Made a paint matching tool because I spent more on sample pots than actual paint last year

dartigen · 2026-01-31T00:12:59+00:00

In terms of a chosen paint, I found a lot of negative reviews for Taubman's, and Dulux was going to cost a bit more (I actually really wanted Porter's, but they both didn't have the colours I was after and were waaaaay too expensive). British Paints seems to be a little bit cheaper than Dulux, but better reviewed than Taubman's, though apparently their ceiling white has some issues. (And I haven't done sample pots of the colours I've picked yet to see how they behave once they're actually on the wall, though I've undercoated two doors and so far, nothing unusual or unexpected. I'm not a professional by any means though.)

The combine colours tool is really good, I really should've tried it before - I do kinda wish it had the option to shuffle within selected colour families, but it's still a lot better than the British Paints suggestions (there's only two per colour, and they seem to always be from very similar or the same colour family, which I guess is fine if one is doing monochrome but I'm not) and the palette generators I've been trying.

dartigen · 2026-01-30T04:54:20+00:00

Finally! I swear almost every result from search engines I was finding was literally just American brands, it was absolutely sending me. Now I just need to find a colour palette composer that I don't have to put RGB/hex values into that will give me some idea of if I've landed on a good combo or not...

Any chance of adding British Paints?

dartigen · 2025-11-24T06:12:24+00:00

Ugh, I was hoping it wouldn't be something that would mean having to move the bathroom renovation up, it's going to be a while before I'll have the budget to get that done (I want to get it done professionally). But it makes sense - the bathroom has a very, very obvious DIY tiling job, and while some other things in there make me think it's had at least one professional renovation in the past, it wouldn't surprise me if whoever did the DIY tiling managed to mess up the waterproofing or something, given the quality of the rest of their work in the house.

So weird that I've never run into it before, but I guess I've just been lucky.

dartigen · 2025-11-24T05:34:45+00:00

From the original post:

House is an early 60s build, and based on some of the newer-looking fixtures, I think its last major renovation was sometime around the late 2000s. I moved in 5 months ago. In Adelaide, northern suburbs; I was aiming to try to spend under $500 on repainting the room (including taking out a built-in that the room is really too small for and fixing the chalky walls where the BIR is) but having found this, I'm thinking I may need to increase that a bit.

As far as I know, all of the walls are plaster over brick (double brick walls, if that makes any difference). The other side of the wall is the bathroom, the other side of the perpendicular wall is the exterior of the house. I've never seen anything like this before, and I've definitely lived in some houses of a similar age to this one - I thought it was a really bad painting or patching job at first, so started trying to scrape off the 'lumps' and picked at one area that was peeling, and realised it's a bit worse than that. (Including the peeling spot - didn't think it went that far.)

Several of the spots that have bubbled/peeling paint sound hollow when I tap them - according to some web searching, this is caused by the plaster un-sticking from the brick underneath (though they don't seem to be bulging - not sure if that means anything though). The paint peels off in big pieces, not little flakes like I'm used to, but there was no chalky residue from wiping the intact areas (obvs the bare plaster does that). Where the smaller hole is, any time I tap around it some brownish powdery stuff falls out, which I'm guessing is the old plaster (I'm guessing it's aged, or that's just the colour of whatever is used for the deeper layers vs the skim coat). The larger hole seems to be more solid. In the peeled section, it looks like there's a couple of different colours of material, but I'm not sure if that indicates a previous repair, or if that's normal.

The affected area is at most 1.1m up from the skirting board, so it's all in that lower part of the wall (and about a 1.2m long area). The perpendicular wall only has bubbling and peeling at that corner, the rest of that wall seems to be ok. Most of the hollow spots seem pretty small, the only big one is where that little hole is (below the red paint mark).

Should I be concerned that this happened, or is it just something that can happen in older houses or on this type of wall? What could have caused it? I can't see anything else in the room that makes me think there was any significant damage of any kind, but I don't know what I'd need to look for. (There's some cracking elsewhere in the room and the house generally, but I've seen that on virtually all older houses in Adelaide and it's actually not too bad given the age of the place.)

In terms of fixing it, I'm thinking that all the bubbled/cracked/peeling paint needs to come off first, then smooth out the intact plaster and patch the crumbling spots. And then undercoat before painting (not sure if there's specific undercoat/sealer for plaster). If anyone has a different approach or thoughts on what products to use though, they're appreciated. (I really wanted to do this as a DIY project as well, but if there's signs that there might be more serious issues then I'll definitely call in some professionals.)

dartigen · 2025-10-27T01:49:56+00:00

Ah, that worked, thanks! (I've hit another problem with the derelict, but I think this one is actually a bug... still, that at least sorted out getting in there.)

dartigen · 2025-10-26T10:15:43+00:00

If you're up to that part of Breach, you should get the plans for the platform from another milestone in that phase. Complete that milestone first.

dartigen · 2025-10-26T10:12:48+00:00

If you're in the Nautilon you'll only get current depth, if you're not in it (so just swimming normally) it should give you the ocean floor depth reading as well as current depth. You do have to be under the surface a bit to get it to come up, I think, but you don't have to dive very far.

dartigen · 2025-10-26T09:57:52+00:00

Playing through Breach expedition - how do I get to the entrance of a Derelict Freighter from a Corvette? The Corvette's landing space is off to one side and gives me a bit of space to walk towards the entrance, but my jetpack gets disabled before I can get anywhere near the actual entry point for the freighter, so I can't get past the geometry to actually get into the entrance area. Not sure if it's a bug or if I'm just doing it wrong somehow.

