Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: ShadowGorrath on November 05, 2009, 04:16:29 pm
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I think this long topic name explains pretty much what I need ( and a couple of other projects as well, I guess ).
Firstly, are there any models of modern aircraft or naval ships, or something? Buildings, ground units, naval units, something like that? But mostly modern, and/or semi-futuristic aircraft ( like that Su-47MK2 that Esarai made ). Or, if there aren't any, can anyone make some? Low poly is fine, as long as they look like aerospace aircraft...
Secondly, does anyone still have that atmosphere fighters mod? The one with the F-22, alien drones and a Nevada ground model? I've used to have it, but lost it... again. And kinda need a few things from it.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMmhsxv69uI
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Already got improvised gravity. Models is what I need.
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Look for freeware models of planes and stuff.
I'll convert them for you.
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There's a few of my models that are based on real (or fake) aircraft (the f-15, f-5, f-19, mig ferret, the X-30? UAV)
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There were like, SAM in the 158th model dump. If that's useful to you.
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I'm not sure this is... entirely acceptable... but I could reduce the detail on X-Plane's default Nimitz-Class carrier. This would (a.) make it different from what is used in X-Plane and (b.) let the mod run a bit more smoothly due to a reduced poly count.
Being a part of the X-Plane community, I could also try and ask the creaters of the given models desired for permission to port those models from the sim, reduce the detail, make optimizations, etc., and send them your way.
Let's see, you might look into Flight Gear's model library as well, though you'd need permissions as always. Getting onto the site and finding the downloads isn't much of a challenge.
As a last suggestion, you might attempt to rip some models from YS Flight sim (NOT the default models, though). I'm not sure what format they use, but I'm sure I could figure it out. Again, you'd need to get permissions.
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I'd be very thankfull if you could do that, Thaeris. And thanks for the info :D
Snail, I'm already getting the tanks in-game as ground vehicles. And the sattelite too. Unfortunately, the other stuff in the mod ain't very useful. Where to get the SAMs though?
Scooby_Doo, I got the MiG and F-19, along with the Ghost, and would like to use them, if you don't mind. Couldn't find the others.
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Snail, I'm already getting the tanks in-game as ground vehicles. And the sattelite too. Unfortunately, the other stuff in the mod ain't very useful. Where to get the SAMs though?
Somewhere in there.
Problem is that each of them comes as a base of like 5 SAMs in a circle, you can't place them individually. :doubt:
And you have to put them on a flat plane too or else some will be hovering or covered.
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If you think abou missile turrets from 158th dump, I managed to separate one them, so it's possiblem to place them individually.
ShadowGorrath, ask Woolie Wool about those, I had included them into gound extension for Wings, along with the Airport (also diverted from 158th bases).
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By the way, what sort of flight model are you using for this? I know Nuke was working on what seemed to be a fairly sophisticated flight model...
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This video should show the basics of the flight model. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozZkMGVvZMk) You don't see what happens if you slow down though. And I've reduced the banking constant.
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I'm not worried about arcade flight models; it wouldn't be as much fun if it were realistic anyway.
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I'm not worried about arcade flight models; it wouldn't be as much fun if it were realistic anyway.
You lie!
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In all honesty, the Nimitz might be an "under-the-table" job, but it's much too detailed to remain looking as it does now anyway. Thus, it will look like the Nimitz when I'm finished, but not recognizably like the X-Plane vessel.
The other British warships are made by a fellow by the name of Daniel Grimes, who happens to be a friend of mine. I'm sure I could get his permission to modify the ships below for the purposes of the mod. Or, if I do get his permission, someone who's actually working on Shadow's project could probably do it; I have quite a few projects already.
The images of the models were captured in AC3D; the blue points are lights which would be seen in the X-Plane environment.
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Well, they don't seem that much detailed to need reducing polies :P How detailed are these ships anyway ( number of polygons ) ?
Would be awesome to get them though :D
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Well, Daniel's ships are less complicated in comparison; they would need to be optimized, though.
Let's see, in their present, unmodified form...
Nimitz-Class: 45514 surfaces, 135880 vertices.
Daring-Class: 4703 surfaces, 14081 vertices.
Queen Elizabeth-Class: 28059 surfaces, 83826 vertices.
"Stealth Ship": 3446 surfaces, 10338 vertices.
I've never found Daniel's models to be terribly well optimized, so the high figures should be reduced. The vertices were probably not welded, either, so that's why the vert count was so high. I do have more ships as well, if you're interested. I can try contacting Daniel later this week as well.
