This is the discussion thread for the Paint the Merc competition. You can talk and chat about the comp in here. Do not submit your entries in this thread. They won't be accepted. Use the proper entry submission form. To go the official comp page click the following link: Paint the Merc.

Hey all interested in participating! I just noticed the maximum file size to upload into autemo is only 2MB and that's not going to be enough for the resolution needed.

I suggest you send your design in at least 8000x8000 size and to do that, here's my e-mail address where you can send up to 25MB files: [email protected]
8000x8000 image in about 8MB size should be enough.

Of course, if you paint it smaller than 8000x8000 pixels there's no point in resizing it bigger. But be aware that it will look blurry on the car if the resolution isn't high enough. And that might cost you some votes!

i'm with you on this project

is that better with an eps file ?

i'll going to try a crazy skin on
i have somes ideas...

Awesome! I can't wait to see your crazy design.

I'm not sure if Maya will read vector shapes. Just maximum quality JPEG is fine. Just make sure you send it into my e-mail so I can use the high res version. You might need to upload the smaller (less than 2MB) into the competition page as well so that it's included into the voting.

hey Ollite
just a question, is it possible to have design on the rear glases

for names of pilots or to continue de graph on it !!
idem for the front lights

say me and i adjust this

Brilliant idea and one of my all time favorite cars as base. I think I'll be using it as a boost to get back to graphical work as soon as my exams are over .

Stupid question perhaps, and sorry for the double post - I cant seem to find the wing elements on the front bumper on the UV map? Could you point them out or mark them? Possibly remove the text from the hood aswell?

Sorry guys I was in New Zealand last week so I couldn't reply sooner.

Anyway, window glass is of course different material than the car paint so that's why it's not on the same UV map. At the moment (due to me having a lot of stuff to make this work as it is) it's not possible. Same goes for the black bits such as the canards on the front bumper so for this comp they're going to stay glossy black. Text on the hood is just another reference to see where and how it's laid out on the car. Just ignore that and make your own decals on it. You can easily just screen blend the UV map and paint under it. When you save, turn the reference UV map lines and silly reference graphics off. I'm sorry if the bonnet text makes it a little messy.

I was thinking that after the comp I'd send you guys the renders so you can touch them up however you want to and post them somewhere else, like deviantArt. Maybe add some small details or do a background swap as well. How would that sound like?

Sounds great ollite. Though my main concern at the moment is the proportions of my livery. Once it becomes stretched over the model the proportions will probably mess up bigtime. It's hard to judge the depth when polygons are clustered together a lot. Any chance I can get you to send me a test version of my livery before the final post? :p.

Also I've always wondered - how important is it to "colour between the lines", so to speak. What happens if I go outside the map for a bit? Again with those clustered polygons even the thinnest line might turn into a big stripe. Kinda makes me wish I could airbrush directly onto the model, but the software needed for that is pretty high end.