Wrap up: additional notes

Now with this information, you can pick any weapon you already have, no matter the wear level, and edit the settings in the various txt files and pack it up into a VPK as per standard proceedure. The game will then display your edited version obviously. This will allow you to test your skins without having to get a special or rare weapon to test against. A factory new might be a little easier to use, but that's only because the settings in the master file for factory new are at the top of each skin entry in the text file.The various transforms that are avalible will allow you to place any texture onto the weapon at any angle or scale. It should help you place the patterned files exactly where you want in relation to the exisiing UV's. This with the selection masks or 'groups' should allow you to also mask out any part of the model per pattern to get your desired skin as efficently as possible.Hopefully Valve will give us a proper skin tool this year or the next, but in the meantime you can get yourself started if you'd like to skin some weapons now.As you know, Valve isn't taking any new skins 'yet'. They are more than likely porting the CS:GO workshop skin tools/codepaths as of this writing. As that work happens, they are also building a body of textures, bodygroup masks and skins that will set the quaility bar for users.With this in mind, if you want to make skins that will have a reasonable chance at getting choosen once they open the doors, here's some thoughts to help you "think like valve"Try to not make new bodygroup masks, if at all possible. There's a handful already per weapon and Valve will always be as stingy as possible when it comes to these sort of textures.Every new texture you add is negitive. Yes, you will almost always need to bring at least one new texture to your skin. That's not really a negitive but beyond that it adds up quick. Make sure you use the transforms to move and rotate your and Valve's exisiting texture[s] around rather than make new ones.With the pallete of colors that Valve has already made you shouldn't have to make any new ones. Exisiting colors can be modified in the material to get a particular hue you might need. The same goes with all the textures in the /patterns directory. There is even some gradients in there. Use them first and foremost before making one yourself. You will spend more time with your material options than any TF2 system before this.None of this specifically covers the topic of stickers, again the same idea from CS:GO. They are being used on some of the skins already. If there's any interest, I can explain update this information dump for them as well. They aren't very difficult to figure out and if this all made sense, you'll probably be just fine.I'm totally down for updating or refining any information here that I've gotten wrong or could be explained better. Just chat with me in the comments below.