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Daring and a "Stealth Ship" look quite resonable, assumning that by "surfaces" you mean polygons.
Queen Elizabeth have a bit too much polies, but better computers still would be able to handle that, if only it used one texture for entire ship.
Nimitz needs optimizing, but ships with that polycount can work in FS2, as I recall HTL Karnak have similar polycount.
In fact, texture number is more important than polycount in terms if preformance.
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:wtf:
The Nimitz has far more polies than the QE. All of those models need optimizing as well. Unfortunately, many of the X-Plane models I've seen are not terribly well constructed. This is not referring to planes made in Plane Maker, but models made in Blender, AC3D, etc. Objects are often not formed into a coherent, single object, surfaces are often double-sided, etc. This is easy enough to fix, but it does take time. The X-Plane animations also have no value for the project; someone who converts the model can worry about that. All things in time, though. :D
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GOOD NEWS:
I've gotten a reply from Daniel, and we've thus now recieved the green light for using his ships!
As part of my agreement with him, we'll share any optimizations to the ships with him for X-Plane. This should thus benefit both this project and the X-Plane community. I'll try to start working on the ships this weekend. :D
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Ahem... I believe this is what you were looking for, Nico/Venom's rar, I repackaged:
http://www.4shared.com/file/63705674/c0077f89/AFtest.html
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Ahem... I believe this is what you were looking for, Nico/Venom's rar, I repackaged:
http://www.4shared.com/file/63705674/c0077f89/AFtest.html
Thanks :D
GOOD NEWS:
I've gotten a reply from Daniel, and we've thus now recieved the green light for using his ships!
As part of my agreement with him, we'll share any optimizations to the ships with him for X-Plane. This should thus benefit both this project and the X-Plane community. I'll try to start working on the ships this weekend. :D
Those are excellent news ;)
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The models look very unoptimized and in some parts not very detailed for the poly-count you've given (especially the QE). I guess he wasted many polies on small things like the CIWS and rails, which could probably made more efficient.
You mind posting the models here, or are you not allowed to do so? I'd like to have a closer look at them.
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This might not be untrue. I've found most of Daniel's models to be made with double-faced surfaces. I've actually talked to him about this before as well. Still, it's an easy fix.
".obj" file format for X-Plane is different than the common ".obj" file format that you're familiar with; you'd probably need a plugin for your CAD program to load the base files. When a model is converted for X-Plane, it seems all the vertices are then "unwelded," thus producing a HUGE amount of vertices. This isn't a problem for X-Plane, but it makes a simple model which is just fine for use in the sim seem really unoptimized to anyone else. A simple "weld" performed on the entire model removes thousands of duplicate vertices. So, that too is an easy fix.
Uploading the ships here shouldn't be an issue. What I'll do is delete the lights, perform a quick weld on each model and compress them to a .7z file on this thread. And you're right, they'll need a good bit of optimization. Furthermore, adding more detail/removing detail should be quite easy. I'm personally thinking of adding a vertical launch system to the "XUV" (the "stealth ship") and making a heavy cruiser version of that as well. There's a few other ships I've got on file as well. Once these are good to go, I'll see if any of them are worth the effort. I'll put the files in standard .obj format unless there's a need for something else.
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Didn't a modder from the X plane once make an alien attacker from ID4? Now that would be a blast to fight against... that and 50Km diameter long city destroyers! ;7
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I've never seen that one, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Keep in mind that there's quite a few X-Plane hubs, but the main one is X-Plane.org. Which just so happens to be my original forum home!
Actually, I think a good source of aircraft might be from YS Flight Sim, believe it or not, namely in terms of add-on aircraft. There's two problems involved: YSFS has a file format I'm not familiar with, so ripping models might prove to be a little tough. Second, I'd have to find the original authors of those planes to be able to justly be able to offer them to the project; the latter would probably be the hardest part.
Seriously, check out this MiG-25 and this SU-47 - this might just be the best solid-color polygon modeling you'll ever see. EVER.
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Already got a modified Su-47. And the MiG-25 might be a little too "old" for the campaign :P
Su-47MK2 Berkut-F (http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/6110/su47mk2berkutf.jpg)
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You can always reskin the Foxbat and call it a MiG-50 or something.
Of course, this model may be too accurate to pull this out.
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I was thinking the '25 might be useful as it has great high altitude performance. But then, I don't know too much about your mod or its setting. :P
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In response to the request filed earlier, here are the ships I promised to upload. Except the "stealth ship." I'm personally playing with that at the moment; I'll upload my optimization and the base .obj when I'm done. I've uploaded the file to my SkyDrive as it's about 2MB... too large for a direct post. I really hope this works... If there's a problem, please inform me.
