How do I add details and textures?

[aeryn43]

Help!!...managed to design vehicles in Metasequia, and to even unflod them in Pepakura, now all I need to do is add graphic detail and or textures....HOW?.
Tried downloading free textures, can get them onto Meta but can't get them to look right, no matter how a fiddle with them...
So now i am looking at drawing my own details and have reached a brick wall!....
So... help me ObiWan papermodelers your'e my only hope

[k.warner]

Disclaimer: I am not an Obiwan papermodeler. I am a padawan paper model assembler.

I have just begun experimenting with recoloring models, and I just use photoshop directly on the model pages. I have NO experience in this as far as paper modeling goes... but it seems to me the texturing tools in some of the 3d programs are not up to snuff for what we are doing. When I can figure out how to use the 3d programs, my plan is to import the unfolded graphic into photoshop and color it there in two dimensions. I have a ton of PS experience but no 3d program experience. I bet with a few trys coloring, printing, building, recoloring, printing and building, etc, you can get the color scheme down.

[Zathros]

karl.k.warer, Tons of Photoshop experience is exactly what we need around here (me anyways), actually, someone who could just write a primer, not even too detailed. The problem I have, even with books I have purchased, is that they assume too much of a basic knowledge, as if though you have been doing Photoshop from inception. I have CS3 and CS5 and have learned more bumping and grinding through it than I have through books, but I am getting older and feel like time is running out. I find it hard to justify 3 or 4 hours at a computer making pictures, when I could go into my shop and make a real bicycle frame, weld it up and primer it, in the same time it would take to make a convincing picture of the same frame! The graphic part is my weakness also. I have the CAD experience. Feel like writing a primer?

[k.warner]

MY photoshop experience comes from a few places. First and formost, I taught myself HTML and CSS and freelanced as a webdesigner throughout school to help pay expenses. Inevitably, I had to teach myself photoshop as well to be able to make the web sites look good. Second, when I used to play lots of video games, I used my newfound skill set to produce "signatures" (cool graphics to go at the bottom of forum posts) and other graphics for various gamer groups. Last, I have been commissioned to produce a few logos for various folks, which i developed in PS and finished in illustrator. I am still teaching myself illustrator, as the lossless vectors it produces are invaluable for many different reasons. I tell you all of this to make the point that really, there is a steep learning curve to photoshop. Your best bet is to spend a few hours doing some tutorials (www.tutorialized.com is a good place to start) to get the hang of the interface, and then simply find a tutorial to accomplish what you want to accomplish, and learn a la carte by the technique.

That being said, I would love to write some paper modeler-friendly photoshop tutorials and as I learn illustrator, i can write those, as well. Just let me know what you want to accomplish, and I can write something up. I would also be very interesting in helping to design models.. I can do the shopping if you can do the CAD-ing...:-)