in the previous screen shot, some of the shading has lost it's strength and contrast. You must dodge/burn again in order to gain the lost shading.
Notice how I added in small nuances using the dodge/burn tool to give a certain look of imperfection/distress to the cloth. Simply burn/dodge in different areas to give a variation - but don't forget to follow your proposed source of light direction - Screenshot Here - 7
NOTICE: This is the step where you can add in minor details and changes to give your skin extra detail as a final touch-up.
SHARPENING AND ADJUSTING YOUR CONTRAST
The "Brightness/Contrast tool" can be very useful. When segments of a skin appear to bright, the B/C tool can be very helpful in solving the problem. Along with the B/C tool, the "Smart Sharpen" tool is also very helpful in giving your skin an extra kick in detail.
Step 1: Using your B/C tool, increase the camouflaged areas Contrast to +10. You'll notice that the skin appears to darken and appears to gain more detail along the lines of the cloth texture.
Step 2: Afterwards, select your "Smart Sharpen" tool and change the settings to:
Amount: 25
Radius: 1.0
Remove: Gaussian Blur
This will add that crisp, last touch to your skin. Now, save your skin and prepare to load it onto the model - Screenshot Here - 8
INSTALLING YOUR SKIN
Step 1: When you've finished your last touches to the skin, save the file as both a JPEG and GIF file. The JPEG file is just for storage and the GIF file will be the file that you upload.
Step 2: Using MS Paint, open the GIF file and save it as a 256 BMP FILE. It MUST be in this format or the skin will either lose quality or cease to upload in HLMV.
Step 3: Using Jed's Half Life Model Viewer (JHLMV), open the supplied terrorist skin and open the tab labeled "Textures". In this tab, there is a small scroll box with a list of all the equipped textures. Using this box, scroll down until you find THIS texture. Select "Import Texture", and upload your edited sleeve and preview it in the model viewer.
Of course, you can go into more detail by adding more wrinkles and lighting effects. But for the sake of keeping it simple, your skin should resemble something close to this - Screenshot Here - 9
TIPS AND SIDE NOTES
The idea behind this is experimentation. As I noted throughout the tutorial, the various Photoshop tools can be used to your advantage. Though the settings I provided you with may work for this skin, they may not work as well with others depending on the skin's color, contrast, or clarity. This is where your own personal ideas and experimentation come into play. Here's a summary of some of my own techniques to point you in different directions!
-Change each of the Burn/Dodge settings accordingly to best suit the texture that you're working with
-Choose settings other than "Normal" when doing overlaying patterns to achieve different effects - However, be aware that using certain methods improperly can distort your final skin in-game
-Use the B/C tool and Hue/Saturation tool to increase or decrease the amount of your current shading and colors.
-Be sure that your base camouflage design is as sharp and clear as possible. Well defined lines will help prevent image blur and distortion in-game.
-If your camouflage design is not too complicated, you can trace the design as your last and final step using the pencil tool at a light opacity. This can help re-define your camouflage texture when the Sharpening tool isn't enough.
-The smoother a final image appears to be, the less pixelated it will be when used in-game through the 1.6 engine.
-Use creativity when shading. Wrinkles aren't always nice and orderly as shown in this demonstration. Take note how the wrinkles in my render appear to be orderly in some parts, and seemingly jagged in others. Switch up your shading methods to give more of a sense of realism.
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| Added: 1 year ago | Tags: skinning, skin, camo, killing in the name of, cloth |
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