close enough...
it was blend between Ambient Occlusion (AO) and diffuse texture, here what I do
what I did after mapping and still in max 2012 (don't know 2010 have it) do "render to texture" for:
- baking lighting map to make AO texture. use it as shades. to be note is model polygon must finish with all related model. AO will calculated every polygon shades that are connected/near. I get this technique from:
- baking Normal map. generating bump map.
+ render UVW template as reference
so it pretty much finish with all you do in max and prepare file for texturing.
Texturing:
- make a livery paint in paint software and blend it with AO to make Diffuse texture ready.
- Specular texture I took from diffuse (no AO) then convert it to grey color. I usually not include paint livery on specular as specular is a base material like metal, rubber, shinny stuff, etc.
- night light just keep livery paint and give grey to dim the light or fully black if there no light.
- Normal Map generate from max need to reconvert to Bump Map. check this :
http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=Normal_map_creation
so you have:
Diffuse Texture
Specular Texture
night light Texture
Bump Texture
Done, for preparing texture file. next is playing with FSX material param (ACES tool).
it easy as it typing and reading, but my self very often came back to max to make correction with mapping due to critical area not well mapping. it give more boring, as doing many repetition (learn by doing), but the result was promising.
I know most this flow you already knew. but it just give whole perspective and flow to other new guy want to develop their own aircraft.
I start from this forum, from minus one (not zero, due to learning English), so I'll do same thing as all expert in this forum give me a guide (and I still need a guide).
you have good work too, Sergio.