How a custom iRacing livery actually gets on track
Everything below is the real mechanics: what iRacing wants on disk, what Trading Paints does that your own paint folder cannot, and what a designer needs from you before a single panel gets drawn.
The file iRacing wants
A paint is a TGA image drawn on that car's template. It is named with YOUR iRacing customer ID, because that is how the sim knows the paint belongs to you:
| What you want | File name |
|---|---|
| Sim-stamped number, iRacing draws the number | car_yourid.tga |
| Custom number, the number is part of the art | car_num_yourid.tga |
| Spec map, controls gloss, matte and satin | car_spec_yourid.tga |
It lives in Documents/iRacing/paint, inside the folder named for that car. Customer ID 9001 painting the RT2000 ends up with Documents\iRacing\paint\rt2000\car_9001.tga.
Most cars take a 24 bit TGA with RLE compression. Cars with paintable windows, Supercars among them, need a 32 bit TGA carrying the template's alpha channel. Getting that wrong is the usual reason a paint refuses to load.
Sources: iRacing support, "How do I custom paint my iRacing cars", and the Trading Paints car template library.
Your paint folder shows it to you. Trading Paints shows it to everyone else.
This is the part that catches people out. A file sitting in your own paint folder renders on your own machine. The forty other drivers in the session still see the default paint, because they do not have your file.
Trading Paints is the service that closes that gap: your paint is uploaded once, and its downloader hands it to everyone else in the session. If you want to be recognised on track, that is the step that matters.
We deliver both routes with every job: the files named correctly for your paint folder, and the artwork ready to upload to Trading Paints, plus the walkthrough if you have never done it.
What a designer needs from you
The car
The exact car in iRacing and the series you run it in. A paint is drawn per car: a GT3 design does not transfer to a Next Gen stock car.
The number
Your car number, and whether you want the sim to stamp it or the number drawn into the artwork.
Your customer ID
Your iRacing customer ID, so the delivered files are named for your account and load the first time.
The look
Colours, any sponsor or team artwork you have the right to use, and two or three reference liveries so the style is not guesswork.
The date
The race it has to be ready for. The quote comes back with a delivery date against it.
The extras
Helmet, suit, or a full team set on one design. All of it is drawn together so the package matches.
Questions drivers actually ask
Will this work in a league or a hosted race?
Yes. The paint is tied to your customer ID, not to a session type, so it shows anywhere the other drivers are running the Trading Paints downloader.
Can you do a replica or a throwback?
Yes. Replica schemes, throwbacks and full sponsor sets are everyday iRacing paint work. Bring references and any logos you have and they get drawn properly on your car.
What does it cost?
Every job is quoted against its own brief, because a single car with your colours and a full team set with sponsor artwork are not the same piece of work. You get the price and the delivery date before anything is charged.
What if I have never installed a paint before?
Say so in the brief. The files come named correctly and we walk you through the folder and Trading Paints until it shows on track.
Ask it in the Discord
The studio, the work in progress and every wrap request live in the Clanker Graphics Discord. Come in and ask before you commit to anything.