<iframe title ="Preview" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" frameborder="0" style="width:98px;height:115px;padding:0;background-color:#fcfcfc;" src="http://cid-649fdf15ca62becf.skydrive.live.com/embedicon.aspx/.Public/Ships1.7z"></iframe>
These ships are unoptimized apart from (a.) merging the model elements, (b.) removing animations, and (c.) welding verticies. Apart from that, they might be in... sort of an ugly condition. If you want to start playing with them, though, you'l just have to work with it. Furthermore, I'm not going to leave a non-password protected file on the "drive" for much more than a week, so if you need these, now is the time to grab them. Finally, if you're not doing anything for Shadow's project, please leave these files alone - or at least keep them to yourselves. Integrity, people!
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OK, I had a look at the QE, and by removing the F-35 and doing another weld brought down the poly count to 16898, which isn't bad. The modeling isn't as ineffecient as the first pic made it look like, it's just badly UV-mapped with very different pixel destiny throughout the model, which makes it look bad in some places. He used more UV space for the F-35 plus pilot than for the whole carrier!
But (and this is a big BUT) there are numerous holes in the mesh, one sided polygons hanging freely in the air and a ****load of duplicate polygons/edges on the flightdeck (the ski jump in particular is one horrible mess). While those are all fixable quirks, the time needed to correct the mesh would better be spent building it up from scratch properly.
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Might you consider the f-22 and Yf 23 in your arsenal?
the latter especialy is quite interesting looking...
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F-22 is already in.
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Yeah, but "modified" to fit in with the era. Model's the same though. Dunno where to get the YF-23.
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As I've said, I'll happily play with the ships. If all goes well, I might have a refined mesh ready by next week.
As you've seen by looking at the ships themselves though, there's two versions of the British aircraft carrier. If you had to choose only one, which one? I ask as if I start working on one at some point, I'd like to know which one to give priority to.
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Actually, I think a good source of aircraft might be from YS Flight Sim, believe it or not, namely in terms of add-on aircraft. There's two problems involved: YSFS has a file format I'm not familiar with, so ripping models might prove to be a little tough. Second, I'd have to find the original authors of those planes to be able to justly be able to offer them to the project; the latter would probably be the hardest part.
Me and Dysko were going to do this once with Ys Flight models to make a mod using aircraft models. It didn't really go that far, though, since Dysko had RL stuff to do and I lost interest. I have a tool on my old computer to convert YS Flight models to VRML, which you could convert to a more usable file type. I could try and dig that out if you want it, but yes, we didn't really have any luck getting permission to use the models if I recall correctly. I also have a few missile models that do work in FSO that I converted from addon weapon packs that may be useful, but you'll have to ask the creator (TaskForce 58, whose webpage can be found here (http://www.ysflight.ca/)) if you can use them, and they'll need some work done to them.
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As I've said, I'll happily play with the ships. If all goes well, I might have a refined mesh ready by next week.
As you've seen by looking at the ships themselves though, there's two versions of the British aircraft carrier. If you had to choose only one, which one? I ask as if I start working on one at some point, I'd like to know which one to give priority to.
It appears that one is the CATOBAR variant and the other the STOVL variant. It's up to you which one you want for the mod. Apart from the flight deck, the models are identical.
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@ ssmit132: Sounds good. I wouldn't mind having a tool to crack into YS Flight models, if only to fix a few of the ones I've downloaded that have a missing polygon or two in the mesh. And yes, I've been to the TF158 page.
In terms of TF158 aircraft, the advanced Tomcat might be a neat fighter to implement into the game... if only because it looks cool. :D
@ Col. Fishguts: That's pretty aparent - I was curious as to which you'd like to see first. :yes:
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theris, I think I saw a Yf-23 somewhere in the xplane forums, might you confirm?
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@ ssmit132: Sounds good. I wouldn't mind having a tool to crack into YS Flight models, if only to fix a few of the ones I've downloaded that have a missing polygon or two in the mesh. And yes, I've been to the TF158 page.
Thaeris, I've attached the tools here that I mentioned.
The executable you'll want to use is surfview (either with or without the 'o', that only determines whether OpenGL is used to render the model). Once you're in the program, locate the .srf or .dnm file you want to convert:
(http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7531/surfviewopeningfile.png)
This is then displayed in the window (this is a Harrier from Oranleed's pack):
(http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6861/surfviewmodel.png)
To create a VRML file from the model, select the File drop-down menu, click SaveVrml 2.0(V), and then save it:
(http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4853/surfviewsavingasvrml.png)
You should be able to then convert to a better model format (3D Exploration is good for this) and then do whatever to it. Note that you can't do any modeling with these tools if I remember correctly.
