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FS2004 My first aircraft...

khaos_56k

khaos_56k

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us-maryland
I think it's time to get some REAL feedback. Although I'm quite some time away from completion, and my friends are too kind some times, I'm curious to what other developers might think.

It started off as a CMC Leopard but has mutated into a monster! Well, maybe not a monster, but it's definitely not the aircraft it started off as. I may be getting too far over my head with this but how else can I learn? And I LOVE glass cockpits... can you tell?

The nacelles may look large but they are fairly close to the dimensions necessary to house J85-GE-1 turbojet engines. I decided to attempt recessing them into the fuselage, which didn't turn out too bad considering all the frustration and "bad booleans" I went through just to get what you see.

I've already gotten a taste of what it'll look like from the VC by using the camera views in GMax... What I saw was pretty cool!

So... what do you think?


 
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Yep, pretty good so far! Have you tried to export it yet?

Vitus
 
Thank you for the kind words thus far...

Vitus, I have not tried to export it yet. I'm not sure if I have to have somewhat completed CFG and AIR files beforehand? The CFG-file isn't much of an issue but for CG purposes, I think, I need to look at completing the AIR-file. I'm working on the model, AIR and CFG files at the same time so it may be sooner than I think for an "inside FS look". It will definitely be awesome to see it in FS finally and make sure all the model names and heiarchy work like they're suppose to. I'm not kidding myself though... I expect problems.

Only thing scaring me about the glass cockpit is all the XML and FSUIPC coding I'll have to learn and create... No real coding experience here... Graphically I think I can create nice displays. The ones you see are modeled similar to the Honeywell/Bendix-King Apex Edge system but not exactly.

Hard to believe, Xpand, but as simple as the nose looks it was a real chore getting it to look as good as it does and match the CMC Leopard lines.

I look forward to more critiques!
 
I just can give you the advise to export often! Even if you want to concentrate on modeling for now, use the exporter to check for errors that you might not see in GMax.
The easiest way is to copy one of the default aircraft (in your case maybe the Learjet) and first just edit the name section so that you are able to find your aircraft in the menu. In Gmax add a friendly name and GUID to your model via the FS tool, add a dummy LOD400 and link all the parts to it (or build up a logical hierarchy). Export your plane to the model folder and adjust the model.cfg if necessary.
This works for the FSX SDK - not sure about FS9 though. But that's basically it. If everything is alright, you will be able to see the aircraft in the FS.

Regards
Vitus
 
There is absolutely no need whatever for any LOD400 for exporting.

For FS9 there is only a requirement for an exterior top level node, with everything else children. The node name of "exterior" is the flag that informs MakeMDL.exe to build an exterior model.

For FSX there is no need of any such hierarchical node, nonetheless I still use it simply for keeping things organized. ;)

The other major point I emphasize is that one should UVW Map early and at the very least begin laying out some base mesh for the future template, along with a layer of "base color" and perhaps a swish or too of color stripes... :D

You would be amazed at just how much such a simple thing will go towards keeping one's interest up and the fires of enthusiasm buring brightly.

On a more mundane and practical level, it will make minor blemishes stand out like bright red, sore thumbs... :rotfl:

...which gives you the opportunity to fix such things before they become too difficult to correct, or worse, get forgotten entirely! :yikes:
 
Of course with a texture applied and mapped you can cause a wow-effect that keeps you motivated. On the other hand it can lead to a tripled workload. Why? Imagine you finished your hull, mapped it (phew!) and applied a simple texture to it. You export it and are quite happy with the result in FS. Back to the drawing table you start to model some details and sooner or later you find out that you have to adjust the hull to make a certain thing possible. Minor changes (like moving some vertices) are not an issue but as soon as you start to delete polys and rebuild parts of your mesh you most likely have to remap the whole thing again.

I did this around four times now and every time I also had to readjust the texture to the new uvw map. I'm sick of it. :tongue-ti
Therefore I changed my strategy: I map all the small parts (gear struts, antennas, engine, prop,...) instantly agreeing with Bill that otherwise you quickly miss to map it later on. But the hull will come last!

On the other hand Bill is a professional and he probably knows from the very beginning where to pay extra attention. For me as an amateur this doesn't apply. For weeks I am thinking about redesigning the whole landing gear because I learned many new tricks and clues that now I want to apply to parts that had already been finished months ago :rolleyes:



Whatever you do - if you haven't done it yet, you should have a look at the mapping process. For beginners like you and me it is hard just to understand the concept of it. You might want to have a look at Miltons C162 tutorial. Maybe my unsuccessful attempt for a wiki entry can help your understanding.

Kind Regards
Vitus


edit: I love your signature, it is hilarious! Who's quote is this?
 
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I'm just chipping away at the tip-of-the-iceberg and you guys are giving me AWESOME advice already... THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I agree... I think it's time to export and see what's what and if it even resembles the aircraft. So... export with MakeMDL, use a similar aircraft (CFGs and AIR) as it's "for static testing only", and see what happens? Tonight may be the night then.

n4gix, you've unknowingly confirmed that my hierarchy is correct. I've been following and referring to the SDKs for everything from animation names to key frames... etc... I've seen your posts concerning UVWs and finding the flaws... believe me, you've been guiding me and didn't even know it.

