CZ Studios Skins

[Zipuli]

Hey,

Now that we (Zip and Congo) are making more and more skins we'd like to organize them under one thread so that it is easier to find them and keep track on what's released. We will post screenies of upcoming projects as well!


All our skins are Hi-Res (1024 x 1024), hand-made, and based on photographs of the vehicles. This way of creating them gives high level of detail. The skins cannot be 100% accurate (vs. the real thing) as there are many parts in the skin files that are simply mirrored or duplicated (tank side skirts, lamps, holders etc.), but we aim as close as possible!


Hope you like the skins and enjoy using them in SB Pro PE! Please post comments and suggestions, we're more than happy to receive it!

Zipuli

[Zipuli]

Finnish BMP-2

The IFV of the "Mekanisoitu Taisteluosasto" (Mech Battlegroup).

Uploaded and available in the downloads section. The zip includes 3 versions: Armour School (with lion), Fin (without lion) and No Markings (no national markings / reg number).

Zip

[Zipuli]

Finnish Leopard 2A4

The main battle tank of Finnish Army.

Version 1.0 released and available at downloads section. Version 1.1 will be availbale soon! The pack will include: Armour School version (lion), Fin version (no lion, spade markings) and No Markings (no reg no / national markings).

Zip

[Zipuli]

Finnish T-72M1 ("Pleasure from Pain")

The old workhorse of the Armoured Brigade. No longer in active duty, this MBT was THE MBT in Finnish Army before the purchase of used Leopard 2A4s from Germany. Many still have strong feelings for her :twisted:

Version 1.1 available in the forums. Version 1.2 will be available soon! The pack will include updated T-72M1 with Finnish markings and T-72M1 No Markings without the Finnish rondel and reg number.

Zip

[congo]

Some minor detailing on T-72 most likely will release fin armor pack this evening.

[congo]

The project continues with a re edit and the addition of yet more details, let me know what you guys think,is it ready for release yet?

[congo]

Well here is Congo and Zipulis gift to the SB Pro community. It will be placed in the downloads section as the ACE OF SPADES FINN ARMOR PACK 1. The Ace of Spades is a great piece of turret art and the death card has a long history associated with it. For those interested I have included a link for some additional reading. The pack also includes some of our reference photographs for you enjoyment. I consider each one of these skins to be a work of art as the majority of the detailing was done by hand with the airbrush. I prefer this approach as it enables me to capture all the little subtleties and nuances of these magnificent beasts. Zipulis paint and weathering work has been impeccable. CZ Studios would like to thank ESIM for a wonderful simulation that has provided us the opportunity to accomplish this skin pack. Our thanks also go out to the SB community for their support and encouragement. Last but not least Sepulis for his photo work.

http://www.psywarrior.com/DeathCardsAce.html

[congo]

Two more reference photos for your enjoyment.

[congo]

I got to travel with the reindeer herders up to the front lines and thought you guys might appreciate some photos.

[Scorpius]

Skins look great guys!

[Hackworth]

Skins, "Release me, release me!"

Hackworth, "I shall not release you! Never! I will keep you in this castle forever! You will be my bride and bare me many sons so that I can conquer Krasnovia! But then again, I do not have you. I never did. Therefore I can't release you. You must wait on that dastardly duo to release you from the clutches of your true tormentor - Photoshop! Muah ahahahaha, Muahaha!, Muahahaasd;kh (cough, cough)."

[Jaguar]

Overall great skins, guys! :) The only thing that is bothering me is that the tanks, at least in some of the screenies, appears to be rather dark, especially around the running gear. Or is is just my PC......?

Hack, are you all right? :P

[Zipuli]

Just played around a bit with the Leo 2. Changed the pattern a bit to match to the newer camo pattern seen in most of the pics (turret right front corner is a bit different...). Also added a bit more dust and changed turret top a bit.

What say you?

Zip

[Zipuli]

Jag, the tanks are not dark when viewed in the game - at least when compared to the real counterparts. The only thing (in my opinion) that makes them look a bit dark is the lack of shadows in the terrain. With shadows added the camo would be even more effective (black in particular!). I compared these skins with the old Leo 2 skin (stock) and I think these are a bit brighter!

Here's one more shot to show the BMP and Leo 2 v.1.2 side by side... They are equally dustied now.

Zip

[congo]

Hey Guys,

A teaser from CZ Studios for your viewing pleasure.

[congo]

More eye candy

[Jaguar]

It's a bit hard to judge from here, Zip. Maybe some of your screenies were done showing the darker side of the vehicle. If I make screen shots, I always make sure that the brighter side of the vehicle is shown.

Some of those screenies above just look about perfect! Great job done by the both of you! :thumbup:

[congo]

Detailing added to drive sprocket,Idler amd road wheels, rework of tracks, not complete by any means just wanted to keep you guys updated.

[Zipuli]

A few more shots of the updated Leo2. Enhanced the detailing a bit, changed dust to more brownish colour (same as BMP & T-72). Soon ready, will come in Armour School markings and with Spade markings. Also the updated turret camo pattern is clearly visible.

Comments? I know it's easier to tell when seen in the game, so soon you can do that ;)

Hopefully this weekend this Leo will be released with the MT-LBv that is also under construction. While Congo is working on the "Älli-Tälli" (MTLB) I'm going to experiment some Finnish winter camo...

Zip

[congo]

More teasers did headlights and search lamp plus many smaller details . It is getting close. what say you?

[BipBip]

Are you sure that it is a search light and not an IR light like on your first screens ?

[Zipuli]

Depends - both can be used, both are available. Finns usually put a search light in it... I think that on modern battlefield if you put on a IR light the benefit to enemy is bigger than to friendly (you'll be lit up like a cristmas tree for enemy passive TI and light intensifiers and you only see ~50m in front of you). For example when I was trained to BMP-2 we never used IR lights in combat training...

Usually during day the covers were on.

Zip

[congo]

Well here it is as it was sent to Zipuli for the addition of Finnish dust and dirt upon completion he will send back to me so hopefully sometime over weekend or early next week. Detailing throughout including some interior detailing in drivers compartment. Rework of tracks, addition of searchlight as opposed to IR, tracks added to left hull oblique plate, tow cables, roadwheels,drive sprocket,idler,headlights,upperhull detailing,rear hull hatches, Finnish Rondel, ID numbers, well you all get the idea.

[Scorpius]

Outstanding texture guys!

[congo]

Thanks Scorp,likewise on your KonigsTiger camo work. SS-Hauptscharfuhrer Karl Korner would approve.

[Zipuli]

Finnish MT-LBv - "Älli-Tälli"

The APC that can move anywhere, the MT-LBv, is the workhorse of PzPioneers and 120mm Mortar crews in Armoured Brigade. The vehicle is also used by medics in the Brigade. The V-version has wider tracks than the normal version making the vehicle ideal for arctic conditions.

The vehicle has been used to transport PzJägers for a short while and FO-version was constructed. Nowadays PzJägers move with BMP-2 (and BMP-1 in some cases) and CV-9030Fin and FO-vehicles are BMP-1 based.

Available for downloading soon!

Zip

[Zipuli]

Some more pics of her. The file is back to Congo and he'll upload it this weekend I think!

Zip

[Zipuli]

OK, some shots of the progress made with the Leo 2 winter camo. Please note that this is only the painted portion (the winter camo applied). Next thing to do is to add snow on the vehicle and make it look like it has been driving around in winter. This is WIP in quite early stage.

The camo is applied by painting light green parts white as well as half of the dark green (adjacent to light green). I also added some white to the nose of the beast.

Zip

[MajorMagee]

Leo_Winter is an incredible piece of photography. At sull size you can see the traces of the individual propellent grains, and the puff from the bore evacuator. Wow!

[Zipuli]

I like it also... the original BMP pic was 31 megs, so this JPG will have to do in the forums ;) I love the fact that the flame coming from the maingun is bigger than the whole tank - and that ain't so small either!

Zip

[congo]

OK guys it has been submitted to the dl section enjoy.

