Good day all!

A recent question regarding one of my paints has spurred me to start this topic. Well, not entirely that, but it was the tipping point. I'd like to simply make this a stucky topic if possible because it will affect anyine who wants to repaint for the current version of P3Dv3+.

I'd like to address the topic of dynamic reflections (DR). I think most people are aware of what DR is. But quickly, introduced in v3.1 DR is the ability of P3Dv3+ to reflection the actual environment sourrounding the object. So, in short instead of using a static cube map to use as the basis for the imahe being reflected, v3+ is capable of using the surrounding environment. So runway markings under the airplane while on the ground and sky on top. Coastline, water, trees, mountains, desert etc. You understand the idea.

Why this is such an important issue is not based solely in DR alone. Rolled out with DR was the ability to change your rendered lighting settings in game via a set of sliders. Not too uncommon for improvements to a GUI right? Well, here's the rub...

If repainter X decides to create his masterpiece, and does so, it will have or shoild have a desired look and feel. More importantly, if developer X does the same thing and advertises with screenshots what it will look like, then user X buys the product and complains it doesnt look the same as the screenshots! How can this be?

It all stems from end user custom lighting settings in P3Dv3+. We saw a glumpse of this with P3Dv2 and the HDR settings. But it is compoinded now with custom lighting and DR.

I've noticed a few things as far as repainters are concerned: In particular with the MV F100D. Only because i had a hand in creating the alphas and speculars and a few paints for it am I keenly aware of it.

Diffuse Alpha vs. Diffuse Specular and Specular Alpha.

What does what? They all make your paint "shiny" right?

As long as the developer has enabled the material properties in the model correctly, the following should be true:

Diffuse Alpha: Controls reflectivity. That's it. The closer to pure white will be no reflection. The closer to pure black will be mirror like.

Diffuse Specular: This is the texture of what you would like to be revealed when light hits it. There is plenty of confusion surrounding the specular.

Specular Alpha: This is essentially the llight intensity map. How much of what you have reprepresented in the Specular diffuse do you want to come through? Pure white will be no light. Pure black will be 100% focus on what you have in the diffuse specular. This is what controls the final "matted" or shiny look once reflections are set. It controls whether something looks like a plastic model kit or a different material.

Its important to understand what does what. Also its important to use all of these together.

P3Dv3+ handles the light differently than FSX or P3Dv2.5 therefore i wanted to get this out in front.

Finally, the fresnel ramp. What is it? How does it work? If the model uses the fresnel then you can tell your model where to start or focus the specular reflection and you can adjust the lighting values or colors across the model. In fact technically you could assign each texture set its own distinct fresnel so that different matrrials could diffuse differently. Ive rarely seen more than 2 or these assigned independently. Generally one for.glass and one for.the rest of the model.

I've come to think of ******** as my paint mentor. There are others but he has really taken the time to educate me. I'd like to thank him for taking the time and imparting to a newbie. I'm not an expert by any means, but feel like our hobby would be better served by all of us increasing our skill sets. Please respond to this with further insights. But please refrain from injecting confusion where none needs to exist.

For all you veterans that already know this. You can simply add to the conversation. I wish that when I had started something like existed. Even just finding the SDK was hard enough when you're first starting out. So hopefully this will help someone, and also enlighten as far p3dv3 goes.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully we can really create some gems and push the envelope!

-Rick