Ivan's Workshop - AF99 Tutorial - C205 Veltro

Animated Propeller Part 1

My preference for animated parts on a CFS Aeroplane are generally the following:
Spinning Propeller
Propeller Blurs with increasing Rotational Speed
Animated Main Landing Gear
Representation of Extended and Retracted Tail Gear
Animation or Representation of Flaps

I generally don't care much about animated control surfaces because although I like eye candy like everyone else, I believe that resources are scarce in AF99 projects and to use them to improve the shape of the aeroplane is better. Aileron, Elevator or Rudder deflection does not convey any useful information about the status of the aircraft while Landing Gear and Flaps do.

Some aircraft normally have asymmetrical colouring on thier Spinners (such as a spiral). On those aircraft, I believe the AF99 model should animate the Spinner as well.

AF99 aircraft use a variable set that is compatible with FS98 but not necessarily with CFS. This doesn't cause many issues iwth user flown aircraft or even with multiplayer aircraft, but AI aircraft seem to suffer a bit. If a part is animated to the engine, it will not display on the AI aircraft. Missing Propeller Blades and the Blur can be tolerated to an extent, but a missing Spinner looks very bad.

I noticed this when working on an earlier project and found that if the Spinner pieces are duplicated, assembled in a certain sequence and displayed "Always", the animated parts will show up on a User flown aircraft but when the animated parts disappear on AI aircraft, the "Always" parts will display.

This is an issue that is fairly easily cured with SCASM, but we will stick with AF99 solutions for this Tutorial and endure what we cannot fix in that manner.

....
 
Animated Propeller Part 2

I tried a few other ideas, but the only one that seemed to work as described above was that of entirely duplicating the Front and Back Pieces of the Spinner entirely.

The Spinner was made up of two Structures with a 12 sided cross section:
The Front Structure contained 3 Rows of 12 Parts plus a Fore and Aft wall (unavoidable for a Structure) for a total of 38 Parts.
The Aft Structure contained 1 Row of 12 Parts plus walls for a total of 14 Parts.

Thus two entire Spinners would be 104 Polygons which is more than I had left to build. I was close though. I needed to recover another 16 Polygons to make this work.

First I tried to economise a bit. Cutting each Row of the Spinner down to 10 Parts brought the Parts count down to 88 for the two Spinners. This was an acceptable number but the Spinners looked to faceted when rotating. They also did not match the Cowling. (If this plane had a Radial engine, I could have gotten away with it.)

I then decided to see what the effect would be to make the Front Structure of the Spinner only TWO Rows instead of three. The Parts count dropped to 80 and surprisingly the change in shape wasn't too bad.

....
 
Animated Propeller Part 3

The First Screenshot shows the Magic Assembly Sequence. Note that there is no Glue between pieces. I don't know why, but Automatic Glue works here while my attemps at guessing the Glue locations has not so far. I know I can check the SCASM code but haven't tried yet.

The Second Screenshot shows how the Tan (Always) Pieces of the Spinner do not display from the Front.

The Third Screenshot shows how the Tan (Always) Pieces fo the Spinner do not display from the Rear.... BUT note that there is a problem here. The Propeller is bleeding through the Cowl / Nose area. I believe it is because Automatic Glue is confused by the extreme "Weight" of additional polygons on the Left side of the Nose for Intake Pieces. I haven't found a solution for this issue yet.

The Fourth Screenshot shows how the animated pieces have disappeared when piloted by AI.

Good Day.
- Ivan.
 
Animated Propeller Part 4

The assembly sequence for AI and Animated Spinners relies on AF99 Automatic Glue.

In AF99, A "Glue" Part may be added between two Pieces of a model. This is "Manual Glue" and determines the viewing plane between the parts. If the viewpoint is on one side of the plane, the first piece shows. If the viewpoint is on the other side of the plane, the other piece shows.

If two pieces of are listed in the same AF99 group without a Glue Part in between, AF99 will attempt to guess at a location for a proper viewing plane between the two pieces. I believe this is done by calculating the points in the two pieces (Parts, Components, or Structures) to determine what is the "Center" of the piece. The viewing plane is then created perpendicular to the line joining the two "Centers" of the pieces and location in proportion to the "Weight" or number of points and their offsets.

In my earlier description, I asserted that the addition of a Supercharger Intake on one side may have moved the centerpoint of the Cowl in a way that threw the automatic "Glue" off so that it was not perpendicular to the propeller's axis.

In the repeated screenshot below, it can be seen that the additional polygons for the Supercharger Intake appear to have moved the "Center" of the Cowl assembly in a direction opposite to what was expected.

If the "Center of Gravity" of the Cowl assembly were moved to the Left side of the aircraft by additional polygons on the Left (Supercharger) side, then the axis connecting the Propeller and Cowl would be pointing off to the Right and Forward. The Propeller bleed should be visible from the Right side of the aircraft and it is not.

Something unexpected is happening here. I will be chasing this when I get back to my development computer in a few days.

On Vacation....
- Ivan.
 
Animated Propeller Part 5

As can be seen from the prior post, the "Automatic Glue" didn't align as expected with the axis of the aircraft. The strange thing is that even after removing the Supercharger Intake, the Automatic Glue STILL did not align as expected. At that point, the Spinner and Propeller are pretty much symmetrical. The Cowl and Exhausts and Oil Coolers are also pretty much symmetrical, but the misalignment is quite large.

Looking at the Spinner Assembly alone using SCASM, the Automatic Glue seemed to be around the Origin. I experimented with using Glue at the Origin to manually connect the Spinner pieces. That did not work.

Perhaps others also see what I saw when looking over the Propeller bleed through the Cowl. Only the Propeller and Prop Blur bleed through. I tested the idea out by manually gluing the Propeller Component and Prop Blur Part to the Cowl Assembly. When I did this, I found that the Propeller would bleed through the Spinner Back but not through anything else. A few more pieces (including a duplicated Spinner Back Structure) and we get the results shown in the screenshots attached. The duplicated Spinner Back is Light Gray.

In the screenshots, the asymmetry of the Automatic Glue can be seen. Note that the Light Gray Spinner Back should be visible in both screenshots but isn't.

The Total Cost of the resources used for these changes was 1 Structure of 14 Parts (12 sides + Front and Back) 3 additional Propeller Bades as Insignia Parts facing Forward to prevent the Spinner bleeding through the near side Propeller Blades, and one Glue Part for the Spinner Back. (18 Parts)

- Ivan.
 
Animated Propeller Part 6

The problem with gluing single Propeller Blades to the Spinner is that after each Blade is attached, the center of the whole assembly thus far moves substantially. Thus each blad is not attached quite as you might expect. The appearance looked more or less reasonable in the last screenshots but here is what happens when the pieces are animated and rotated from their original positions.

The First Screenshot shows the far side propeller blade bleeding through the front part of the Spinner. Note that from the AF99 standpoint, those blades are on the NEAR side and are in the foreground. Aircraft Animator did the rotation but did not change the viewing planes to correct for these differences.

The Second Screenshot shows the Spinner bleeding through the near side propeller blade. Again, this was correct from the AF99 standpoint. Some designers don't take this into account which is why this is often seen in CFS aircraft.

Note that these screenshots were taken while the Propeller was spinning.

At this point we are at 1196 of 1200 Parts, so there isn't much left to use to address any issues. I went back and made some changes to the Rudder, Stabilisers, and Wing Tips to recover about 12 Parts. There is room to remove more in my opinion, but beyond this point, the model is being degraded. It may not be noticeable, but the countours WILL be affected.

....
 
Animated Propeller Part 7

The reason why the Propeller Blades were added to the Spinner as single blades rather than as a Component is because as Single Blades, they are Insignia Parts. They all face forward and are invisible when seen from behind. Note that when we had Propeller Blades assembled with the Spinner and facing aft, they were bleeding through the Nose.

The solution to this situation (after much experimentation) was to use two Components for the Propeller Blades. This project had already used 30 of 30 Components, so the Tail Gear Doors were converted to single Parts.

Now considering that we want just the Forward Side of the Propeller Blades to show in the Spinner Assembly, but the fact that they all radiate from a single center point means that if we change the Component to Sharp or Smooth, what will actually show is indeterminate.

My solution to this was to create some new Propeller Blades for the Component included with the Spinner assembly. Each Blade is rotated 1 degree so that the Front side of the Blade is facing OUTWARD from the Component. The difference between the rotated and unrotated blade is not very visible in the simulator but is enough for AF99 to determine an inside and outside face. When we change the component to Sharp or Smooth, only the Outside face shows. The Difference between the original blade and the slightly rotated blade can be seen in the First Screenshot.

The Second Screenshot shows the result in the simulator. Watching the Propeller spin shows that the result was as intended. This is not so well illustrated in a Screenshot.

Time for Lunch.
- Ivan.
 
Assembly Techniques Underside Part 1

There is a lot of stuff coming together at the underside of the Veltro. Many other planes have a similar arrangement with Flaps, a central Radiator, Landing Gear Doors, etc. The technique described here results in what I believe to be minimal bleeds (though there are some as always) without a lot of complicated usage of "Glue".

The Screenshots attached show the various groups that all come together at the underside of the aircraft: Body Main, Center Gear, Wing (I am only showing the Left), and Left Gear. The Right side is identical of course. Note that the Pilot appears in all of the Screenshots. The reason for this is because AF99 apparently requires that SOMETHING exist in "Body,Main" or else the project can not be produced.

Figuring this sequence out actually took me a couple days to go through things that did not work. I was trying out some very complicated solutions with much worse results until this simple solution just became obvious.

- Ivan.
 
Assembly Techniques Underside Part 2

Here are some Screenshots showing the result. Note that the model has been animated at this point. Flaps and Landing Gear are all down to show the most complicated situation possible as far as relationships between the various pieces.

Remaining Bleeds are fairly minor..... Mostly.

- Ivan.
 
Assembly Techniques Underside Part 3

There is one major bleed that I really have no solution for. It is the result of using Aircraft Animator to move Pieces away from their relative positions when the veiwing planes were established. It happens in just about every aircraft I have ever built.

It only occurs during the landing gear retraction sequence but it isn't visible for very long.

- Ivan.
 
Finished!

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=19&id=4491

Hello All,

At this point, I consider the basic 3D model of this aircraft to be complete within the limits of AF99 and Aircraft Animator. I am fairly satisifed with the shape and general appearance of this Aeroplane as an untextured model. As with any project there are things that may yet be improved or changed and I may continue to do that at some point. If there are questions about what was done or items that require clarification, please post and I will address if I can.

The 3D model has been uploaded here so that anyone who is curious may download and review in their simulator. The flight model that is in this package has not been extensively tested because I really don't have enough information on handling characteristics. The Level Speeds, Engine Power, Fuel, and Basic Characteristics are pretty much correct. I have no faith that the Climb Rates claimed for this aircraft are correct. The DP file was created quickly to be used in flight testing (Weights and Balance affect performance and handling) but otherwise also has not been extensively tested. Use the Checklist and ReadMe files for additional information about this aeroplane.

I believe the coverage of the techniques uses has been adequate but if anyone has questions or comments, either contact me here or at Ivan1GFP@yahoo.com.

Enjoy!
- Ivan.
 
This tutorial is well beyond BALSA1 and BALSA2.:applause:

The AF99 would-be designers now have all the tools to make their own planes.

Congratulations on a job well done, Ivan.:ernae:
 
Thanks Guys. Let me know if there are any other areas that need some extra coverage. Considering how little time I actually spent on the AIR file, it seems to be pretty fair. The plane was supposed to be capable of around 400 mph at 18,000 feet. This one hits 405 mph at 15,000 feet and 399 mph at 17,500 feet. Engine power is within 5-10 hp of where it should be. Guns are not harmonised.

Time for another project!
- Ivan.
 
Thanks Hubbabubba!

I sent a version of this plane to Hubbabubba a couple weeks ago and he managed to find a rather unsightly bleed of the Pitot Tube through the Left Wing when seen from the back. I will post a screenshot when I get a chance. This bleed was trivial to fix. I had simply left out the Glue between the Pitot and the Left Wing.

Hubbabubba has a VERY good eye for detail. If there is something to be found, chances are pretty good he will find it. One additional Glue Part was added as a result. Thans again, Hubbabubba!

Total Parts Count is up to 1192.

- Ivan.
 
Ivan said:
I sent a version of this plane to Hubbabubba a couple weeks ago and he managed to find a rather unsightly bleed of the Pitot Tube through the Left Wing when seen from the back. I will post a screenshot when I get a chance. This bleed was trivial to fix. I had simply left out the Glue between the Pitot and the Left Wing.

Hubbabubba has a VERY good eye for detail. If there is something to be found, chances are pretty good he will find it. One additional Glue Part was added as a result. Thans again, Hubbabubba!

Total Parts Count is up to 1192.

- Ivan.
Click to expand...

That's what friends are for!:173go1:

I could basically say the same of you, Ivan. When it comes to eyeballing bleeds, you're the best. I'm simply trying to emulate you (and seldomly succeed!).

Incidentally, how about painting this one and give us an AF99 texture tutorial. I know you've already done something along these lines, but starting with this project "from scratch" would certainly help me understand your technique (I hope...:kilroy:).
 
hubbabubba said:
That's what friends are for!:173go1:

I could basically say the same of you, Ivan. When it comes to eyeballing bleeds, you're the best. I'm simply trying to emulate you (and seldomly succeed!).

Incidentally, how about painting this one and give us an AF99 texture tutorial. I know you've already done something along these lines, but starting with this project "from scratch" would certainly help me understand your technique (I hope...:kilroy:).
Click to expand...
i was thinking exactly the same thing,
but understand that Ivan wants to move on.

shhh, did somebody say B-26?
 
Painting

Actually it isn't so much a matter of moving on. I never really had all that much interest in this aircraft even in the beginning. The Paint Shop to me is the most tedious part of the whole project. I really dislike this part.

I probably will eventually paint this aeroplane so perhaps a few weeks down the road, I may start a tutorial on the subject. In some ways this plane is a good illustration of the AI Propeller and Animated Spinner. These features really aren't visible unless the aircraft is textured.

At the moment, I just want to spend some time doing some "Lazy Designing". (Sort of like "Lazy Flying" with no definite deadline or result in mind.)

Besides the B-26, I am also actively researching the Ju 87B Stuka, A-20 Havoc, J2M Raiden (which was shoved aside for this tutorial), and the Ki-84 Hayate.

I am also debating on mentioning this tutorial on WW2Aircraft.net.

- Ivan.
 
Paint Scheme

Hi Folks,

What kind of paint should the C.205 Veltro wear? I am just looking for suggestions. My first paint job for this plane will wear at least the Savoy cross and markings from before Italy's surrender in 1943. I have a couple ideas, but just wanted to see what others were looking for.

- Ivan.
 
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