Congo,Zipuli and Sepuli

[congo]

Thought you guys might like to see some of our reference photos. Photos by MIL.FI

[Zipuli]

Those pics above are from www.mil.fi (Finnish Defence Forces website). See the site for additional info on the organization. Lots of pics and videos there (at least on the finnish language section!).

Most of our ref pics are by Sepulis (for example the Arm School Leo pics, BMP-2 terrain pics and the "blue side" T-72 pics). Just to give him credit too :)

Zip

[ArmorDuck]

Great photos.

[congo]

Zip decided he wanted to do a truly Finnish Leopard with the proper stowage boxes and no skid and filler ports and covers for the coax so here is what we have come up with so far. I'll let him give you the details of all that has been added.

[Zipuli]

Hey,

Here are some pics of the winter Leo. After the winter paint was applied the tank has been driving around in snow while it has been snowing lightly. And while driving over small trees etc. the front hull has been covered with snow... Work in progress. Still to come, more snow and mud.

Also visible is the rear hull details - that have been Finnished. While I'm trying to cover the Leo in snow Congo keeps updating the summer version. Most notable changes are the hull detailings that have changed since last version of the skin - to be more correct when compared to the real thing.

Comments?

Zip

[congo]

More of the summer beasts, smoke grenade launchers detailed plus other small detail changes.

[congo]

Zip has asked me to run several shots of the Finnish Leo with turret turned so some of the added details are visible so here they are,enjoy

[Scorpius]

Very nice!!!

:thumbup:

[Zipuli]

Snow added to whole vehicle, reduced a little at front hull... Still some serious mud-job to do...

Comments?

Zip

[Zipuli]

OK, the Summer Leo2A4 "final"(?) is being Finnished. Updates from the last (uploaded) skin include:

-updated camo pattern
-updated detailing and configuration all around the vehicle, especially the rear deck
-slight rework of the colours & contrast
-updated weathering
-noskid
-updated turret view
-reg numbers differ version to version
-Fin OpForce also added

Three versions:
-Leo 2A4 of the Tank Company (Häme Tank Battalion), Ps273-88 with Spade markings in the side turret
-Leo 2A4 of Armour School, MY TANK - "Fraulein Ps273-156". I have spent a lot of time inside that tin working at all the stations. Memories... oh memories... Lion of Parola in front turret
-Leo 2A4 "yellow" (Fin OpFor), Ps273-39 of Armour School - yellow plates in turret sides and Lion of Parola.

The "yellow side" or Opposing Force is used in the FDF's Army two-sided exercises. CZStudios' skins are used in Armoured Brigade's SB Pro and the yellow can be used for "red" to simulate this kind of exercises...

This should be IT, so maybe no more updating is needed? :roll:

The summer Leos will be uploaded soon (88 and 156) for you to use! Turret top and track file included. The "yellow" Leo will be uploaded with rest of the Fin OpFor (T-72, BMP-2, MTLB) package sometime soon, so you can try out some two sided simulated field exercises, -Finn style. I guarantee that IFF (identification friend-or-foe) will be a little more challenging, especially with thermal imager ;).

Zip

[Zipuli]

double post deleted

[Zipuli]

More pics....

[Zipuli]

More OpFor

Zip

[Zipuli]

Fin OpFor pack and Fin summer Leopard 2A4 v.1.2 uploaded by Congo for downloading.

After those shots above the Leo received one more tiny change - the narrow noskid patches in the turret sides were reshaped more correctly. Enjoy!

Zip

[daskal]

Beautiful - are you gonna upload the "plain" versions as well - you know without national markings?

[Zipuli]

Maybe sometime soon as one package, just like the OpFor pack... let's see!

Zip

[Zipuli]

Here latest shots of the winter Leo. As you can see, in addition to snow, now there's some sand and mud too. Tanking in winter is muddy business! Some little pieces are still undone, so those bright white spots in the muddy parts will be changed to better match the surroundings, I promise :) Tracks are still unedited, but my plan was to install some ice-picks.

Please, comments!!!

Zip

[Zipuli]

Few more shots...

[Zipuli]

Some more shots of the nearly complete Winter camo Fin Leo2. And please post comments, ok? ;)

Zip

[Zipuli]

And some other stuff... I played around with the snow-cover layer and the mud layer and put them on a summer Leo2... Simulates a Leo 2 driving around in winter without the painted winter camo. This is how they are usually seen during winter exercises (well, they are camoed with trees, and camo web, but can't do that ;)).

Any comments about these? The tank in the pic is on the yellow side... Maybe we'll upload this in the winter package too? ...if there's interest...

Zip

[stuart666]

Ill be honest, I dont use the 2A4 much, or play many Finnish based Scenarios. But this is truly some excellent work, and I hope you continue with it. Its good enough to have shipped on the CD imho.

[Zipuli]

Some more progres... turret roof graphics for both winter versions are done. Still some more little stuff to do (such as new track file), but then it is ready.

Zip

[Zipuli]

Hey,

Have a look at this little video I made. The theme is Finland in SB Pro PE, CZ Studios skins seen here and there... Music by King Muffin - a band I played in, but in this song I am not playing bass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_iRVpgDkOM

Comments???

Zip

[daskal]

:o :shock: :o

What a great video - do you have a high resolution version of it? I'd really like to download it!!!!!!

[Zipuli]

No, not yet... I need to get to another computer to upload bigger files, as this connection I am now using is a bit unstable. Will post it later :)

Zip

[daskal]

:(

Btw I've just downloaded your Leopard skins - and they are BRUTAL!!! When are you going to release the winter camos? And I really hope you will make some skins for the M1 as well (desert) :wink:

[Zipuli]

Thanks for the thumbs up! Winter skins are on the door, this week I think. Congo has made a M1 skin for desert, it's in the downloads section. It's excellent and I use it for desert ops.

Zip

[daskal]

Hmm I cannot find Congos desert M1 skin - do you have a link for it?

[Zipuli]

http://www.steelbeasts.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=getit&lid=814

It's there!

Zip

[Zipuli]

Winter Leo with ice-picks installed in the tracks... Ready soon!

Zip

[ShotMagnet]

Apologies if this request has been made elsewhere by elsewhom, but I'd really like to see a set of winter skins for the T-72 and T-80.


Shot

[Zipuli]

Maybe a winter skin of the T-72M1 Fin (pics on page 1) will emerge someday in June-July... remove the rondels and it doesn't feel bad shooting at them ;). No plans for the T-80, maybe someone else will do it? Jaguar?

Zip

[congo]

A few things to ponder.

[Scorpius]

Looking good guys!

[Zipuli]

American skins for desert conditions by Congo. Operation Iraqi Freedom seems to be underway...

Zip

[Zipuli]

Some support vehicles too... too keep the boys on advancing!

Zip

[Zipuli]

It's allmost there, winter camos sent to Congo for uploading. Also considering the possibility of uploading the vehicles without national markins if there is demand...

Zip

[congo]

OK soldiers listen up! You can now add CZ Studios Finn Winter Camo Pack to your TOE.

[congo]

Propaganda

[congo]

CZ Studios Woodland Camo Winter Theme Pack has been submitted to the DL section. Please add to your TOE.

[congo]

Hey Guys in our CZ Studios Woodland Camo Winter Theme Pack I forgot to rename the Leo in the Ace of Spades Folder just eliminate everything after the 2A4 so you can use with the mods engine, sorry for the inconvenience.

[congo]

Sorry Guys but I also missed some extensions that Zip added to the diehl file so rename to just plain diehl so the sim will recognize them,again sorry for any inconvenience.

[Androo]

Great stuff, as usual! :)

[The5thHorseman]

Beautiful stuff. 8)

[congo]

Androo, Horseman

Thanks for the compliments, this community is so professional that it is a pleasure doing this work. In other words it is our extreme pleasure to do work for people who appreciate it.

Congo

[congo]

Just for the sake of close up scrutiny.

[Scorpius]

Nice work gents!

