Post by Bunta on Aug 3, 2004 7:48:31 GMT -5
So, what exactly is a skin?
A skin is the name given to file which displays the paintjob on the car. In LFS the skins are simple JPG files and can be easily edited to your tastes.
How do I load a skin in game?
Go to the garage (pit). Click on the "colours" button which is displayed underneath your car at the bottom of the screen (you may need to to then click on the "new" button near the top left of the screen, if you have never used custom skins before for that car). Once you have done that click on the button marked "texture name" at the very bottom of the screen and simply browse for your skin from the list shown. You can only browse and select skins from your skins folder. Skins residing in the skins_x folder can not be selected for use, but can still be seen in game.
Can other players see my skin online?
Yes, but only if they have your skin on their PC. Share your skins so others can view them online. If a player doesn't have the skin of another player a message appears when the player joins the race, stating the file name of the skin you are missing. Licensed racers can upload skins to LFS World so that others can download them on-demand in game.
Which folder do I put my skins into?
If you want to use your custom skins put them into your LFS/data/skins folder.
What is this skins-x folder in LFS?
The skins_x folder is for skins that you wish to see online, but not use yourself. This is where you put other people's personal or team skins so they don't clutter up the list of skins you actually use yourself. If you want others to see your skin but not use it on their own car, ask them to put it into their skins_x folder.
What name should I use for my skin?
Each car has a unique file name prefix. You will need to keep this prefix for your new file or LFS will not know to use that JPG as a skin. For example, if you make a skin for the for the XRGT car, the prefix for your filename will be XRG_. It is also important to have a unique file name that can not be accidentally duplicated by another player. LFS loads skins by name, so try to make your file name unique. Putting your name in the file name is a good way of doing this. But be aware that you can't make the name too long. 15 characters is the limit. I might call my skin something like XRG_BUNTA004.JPG, there is little chance of someone accidentally duplicating the name. Calling your skin "XRG_HONDA.JPG" would not be a good idea. There is too much chance that someone else also made a Honda theme and named their skin the same.
Does it matter what physical size my skin is?
Yes. The default size for the blank skins in LFS is 512 x 512 pixels. If you make your skins larger, more detail and crisper lines are the pleasant result, however the file size (in Kilobytes) will usually increase with larger physical size. LFS World allows skins up to 1024 x 1024.
Many members use skins at 2048 x 2048 or larger, and if your hardware can handle it, why not?
Does the file size matter?
Yes. Larger textures may take longer to load and slower PCs may experience a loss of performance, although barely noticeable on all but the slowest PCs. Any skin that is over 1MB is probably getting a bit on the large side. The dreaded "pit lag" that some people experience when other players pit or join a race is increased by larger textures, including helmets and suits. As a general rule, more detail and more colours = a larger file. LFS World has a maximum limit of 400Kb per skin. If your file size is larger than 400Kb LFS World will compress the skin - but you don't want this to happen as the web site's compression method has a noticeable effect on image quality. Better to compress the file yourself using your own software (Photoshop, for example), and even though some quality loss is still to be expected, the result will be better than allowing LFS World to do the compressing.
Can I make skins for helmets and driver suits?
Yes! These items can be made the same way as car skins. The default JPG files for helmets can be found in your LFS/data/skins folder, the same place as ordinary skins, the file name will have a prefix of "HEL_", for example: HEL_PLAIN.jpg
The driver suits can be found in your LFS/data/pic folder and the prefix is "SUIT", however you must keep the original file name for the suits to work, so back up the default suits before replacing them with your own creations. Suits and helmets should not exceed 512 x 512 pixels. I have seen some helmets made at 1024 x 1024, which is uneccessary and frankly, it's overkill.
Can I edit the interior of the cars too?
Yes! Yyu will find the interior dds files in your LFS/data/dds. You will need dds tools or plugins to open these files.
What happens if I paint over the windows, the intakes and door handles on the skin?
These areas are not a part of the skin that will be shown in game. Any paint that is applied to the windows, intake vents, door handles, wheels, and other 3D items will not appear in the game, which is handy really as it makes colouring-in an easy task as you generally don't need to try to stay within the lines or worry about covering up these features.
Does the skin have to be a JPG file, or will other formats also work?
No, the skin must be a JPG file. Don't be fooled by some BMPs working, the skins won't load online for other people unless they are JPGs.
I painted my skin, but the sides and hood look strange. Why is that?
Think of the skin like a membrane that stretches over the 3D model of the car. The skin's dimensions are not as big as the actual 3D models. So a bit of stretching occurs along the length of the car mainly (sides and top). Some other areas have a little bit of stretching too, like the bumpers for example. Experienced skinners will squash up their logos and text to compensate for this stretching effect. This method will be covered in various tutorials on this forum.
I painted my skin but the colours look different when in the game. Why is that?
The car's colours in game need to be made white. This is done simply by sliding the colur change sliders in the game while in your garage. This is the method used to change colours when the car has no custom skin, but when a skin is present you need a white car underneath to truly appreciate the colours you have chosen to paint your car. Of course you can experiment with the colour base to get some interesting effects as the underneath colour blends with your skin. If you are having difficulty understanding hoe this works, simply go into the game, load a skin, and try playing with the colour sliders in your garage.
Do I need special software to make skins with? What is the best software to use?
No. Any paint or graphics software that can handle JPG files will do. Which means pretty much any graphics software can be used. You can even use Windows own MS Paint (please don't ) but it is low on features, cumbersome to use and will take a lot of effort to produce a good skin. Practically any other software will be better to use than MS Paint.
