Thanks a lot both for your above comments.
Well, an update. I've worked on a slow pace but I've worked on and improved a few textures and materials for better accuracy as well as the bump-mapping for better visual realism that VSF (and SSE to some extend -if only we could use much more tiled textures to sharpen thse effects and make them graphically much more realistic!!) allows. Below are some screenshots taken about a week ago:
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-7.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-8.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-9.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-10.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-11.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-12.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-13.jpg)
And here the bump-mapping job done so far (yesterday) in order to give a metal/painted/welded look to the hull (click on the large size shots for better seing the effects):
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-14.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-15.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-16.jpg)
Click here for original larger size of the screenshot. (http://www.dvomarinedesign.com/vsf/U-vsf-17.jpg)
I think the four above screenshots are the appropriate example why I do not like the large sized baked textures at all on simulation models since they can't provide the sufficient realism once aboard or close to the model and render the real feeling of the materials used and they're too often a blurry and dirty low resolution amount of pixels when seen from a close viewpoint, although they usually look really good from distance (and for the umpteenth time, I want to be aboard in a simulation and not use it for only looking at ship from distance
) In short, I think it's a non sense to use large baked textures on a simulatin model in general since that doesn't allow a good use (or a use at all) of the bump-mapping effects (unless it is a very large texture on a rather small object like a plane or helicopter for instance) and I think it's now becoming a thing of the past, at least for vehicles. Besides, at least on my computer, I've found out 7 or 8 very large textures are much hardware demanding than 50 or 60 smaller tiled textures, due to graphic memory size limitations. So, large baked textures may not even be of real benefit from a pure hardware point now, at least not in all cases and, anyway, that shouldn't be used when they detract the visual realism so much. I've often said they ruin my experience in a sim as far as visual realism is concerned once aboard.
As far as bump-mapping effects are concerned, I've worked on most of the other areas of the ship as well but I'll post a few screenshots of that in a next post when I'll have worked on them a bit more again. This addon is nearing completion now and the remaining work should not be very extensive now.
DVOMarineDesign (Dom).
Poll
90 (92.8%)