Seriously, check out this MiG-25 and this SU-47 - this might just be the best solid-color polygon modeling you'll ever see. EVER.
Incidentally, how were you going to handle these extra polygons? Since you could probably UV map the models once you've converted them, and then many of those polygons would be superfluous, would they not?
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@ Starlord: Yes, there's a YF-23 on the .ORG, but it's derived from an... old X-Plane 6 model I believe. In fact, I've got the plane! You'd want a better model than that for sure, though. I'll attach an image - that should get my point across.
@ ssmit132: Many thanks! AC3D can import VRML without a problem, so I should be able to play with the models. And you're right, detailed YS Flight models model every colored section, insignia, etc., with solid colored polygons. Giving these aircraft (granted we get permission) a texture will markedly reduce the poly-count!
Furthermore, though I don't have a finished ship for you yet, I do have a potentially useful part from a ship. I extracted the UCAV found on the "stealth ship," optimized it, then smoothed the shape. The result is a 260-triangle model - only 9 more tris than the original, unoptimized low-poly version. :cool:
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Now put a Super Sylph in your mod. :cool:
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Well, I decided to try ripping models from YSFS with surfview. The VRML exported fine... and AC3D opened the file in question just fine... but I've got a rather unique situation now:
It seems VRML creates what is interpereted as a group of unassociated surfaces... which for some reason are not quantifiable as objects. This means I can't just select everything as objects, merge it, then weld all the verticies. However, the models are still useable - should I ever get permission to use them. What I've done is somewhat expensive timewise, but very simple to do. I'll select a few surfaces from a region, then save that region of the master model as a new file. I'll then divide it properly and create a 2D mesh with the appropriate number of verticies and surfaces. Then, it's just a matter of draging the verts into position...
The new mesh is a coherent object which can be managed easily. By combining the objects, a refined, optimized model can be produced.
Here's the next question: ssmit132, do you know of a better tool to extract/crack into the .drm files YSFS uses? Or something to create .drm files? There's a few models which I believe are too much for the programs you posted to handle. Then, there's a few models I'd like to edit and then put back into the sim... namely a few Super Hornets with fake weapons pre-attached... By the way, would you like me to try and get a hold of the Super hornet for this project?
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Here's the next question: ssmit132, do you know of a better tool to extract/crack into the .drm files YSFS uses? Or something to create .drm files? Then, there's a few models I'd like to edit and then put back into the sim... namely a few Super Hornets with fake weapons pre-attached... By the way, would you like me to try and get a hold of the Super hornet for this project?
Hmm, I'm not sure, since when I converted the models I was going to use for FS2 it was a rather hackish job. However, you could try looking at the tools on this page (http://www.yspilots.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1589). Sorry I can't help you more, Thaeris.
There's a few models which I believe are too much for the programs you posted to handle.
I wasn't sure whether that happened when I used those programs, but it seems like I remembered it correctly.
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Thanks, ssmit132. I might look into that more in the future. :yes:
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Double post, so it would seem...
I think I'll have to create the new DDG-1000-type destroyer the USN is in the process of developing for the mod. It's just to BAMF. ;7
The UXV is still in "dry-dock," so to say. I'm trying to refine the hull bottom as of right now. Furthermore, as the images I've seen to date aren't fully consistant, I'm just going to use some creative licence in an effort to produce a more realistic ship. I should note that Daniel's ship wasn't spot-on either, and heck, who would have a truly accurate representation of this boat?
...You know, on how it's not supposed to enter service until around 2020?
Here's the status to date (note the rear hull isn't finished yet, and the rest of the hull needs to be refined):
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Dry dock status to date:
(1.) Created new turret. ;7
(2.) Finished the Vertical Launch System.
(3.) The rear hull bottom has been finalized... or it's at least close! Now just to finish the forward hull...
Ideally, the model will be under 4000 polygons when finished.
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Excellent :)
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Happy New Year, FSXCON Team!
I have good news: The UXV LOD 0 is almost finished - at least my take on it. Once I'm satisfied with it, I'll of course upload it here and let everone else take a look at it.
