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Are you using Photoshop or Gimp? I only know Photoshop but Gimp should be able to do the same. In Photoshop, I would do all the skinmaking in 4096 x 4096 Pixels which is the 4K size. When ready to save the final version for submission, I go to Image>Image Size (or Alt+Ctrl+I) and change the size to 2048 x 2048 Pixels and save as a DDS. I should be a file size of 5462 KB which is the 2K size. I use BC7 compression. If you want to keep your template as 4k, just click No when it asks if you want to save changes when you close the template (or change it back to 4096 size before closing).

Was having a lot of issues lately with my performance so I did some checking using Claude AI and it came up with this, which I used and it seems to be working a lot better so far. I also attached the pdf version of this. DCS VR Performance Optimization Guide For High-End Systems with Pimax VR 1. ParkControl Setup (Fix Core Parking) Download ParkControl from https://bitsum.com/parkcontrol/ Install and open ParkControl Go to Settings → Experimental Enable "Always Show Bitsum Highest Performance" Return to main screen Select "Bitsum Highest Performance" from the power plan dropdown Verify it shows 32/32 cores (or your full core count) with Parking: Off 100% 2. Process Lasso Setup (CPU Priority Management) Download Process Lasso from https://bitsum.com/processlasso/ Install and open Process Lasso Set the following process priorities: Process CPU Priority I/O Priority DCS.exe High High PiService.exe Above Normal Normal pi_server.exe Above Normal Normal Moza (FFB software) Above Normal Normal PiPlayService.exe Normal Normal Right-click each process → Set Priority → Choose level Select "Always" to make it persistent 3. NVIDIA Control Panel Open NVIDIA Control Panel Go to Manage 3D Settings → Program Settings Add DCS.exe if not listed Set these options: Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance Low Latency Mode: Ultra Threaded Optimization: On Optionally add Pimax runtime processes with same Power Management setting 4. OpenXR Toolkit Settings Setting Value Upscaling Off (use DCS DLSS instead) Override Resolution Off Fixed Foveated Rendering Medium Turbo Mode On Motion Reprojection Auto Frame Rate Throttling Off FOV Override Off Note: Don't stack upscalers. Use either DCS DLSS or OpenXR NIS/FSR, not both. 5. DCS Graphics Settings Setting Value Textures High Terrain Textures High Visibility Range Medium Heat Blur Off Shadows Default Secondary Shadows Off Water High MSAA Off DLSS Quality or Balanced Depth of Field Off Lens Effects Off Motion Blur Off SSAO Off SSLR Off Clutter/Grass 1000 Trees Visibility High Preload Radius 150000+ Chimney Smoke 0 Anisotropic Filtering 16x VR Tab: Pixel Density: 1.0 Bloom: Off 6. Pimax Software Control FOV through Pimax Play/PiTool (Normal/Large), not OpenXR Toolkit Set refresh rate based on what your system can maintain (90Hz recommended) Let Pimax handle resolution natively Key Principles Core Parking - Intel hybrid CPUs (12th-14th gen) park E-cores by default, hurting DCS Single Upscaler - Use DLSS in DCS OR NIS in OpenXR Toolkit, never both DCS is CPU-bound - Many stutters are main thread, not GPU FFR is free performance - Pimax wide FOV makes peripheral quality loss invisible Restart after changes - Especially after ParkControl and Process Lasso setup Troubleshooting Still stuttering? Lower Visibility Range to Low, Shadows to Flat Blurry image? Increase DLSS to Quality, or switch to OpenXR NIS at 85% Terrain pop-in? Increase Preload Radius Low GPU usage? CPU bottleneck - normal for DCS, priority settings help OpenXR Toolkit Settings Category Setting Value Upscaling Mode Off (using DCS DLSS) Alternative NIS at 80%, Sharpness 75% Image Adjustments Override Resolution Off Resolution Per Eye Off FOV Override Off Performance Fixed Foveated Rendering Medium FFR Pattern Ring Turbo Mode On Motion Motion Reprojection Auto Frame Rate Throttling Off Misc World Scale 100% (default) Post-Processing Off Pimax Play Settings Category Setting Value Display Refresh Rate 90Hz Field of View Normal (or Large if stable) Resolution Native (don't downsample) Render Quality 1.0 Smoothing Smart Smoothing Off (let OpenXR handle it) Compulsive Smoothing Off Compatibility Compatible with Parallel Projection Off (unless needed for specific game) Hidden Area Mask On Backlight Backlight 80-100% (preference) Runtime OpenXR Runtime Set Pimax as default OpenXR runtime Important Notes Refresh Rate: 90Hz is the sweet spot for DCS - achievable on high-end hardware 72Hz if struggling to maintain 90 (smoother than missing frames at 90) Don't use 120Hz for DCS - too demanding FOV Options: Normal - Best performance/quality balance Large - More immersion, ~10-15% performance hit Potato - Only if desperate for FPS Smart Smoothing vs OpenXR Motion Reprojection: Use one, not both OpenXR Toolkit's Motion Reprojection generally works better Turn off Pimax's Smart Smoothing when using OpenXR Toolkit Parallel Projection: Leave Off for DCS (not needed) Only enable for games with broken stereo rendering Hidden Area Mask: Keep On - gives free performance by not rendering pixels you can't see Quick Reference Pimax Play: 90Hz / Normal FOV / Render 1.0 / Smart Smoothing Off / HAM On OpenXR Toolkit: Upscaling Off / FFR Medium / Turbo On / Motion Repro Auto Hardware tested: Intel i9-14900HX, RTX 40 series, 64GB RAM, Pimax VR DCS VR Performance Optimization Guide.pdf