[congo]

Congo started doing skins for the original version of Steel Beasts several years ago but the polygonal models were very limited with their LOD. I produced several M1A1,s and Leopards and even did the Colors of Fall pack. With the arrival of SB Pro Pe and the updated polygonal models I now had the chance to really have some fun. After visiting the site numerous times I noticed a request from either Zipuli or Blake for some vehicles with Finish Markings. After several skins were produced Zipuli, a young tanker from Finland pm'd me and asked if I would like to team up on some projects and the rest is history.

A little about Congo, I have been in the museum business for thirty one years restoring historical aircraft and spacecraft for one of the nations largest air and space museums. I have also worked on flying warbirds and done my share of modeling both aircraft and armor. This thirty year career of detailing historic aircraft has helped me immensely with the graphic detailing of skins in SB Pro. CZ studios work has become good enough to be used by the Armor Brigrade in Parola thanks to both Congo and Zipuli,s attention to detail. After my partner Zipuli reads this maybe he will add his take on our working relationship.

to be continued

[Scorpius]

Cool. I work in the museum field as well, only I design exhibits and do graphic design work and build models and such for a living.

[congo]

Great a brother museum worker what kind of museum is it Scorp.

[Scorpius]

Great a brother museum worker what kind of museum is it Scorp.

I used to work at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Now I'm at the South Florida Science Museum. It's an old (40 year old), cramped place. I took the job though because we are trying to build a new state of the art Science Center starting next year.

[congo]

Check out the multimedia portion if you would like to see where CZ Studios gets their inspiration.

http://www.armouredbrigade.fi/#

[congo]

CZ Studios Barn Pack has been submitted to the DL section. The perfect structures for your winter scenarios. Enjoy Congo and Zipuli

[Scorpius]

Nice barn!

[Zipuli]

Me like barns!

Zip

[congo]

Man can't you just feel the warm cowshit oozing between your toes,smell the hay in the loft. Brings back memories of summers and winter on my Grandparents farm.

[Scorpius]

Man can't you just feel the warm cowshit oozing between your toes,smell the hay in the loft. Brings back memories of summers and winter on my Grandparents farm.

LMAO! :D

[congo]

Check out Congos summer residence built by CZ Custom Builders LTD, Helsinki, Finland

[Androo]

Man can't you just feel the warm cowshit oozing between your toes,smell the hay in the loft...Or not, heh, heh! As a city dude who gets hay fever and likes to keep his boots clean, I believe that barns should be seen and not smelled. But that one does look great. 8)

[Scorpius]

Ooooh more barny goodness!

[congo]

The final edit of CZ Studios Finnish Country cabin. The perfect layover when you are moving the reindeer herd. It has been submitted to the DL section and should be available soon. I've included a photo of the cabin I used for my inspiration. Enjoy

[Zipuli]

...my side of the story:

I have been soing some sounds for a few games before started playing around with graphics. You can hear my work for example in SP:WAW (since v.4.0), just fire off some finnish, russian or english firearms. Also been working with some mods, for example the SP3:Moderna (a mod that is not available anymore) and Close Combat 4: Winter War... Got into SB after playing some SB Pro in the army and really enjoy the game.

I like everything that moves on tracks and has over 1000 hp engine. A big gun is always a plus. What comes to me and tanks, so far I've been trained to handle BMP-2 and Leo 2A4, itching to get my hands on CV9030 some day. After seeing Congo doing some Finn graphics, I first gave him a hand by giving (constructive?) critisism about his work, then tried out some skinning myself. Leopard 2 was the first (real) project (we did the T-72 before this, but it was mainly Congo's work), I did the camo pattern and weathering and played around with colour balances etc. and Congo did the detailing. This has been our way of doing things since then, except with the Winter Leo, which I detailed - just to try out. I enjoy trying to model the vehicles as close to the real thing as possible, and I really, really hope it shows. We use as much photos as possible for reference, just to make every little detail look authentic.

Zip

[Zipuli]

Hey, some skins again.

Uploaded 2 packs:

BMP-2 Fin updated, with updates made to wheels, camo and little corrections here and there. Should be final!

No-Markings pack, with all the 4 released woodland skins without any national markings (no rondel, lion, nor reg number). For those who ordered it :twisted: ! Hope you like them!

Currently working on Fin BMP-1, maybe pics this weekend!

Zip

[Zipuli]

More pics...

[congo]

Hey,

How does the community feel about muddied up versions of the T-72, BMP, and MT-LB to match our winter Leo like the one in the photo. Possibility after completion of BMP-1, feedback please

CZ Studios

[Zipuli]

Here are some Fin BMP-1 W.I.P. shots. Still need to play around a bit with the colours, then it's Congo's turn to start detailing the tractor! About 1/3 Finished, but the most time consuming part is near an end.

Zip

[Zipuli]

It's boring... on vacation and terrible weather outside. So what to do?
-Maybe this!

While Congo's on the BMP-1 I took another project, the BTR. I think some of you may like it, as of course in addition to the Finn skin, we'll release the opfor and nomarkings version too. It's about 1/3 done, now I'll start some detailing which Congo will propably continue later... then of course the weathering is needed too.

When nearing completion I'll post some info on the vehicles, as I see that both of our Finnish PE players are thinking to themselves "BTR-80 WTF?!"

So here ya go, and do post comments on both BMP and BTR...

Zip

[BipBip]

Wonderful.

We've got nearly all the RED vehicle in a BLUE livery.

What we would need now is a blue Mi24... which countries use it ?

[Zipuli]

Some shots of the detailing I have done... now needs a ride in the mud and sand 8)

About the Mi-24, I think all the bigger ex-soviet states have/had those, even some NATO countries, so there's to choose from. But this project would be for someone else, Jaguar, Scorpius?

We'll do at least MT-55 (BLG-60M2) and Zil (Ural) of the redfor vehicles for bluefor (Fin). Well, I think of them as bluefor anyway ;). Maybe also the Mercedes. Then the Fin inventory (of vehicles in this game) would be complete - for summer at least! Ah, and the CV will come this summer, so that one too, even if the version doesn't quite match.

More to come later!

Zip

[Zipuli]

Another massive CZ project:

The "Panssarintorjuntaohjus-82M" (AT-5) by Congo. Now in more correct colour and with some detailing... Should be uploaded with the BMP-1 or BTR-80, I think.

Zip

[Zipuli]

Finnish BTR-80, the APC that never was...

Finland bought BTR-60PB APC's in the early 70's to equip the infantry in the Armoured Brigade. The Jäger Battalions now had the same mobility as the tanks of the Tank Battalion (T-54s, T-55s and Charioteers). Before this the Jägers used same means of transportation as in WW2; trucks for long range transport, bicycles (later some tractors) for attacking (moving to contact and pursue) and feet for flanking manouvers in the woods. Now they were called "Panssarijääkäri" or PzJägers.

In the 1980's Finland bought the Finnish made XA-180 "Pasi" (Panssari Sisu - Armoured Sisu) APCs for the Jägers (not the ones in armoured brigade's organization). Later in early 1990's more APCs were to be bought in order to equip more Jäger Brigades.

This time a few BTR-80s were bought from the Soviet Union for tests. After the tests, the plans to purchase cheaper BTR-80s was abandoned due to unstability of the supplying "company" ;). More Pasis were bought instead. So the only BTR-80s bought were the test vehicles...

to be continued...

[Zipuli]

...and now you have the chance to test the vehicle in SB Pro! The BTR-80 comes with Fin camo pattern and in 3 versions:
-Fin, with rondels, reg numbers and Uncle Scrooge-markings (as seen in the BTR-60PB photo)
-OpFor, with rondels, reg no and yellow plates
-No Markings, with only the camo

The vehicle is the one used in tests, the Ps690-1 (as seen in the black and white photo). It can be used to simulate the BTR-60PB (same armament etc.), for "what if" -scenarios and of course to simply have fun with it!

Available in the downloads! The pack also includes Congo's updated AT-missile launcher for Soviet built vehicles.

Enjoy! And give feedback too!

Zip

[Scorpius]

The BTR-80 looks damn nice!

[Zipuli]

Thanks Scorpius. I'm quite happy with the result myself too :) This was sort of secondary project I took on while Congo is working on the BMP-1... left the vehicle a little less dustied as the tracked ones as the BTR would most likely less often take the off-road route.

Just noticed that the BTR in the photo has a turret search-light instead of the one in the hull (commander's?) hatch. Nice...

Zip

[cobrabase]

I'm not an easy man to impres. Talk to ANYONE! I routinely give Nils a hard time! 8)

I'm impressed.

[Zipuli]

How about something like this?

One day I was checking out the skin database and didn't find any Russian camoflage, so gave it a go. 8)

This is W.I.P. in early stage. How do you like it?

Zip

[dejawolf]

looks nice, maybe add more dark to the front area

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/btr-80-color.jpg

[Scorpius]

Looks great!

[Wicked]

I love the BTR-80 camo. You can of course also match the T-80 to your BTR scheme :) Great work :)

Cheers! 8)

[Jaguar]

That BTR-80 looks really cool, Zip!

[Hackworth]

Hey very nice BTR!

I can't wait!

[Zipuli]

"looks nice, maybe add more dark to the front area"

Yes, you're right - it looks a bit too light now, especially when compared to the T-80. I'll give more green&black to the nose... Otherwise I think it matches the pattern in the photos quite nicely (balance of colours etc.). More to come later!

Zip

[stuart666]

Looks great. I gather this scheme was painted on BMP1, 2 and the T72. Be real nice to have a matching set one day.

[Zipuli]

More shots... Finished the camo pattern, added more green/black to the front of the vehicle, did some detailing and added a bit weathering. Comments? I think I'll work on the weathering a bit more...

The T-80U has more green than this, but according to photos this should be the case!

Zip

[Zipuli]

Ref pic...

Zip

[Zipuli]

Stuart,

The T-72 is there allready in the game! Just adjust the colours a bit and you have it looking like the T-80U!

Zip

[Stratos]

Will look better If you add more yellow and more green, a little like the BTR skin. BTW great job

[Zipuli]

(The T-72 pic above is unedited skin that came with the installation - found in the textures/desert in the SB folder. The filename is "T72.BMP".)

Back to the BTR. I put some more weathering... I test a few more rounds for "bugs" and then upload.

Zip

[Zipuli]

The Russian BTR-80 is now uploaded, go get it!

I edited the weathering a bit more, added also axe to the tools and second towing cable (as seen in the Fin BTR-80 skin) - these changes made after seeing some more "action" shots of the vehicle used in Balkans, Chechnya and Afganistan.

The pack I uploaded has 2 skins, one with the russian markings (197 on right side and 105 on left side and turret art seen in the pics) and one without. Also included some photos.

Zip

[congo]

Well I'm back from a week at the North Carolina Coast eating seafood and drinking beer. Started on the BMP-1 upon my return though it will be a week or two before Zip and I complete it. Worked on the engine cover and detailing the hatches and such. Will eventually add tow cables to rear of hull and other details before it goes back to Zip for weathering effects. A few screens to wet everyones appetite.

[congo]

Some more teasers. I've started to add shadowing. Placed jimmy bar on rear hull. Grabs for upper hatches on rear hull. Detailng on forward engine bay cover. Still need to rework side skirts and turret plus additional detailing on upper hull, track links and such. Feedback please.

[congo]

Progress report.

Side skirts have been detailed plus hatches on hull and turret. Retrieval cables added. Still need to concentrate on the turret plus minor shadowing on all hard edges and then back to Zip for weathering.

[Scorpius]

Great work! :thumbup:

[congo]

Thanks Scorp,

How are things down in the land of typhoons. My better half and i just spent a week out on the Carolina Coast and it was friggin splendtastic. Could not get enough shrimp and beer.

[stuart666]

Stuart,

The T-72 is there allready in the game! Just adjust the colours a bit and you have it looking like the T-80U!

Zip

You know, I completely forgot about that! Nicely spotted. :)

[Scorpius]

Thanks Scorp,

How are things down in the land of typhoons. My better half and i kust spent a week out on the Carolina Coast and it was friggin splendtastic. Could not get enough shrimp and beer.

Hahahahaha! The Carolinas are good for beer and shimp, hehe. It's nice here today, it's hot but dry instead of humid and muggy for once! We've been getting hammered with thunderstorms lately, but such is life in the south during summer.

Independance day-check
Shuttle launch in about an hour-check
Gas grill cleaned and ready to go-check

:thumbup:

[congo]

Its getting close to being there guys. I added the tiedowns to the turret this evening and a few small details on upper hull, just a few more things to go and I should be sending to Zip this weekend for weathering and the Finnish critique.

[congo]

OK,

I've finished my part and have sent it off to Finland for Zip to do his thing with dirt and such. Here are the screen shots of the detailed BMP-1 before the application of dirt and weathering.

[Scorpius]

Nice!!! :thumbup:

[ShotMagnet]

Very! It's this sort of thing that has me eyeing my stash of kits and rubbing my chin thoughtfully.


Shot

[Zipuli]

Some more shots of the "Boevaya Mashina Pekhota 1"...

I did some weathering and added dust. Also added some detail such as the periscope graphics, camo nets, handles, bigger rondels, door graphics... Should be ready soon, then I'll bump it to Congo for a final touch and then I'll take a final look... shouldn't be long!

I have upped the brightnes a bit for better "photos". Ignore the fact that some American crunchies are running around the tank 8) .

Zip

[Zipuli]

Finnish BMP-1 IFV,

First ones bought in early 1980's. They were all to be turned into FO-variants (BMP-1TJ), but after the DDR bankrupted Finland bought a huge pile of them from Germany and two Armoured Brigades (war-time) could be armed with them (MBT being the T-72M1).

The Finns have made some modifications, including AT-4/AT-5 launcher mounted on the turret, illumination launcher on left side of turret, 6 x 76mm smoke launchers on right side of turret, removal of the troublesome auto-loader and the AT-3 rail...

The IFV is still in reserve, active duty ended few years ago. The AT-4/5 launcher is removed as no missiles remain. FO-vehicle is in active use.

Now the vehicle is ready for You to download. Pack includes as usual 3 versions:
-Fin with rondels and reg numbers
-OpFor with yellow plates added
-No Markings without any finnish markings

Get some! Enjoy and as usual, comments are welcome!

Zip

[Zipuli]

The 2 other versions...

Zip

[Scorpius]

Awesome, I can't wait to shoot at it, lol!

[congo]

CZ Studios in there neverending quest to reach skinning nirvana has decided to update their BMP-2 to the same standards as the BMP-1 that we just released. Reworked tiedowns on turret, added camo netting, reworked gun mantlet. Here are the screenies before weathering and dirt.

[Zipuli]

Here comes version 1.3 of the Finnish BMP-2 IFV! Added some more little detail and weathering+dust.

Again, 3 skins:
-Fin with rondels, regs
-Nomarkings without any finnish stuff
-opfor, fin markings + lion of parola and yellow plates

Track and missile launcher included in the pack...

Enjoy! And post comments!

Zip

ps. Scorpius, don't shoot at it, they're the good guys!

[Scorpius]

D'oh! :wink:

[Wicked]

Great job!! And thanks!! :D

Cheers! 8)

[Zipuli]

After the Fin vehicles are done in summer camo (MT-55 (= BLG-60M2 - in progress), Zil, Mercedes to go), I think we'll move on to something quite different for a while. Fin Winter camos is one project, but I think that'll be later in the future... I have some ideas, Congo has some... We'll think about the next move propably sometime soon.

I liked the Russian BTR-project, and have some ideas to that direction (east)... A possible secondary project could be a blue-side Hind? I think the Czech Rep camo would be quite nice... What do you guys think?

These are still just ideas... What kind of stuff would you guys like to see in future from us?

Zip

[Wicked]

A NATO Hind would be nice :) Would love to see some Iraqi armor.