Vitus, I know about the whole rebuilding thing... I've JUST finished my fourth rebuild of the main gear... and this should be the last. Finally I have an assembly from tire-to-trunnion that I'm pleased with.

And the saying... I came upon it during my many random visits to My Little Sister's Jokes website. The saying emulates a frame of mind that I've had for some time. I try not to be so serious all the time... even when all seems doomed.
 
Vitus said:
I did this around four times now and every time I also had to readjust the texture to the new uvw map. I'm sick of it. :tongue-ti
Click to expand...

Um, that's backwards. You should simply need to adjust the UVW Map to fit the texture.

I've done it so many times, it takes about 30 seconds. Bare in mind I'm not talking about a finished product here, only about a reasonable approximation of clothes to cover the nakedness, and in the case of FSX, jumbled masses of tangled, untextured parts... :D

Oh yes, there's another reason. If all parts have a Material assignment, it makes it possible to use the maxscript for "Select Parts by Material" that Hiroshi kindly wrote and I've modified. This provides GMax one of the neat features of Max... :)

----------------------------
I've added script to allow one to place an "icon" on an existing "Mesh Tools" toolbar, or to allow one to create a new, empty "Toolbar" and add the "icon"...

The operation is the same: select one object, then click on the icon to execute the task. This way one doesn't have to keep running the script manually.

This version of your script should be placed in the C:\gmax\stdplugs\stdscripts folder, so it will load and be available everytime GMax is started. B)

Code: 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
--  Description: Object Select by Material	
--  Created:	 18MAR2009 version (0.75)
--  Created by : Hiroshi Igami (Project Opensky)
--  http://www.projectopensky.com
--
--  Modified by : Bill Leaming (Eaglesoft Development Group)
--
--  How to use:
--  1.  Select 1 parts which will has the materials to be selected
--  2.  Run this script
--
--  Known problems.
--  Selects the group when there is a parts using the material inside.
--
--	Added "On Execute do" command, and macroScript menu entries to allow
--	adding this script to an existing "Mesh Tools" menubar, or a user-created
--	menubar.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
macroScript SelectByMaterial
	category:"Meshtools"
	toolTip:"Select by Material"
	Icon:#("Material_Modifiers",1)
(
	On Execute do
	(	
		selmat = $.material
		for i in 1 to objects.count do
		(
			if ( objects[i].material == selmat ) then (
				selectmore objects[i]
			)
		)	
	)
)
 
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:D SUCCESS! :D

It wasn't pretty at first since I did have quite a few scale and vertex errors while compiling. Considering I half-assed a tenth of what you see now two years ago, and just recently jumped into really applying myself, I'd say a few minor errors is nothing. An hour of intensive reconstructive modeling for a few nose gear components, "borrowing and modifying" Lear 45 files, and realizing I was calling out Stilleto instead of Stiletto in my model.cfg...

I seriously though it was going to look like some of my scenery where polygons were everywhere except where they were supposed to be...

I'm secure enough to say I nearly shed a tears of joy! I then ventured to open and close the canopy... IT WORKS!! I cycled my control stick and the stabilators WORKED... backwards, but they worked! I had no VC but I think that's an issue that will go away with proper configurations and files. Also looks like I either have a polygon or vertex issue to "smooth" the areas in front of the intake recesses...

So... as I perfect the AIR and CFG files to conform to my aircraft, it won't be floating above the ground AND these "peeks" will get much much better.

 
dance4.gif
Hey Ken,

congrats! Well done! Could it be that your aircraft is flying backwards (common issue :rolleyes:)?

Keep going!
Vitus
 
Why... it WAS. A quick swing of the ol' top-level dummy object I have the Exterior and Interior linked to made it a two-second fix. I even re-created the polys around the intakes and removed almost all of the odd shading that was happening.

I'm so energized about this I really really really don't want to go to work tonight... but I gotta pay-the-bills.
 
More FANTASTIC progress...

First off, Bill (n4gix) will be so proud of me because I'm starting to create the "techno-color" scheme for the imminent paint template creation. It does make everything stand out!

Whats been accomplished so far:
  • Most of the exterior lighting (80-90%) is in place and functioning. This includes those non-blinding blue-hue taxi and landing lights.
  • Landing gear, gear linkages, gear doors construction and animation is complete.
  • ALL flight controls are modeled, functioning, and animated from both Interior and Exterior.
  • CAUTIOUS flight testing has been started:
    • Take-off has a few minor problems but I think that's a CG and MOI issue.
    • Landing is stable, predictable, and controllable... MUCH better than the take-offs.
    • Taxiing and ground stability is fantastic!
    • Attained stable flight at FL400 with 325 KIAS... I think the aircraft.cfg file is as tweaked as it's going to get so it's off to play with a few final numbers in the stiletto.air file.

There's a long list of things I still need to address and create... but if it all goes as smoothly as everything has to this point... I may be sharing this baby sooner than I expected.





 
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