Also the latest January Windows security update, is negative FPS'ing gaming with micro stutters on Nvida KB5074109

Beautiful stabilized approach and landing. m2-res_574p.mp4

Let me count the ways... No dihedral on the wings (actually looks like anhedral) means laterally unstable. Tiny vertical fin / rudder for the size combined with that enormous slab sided fuselage with a large percentage of it's area forward of the center of lift. It would swing it's nose like a bloodhound searching for a scent. The horizontal stab also looks too small in comparison to the wing area and the narrow chord elevators wouldn't do much. Yeah, they don't build 'em like they used to...

Caproni Ca.3 (or similar model). The USA flew it also and I think Red Baron 3D had one. There is the similar, later development Ca.36 on display in the US Air Force Museum in Dayton and I saw it during our visit there this last summer.

Understood! I’ll make just one for each unless the policy is changed and I’m told otherwise. Thanks for the heads up.

The current policy is to have only one livery per pilot per aircraft module. When there are two modules in game such as DVII and DVIIF you can have one each. This was implemented in order to keep the Paint Pack size down. Because of the greatly reduced number of active pilots, maybe we should talk about amending this but that would need a JG1 Command decision. Personally, I like the idea of showing a progression of paint schemes for a particular pilot. Didn't MFR have several variations for his Alb DII (or DIII)? From the Dicta PaintPolicy: Basic Standards 2. All JG Nr. I pilots, who are full and active members of the squadron, are entitled to have one personal paint scheme added to a paint pack for every German aircraft flown by the Unit. Reading this would imply that a pilot can have several skins per aircraft from any other 'air force'. Removing the German seems the simplest solution.

Copy, yeah the plan was to just go with the factory light blue on the undersides that comes with the default template. After seeing the kind of things you can do. It will help make the mud stains pop way more than the black or red ever would have. I want my bird looking dirty so stand by for the changes incoming!

I agree, my plan was this D.III Late, and everything later will be pretty flashy with the spirt of it being post JG1 amalgamation. My D.III early and prior I intend to make more historical, with proper camos and such, Being from Ottawa, our football team here is the Red Blacks, and our hockey team is the Ottawa Senators who are also Red and Black. This is the inspiration. My names initials are EF hence the EF in the insignia, and the lightning bolts are to represent my NCIOP/SAC naval background. As seen in my patches here.

That's better. Red might still be a slight bit oversaturated and dark. Take a look at Gabi's D3 for red comparison. Here are the colors: We stick to them as closely as possible in order to have a uniform appearance across the squad. Note the red is Hex: 9d0a0e It looks like you don't have an Alpha layer. The alpha is how you adjust matte to gloss in IL2. It is included in the template and you can see it in "Channels". How are you saving to DDS? I use the Nvidia tool for Photoshop as seen in my post several lines above. I save as Format: "BC7 RGBA 8bpp explicit alpha". Be sure to also generate mipmaps. Have you looked at our Paint Dicta? https://jg1.org/richthofen/dicta/paint-policy/ I lost most of my IL2 / FC templates and skins a few years ago when an external drive bit the dust. I just noted that my D3 skin is in 4K and needs to be re-sized. I'm going to be reviewing our paint packs and moving inactive players to an archive in order to reduce the size of the folders and maybe updating some of the skins.