Cheers! B)

[congo]

Top Secret WIP even Zipuli does not know about this one. Still needs lots of work but this is the progress so far. What say ye?

[Scorpius]

Looks great so far!

[Wicked]

Looking good! :)

[RogueSnake79]

Yeah, looks great.

The T- tanks skins are badley need IMO. After all, you look at them the most in coops.

[congo]

More beauty shots. This skin is a lot of fun so far cause its hard to find any decent reference shots that show any great amount of detail so I'm able just to adlib.

[dejawolf]

the rear 3 1/2 skirts is rubber as well. otherwise, a nice new look for the T-80U!
from my knowledge. the rubber parts colour will become more apparent as it wears down, from initial green, to a dark grey/ occasional white string wireframe underneath being exposed, as the rubber cracks.

http://www.tanxheaven.com/rost/t80bvrost/P1010072.JPG

http://www.xs750e.com/USERIMAGES/cracked%20inlet%20rubber.JPG
car rubber flaps can be good for reference for a worn look.
additionally, as the camouflage gets exposed to the elements, it will gradually be brightened by the sun. exposed spots will get bleached by the sun, and if the paint is of lower quality, and the metal is exposed to a lot of water, causing it to oxidate, the paint could start chipping off, and oxidation bubbles appear on the surface. this is most likely to happend if the paint has already been scraped away from driving in a forest, and hitting heavy twigs and such. if the vehicle is then exposed to water, the oxidation will occur more rapidly, but in general, it will appear over time, because of occasional rain etc, mostly with bad maintenance.
oxidation spots will first make the paint chip rapidly around the scrape area, with rust appear underneath. during rain, the rust might spill out of the cracks, creating red stripes of rust.

areas where these cracks are likely to be present is side hull and turret, and the lower front wedge, although its likely that these spots are covered
by dust and sand.
other causes of rust spots, is when sand has been lying on top of a vehicle, and rubbed over the paint when walking, etc, which also wears down the paint of the vehicle, creating a brighter appearance.
hmm.. i should be writing a tutorial. hah.

[RogueSnake79]

http://tanxheaven.com/rost/t80bvrost/t80bvrost.htm

Thats one of the few.

[congo]

Thanks Deja for the advice and thanks to RS for the website, I looked at Prime Portal for reference I don't know why I did not think of Tanxheaven.

[congo]

For all lovers of the T-series Tanksky. I have continued with the detailing and this is where it stands so far. Zip will handle the weathering and any markings he sees fit to include. Probably be sending him the bitmapped image within a few days

[Dachs]

I liked the Russian BTR-project, and have some ideas to that direction (east)... A possible secondary project could be a blue-side Hind? I think the Czech Rep camo would be quite nice... What do you guys think?

These are still just ideas... What kind of stuff would you guys like to see in future from us?

Zip

A Hind in the standard black/greenish colour of the Apache and Blackhawk would be nice. It would look a bit more western dressed up like that I believe. Could be useful in some scenarios.

Your skins look really great, outstanding work! :thumbup:


-Dahcs

[congo]

OK ALL YOU TREAD HEADS LISTEN UP, I'VE FINISHED THE DETAILING AND SHIPPED THE BITMAPPED IMAGE OFF TO ZIP SO HE CAN ADD WEATHERING AND SUCH. I'LL PLACE THE CLEAN VERSION IN THE D\L SECTION IN CASE YOU GUYS WANT TO DRIVE IT AROUND THE PARADE GROUNDS. ENJOY YOUR TRIP TO MOTHER RUSSIA.

[congo]

Been kind of busy these past few weeks and have not been visiting the site as much as I would like anyway Just noticed that our main thread has reappeared. Must have been when they were changing format. I guess well start by dropping another WIP set of screens. This project along with the T-80U has been my focus for the past several weeks. I have not concentrated on this one much after the introduction of Rogue Snakes beautiful piece of work but since I am officially retired after Thursday I might have the time to mess with it.

[cobrabase]

Been kind of busy these past few weeks and have not been visiting the site as much as I would like anyway Just noticed that our main thread has reappeared. Must have been when they were changing format. I guess well start by dropping another WIP set of screens. This project along with the T-80U has been my focus for the past several weeks. I have not concentrated on this one much after the introduction of Rogue Snakes beautiful piece of work but since I am officially retired after Thursday I might have the time to mess with it.

Congrats on retirement........ ?

Hopefully you weren't retired. Your skins rock man! We're all awaiting the dirtied up T-80U.

[congo]

Cobra,

Thanks for the congrats, 31 years restoring aircraft and spacecraft for my Uncle Sam and my funometer is pegged. Just looking to try something new. BTW where in the Peach State you from. I was born in Baxley, Ga in Appling County.

Congo

[RogueSnake79]

Very cool abrams congo, the more the marrier I say.

[Scorpius]

Very cool abrams congo, the more the marrier I say.

Excellent!

[congo]

Continuing with the detailing on Desert Abrams. Here are some more WIP screens for your viewing enjoyment.

[congo]

Listen up treadheads I just submitted CZ Studios Desert Abrams for your enjoyment, detailed entire vehicle to CZ Studios standards.

[Wicked]

Listen up treadheads I just submitted CZ Studios Desert Abrams for your enjoyment, detailed entire vehicle to CZ Studios standards.

Great skin!! Thanks for sharing! :)

[Fabfire]

Listen up treadheads I just submitted CZ Studios Desert Abrams for your enjoyment, detailed entire vehicle to CZ Studios standards.
I've just got it. A really cool skin!

[RogueSnake79]

Very cool Congo.

Really like what you did with the muzzle.

[congo]

For all desert warfare fans another WIP from CZ Studios, feedback is always appreciated.

[BRGillespie]

Our Brads take a beating over here; the more weathering and the more wear-and-tear you apply, the better. It can be fairly extreme in some cases. I'm not sure how the texture is applied to the in-game model (are the side-skirts and panels on the Brad mirrored on both sides?), but definitely add just a huge, dirty belching of sooty exhaust around the exhaust cover, on the surrounding armor, and have it feather back towards the rear on top, and down the side (you get some soot on the BC's side of the turret, too). A bit of bared metal on the barrel, and just general dirt and grime all over.

I could supply pictures, if you would like. We have prime examples of Bradley wear-and-tear here at our little FOB. ;)

[congo]

BRG

Side skirts are mirrored and the side panels are individual pieces. just about every other portion of the skin is a use once item except for road wheels, drive sprocket and idler. glass in peri,s,running lights. For some real fun go to the textures folder, desert subfolder and take a look at the bitmapped image, it will be easy to pick out some of the components but its the little pieces that are a bitch to identify.

[congo]

More WIP shots. This sucker has a lot of little details so this could be a time consuming project. I've been adding shadowing,hard edges, hardened boltheads and such. BRG weathering will come at the end after details are complete, I'll probably ship off to my partner in Finland after the vehicle is detailed.

[Zipuli]

BRG, please do post some shots of Brads with weathering & wear & tear! Never seen a Brad live so cannot say what should be dirty and why etc.

Zip

[Scorpius]

Looking great!

[SquidLord]

Is there any chance you guys can issue a weekly or monthly compilation of all your skins, in a Zip file with directory structure compatible with the ever-wonderful JSGME? It would make coming to the table late but being very interested much easier.

[Zipuli]

SquidLord,

Does this help any? The latest ones are not yet added, but soon...

http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/showthread.php?t=8133

Zip

[SquidLord]

SquidLord,

Does this help any? The latest ones are not yet added, but soon...

http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/showthread.php?t=8133

Zip

The content is wonderful, as ever, Zipuli, but the installation requirements are fiddly. The best, easiest way to package them up would be to make sure the directory structure in the Zip mimics the My Documents/eSim/Steel Beasts/mods/[...] hierarchy, so you can just unzip the whole contents directly into a subdir of MODS, then let JSGME work its evil magic, swapping in mods as needed.

The real key is making sure the directories are set up right, and I know that's a bit of a pain in the patootie.

