Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

CONTENTS​:
Preamble 

Prerequisites 

Finding the image 

Procedure 

Tips 

Workflow Summary 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

Preamble
 
Grunge makes models look more authentic.  
 
For those of us without software packages such as substance painter, the idea of adding 
grunge to our models seems like a very difficult task at first. Google searches will often point 
towards the introduction of complex node setups which is not ideal if you are looking to 
quickly add dirt and grime to your model. 
 
This tutorial will demonstrate how you can use resources from the internet to add grunge to 
your model both quickly and painlessly. 
 
This procedure is to be carried out after the final model has been exported with its respective 
diffuse/albedo texture map. 
 
It is important to note that this technique will not be used to incorporate the dirt into the 
normal maps/PBR, only the diffuse/albedo map. 
 
This technique could also be used to add visible surface damage if the appropriate textures 
are found. 

Prerequisites
 
1. A dirt/grunge .png file with a transparent background 
2. A model that has already been textured (1 model with 1 texture map) 
3. Blender 2.79 (the procedure will work similarly in 2.8, but I am using 2.79 for BI 
engine to keep things quick and simple) 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

Finding the image

Google something along the lines of ‘​ dirt overlay transparent png’ 

 
For this tutorial, I am going to use the image below, sourced from h
​ ere​: 
 
It m
​ ust have a transparent background​ as it is going to be used as an overlay on top of our 
object. 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

Procedure

1. Back up the original texture map as the dirt will be transferred directly onto the .png 
file and the original will be overwritten. 

2. Here is an old model of mine. Buildings are never this clean in real life and ambient 
occlusion still doesn’t cut it. 

3. Make sure you are using 1 material with your diffuse texture assigned to it and with 
the appropriate UV map. My UV map is called ‘final’ and my texture file is called 
jpjets1.png 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

4. Add a new texture slot for the grunge, and import the grunge texture you found earlier 
into this slot. Make sure to select show alpha. Deselect the slot otherwise it will 
overlay the grunge everywhere. 

5. Go into edit mode and select the faces you want to add dirt to and hide unwanted 
faces accordingly 

6. Go into texture paint mode and select ‘face selection masking for painting’ 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

7. Edit the brush by selecting the grunge texture in the brush texture slot. Also make 
sure alpha is checked. Adjust brush strength accordingly. 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

There are several brush mapping options, but the main two are: 

a. ​Random brush mapping (used in this tutorial, recommended) |​ Looks 

better and randomly paints parts of the image texture when using the brush. 

b. Stencil brush mapping​ ​|​ Uses the texture file as a stencil and simply projects 
the image as you see it onto the selected face when using the brush. If using 
an alternative keymapping layout (i.e. LMB instead of RMB, you can use the 
following keybinds) 

 
Action  Key Mapping 

Move Stencil  RMB (hold) and/or adjust viewport 

viewing position. 

Rotate Stencil  Ctrl + RMB (hold) 

Scale Stencil  Shift + RMB (hold) 

8. When done, opening the image editor window will reveal that a new texture file has 
been created with the same name as the original model’s texture file. Save this and 
you’re done. 

Tips
1. Think about where you place the dirt. In this tutorial, I added dirt to 
random places for the sake of demonstrating the technique 

2. Vary dirt strength 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

3. Vary dirt texture file 

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Adding Dirt to Xplane Models | Blender

Workflow Summary
 

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