posted 12-25- 06:40 AM               

It's really coming along since my last post. I've finally got the new low poly fuselage looking the way I want. It's got multiple texture maps (via the one Tif method) for top, bottom, left, right, name plate (ie Lt Col John Doe), engines, intakes, exhausts (sharing same black mapping) and of course the twin vertical stabs have left and right. Only problem is that when I've done some work on it all I want to do is fly it! It's almost too much fun. I'm sure the FM will go through the ringer once that time comes though. I'm not sure about mach speeds in SDOE, although I'm sure MH could add the option (?). At around 520 it shakes bad. But still, you can go from a very short takeoff roll to 10,000 feet in no time flat. It's way cool!

I wanted to get a Christmas beta out but it's not going to happen. It still has a long ways to go. Things left are...

Texture map the stabilators (full flying stabs - only in pitch, not roll also like the real thing)

Do a couple different texture map schemes from the new high res one I have put together now.

Add working speedbrake and working canopy complete with dofs. Also a working arrestor hook just for fun, for carriers.

Get the canopy glass to look better and work more on it's frame. As for now though it works and is transparent as it should be.

Work on an interior canopy texture w/ reflections.

Work on cockpit layout, then gauges. (sorry no guided missles. It's very fun doing guns only with these planes).

And last but surely no least, the flight model.

Then it's onto my favorite jet, the F-14 Tomcat, followed by a C-5 Galaxy, and then an F-86, and finally (maybe) a C-47. All is subject to change however. I just spent a bundle of money today on more books about these planes as references to my models.

posted 12-25- 07:02 AM               

WOW see what little break from SDOE can do!

Maybe we should all do this every couple months take a month off.

You are back in force man glad to see it.

hehe k i know its your baby and all and you want to finish it but i REALLY want to fly it.

hehe

I'm not a big lover of the f14 but the C-5 could be really cool

the one i really want though is the f86 If ya do someone should make a Canadair version. If i remember correctly it was the most powerfull one.

A C47 would be great.

anyway keep up the work and sign back onto the active list man. You can get really good help from the rest of the guys on this stuff.

I ask razor747 and SV, Jag, Tail, and razer and others stuff all the time.

posted 12-26- 07:46 AM               

Saturday I installed a speedbrake. It uses shift-S to work and work it does! (the dof that is, the actual airfoil property isn't done yet to affect the airflow over the plane). I tweaked the fuselage some more and put in a cockpit floor so you don't see through it anymore when at certain angles.

Installed both rudders but am having a heck of a time with the dofs. Right now the left one operates backwards and OPS is refusing to let me switch it around. I can do it but when I save the file it does a quick flop-aroo and ends up not right. The right rudder... don't ask. It does nothing. Frustrating.

I decided I'm going to add some more goodies though, like a working ladder (looks like a metal rod with three pegs coming out of it) that will extend and retract after you open up your canopy. These things should be finished tomorrow. (ladder and canopy operation)

As far as the animated pilot I wanted to do, I don't think it's possible to have a dof on a pilot. At least I have yet to get it working if you can do it. I wanted to tie in the pilots head turning with various stick movements. Maybe later I'll get this working.

One other thing. The right lower strut extends (reaches out) to the ground when I get a couple feet off the deck upon landing, and actually stays stuck to the ground upon takeoff, for a little extra moment than it probably should. It looks strange.

For Bryan R, is there a bug in OPS that you know of that causes dofs not to "stick" upon saving an sm file? (ties in with what I said above). I hope I can figure this part out as I want those rudders to work/look right.

For Michael Harrison, I did a better laid out texture map in high res and wow, what a difference it makes

More to come.

posted 12-26- 09:13 AM               

I don't know of any problem, but to see if it sticks before you save you can select another part and then re-select the part in question. When you move a DOF the values are applyed directly to the DOF record, and then the actually DOF record values are used to update the position of the DOF widget, so I don't where to hole would be. If you can get a "captive" instance of it I can probably fix it quite easily.