[congo]

Squid,

I feel your pain but jesus man do I need to come down to the Peach State and turn your computer on for you. Zip and I spend a lot of time creating these skins for the community you can at least make a logical folder such as Finnish Armor Summer and just unzip into this folder or drag and drop. You obviously know how to use JSGME just make the folder and place it in the correct place. If it gets too complicated for me on this end I'll just produce skins for my own use.

[Zipuli]

Gotta remember Squid, that only english language systems have "my documents"-folder, for example mine says "omat tiedostot"... We've tried to make the multi-skin files as easy as possible to use, with different folders for different files etc., but it simply won't self-do it. And since the game can only use one skin at a time for one vehicle, it's no good to have 3 skins of same vehicle overwriting each other while unzipping. For the time being it's mostly manual drag & drop - maybe otherwise in the future!

Zip

[SquidLord]

Gotta remember Squid, that only english language systems have "my documents"-folder, for example mine says "omat tiedostot"... We've tried to make the multi-skin files as easy as possible to use, with different folders for different files etc., but it simply won't self-do it. And since the game can only use one skin at a time for one vehicle, it's no good to have 3 skins of same vehicle overwriting each other while unzipping. For the time being it's mostly manual drag & drop - maybe otherwise in the future!

The question is whether the directory architecture underneath "My Documents" (in whatever language) is static. Does "textures" and "desert" shift from language to language of installation? If so, then absolutely, making a static zip file work across languages is going to be impossible (and I boggle at the original programmers for making their jobs that much harder). But if "textures", et al, are static, then just target the packaged directory structure for each skin set at that level and let the user place them as appropriate in the mods directory.

I freely admit I don't have access to multi-language installations of SB to test such things.

(In theory, one could write a custom installer in Python or some such to install abstract hierarchies based on input what the desired language is. I've built such things before, but they are an admitted PitA. The key is always having the initial build-from hierarchy neat and reasonable, which I can only assume you good folk with CZ do.)

Ultimately, I'd just like to see the accessibility of the mods available be boosted a bit. Making things easier always means greater use.

[congo]

I feel that the Brad has been ignored long enough, latest screen shots after an afternoon of detailing. Still need to spend more time with it but I'm happy with the results so far. Comments welcome.

[Scorpius]

Great stuff as always!

[BRGillespie]

Very, very sweet, Congo. Looking forward to the finished product.

[BRGillespie]

BRG, please do post some shots of Brads with weathering & wear & tear! Never seen a Brad live so cannot say what should be dirty and why etc.

Zip
Will do. I'll wander around the FOB tomorrow and get pictures of both a Bradley and an Abrams.

[Zipuli]

Yes, the game directories are the same... but like in our case, there's usually more than 1 skin of the same vehicle in the zip-file; for example if you dload our BTR-80 pack, you'll notice there's 2-3 skins depending on the BTR. It's impossible to have the structure for all of those skins, except if you want subdirectories under the "woodland"-dir or somethinf similar. Also some people want the skins in autumn-folder also, some don't and so on, so on... My skills with winzip or similar programs is not enough to make these things any easier than they are now! :)

And placing them in right directories by hand is really that time consuming or difficult?

Zip

[SquidLord]

Yes, the game directories are the same... but like in our case, there's usually more than 1 skin of the same vehicle in the zip-file; for example if you dload our BTR-80 pack, you'll notice there's 2-3 skins depending on the BTR. It's impossible to have the structure for all of those skins, except if you want subdirectories under the "woodland"-dir or somethinf similar. Also some people want the skins in autumn-folder also, some don't and so on, so on... My skills with winzip or similar programs is not enough to make these things any easier than they are now! :)

Well, that's why you'd end up storing them in individual directories with the replicated architecture underneath. Its how JSGME is designed to work, after all, but the directory hierarchy has to be right under the "description" directory entry, which can be fiddly, at best.

And placing them in right directories by hand is really that time consuming or difficult?

Have you seen how many CZ skins there are, scattered around the download section willy-nilly, like sedated children in a kindergarten? Just pulling the things in the first place consistently is a challenge, and then having to manually filter and sort them a directory at a time is no picnic either. Then, on top of that, the zips aren't consistently architected (with BMP files stored at the top level rather than in an intended subdirectory) so you can't just extract it into an appropriately descriptive directory, you have to manually recreate the architecture under that descriptive directory, too ...

Its a PitA, is what it is. Which is why I originally suggested you might consider releasing a monthly or whatnot combined zip file with all that stuff done for the folks who might be interested, along with individual skins for folks who had the last major package.

I didn't realize I'd be calling down the whole Spanish Inquisition.

[Zipuli]

Not the whole inquisition is present yet ;)

And there really ain't that many skins made by us yet. The first ones are scattered a bit, that's why I made the "finished skins"-thread in the first place. And as there are huge amounts of other skins in the dloads section (and all non-previewable!) there really is need for other type of organizing than that made by individual skinners. For one I would love to see subfolders for each vehicle in the d-loads section with chance to preview it. And then the skin the loader wants would be behind one click of a mouse (and installing instructions provided). But that's not going to happen I am afraid!

The only thing about the monthly release is the 8 MB upper limit in the site (one 1024x1024 skin is 3MB!), which would mean we would, in addition to everything else, need to make a site where to d-load them from. That ain't happening, as I have huge piles of other stuff (such as pro gradu) waiting to be finished and hardly find any time to make any skins at the moment. Idea is not bad (if we would have the time and skill), but with our resources it's out of reach and the system we use now is sufficent I think. In the beginning all skins were named after the tank etc. at least now they can all be found under "C" in the d-loads section! That's a HUGE improvement already :)

Zip

[SquidLord]

Not the whole inquisition is present yet ;)

If you break out the Comfy Chair, I am so out of here.

And there really ain't that many skins made by us yet. The first ones are scattered a bit, that's why I made the "finished skins"-thread in the first place. And as there are huge amounts of other skins in the dloads section (and all non-previewable!) there really is need for other type of organizing than that made by individual skinners. For one I would love to see subfolders for each vehicle in the d-loads section with chance to preview it. And then the skin the loader wants would be behind one click of a mouse (and installing instructions provided). But that's not going to happen I am afraid!

The thing is, if anyone was to pioneer a standard format, it would likely be either the CZ folk or Viper, being the most coherent and consistent producers, from what I can get from flipping through the current collection and reading the boards. Someone has to be the first and the loudest. :)

The only thing about the monthly release is the 8 MB upper limit in the site (one 1024x1024 skin is 3MB!), which would mean we would, in addition to everything else, need to make a site where to d-load them from. That ain't happening, as I have huge piles of other stuff (such as pro gradu) waiting to be finished and hardly find any time to make any skins at the moment. Idea is not bad (if we would have the time and skill), but with our resources it's out of reach and the system we use now is sufficent I think. In the beginning all skins were named after the tank etc. at least now they can all be found under "C" in the d-loads section! That's a HUGE improvement already :)

There's always a solution for distributed storage. At the bottom end, there's getting some webspace somewhere to store the zip and then using CORAL (http://www.coralcdn.org/overview/) to cache the file in a distributed manner (so long as its under 50mb and you do less than 250gb of xfer a day which should not be too hard). There are online shared storage sites which would host it as well, and you could use them along with CORAL for the two-fisted solution.

And worst (or best) case, you could rent some web bandwidth off Pair or somesuch and create a parallel site to SteelBeasts.com devoted to maintaining a collection of mods for the consuming public -- the obvious drawback of such being it rus a few bucks, and we're all rather low-cost folk.

We do need some kind of better solution, however. As you note, the number of skins is huge and difficult to manage in general, from a pure storage position.

Hmmm, it occurs to me to wonder aloud if our gracious hosts would accept some other folk maintaining a directory / website on their server just for mods and such. Undoubtedly, between the lot of us there's enough web expertise to put together a decent site and then we could institute some kind of skin management system that works a bit better than what we have now.

No, my solution to every problem isn't "throw technology at it." Just, y'know, most problems.

[Zipuli]

Would you do it? If you started out something, maybe something would be done? You seem to know what you're talking about. Just look at nimo and his skinner-program!

I have no time, resources nor the skill (JSGME???) to do anything more than skins that I hope you guys like too, and not much time to that either. I'm already working my butt off in other matters, hope you understand that.

Zip

[congo]

Well Zip I was kind of hoping that when we got into this endeavor we could please all the people all the time but since that ain't gonna happen maybe we should just close up shop. What a shame as I so wanted to finish this project. Or on second thought maybe we should start making more and more skins to drive the steel beasts community into cyber overload. What say ye? Most of the detailing has been completed just waiting on photos from BRG so I can start weathering and such. I will then package up and send to Zipuli to see if he would like to add his special touch.

[congo]

If anyone would like the clean version of Omar just say so and I'll be happy to post to dl,s.

[SquidLord]

Would you do it? If you started out something, maybe something would be done? You seem to know what you're talking about. Just look at nimo and his skinner-program!

I have no time, resources nor the skill (JSGME???) to do anything more than skins that I hope you guys like too, and not much time to that either. I'm already working my butt off in other matters, hope you understand that.
I was actually looking just before bed (third shift being a weird effecting thing on your social life) at the resources I could bring to bear on the issue. Putting something together is certainly within the realm of reason, I'd just need to poke around and find a reasonable place to host the thing.

Its theoretically possible we could get by with just some sort of wiki, but I suspect that might be a bit too free-form, so ... I'm still looking.

[Sean]

Squidlord, I think its a bit much to ask people to make skins then tell them they need to maintain a huge easy to install package. If you are interested in doing it, heres how it could be easily done: Submit a download in the downloads area. Call it "The complete skins package" Instead of choosing a file to upload, put in a link to your site that has copious amounts of free space and bandwidth. Then, you can update it as often as you like. As long as the file name/location doesnt change, it should work great. I bet the filesize will end up being larger than 50MB, though.

As far as the skins being tough to browse, no one has come to me asking for a gallery album similar to the one that was set up for sb1. Outside of that, there is a new downloads area in the works, and it supports thumbnails and full size images to go along with the download. Once its done, I'll send an excel spreadsheet to those that are interested (or those that complain it needs to be done :-) ), and they can compile thumbs and images for the downloads, and I can post those.

[congo]

Thanks Sean,

You handled that like a true diplomat.

Congo

[BRGillespie]

The pictures are ready, congo. I just had to use photoshop to resize the resolution to something more managable. I'll be getting them to you shortly.

[Homer]

The 8mb file limit was a hard limit that a previous service provider placed on all account. The upload limit has been raise to 16mb. If this proves to be insufficient, adjustments will be made.

[congo]

BRG,

Take your time I know you got more pressing issues at your FOB than skins for the simulation, here is what the final edit looks like before Zipulis treatment. Reworked the chain guns barrel to my standards and slightly changed tint to match the Abrams I did recently. How you guys holding up over there?

Congo

[BRGillespie]

Check your inbox, congo.

And things are okay here on the FOB. The end of the deployment is in sight, which is a relief. ;) Really anxious to get back and play SB Pro PE online!

[congo]

Finally got BRG,s photos and continue with the detailing of the Brad. I'll continue to post screens along with the photos that I'm using for reference. Much appreciation to BRGillespie for the fine walk around on the M2. I have detailed the engine cover and hatches, the bustle, the tracks, work will continue until I am completely happy with the ingame appearance. As usual any and all feedback good or bad is appreciated.

[BRGillespie]

I really can't wait to nab this desert skin for the M2. Great looking thus far, Congo.

And you're welcome for the pictures. :)

[congo]

More screens and reference shots of the beasts. BRG check your mailbox.

[Fabfire]

Amazing work!
I'm looking forward to those M1 and Bradley desert skins! :cool3:

[Zipuli]

BRGillepsie,

here are some shots where I have added some more detail from the photos to the skin already detailed by congo (pics above). I'll try to make it look just like the one you sent the pics of and then offer it also without the numbers etc. markings.

What say you?

Zip

[BRGillespie]

Go for it, Zipuli.

By the way, just for general knowledge: all the brackets that are bolted to the side armor? They're for the reactive armor that we have for them. They're big blocks designed to (hopefully) destroy an RPG before it gets a chance to expend its energy against the hull.

The engine deck also has slabs of up-armor that can be placed onto it.

[Zipuli]

New ass and little this and that to the cover grills...

BRGillespie, what are those red bags in the left hull? It's a pity the rear has that side piece mirrored, so I couldn't place that "thing" on the left side...

Zip

[Zipuli]

Some more stuff done to the turret and sides...

BRGillespie, what do you think of the skull in the TOW-launcher? Want me to leave it to the marked version (with all the other markings such as numbers and names etc.) or remove it? ETA on my side is end of week, then back to Congo, who will add the finishing touch :)

Zip

[congo]

BRG,

How much weight does the ERA add to the vehicle? What kind of tools do you guys carry on the hull, Zip is the master of no skid so explain to him the areas that shoud be treated with these details, I thought about doing the water bottles in the bustle but thay did not look right.

Congo

[Zipuli]

Latest progress...

Zip

[Zipuli]

Before and after (at this point) - the grayish is the old one ;)

Zip

[congo]

While Zip does his thing I took some ingame action shots of the Brad. These are all from the 73 Easting scenario which was a dynamite venue for CZ Studios work. IMHO Brad looks great through the TC,s Binos, just my opinion. After Zip passes his work back to me I'll do one last edit and hopefully it will be in the dl section by Sunday, Keep your fingers crossed

[Zipuli]

OK, partner, your turn! Just posted to ya! 2 versions, with markings from pics provided by BRG + skull in TOW launcher and one with only the "this side off"-texts

Zip

[BRGillespie]

New ass and little this and that to the cover grills...

BRGillespie, what are those red bags in the left hull? It's a pity the rear has that side piece mirrored, so I couldn't place that "thing" on the left side...

Zip
You can actually go ahead and slap it on, Zip; that's an IR panel (helps for identification through the TIS), and there's supposed to be two of them on both sides, but one fell off (chintzy-ass Velcro holds the panels on). ;)

As for the skull marker on the TOW launcher... keep it if YOU like it, but there's definitely no identifying markings like that on our Brads.

The little red bags are just the orange plastic sticky baggies that the shipping/packing lists are in. Just haven't ripped them off. ;P

[BRGillespie]

BRG,

How much weight does the ERA add to the vehicle? What kind of tools do you guys carry on the hull, Zip is the master of no skid so explain to him the areas that shoud be treated with these details, I thought about doing the water bottles in the bustle but thay did not look right.

CongoThe reactive armor blocks weigh... I dunno, 40 lbs or so (feels that way, anyway). There's 14 or so blocks per side, so around 28 side panel blocks multiplied by 40 = some sort of weight. That doesn't include the front panels on the engine cover, which each weight 10 lbs or so (20 of those? I think).

Tools: beyond the standard BII (which I've seen on the in-game skins: axe, tanker bar, and shovel) we also have assorted shit, like a stretcher, wooden chock blocks, 5 gallon cans of lubricant, extra cases of 7.62mm, a heavy-duty tarp, water, cases of MREs, etc, etc.

As for non-skid, if you threw it on the engine cover hatch (check out the nonskid.jpg file), onto the troop hatch that opens when the TOWs are reloaded, and onto the driver's hatch, it'd be sufficient. There's no non-skid anywhere on the turret, if I remember correctly (never thought about it before).

Looking ace, guys. :)

[Zipuli]

Thanks for the info BRG, it really has been great help when trying to make it more "life-like" and realistic!!

I just updated the skin a bit and sent it to Congo for finalization. I removed the shipping lists and added non-skid to engine cover (hatch had it already) and added the IR panel to the rear hull. Let's see what Congo has in mind before the release.

Zip

[congo]

CZ Studios is proud to announce the submission of the Desert Bradley Pack to the downloads section. We wish to thank BR Gillespie our on location photographer,without his photos and advice this project would not have been possible. This work is dedicated to our troops serving in the middle east.