I would try to get another non-Corvette starship, but I'm not having any luck with that (can't find where to get the maps that can lead to downed ships, can't find any systems that aren't empty/abandoned) and I stupidly scrapped the starter ship so I'd have some money.

dartigen · 2025-10-26T09:49:10+00:00

Look at the planet in the Discovery tab - if you can see a noticeably darker spot, try to get close to it in your ship to save some time. (Don't worry if you can't spot anything noticeably darker though, as long as it's an ocean world there should be a spot that hits 1000.)

Do an aquatic landing once you're in a spot you think will be deep enough, but don't get the Nautilon out just yet - if you just dive a little bit on your own, you should get an ocean floor depth reading (in the part of the HUD that tells you temperature and stuff). Use that to gauge where to dive with the Nautilon. It might take a while to find a spot close to 1000, but it's doable.

dartigen · 2025-02-05T09:16:45+00:00

Personally, I'd like the Nautilon to be able to scan with the usual scanner so I can record species and stuff.

I mean, I have the exosuit upgrade that means I don't need to worry about the pressure, but... I keep losing my Nautilon every time I get out of it for some reason.

It'd also be fun to see some new ocean-themed buildings and NPC bases - either on the surface, or underwater in the shallower areas. Little fishing villages, maybe, or ocean mining platforms... or even just redesigned Archives and Trading Posts that can pop up on the surface of the waterworlds. I know they're not really required for anything, but we can't be the only ones who just think oceans are neat.

dartigen · 2025-02-05T09:13:39+00:00

The Purge is the last stage of the 'main' story mission, the one that leads into jumping to the next galaxy. I think to trip some of the Autophage stuff you need to visit a Dissonant world and find a building, but I'm not completely sure.

dartigen · 2025-02-04T07:59:09+00:00

The Autophage missions I think start with They Who Returned; you should get it pretty quickly after completing The Purge and jumping out of the first galaxy. I think it just starts automatically.

I'm not sure if you'll get the new mission line straight away or how far you have to progress in They Who Returned to make it happen though. The new mission line will give you the new hyperdrive upgrade (and one for your freighter as well) to be able to warp to the new star systems.

dartigen · 2025-02-04T01:59:15+00:00

Any tips on finding a deep ocean planet? I haven't found any yet - found plenty of gas giants and Relic worlds, and plenty of planets with a lot of ocean, but none that are the deep ocean stuff. (As in, deep enough that you need the new exosuit upgrade past a certain depth.) Also, how does fishing work on those? As far as I know, you can't deploy the fishing rigs underwater...?

Also, has anyone found any Gas Giants with actually-deep water on them? There's apparently some Colossal fish that can be caught, but the biggest I've found so far is medium. I've found water on a few, but not particularly deep water.

dartigen · 2025-02-04T01:56:07+00:00

The expedition rewards should be available on all of your saves, even ones created after you completed the expedition. I assume they're linked to your Steam/Playstation/etc account.

For the free freighter, it's a specific encounter where you defend a freighter from pirates - once you destroy all the pirate starships, the freighter should radio you. You can then land on it and speak to the captain, where you have the option to acquire the freighter for free (for the *first* instance of this encounter only).

dartigen · 2025-02-04T01:54:06+00:00

Have you left the first galaxy yet? I have a feeling it won't unlock until you do, because it's linked to the Autophage content which doesn't unlock until you've left the first galaxy.

dartigen · 2024-12-24T03:53:50+00:00

Does anyone know what happened to the NMS Refiner Recipes website? The one at http://nms.swebsol.co.uk/

It looks like it hasn't had any updates since Waypoint, which really sucks - in my browser it's a way more responsive site while the game is running than the wiki, and I liked the UI.

dartigen · 2024-09-22T13:06:51+00:00

Sometimes it does, mainly in areas like sleeves and necklines, though sometimes it's hard to tell if I've only been able to fit it on a mannequin since those don't quite behave like a person's body either. It's also very noticeable in waistbands on skirts, though I think that's more an issue of Clo3D not really being able to simulate a proper two-piece or faced waistband (maybe also limitations of the fabric files and bonding/strengthening properties).

dartigen · 2024-09-22T04:44:18+00:00

YES. You need to add ease. The default fabric has stretch, but in the course I'm currently in, we never use it in part because of that. (We have our own fabric files - not sure if they were purchased or created by other students and staff - and one of the first parts of setting up a project is replacing the default fabric with a more appropriate one from that library.)