I'm pretty happy with the forward hull - it's pretty smooth and proper, though I'm tempted to cut anchor ports. I'm also considering re-designing the missile launcher system - the current design is a little odd in my opinion. What's getting me now, however, is the finalization of the bridge. For the longest time I wanted to add a small extension to the rear superstructure where some access to the flight deck could be provided. However, upon doing this, I'm not really sure of it. Thus, I'm considering reverting to the original design. However, because I'm not yet decided, I'll put this up to vote... Just keep in mind I'm going for realistic: this is based off of a real-world design concept. The new design is on top, the original is on the bottom.
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Double post for clarity:
OHHHKAY...
In case you didn't read or understand the last post, I'd really like some opinions of the bridge design/re-design. YOUR HELP in finishing this model (with your opinion) is rather desireable at this moment. I'm not trying to be a pain about this, I just want to get this thing done! :yes:
So, if you have some constructive criticism or a reference you'd like to share, please do so. The sooner ShadowGorrath gets this, the better...
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I think that extended version looks better.
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Agreed. That extra bit of detail really makes a difference.
By the way, what is that ship? some kind of Destroyer-sized pocket carrier?
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The UXV is a combination of cruiser and carrier - the aircraft for use on the carrier would primarily be unmanned drones (model already posted :D) and rotary-wing vehicles (helocopters).
The problem (well, maybe it's technically NOT a problem...) with the UXV is that it's not slated to enter service until around 2020. Thus, the only images I've got of it are concept art. This is all and good, but it does prevent me from making a truly accurate ship. Thus, my template for the ship design is Daniel's original model - dimensionally I think it's fine, but it basically needed to be rebuilt. It generally works well with designs I've seen posted for the ship, but it's not perfect...
Thus, I enter a grey area when I start messing with the bridge. No design I've seen for the ship to date has a bridge extension, and it does look a tad strange from the side. I'll post a few links to some articles I found on the net:
http://gizmodo.com/302873/uxv-combatant-warship-made-for-drone-battles-heralds-robot-apocalypse
http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-02/warships-tomorrow
The first artile is pretty silly, but the second is more credible by far... :p
I'm now wondering... what if I just scale up the main superstrcture in the x- ans z-axes? that would help fill in the space while keeping close to the original design, no?
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Oh my! this looks horribly vulnerable to durandal bombs... a couple of these on the strips and the ship is a cripple... :blah:
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Anything is vulnerable to concrete/armor-piercing bombs! :lol:
...Though the Durandal is actually more of a para-retarded rocket...
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:wtf: why on earth would you use those bombs against a ship? Especially as its more likely to trading more armor for stealth (dunno how stealthy it can be with carrier deck though) and mobility.
In case.. i would sorta imagine the naval combatants would be sorta like the new (well.. sorta) SSGN Ohio's except being purpose build design and not a conversion. Big stealthy underwater platforms carrying alone roughly same firepower as normal surface based battle groups. That is capable of slipping past defenses and unleashing holy hell of firepower at moments notice (and possible die from retaliation seconds later... well lets not dwell on the details...)
Given if orbital radar and visual tracking get any better wonder if some one would try to revive the WW2 era Japanese style subcarriers, with VTOL capable crafts... Modern subs (typhoon ballistic missile subs) certainly would be at least quite close to being large enough for such ops
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Given if orbital radar and visual tracking get any better wonder if some one would try to revive the WW2 era Japanese style subcarriers, with VTOL capable crafts... Modern subs (typhoon ballistic missile subs) certainly would be at least quite close to being large enough for such ops
problem with that idea is that the heat signature of a sub is visible to satellites until you get quite deep so it would be vulnerable to detection near its home base and near launch locations, as a tactical option with a couple of squadrons on board might prove handy but i think the cost/benefit wouldn't work out i mean as it stands you would have to spend billions developing the sub either from scratch or modifying an existing hull then there is the aircraft, though Naval F-35's could work from it but i personally would want to maximize the the stealth aspect of the fighters so that means billions on a new fighter design that will see only limited production maybe a dozen squadrons tops.
the idea is cool but wont happen
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Long sentence is long.
However, while this idea may be impractical for use with F-35s, UAVs are a different story entirely.
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Hrm...
Here's the Bridge stretched. It looks a bit more proportionate now...
Please compare this to the concept art in the links I provided... I'd like to know what you think... :D
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:wtf:
Looks like I might have forgot to put on the last attachment...
Regardless, I've got a set of dimensions on the bridge which I'm happy with. Maybe just a few more cuts and she'll be good to go! There were also a few areas in the hull that I further wanted to smooth out, so that's that for the time being.