[KevoM1]

could not find the skin in all the "skins" any links?

[KevoM1]

found it, thankz

[Wicked]

Excellent work on the desert skins!! Great job! Thanks for sharing. :)

http://members.chello.nl/~wf.vanwamel/SBProPE_023.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/~wf.vanwamel/SBProPE_024.jpg

http://members.chello.nl/~wf.vanwamel/SBProPE_025.jpg

Cheers!

[RogueSnake79]

Outstanding skin guys

[Scorpius]

Simply amazing!

[Jaguar]

WOW! Great skin, guys!

[Fabfire]

Great work!
The datail on the M2A2 is amazing!

[Zipuli]

Thanks! Wicked, really nice shots there! Now that I have desert skins, I think I'll try to learn some desert tactics too - I suck real bad when forced out of the heavily wooded terrain I'm so familiar with :)

Zip

[congo]

The Reindeer herds are not going to be happy in the desert.

[dejawolf]

got some more reference pics of the bradley external?

creating a super-high-poly bradley model for future reference.

http://dejawolf.com/steelbeasts/bradpics/bradhull.jpg

[RecceDG]

How much extra overhead does using a high-poly model like that in-game entail?

DG

[congo]

DW,

I'd love to have one like that at my maintenance depot will it ever be used in the sim.?

Congo

[congo]

Just posted the updated TIS view for CZ Studios Desert Bradley. I'm not sure where the sim draws the track file from so you will need to play with this in order for our updated track file to work in TIS view.

[Scorpius]

I like the broken handle/step on the skirt, nice touch.

[congo]

Yea Scorp,

Only problem was skirt was a mirrored item so one version doesn't have it. Between Zip and me we usually manage to get her done. It's great working as a team you know two different approaches to every project. Sometime when we are working on a skin at the same time aspects are duplicated but we both agree thats a good thing. It stimulates artistic endeavor.

[dejawolf]

in-game? no way. it both eats memory, and crashes the framerates. even in 3ds max it is causing slowdowns.
this is mostly just a postertank, and for detail reference for a future in-game model. (SB2 probably)
nice skins btw. hehe. guess i should stop doing my desert skin in that pale pink desert yellow. seems like its the colour that appears in the shade..

[congo]

DW,

"hehe. guess i should stop doing my desert skin in that pale pink desert yellow. seems like its the colour that appears in the shade"..

I'll give you the same reply RS gave me. "The More The Merrier". I guess colors are a user preference and subject to much conjecture and artistic interpretation.Beautiful work BTW.What kind of time you got into it at this stage. Thanks for the compliment. It means a lot to Zip and me. I guess all my years of detailing aircraft carries over to some of my other hobbies and passions. Other experiences for Zip (Music,Tanking, University etc.etc.) but I'm sure he would say the same.
It's easy to create when you enjoy the work.

[dejawolf]

well, colour is more about balance. too much colour, and you'll end up with happy valley's fun tanking courses. too little, and its just dull. i've been tipping towards the duller end of the scale mostly.

well its great that you make proper desert skins, i mostly go full on with the woodland theme and TIS, and simply don't have much more energy left for the desert version and winter one.

[congo]

Whats too much or too little, thats the subjective part. Are your rods and cones the same as mine.

[congo]

"In The Beginning"

[Zipuli]

Deja,

I think the colour thing is a bit problematic as it depends on the weather, light etc. that how the tank looks in real life. In the game where there's only 1 condition available without any natural light, shadows, reflections etc. it's kind of difficult to try to make a camo pattern look "real". For example this was the problem when I started out a little while ago with Finn camo; I did the colours exactly correct (from photos etc.) and the tank looked ridicilous. Then I started tweaking and tweaking the palette and finally found the "winner". The point was to make the tank colours fit the game world colour scheme rather than gunning for totally correct colours. The game world has different rules and look :).

Anyway, you've done excellent work with the skins and 3d models! A friend of mine who makes tank models took a look at the game and really liked the default graphics - and next day ordered the game!

Zip

[congo]

This project is somewhat like the M2A2 in that the poly model has some potential. Progress so far after several hours of experimentation. What say ye?

[Scorpius]

Coming along great!

[Wicked]

This project is somewhat like the M2A2 in that the poly model has some potential. Progress so far after several hours of experimentation. What say ye?

Looks great!! :) Im glad CZ Studios continues working on some more desert skins. :) Thanks guys!!

P.S. Is CZ Studios planning to skin the mine plow/roller for the (desert)M1A1? Thanks!

[Fabfire]

Great work! I'm looking forward to it!

[congo]

I'm done for the day but feel like I have made progress with the little beasts. Lots of detailing to go, sprocket and idler, road wheels, ma deuce, hull, etc.etc.

[dejawolf]

Deja,

I think the colour thing is a bit problematic as it depends on the weather, light etc. that how the tank looks in real life. In the game where there's only 1 condition available without any natural light, shadows, reflections etc. it's kind of difficult to try to make a camo pattern look "real". For example this was the problem when I started out a little while ago with Finn camo; I did the colours exactly correct (from photos etc.) and the tank looked ridicilous. Then I started tweaking and tweaking the palette and finally found the "winner". The point was to make the tank colours fit the game world colour scheme rather than gunning for totally correct colours. The game world has different rules and look :).

Anyway, you've done excellent work with the skins and 3d models! A friend of mine who makes tank models took a look at the game and really liked the default graphics - and next day ordered the game!

Zip

yeah i know about the light conditions all too well, and its been driving me to quite a few hair-tearing sessions, spending 2 hours trying to get the correct colour value and finding out it was wrong after my adjustments.
the difficulty with finding correct values for Sb, is that the colour values of light and shading is contradictory in SB, and because this is Als territory, i have no way of adjusting it to my liking.
so in the standard config, the lighting is overcast, the sky is clear.
its especially wrong for a desert...

its interesting to note that i managed to get the abrams with the standard pinkish colour to look that desert yellow, only with a bit of light configuraiton in 3ds max.

heres the pic:
http://dejawolf.com/steelbeasts/M1A1deserthiwheels.jpg

[RogueSnake79]

I've wondered also how "if" a lighting/shadow engine is ever introduced into this sim, how it will effect our work. Perhaps then things might become easier.

I also notice you've added hubs to the road wheels in that pic Deja. :) Have you had time to look into the streching issue with the drive sprocket? Or the issue with the loadeds M240?

[congo]

Deja,

My rods and cones tell me that is exactly, positively, correctly colorized.

[congo]

On the second day. Anybody got any ideas on how this puppy should be marked.

[congo]

Doing a little resizing and the old cut and pasteroo. What do ya think?

[Wicked]

Doing a little resizing and the old cut and pasteroo. What do ya think?

I say.... very nice!!! :)

[congo]

Kind of working on both together.

[Zipuli]

CZ Muddy Leopard 2A4

Training for the dirty T-80... I updated the good old CZ summer Leopard with lots of new detail. The aim was to make it look like it really could have been in a battlefield for a while. I gave some wear and tear, lots of mud - dry and wet, quite heavy weathering and camo nets on turret and hull front. If you like it, I will use similar painting techinques for the '80...

Ready and available in the downloads section real soon! 3 skins, Fin, Armour School and No markings, so something for everybody ;)

Zip

[KevoM1]

I like the "grease monkey" look!

[Zipuli]

Thanks! And how about the tank? ;)

Zip

[congo]

Looking good Zip, while he plays with that I have been concentrating on several of the M113,s. This has been my project for today, After the addition of shovels and tools and such it should be nearing completion. Hey when you need a medic you really need a medic.

[RogueSnake79]

Wow, looking good guys. Love the muddy Leo, and the 113.

[KevoM1]

any of them up for download yet?

[Fabfire]

I've just downloaded the muddy Leo 2 - *amazing* work! :cool3:
Thanks a lot for sharing.

[congo]

Kevo,

Not yet, be patient I'm not happy with the 113,s yet. Soon