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Digital camoflage - why??


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I don't believe it has ANY advantage on any subject not actually colored by digitally controlled equipment. If you're hand masking and painting digital camo on a tank, you're wasting your time. (I'm talking real tanks, if you want to digitally camo a model, that's your prerogative.) I believe that what digital camo allows is a computer designed scheme that superimposes several patterns of different sizes kind of fractally. If you look at a digital scheme, there's a large scale pattern that's superimposed with a medium scale pattern that's in its turn, superimposed with a small scale pattern (the individual "pixel" sized blocks). This serves to create the random patterns of light and shadow seen in nature with the "fractal" appearance of individual pebbles, twigs, leaves, dapples...The biggest pattern serves to break up the shape of the thing being camouflaged. The smaller patterns in turn, break up the shape of the pattern of the next larger size.

If you're going to paint an aircraft or a tank, I'd design the scheme with a computer, squares and all, but skip the masking of the little squares and just use spots of sprayed paint. If someone comes up with a computer controlled spray head that can apply a true digital camo to big equipment, it'll be spraying dots anyway. The blocks I've seen on all of the "digital camo" on planes and tanks are way to big to achieve the "fractal" effect anyway.

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If you're hand masking and painting digital camo on a tank, you're wasting your time. (I'm talking real tanks, if you want to digitally camo a model, that's your prerogative.)

If you're going to paint an aircraft or a tank, I'd design the scheme with a computer, squares and all, but skip the masking of the little squares and just use spots of sprayed paint.

Unless you're in an urban environment, with buildings, cars, fences,etc. Then, random-sized blocks of funny colors does quite well on ground vehicles.

Edited by Horrido
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Unless you're in an urban environment, with buildings, cars, fences,etc. Then, random-sized blocks of funny colors does quite well on ground vehicles.

I believe that the British brigade stationed in what was then West Berlin painted all of it's tanks and APC's in a green / grey / black digital cammo scheme for urban combat. I can't dig up any pics at work but I seem to recall that it was pretty effective.

Also, I believe that the US Army during the 70's also experimented with a digital paint scheme on some of it's West German based tanks and tracks. They painted black and brown squares over the OD vehicles.

Edited by 11bee
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Another thing to factor in is how well the pattern conceals you from night vision equip. Some studies show that patterns which provide good concealment during the day actually are substandard when being viewed through night vision gear. The USMC MARPAT is one such pattern.

That came up in another thread and I explained that it was complete "bull manure." -- to put it mildly. Guy Cramer of "hyperstealth" started that garbage to try and sell his camo uniform ideas. In fact as is explained in the link below Guy Cramer also started the rumor that the USMC worked with the Canadian military and its CADPAT experience. (hint: they didn't) Guy likes to talk out his anus.

Since more and more bad guys now have access to this gear, this is yet one more requirement that needs to be considered.

It has been, namely with MARPAT:

As far as the use of colors and the dyes used to print the colors to fabric...that was a considerable portion of our testing as well. We tested the patterns in different levels of light, at different ranges, with the naked eye as well as varying powers of optics. We used night vision with and without IR illumination. We used red lens filtered light, spot lights and regular old Mini-Mag lights. We also got the uniforms wet to simulate a wet Marine who has been sweating heavily or been in the rain. This was very significant as the wet fabric test is what helped make MARPAT so superior. Almost all of the other patterns tested as well as CADPAT failed miserably when wet compared to MARPAT. Wet fabric, at night through night vision painted with IR light is in my opinion one of the best tests for a pattern. So many patterns just appear as a solid black mass in this setting. MARPAT doesn't.

The whole story is here:

http://www.militarymorons.com/misc/camo.html

HTH

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I am going to be a little 'grrr' here - I think what people are griping about is "Pixelated" digital camouflage. CRYE Precision Multicam and the British Army version of same is a "digital pattern" as well.

Digital camouflage can be VERY effective.. in the right areas... :)

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Digital camoflage - why??

Because it looks cool. No other reason for it. Any airplane looks grey at more than about a mile under almost any atmospheric conditions, regardless of what color it's painted.

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I just saw a set of pictures showing chinese tanks. And once again they wear "le derniere crie" of camouflage - a digital pattern. I wonder why digital patterns are that popular at the moment.

I remember reading that some camouflage was banned from use because it had black parts in it. Reason for banning was, that in nature no black exits.... So what about the squares in digital patterns? Those don´t exist in nature, too, but everyone is wearing them.

Is it a fashion trend??

HAJO

I think that it hides the tanks from any planes above or any infantry be cause of the array of colors. From a distance, it can hide, i would say.

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