Here's what I'm on about now: The last VLS (vertical launch system) was a little more "cartoony" than it should have been in my opinion. The individual missile launcher ports were a bit like buttons. The current one would be more of "here's a depression where a door would be, then it opens, then the missile shoots out." The actual change in geometry is very simple, but I'd like to get some feedback before I make the change final. Also note that the new launcher geometry is quite a few polygons less than the prior version. At this rate, I may have a hard time having a ship LOD-0 over 4,000 polygons! :lol:
Ah, and just for fun, I'll put on a last attachment...
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You can make the number of firing points in that VLS a bit smaller if you remember that some (some of the currently used VLS systems) use revolver type setup instead just having every missile ready to launch (and that maximum number of firing points per turret is 10).
You can also notice that the freeboard in the aft section (under the flight deck is rather small.. there probably wouldnt be open doors in the side especially if the ship was designed to operate heavier seas than on Baltic, Black or Mediterranean.
Pics of older equivalents:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moskva_class_helicopter_carrier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cruiser_Jeanne_d%27Arc_%28R97%29
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Well, all I've got to work off of is a few bits of concept art I've seen. Even then, those pieces don't necessarily match up with each other. Then, as my ship is basically using Daniel's old vessel as a template, it's still further off. However, in my defense, I'll cite that this thing won't enter service until 2020, if it does at all.
Actually, I was thinking that the VLS would be divided into seven different "turrets," allowing you to use all twenty-one firing ports. Thus, you could have anti-ship missiles, anti-fighter missiles, and interceptor-type weapons at the ready with no real targeting delay. As I haven't put any Phalanx or RAM batteries on her (and I don't know where I'd put them, either), this makes for a still formidable ship with eight turrets. That would take care of that issue.
Next, there's just over 12 meters of space between the top of the deck and the bottom of the hull where the VLS is mounted. That's more than enough space to accomodate any common ship-based missile. The only issue then is rationalizing the reloading mechanism. Perhaps below decks you'd have a loader that would raise a missile into allignment and then push and lock it into the firing battery? That wouldn't be a problem for a system like the Harpoon SSM and most imaginable SAMs, but it starts getting dicey with a system like the Tomahawk. I could reduce the number of launchers if necessary, but I'd like to keep the general configuration as it fits the hull well. Keep in mind that all of the concept art I've seen has fairly tight groupings in the launcher positions.
As a general idea for the forward portion of the ship, this is where you'd have magazines (for the cannon, the loading system for the VLS, missile stowage, etc. The UXV is supposed to be able to run with minimal crew, so this doesn't impose too much upon the ship, either.
Lastly, the cuts in the side are again based off of concept art. The UXV is part cruiser, part "whatever." It can be used as an assault ship, a carrier, etc. In the assualt roles, the opening on the sides are quite valuable. If the ship was employed as a mine hunter using unmanned mine hunting drones, the ports would again be very welcome. The ports would also be closeable, thus aiding in rough sea operations. Strangely, the elevators to the flight deck would have to be mounted on deck, making hangar management a little hairy. So you don't have to go fishing for concept art, I'll show you what I've found on the web:
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Almost looks like half battleship half cruise liner LOL
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Still tweaking... and they're rather small but notable tweaks...
The rear hull originally had an angled cross-section all the way down. This was a little odd to view from the rear of the ship, so I decided to swing the ramp/deck a few degrees inward to bring the flight deck over this section properly. This also is a little more accurate to the available concept artwork. I suppose I'm fairly confident of this change, but I wanted to get some feedback before shelving the old rear hull design entirely... Criticism is welcome. :)
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The new aft looks good.
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Right. Good stuff. :)
...Once the bridge is done, the flight deck details should really be next to nothing. I'll make a completion estimate for some time next week. :yes:
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By the way, what sort of flight model are you using for this? I know Nuke was working on what seemed to be a fairly sophisticated flight model...
my flight model is pretty badass. but its nowhere near stable. it has very good atmospherics so far, with atmospheric layers (the earth profile uses the inernational atmospherics model, i also integrated a mars profile that nasa uses) and variable density at different altitudes. weapons are now supported (missiles are buggy and innaccurate right now), ballistic and missile type weapons are effected by drag and gravity, missiles can have thust so they can accelerate after being launched. fully newtonian physics in space (and atmosphere) with both planar and spherical gravity sources (spherical atmosphere will come later) and now preliminary angular physics. physics info is stored in a parsed table file (physics.tbl) so each ship can have its own physics variables. you can also do away with wings and set a vtol thrust so you can simulate helicopters, harrier jets, and other vtol craft.
of course all this cool stuff has a few issues, ai has no clue on how to fly with the physics, freespace physics get in the way and cause some degree of error and likes to throw up asserts all the time, and i havent coded support control surfaces yet (current angular physics make things difficult in the atmo). i also want to simulate engine performance at various altitudes with various engine types. theres also some control issues (freespace doesnt support enough axes to control everything). like i said nowhere near done.
