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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

First self-made aircraft, now in FSX.

Bjoern

Bjoern

worst developer ever
As some of you might know I'm working on a Dornier 328, because it's the aircraft-gone love of my life.

I've spent three years of on-off modeling on this thing, but this week I've done nothing else than working on it (seriously. No uni, just 3DS Max, eating sleeping and smoking - talk about dedication).

These screenshots may seem unimpressive because of the lack of texture quality and too much focused on the landing gear, but this has a reason: The entire landing gear (and pax door railing) is skinned mesh, which is (to my knowledge) generally mostly used on pilot figures or moving flags in the MSFS community.
Well, I wanted to take this one step further. During development, in 3DS Max, I only had to move one handle and the rest of the landing gear followed suit. Pretty awesome, huh?

Ironically, the skinned mesh produced the only road bump and head scratcher so far. Apparently, FSX doesn't like IK solver handles but I found an awesomely working workaround.

Anyways, enough blabbering, more pictures (see attachment).

If the windows were transparent, they would reveal a 3D interior.

The model has come along a bit since then, mostly in terms of animations. Spoilers, roll spoilers, elevators, ailerons, trim tabs.

To do: Landing gear and wheel animations, prop animations and lights (attach points). And of course the textures.

Once I have a representative model out I'll make it public. Please note that this project will always remain a WIP. Usable, but never complete.



Edit:

- Anyone asking for a release date will be captured and tortured.

- A completely new FDE is highly unlikely. So if an expert in that field can live off a "Thank You very much" and a mention in the readme, please go ahead. :)

- There *will* be a VC.

- There *will* be a -300 (jet) version.
 
Congrats on getting it into FSX! :guinness:
While I have not used bones for normal animation (yet), I have seen it done by others. Your gear is looking good! :salute:
 
N2056 said:
While I have not used bones for normal animation (yet), I have seen it done by others. Your gear is looking good! :salute:
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob!

I suspect A2A using a whole bone yard (lol) in their new B-17 with all those crew animations.
Maybe I can pull something similar off...hm...animated co-pilots, passengers and a FA...dang, too many ideas, too little time. :icon_lol:
 
Ahh...but that is a big part of the fun. Take an idea and see if you can make it work! :d
 
N2056 said:
Ahh...but that is a big part of the fun. Take an idea and see if you can make it work! :d
Click to expand...

Yeah, and it worked out really well so far. Gotta love those bones! :d


- Edit: They *do* up the polycount a bit though. :p
 
congrats on the breakthru and the project. It's always rewarding when something you are trying to figure out works!
I have always thought of and used bones only for organic mesh, such as people and such, never thought to use it on parts, hmmmmmmm
 
MCDesigns said:
I have always thought of and used bones only for organic mesh, such as people and such, never thought to use it on parts, hmmmmmmm
Click to expand...

Really?

It was the first thing that came to my mind when designing a battle plan for the animations since bones basically turn your mesh into solid parts and, when rigged appropriately via hierarchy, make your element nearly behave like the real deal.
 
Hey Bjoern you should have seen what my adventure into GMAX was like. Amigo that looks pretty darn good to me! Congrats
Ted
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Way to goooo! I admire anyone who is willing to take the plunge into developing aircraft. Good Luck on your project.
 
Thanks guys!


txnetcop said:
Hey Bjoern you should have seen what my adventure into GMAX was like.
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Click to expand...

Let me guess: Some desperate fiddling around, loss of motivation and throwing it all away. :d

I somehow know that experience, but this project is a huge motivational magnet for me. I think the fact that the first pictures of it on FFDS are dated 03/2008 speaks for itself.
The endless delay of Eaglesoft's 328JET is also quite helpful (*Cough*). No temptations around. :icon_lol:


- Edit: It's amazing hof far I've come...

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o183/t3h_3vil/Misc/328_complete_render.jpg
 
Let's say the project was beyond recognition and rescue! LOL
Ted
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Congratulations! Your accomplishment deserves the utmost respect.
 
Your project sounds like fun. I also played with bones to animate the arrestor cables on the carrier. Unlike your great work, the animation is barely visible (who is looking for little details the moment after stopping).
 
Yes, well done so far, Björn!

On the subject of skinned mesh animations, it doesn't really have advantages in FSX when used on rigid meshes as it will increase drawcalls and mdl size while not having any positive effect at all.
One of the top 5 customer support questions with our Fw190 is why the canopy doesn't move.
Answer: enable advanced animations. :wavey:
Rigid meshes can be animated as accurately using the classics method, with the benefit of better performance.
Just place your object's pivots to the correct locations/orientations and use local coordinates from the rollout to move/rotate the stuff.
 
DUDE...That plane is missing a prop.....

Hey..I do not understand one word about all this building stuff..i am completely clueless, and perfer to stay that way...BUT

I do understand that you have had quite a break thru here....

congrats to you on your hard work and efforts with bones...





Keep it up and you are destined to make quite a name and reputation for yourself in the future...
 
Looking good Bjoern!

:ernae:


You will begin to think of it as your child. You will start calling it things like 'liebshin' and 'my little babooshkah' and other romantic things. You will dream of it at night, flying in it, talking to it, trying to think of a way to make the interior window edges more smooth, how to animate the gear better, the ultimate prop disc, how the engines should sound, how the door sound alignment could be done to synch with the door animations, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc...

You will wake up from a daze with a body in pain and realise you hadnt eaten in 3 days, and have just enough energy left to crawl to the kitchen for bread and cheese sticks, then back to the computer to Max...


Wilkommen zum unseren World... :d
 
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