A skin is the name given to file which displays the paintjob on the car. In LFS the skins are simple JPG files and can be easily edited to your tastes.
How do I load a skin in game?
Go to the garage (pit). Click on the "colours" button which is displayed underneath your car at the bottom of the screen (you may need to to then click on the "new" button near the top left of the screen, if you have never used custom skins before for that car). Once you have done that click on the button marked "texture name" at the very bottom of the screen and simply browse for your skin from the list shown. You can only browse and select skins from your skins folder. Skins residing in the skins_x folder can not be selected for use, but can still be seen in game.
Can other players see my skin online?
Yes, but only if they have your skin on their PC. Share your skins so others can view them online. If a player doesn't have the skin of another player a message appears when the player joins the race, stating the file name of the skin you are missing. Licensed racers can upload skins to LFS World so that others can download them on-demand in game.
Which folder do I put my skins into?
If you want to use your custom skins put them into your LFS/data/skins folder.
What is this skins-x folder in LFS?
The skins_x folder is for skins that you wish to see online, but not use yourself. This is where you put other people's personal or team skins so they don't clutter up the list of skins you actually use yourself. If you want others to see your skin but not use it on their own car, ask them to put it into their skins_x folder.
What name should I use for my skin?
Each car has a unique file name prefix. You will need to keep this prefix for your new file or LFS will not know to use that JPG as a skin. For example, if you make a skin for the for the XRGT car, the prefix for your filename will be XRG_. It is also important to have a unique file name that can not be accidentally duplicated by another player. LFS loads skins by name, so try to make your file name unique. Putting your name in the file name is a good way of doing this. But be aware that you can't make the name too long. 15 characters is the limit. I might call my skin something like XRG_BUNTA004.JPG, there is little chance of someone accidentally duplicating the name. Calling your skin "XRG_HONDA.JPG" would not be a good idea. There is too much chance that someone else also made a Honda theme and named their skin the same.
Does it matter what physical size my skin is?
Yes. The default size for the blank skins in LFS is 512 x 512 pixels. If you make your skins larger, more detail and crisper lines are the pleasant result, however the file size (in Kilobytes) will usually increase with larger physical size. LFS World allows skins up to 1024 x 1024.
Many members use skins at 2048 x 2048 or larger, and if your hardware can handle it, why not?
Does the file size matter?
Yes. Larger textures may take longer to load and slower PCs may experience a loss of performance, although barely noticeable on all but the slowest PCs. Any skin that is over 1MB is probably getting a bit on the large side. The dreaded "pit lag" that some people experience when other players pit or join a race is increased by larger textures, including helmets and suits. As a general rule, more detail and more colours = a larger file. LFS World has a maximum limit of 400Kb per skin. If your file size is larger than 400Kb LFS World will compress the skin - but you don't want this to happen as the web site's compression method has a noticeable effect on image quality. Better to compress the file yourself using your own software (Photoshop, for example), and even though some quality loss is still to be expected, the result will be better than allowing LFS World to do the compressing.
Can I make skins for helmets and driver suits?
Yes! These items can be made the same way as car skins. The default JPG files for helmets can be found in your LFS/data/skins folder, the same place as ordinary skins, the file name will have a prefix of "HEL_", for example: HEL_PLAIN.jpg
The driver suits can be found in your LFS/data/pic folder and the prefix is "SUIT", however you must keep the original file name for the suits to work, so back up the default suits before replacing them with your own creations. Suits and helmets should not exceed 512 x 512 pixels. I have seen some helmets made at 1024 x 1024, which is uneccessary and frankly, it's overkill.
Can I edit the interior of the cars too?
Yes! Yyu will find the interior dds files in your LFS/data/dds. You will need dds tools or plugins to open these files.
What happens if I paint over the windows, the intakes and door handles on the skin?
These areas are not a part of the skin that will be shown in game. Any paint that is applied to the windows, intake vents, door handles, wheels, and other 3D items will not appear in the game, which is handy really as it makes colouring-in an easy task as you generally don't need to try to stay within the lines or worry about covering up these features.
Does the skin have to be a JPG file, or will other formats also work?
No, the skin must be a JPG file. Don't be fooled by some BMPs working, the skins won't load online for other people unless they are JPGs.
I painted my skin, but the sides and hood look strange. Why is that?
Think of the skin like a membrane that stretches over the 3D model of the car. The skin's dimensions are not as big as the actual 3D models. So a bit of stretching occurs along the length of the car mainly (sides and top). Some other areas have a little bit of stretching too, like the bumpers for example. Experienced skinners will squash up their logos and text to compensate for this stretching effect. This method will be covered in various tutorials on this forum.
I painted my skin but the colours look different when in the game. Why is that?
The car's colours in game need to be made white. This is done simply by sliding the colur change sliders in the game while in your garage. This is the method used to change colours when the car has no custom skin, but when a skin is present you need a white car underneath to truly appreciate the colours you have chosen to paint your car. Of course you can experiment with the colour base to get some interesting effects as the underneath colour blends with your skin. If you are having difficulty understanding hoe this works, simply go into the game, load a skin, and try playing with the colour sliders in your garage.
Do I need special software to make skins with? What is the best software to use?
No. Any paint or graphics software that can handle JPG files will do. Which means pretty much any graphics software can be used. You can even use Windows own MS Paint (please don't ) but it is low on features, cumbersome to use and will take a lot of effort to produce a good skin. Practically any other software will be better to use than MS Paint.