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[borat]
Very niceee... :yes:
[/borat]
Quite cool. Who knew the FS2 engine could be made to do that sort of thing? :D
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Nice boat!
That flight model sounds pretty epic once it gets bugfixed :P
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Oh lol'd
'nice boat' :lol:
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i wonder if i can expand my atmospheric script to include water and buoyancy physics. then you could have boats (and blimps).
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And what about hydrodynamics (underwater physics), like this you could include subs... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Seriously, I'm amazed at what the SCP engine can handle today... Is there something it can't do?
Also, in the case of freespace AI not being cut out for the job in atmospheric or newtonian conditions, do you propose the creation of a custom AI? that might take a huge amont of time, but I think diaspora opted for a similar process for their craft...
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What Diaspora did involved the addition of behaviors to the existing AI.
Adding atmospheric or newtonian AI would be a whole different kind of task.
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And what about hydrodynamics (underwater physics), like this you could include subs... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Seriously, I'm amazed at what the SCP engine can handle today... Is there something it can't do?
Also, in the case of freespace AI not being cut out for the job in atmospheric or newtonian conditions, do you propose the creation of a custom AI? that might take a huge amont of time, but I think diaspora opted for a similar process for their craft...
the difference between aerodynamics and hydrodynamics is mere density.
as for the ai, ive given that some though. what is needed is some kind of middle ware control algorithm sitting between the ai control commands with fs physics, and my physics model. when the ai wants to chase a target, it usually points its nose at it and throttles up. i know if its trying to turn in my direction, and has its engines on full, then its most likely trying to get close to me, likely to attack. so by looking at the desired velocity, and the desired rotational velocity, i can actually get an idea of what the ai is trying to do. right now these are read, put into a -1 to 1 format (desired/max), and is used as a control factor in firing thrusters. the amount of thrust is proportional to the -1 to 1 number. instead of interpreting this value as 'how much torque do i want to apply', it reads it as 'how fast do i want to turn' and thrusters fire until that turn rate is at the desired amount. same goes for linear thrust, the throttle is read as 'speed relative to target' and the thrusters and engines fire to attain that. i do intend to code a virtual fly by wire system, where the script tries to determine your intentions, and then operate the thrusters, thrust gimbals, and control surfaces based on what your trying to do. this is kinda how things worked in frontier.
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Nothin' but Net...
:D
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This project is long overdue for the LOD 0 to be done, but it is close. Unfortunately, it will be greater than 4k triangles, but oh well. Here's a look at the current model (top) and the original (below) as of this point:
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Not bad :)
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Excellent.
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AARRRGGHHHH!!!
THE PRIMARY MODELING PHASE FOR THE UXV LOD 0 IS COMPLETE!!! :yes2: :mad2: :yes:
There are a few things to note for those of you interested in this model:
(1.) Exporting to wavefront object format has REMOVED smooth/flat shaded qualities from the mesh. You'll need to correct this. Otherwise, if you can upload AC3D's .ac format and would prefer to use that, just ask and I'll be happy to upload the source file.
(2.) Sub-objects like "deck markings" were implemented to give an idea for what a finished texture should look like - these were only done for the forward hull. Though markings like this may be permissable for X-Plane, I have a feeling that these will not be liked for FS purposes.
(3.) There is a single "line object" in the turret which was added to give an idea of how the turret should move. Whoever actually models the turret functionality may be concerned with this, though by logic it should move within the parameters suggested by the "deck markings" in the gun pit. Also, the barrel is at a... is it about 10 degree angle? If that's a problem, let me know and I'll upload a fresh file.
(4.) Don't complain about the UV mapping or the texture - it's understood that it's not great. I used what I had to give an idea of what the ship should look like. If you'd like to volunteer to make a new txture for the ship, please do so! Heck, I may not be the best mapper, but I'll even map the ship if you can give me a good texture to work with. Also, I'll see if I can get Daniel to make a new map for the model.
(5.) Otherwise, please comment on, test, and see if any particular region of the model should be improved upon. I've included the original for wahtever purpose you might have for it... What that is is beyond me. :D
*Oh, edited for picture...
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I'd like to again ask for reviews of the mesh (which has conveniantly been posted for your downloading pleasure). Also, I'm considering doing either the new British aicraft carriers or the HMS Daring next - I'm open for suggestions.
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Apparently not one person can be bothered to even say... anything!
