New to repainting, any tips or tricks I should know before I start?

[Brickrail782]

Neat! I'll try it next time I repaint something. Also, does anyone know where I can find tutorials on how to make/apply decals to repaints?

[buzz456]

I don't think there are any.

[QcRail]

Repainting decal texture is tricky as the alpha channel is the only way to mask the peripheral graphic noise or unwanted textures. Decal textures work well when you want to make variations and want to stay in the same generic car or loco. As soon as you want to repaint an existing model to another livery, you will quickly find that the mapping (or specific location on the 3D structure) is little flexible as it is fixed within the .GeoPcDx file.

My experience and I speak as a repainter and not a 3D modeler (yes, I have to take the plunge!) is that if a freight car has 3 decals - one on right side and another on the left side of the wagon and the third at each end and you decide to shift the X,Y or Z values, thus sliding the decal on the surface, all the other two will also change location. Here is where my expertise end as I suspect it is inbedded in the .GeoPcFx file and little or no flexibility is possilble; thus you are forced to mask the entire decal zone and place the new graphics on the main wagon texture. My question to expert modelers would be simple : is it possible to map partial zone of a decal to individual and specific location on the model. I'm interested in what Hack or GreatNortherner have to share in their wisdom.

Imagine the potential that would be possible to repainters; sorry for the long winded text; it's difficult to simply make a complex issue easily comprehensible

Repainters, do not dispair - the pleasure is in creativity and SHARING...

QcRail

[thebigroyboyski]

QcRail the issue with more than 1 decal moving at a time will be down to the modeller grouping the decals together in the model.
Unfortunately unless you have the source file you can't seperate them.
The only way round it is to make new decals.

[QcRail]

Re: New to repainting, any tips or tricks I should know before I start?
Unread postby thebigroyboyski » Thu Aug 17, 2017 12:21 pm

QcRail the issue with more than 1 decal moving at a time will be down to the modeller grouping the decals together in the model.
Unfortunately unless you have the source file you can't seperate them.
The only way round it is to make new decals.

You are repeating what I have written! moreover, in the last statement : only way to make a new decal is redundant, since it is an imperative step to repainting. Making a new decal will not resolve the said hurddle - the new decal will post any graphic only in the predertermined zones (again, SAME Zones as in the original decal.)

My suggestion to modelers would be produce a single decal and map it to to the desired location. Put another way, with a SP boxcar as an expl., 1) first decal with SOUTHERN PACIFIC to be mapped on one side 2) second decal with SOUTHERN PACIFIC to be mapped on the other side and 3) a third decal with SP to be mapped somewhere on each end. Thus, if you change the position of one decal, ALL the others remain at the same location. Yes! more work at first but full flexibility for repaint and more important having full control of its X, Y, Z position anywhere required to satisfy repaint fidelity. As in programming - it's called modularity and can be used and reused. Other advantage, producing the graphic image such as a decal is time consuming; placing it on the model is far less.

Just a few toughts to improve this great hobby, and giving some information to newbies

QcRail