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Recommended- replace your skybox file


Captain_Colossus

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For the newest install of SB Pro PE (2.460)

If you haven't done so, go to:

http://www.steelbeasts.com/Downloads/p13_sectionid/274

And download Jaguar's Sky Texture Pack ver 5.0 - it's not the skies you'll want, but the

skydome2_1.x file included in the group.

1) Rename this file skydome.x

2) Go to your SB Pro PE > models directory

3) backup the existing skydome.x file- note: this is not a mod folder, so if you overwrite this file, the change is permanent and you can't go back.

4) move the 'new' skydome.x file into this folder

While this file is older than the skybox file included with ver 2.460, it's superior in my view- it reduces the stretching effect and looks much more natural; details such as low clouds or subtle transitions in the color of the sky low to the horizon are possible, whereas in the current version the horizon gets stretched and always gives the appearance of haze.

SS_10_41_12.jpg.f9de28fce35bd82c65c8bc38

SS_10_40_04.jpg.d545717b8d38e406f93b9d6c

SS_10_41_12.jpg.f9de28fce35bd82c65c8bc38

SS_10_40_04.jpg.d545717b8d38e406f93b9d6c

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Well, it's the perspective of distant clouds- they're not on ground level. They way it is now, the horizon is always going to be a solid color- a solid pink, solid white, solid blue, either eliciting a haze or an artificial solid wall of color. This makes the sky look closer to the thumbnails- of course, that's up to your taste.

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For me the problem with this is that the clouds are "sitting" too low - seems almost like on ground level - if you know what I mean.

i agree. there is not "inifinity". I believe you can see about 25 miles before you should not longer see any land -- after that is should be the murky, haze of eternity :biggrin:

Can anyone adjust that sky box to allow a little of the stretching at the lower levels? i agree that some textures stretch too early. CPT Colossis is on target with that last pic.

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Even if someone doesn't like clouds which apparently lie lower on the horizon, you also don't have any subtle graduation in transitions and blending of tones at the horizon, either- you just get a solid wall of color.

I tried making skies with sunsets dipping below the horizon and raging fires going on in the background; since the skydome creates gaps at these lower levels, the effect always appeared as if there was a half sun in the sky, or the flames were beginning up in the sky rather than at ground level.

With the old skydome, it's entirely possible to do- but still, there is a lot of stretching which washes out the detail. I'm still experimenting. Here is a pic of what I mean- you cannot do this with the current file, since it cuts off or shifts everything up away from ground level quite a bit

56e83c7b40e82_oil_fire_sky_1(2).jpg.157b

56e83c7b40e82_oil_fire_sky_1(2).jpg.157b

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In the new sky textures, the bottom segment is used to specify the fog color. In this way, you can have your fog appear as a unique color of your choosing. You are right too, the new textures appear higher now in the sky because (from what I can remember) mountainous maps had a very odd and terrible looking sky texture because of the lower horizon in many places.

Unfortunately, no one ever intended on having anything other than clouds displayed on the sky dome so your sky texture will probably not work well anymore, unless you have dark fog fade into it from the bottom.

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Right-

http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3861&d=1152534922

This same scene with the current sky dome would paint a solid grey wall- not really eliciting a sun set, but as if industrial pollution had deranged the earth's climate. You could never have the sun and color tones blending and transitioning from one to another that low in the horizon.

Furthermore, since the current setup won't permit detail as low to the horizon, that would mean that a setting sun would have to be placed further up in the sky- in that case you would have an afternoon position of the sun but red-shifting as if dusk were setting in.

Major Magee, what program are you using to do this?

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