...Even after multiple requests for mere suggestion. Oh well...
I was bored and did not bother to use a rendering program...
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It looks good.
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I'd like to again ask for reviews of the mesh (which has conveniantly been posted for your downloading pleasure). Also, I'm considering doing either the new British aicraft carriers or the HMS Daring next - I'm open for suggestions.
I like the HMS Daring. It has a cool tower in the middle, and Wikipedia says its an air defense warship. You'll need something to shoot down all the fighters you made, so it might come in useful.
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'Bout damn time I got a reply!
:p
The problem with the Daring is that it currently exists - this means that rebuilding Daniel's model is going to be a chore (given that I have real references I'll be able to use). Regardless, I signed myself up for the job so I'm bloody well going to do it!
I'm also looking into starting a Zumwalt-Class destroyer... which is more like a battlecruiser, to be honest. ;7 I've already got quite a few good references built up - the real treasure among those is a hull-center section diagram.
As far as what's here already, I'd still love for any modeler who has interest in this project to look at the mesh while noting what I've already said in the release post...
WANTED: TEXTURE ARTIST!
...If you have "mad skillz" with GIMP/Photoshop/whateverelseyoumayhave, I'd love to outsource you to do a 2048^2 map for the ship. Heck, if someone signs up to do this, I'll start LODding the UXV right now...
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Woot! Positions for a texture artist still open!
However, I'll now throw something else to the wind:
A still very, very WIP MBB Lampyridae!
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Triple post FTW!
If you use X-Plane, this is an alternate development of the MBB Lampyridae which will benefit from the same modeling as the one which might be used by DEFCON FreeSpace:
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=44775
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Only registered people can view the attachments there :p
Anything new on the Lampyridae?
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The image on the X-Plane forum shows it with a texture job.
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The image on the X-Plane forum shows it with a texture job.
You mean Barry's plane?
If you want that, send me a PM on the X-Plane.org forum, not here, and I'll be happy to send it to you in the message. It might not work well in X-Plane 9, so if you have X-Plane 8 still installed, use that version first.
Also, you're not missing too much you haven't seen before in those attachments, Shadow. :p
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Oh I was just answering ShadowGorrath's question.
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I did a significant amount of work today on the 'Lamp, and I haz proofs!:
(http://amaqbw.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p6qjgA7WjzqN62F5usg01zRIapcYsRdXYwPUrHiYf6F1BnFg7FsqKsG2VxEJzEU2uQK3Hh2EL6TDaINxFwCJ35hkeRIt86xjS/Lamp24Apr10.png)
If you'd like to read more about the modeling procedure or other blah, go here:
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=44775&st=0&gopid=496813&
...Don't worry if you can't see the attachment - it's exactly the same as the one I posted here.
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For those interested, the story of the Lampyridae continues!
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=44775&st=0&gopid=497378&
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Intake geometry committed!
(http://amaqbw.bay.livefilestore.com/y1polCissPv6SghR6X3AJ5TVLE19tTDe2Ugnu4ssWDLOE8nAcSr-_9TOaKKgVH_96OLpzl4NZXCYxs0kAN1VauiC_k6n0WzXdM_/Lamp1May10.png)
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Are you trying to use as little polygons as possible?
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No, the MBB Lampyridae just looks that way.
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The ploy-count will start to shoot up once I really get started on finishing the canopy frame, the wheel wells, weapons bay, etc. The main focus so far has been getting a realistic interpretation of the fighter underway - if you care to look through the thread on X-Plane.org, you'll have a better picture of some of the resources which have been coming together in getting an actual simulator version of the Lampyridae ready to fly. That said, the primary form of the fighter is essentially done.
:)
Of course, I'll use the information from the sim to determine the best location for the undercairrage, where / how many weapon systems I can fit in within reason, etc. Viper2000 on X-Plane.org is an actual aeronautical engineer (though I don't know where he's employed - I've been tempted to ask, though) and has kindly obliged me in giving some commentary on how to realistically design the aircraft. This should be interesting...
:cool: :yes:
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Have I got a wheel of a deal for YOU!!!
(http://amaqbw.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pCmrgD1Kb_U6A7d5dlBdqnM1z--0soHvDVJEUQtC0H_TCXcqCWCjWdWIEUzEIJIzc9QtXMeGvKQ8O4v1JQ6LgxPt5o7zISRn6/Lampyridae_Tyre.png)
Working on some things which are really irrelevant for FS right now, but here is a nice, still incomplete, and rediculously high-poly mainwheel and hub for the 'Lamp. Polycount right now stands at 7488...
:p