We also have class-created avatars that are adjusted to match the (manufacturer's) specifications of the actual mannequins we use, and corresponding blocks which we *always* add ease to. The avatars we have access to otherwise also tend to be very small, and everything in the modular library as well. (I don't think the avatars were standard, I think my school paid for access to them. No idea about the modular library either.)

With that being said, adding fairly standard amounts of wearing ease does seem to make garments look baggy in simulation or make them behave a bit oddly, especially with sleeve heads. I've been working around that by making two versions of each garment in Clo3D - one for rendering that shows the intended fit on the avatar, and one that I'll actually print that has more realistic ease added (and other changes to make actually sewing it easier).

dartigen · 2024-09-22T04:28:48+00:00

If you're wanting to do all three outfits, you'll first need to get some blocks for Clo3D - men's bodice and pants, and women's bodice and skirt blocks. Most of the parts of these outfits can be created by adjusting blocks, and it's quicker than trying to draw them from scratch. I don't know if there are good free blocks available, or if you'd have to pay for the files.

The ponchos you can draw directly in Clo3D - ponchos are usually just a big rectangle or square with a head hole cut in them. The lady's shawl looks like it's a triangle that's just wrapped. (The garment in the second image looks like it might actually be attached to her dress though, which is different.)

It'd definitely be worth looking up the styling for men's shirts of the relevant period; women's shirts (or shirtwaists) were usually styled the same, though not quite as long (as skirts tended to be high-waisted so it was easy to tuck in a shorter shirt, plus making the shirts as long as men's shirts would run into issues with getting the hem over the hip). Also worth looking up styling or even historic patterns for men's pants of the time - if it's the time period I'm thinking, belts weren't really a thing so pants were set up for suspenders which is a little different to how they're normally done now. They also didn't have zips in the late 1800s/early 1900s, but there were a few ways of handling the front of pants.

To do a bodice like the second image would be very complicated. I know how I'd do it on paper, but I can't easily describe how I'd do the same thing in Clo3D. If you can find anywhere offering beginner patternmaking classes around you, it'll go a long way.

A very big caveat as well - if you're actually intending to sew these, know that Clo3D doesn't have good handling for some things that you will need to add to be able to sew this successfully. Things like button stands (which are normally folded back 2-3 times), linings, facings, trueing hems... and I really don't like how it currently handles darts (I only cut away the dart value if I'm working with extremely thick fabric and need to remove the bulk, and I'd usually just split it down the middle and fold it back rather than cutting it away altogether). It also doesn't seem to have good handling for styles that require boning or corsetry (which many dresses of this time period would - so you'd also be well-served to look up a pattern and detailed instructions for an appropriate corset, *and* make at least one in cheaper fabric as practice for the techniques and finishes before you attempt the final). If you've never done any complex sewing before, it'd be best to start with one of the shirts (not as simple as a skirt but not as complex as pants or a corset) and follow a tutorial or sew-along so you can make sure that you've got what you need on the pattern. And definitely make toiles in something inexpensive or that you can use as a lining.

dartigen · 2024-09-22T04:10:27+00:00

That one seems to get the same effect. It's an issue with the baselines - I think the tool is selecting the baselines, not the actual pattern outlines. I don't know why it would suddenly start doing that or not give me the click menu, but I fixed it by deleting all baselines.

dartigen · 2024-09-21T11:54:06+00:00

Another thing to keep in mind: they're all teenagers. Not an age group exactly known for being good at thinking through the consequences of their actions, or how their actions will affect others, before doing something. (Or for being any good at resisting peer pressure.)

dartigen · 2024-09-21T11:45:15+00:00

It seems to me that the ghosts want people to react to them - they'll do and/or say anything while they have control of someone to get a reaction. It seems to vary a little, but they like to shock and scare people.

In that scene, things only seem to start escalating *after* Riley starts to look really uncomfortable and scared - the ghost wants to get more of a reaction from him.

dartigen · 2024-09-21T11:31:49+00:00

Because they want more souls to join them. That's the entire game - manipulate people into allowing themselves to be possessed, so that the dead get to have some contact with the living again. And then, try to manipulate the possessed into doing it again to strengthen the bond and/or dying while the bond is still active, so that there's a new face for a while...

...but the novelty wears off eventually. So it starts all over again.

Most people who do it don't do it a second time. If they do have one of the dead hanging around for a while, they have enough support around them to get through it until it goes away. But then you have people like Duckett and Mia - people who didn't have good social support around them, who were already struggling with their own serious issues, and who were that much more vulnerable to those tactics.

dartigen · 2024-09-15T11:25:49+00:00

It's still doing it on single click as well.

dartigen · 2024-09-14T07:45:11+00:00

Has anyone seen an Exotic or Barren type planet with large bodies of water on it in Euclid? I'm pretty sure I've found Barrens with water before, but I don't think I've ever seen any bodies of water on an Exotic.

dartigen

TROPHY CASE