Here is rev. 1 including my insignia for the web site vonFredenAlbDIII.mp4 v_!_JG1_AlbatrosD3_Late_von_Freden.zip

Great first skin! Please take the following in the spirit of constructive criticism... That red is much to saturated. I'm pretty sure it will glow like neon in the game. I would desaturate it by 30% or so. I like the graphics but why on the underside only? Maybe you're trying to blend in with the ground when low but realize that most players other than JG1 will most likely not have our skins loaded and will just be seeing the default skin anyway. The primary purpose for our own JG1 skins is for ease of ID by ourselves when things get crazy. I can easily pick out Mox or Maus by their particular graphics. Maybe duplicate the graphics on the bottom of the upper wing on the top.

Brown is good camo.

I attempted to get my skin down sampled from 4K to 2K. It ended up just looking like mud. Does anyone one know the exact process to do that? Thanks. Regards, von Freden o7

Hi, I just wrote to you on another thread. It would be great to see your effort but I am unfamiliar with this site and don't know how to access it to download. Would you like to share/collaborate? -george

This livery depicts an East German Mi-8 (actually a Mi-9 a command post variant of the Mi-8) with the identifier number 407, construction number (c/n): 340004 operated by the East German Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte der NVA) Command and Recce Helicopter Squadron 3 at Cottbus ass it was on September 13, 1990 just prior to reunification. Post unification it was re-numbered as 93+97. Following the German reunification, this aircraft was sold in 2001 to Pinewood Studios in the UK and was subsequently blown up during the filming of the 2002 James Bond movie 'Die Another Day' in which it was marked with fictitious North Korean marking "P-71". Although based on number 407 the Bort numbers are selectable. For historical accuracy the exhaust suppressors shouldn't be used but I did paint them to match. Period correct DDR flight suits and helmets. Heavily weathered but I did tone it down a bit from what it actually looked like at the time and it got worse post unification. Link: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3348808/

One at a time is okay. But a bunch is fine too. Whichever is easier for you.

Ever seen this before? https://www.facebook.com/reel/894219852949699

I was always a big fan of the Kennedy Giant. https://plane-encyclopedia.com/ww1/kennedy-giant/ I mean, how could you go wrong!

At the time Patriot and I were also flying RB3 in Jasta 9. I got out of it also for many years until a friend introduced me to VR flying which changed everything for me.

~S~ When you try to cable link, it runs on an endless loop... trying to connect to meta. Fix: Block the OculusDash.exe "outbound" firewall rule.

It has been several years since the heyday of Hyperlobby and Jiri announced recently that he will be closing the Hyberlobby forums. The game server has already been disabled. The last time Jiri updated the Hyperlobby program was four years ago, v4.3.7, and I never got the impression that the update was enough to get Players back into using it. --------------------- For those that still remember their login credentials and want to pass on their thanks or memories to Jiri using Hyperlobby before the final shut down of the site Phantom17 has started a thread at Hyperlobby that fits the bill. Thanks for 25 years: https://hyperfighter.sk/ftopict-10530.html If you still have the same email address or access to it as the one you used when you registered at the Hyperlobby forums and do not remember your password here is the link to the lost password page. Lost Password: https://hyperfighter.sk/account-pass_lost.html Wheels

Update: Seems latest Meta Quest Update solved that Issue; I was able to fly yesterday without any workaround

Hey Gus, I have to apologize; it has been very busy for me on Tuesdays but I do still want to get together someday to fly BMS with you guys. And I have been distracted with a new project....

~S~ The internet "disabling/restarting" was a 80/20 shot for me! The firewall rule was a better option. Going forward, if I can hack out more of Meta through the firewall....lol? I also have virtual desktop, with a $40.00 router, works fine! Thanks

This is what AI is really good for. I hope to see more of this sort of work.

Hello JG1, I had a trip down memory lane and was thinking about the squads I flew with / against in the 90's in Sierra's Red Baron and SimGuild's Flying Circus as a young kid. I was flying with the Arabian Knights and have a lot of fond memories of getting into FC furballs with JG1, flying against Speed, Wolf, and others. I haven't touched a flight sim since then and probably couldn't grab someone's 6 if they were flying in a straight line Anyway, very cool to see that this group has continued on in some form, and I had to drop in to say hello! Cheers, Torment

It seems that this is already a thing. Searches are bringing up numerous sites. Although this seems like a great tool to bring history to life, I can imagine bad actors using it to alter the truth. Looks like we "live in interesting times" as the supposed ancient Chinese curse goes. This is IMHO an example of the benign use of AI: