Project Dornier Do-17z2

busy, SCASMing!

Hello Ivan,
I have just done the first SCASMing step for the Virtual Cockpit for the Schnellbomber, correcting the pilot´s view point,
and this of course went very well.

But now,complications arise:
It´s not only the floor, but several different elements that the engine and props are interacting with, like bombers and gunners...I have isolated the different elements - floor, rear floor, canopy - to see their labels in the SCASM listing, and I must now put them into a section labeled Cockpit, just after the SCASM view point correction in the listing.

I´m just thinking that I´ll have to put the Bomber into the Cockpit section too, so I´ll have to isolate him as well, and then let´s see if I can get the order right! Maybe also the front gun, as the barrel can be seen infront of the front-central strut instead of behind it.

If I run into trouble I´ll come running for help!

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
Hello Smilo, Aleatorylamp,

Smilo, your Bombardier Panel looks great!
You probably have more time invested in that panel than I do in the "Stock" Gauges.
I always hate doing Bitmaps. I can never seem to get them just the way I want.
Using the stock BMPs is what made these multi-gauges easy in comparison to my prior gauges.
Pity I can't just use them for my own projects.

Aleatorylamp, Welcome to the joys of SCASMing.
Keep in mind though that the Virtual Cockpit does not have to include the entire model;
It just needs to have what is seen from the Pilot's Point of View.
Regarding duplicating Pieces, we did this with some of your earlier Great War Bombers.

- Ivan.
 
Hello Ivan,
I should have said Bombardier, the crew member, and not bomber, the entire plane!

As bombardier, forward gun, rear gunner head, main and rear cabin floor parts exist,
these 5 elements could be called in a certain order after the view-point correction.

That is my plan... which doesn´t necessarily mean it will work...
I´ll start off by just calling the main floor, and see if I can block off the engines.Then I´ll also
call the Bombardier, and see if he can stop acting like a ghost. ...and so on, perhaps.
Maybe I´ll have to call the canopy frame too.

It should work, shouldn´t it? We shall see...
Update: It´s working! I SCASMed cabin floor, Bombardier and rear gunner´s head into the Vcockpit, and all display correctly. Engines and props are blocked off. Now for a few canopyframe struts in the front and perhaps the forward gun.

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
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wow...impressive.
this place is like a bee hive of activity.
....with three bees.
where's hubba when we need him?

Ivan, i try not to think about time spent.
if i did, i would probably find something else to do.

i've spent half the day finishing up the bomb aimer panel.
of course, it could be better, but, it's close enough for me.
heck, i even added the floor windows and some rivets.
the next phase will be adding gauges,
both, to the bomb and the main panels.

for now, i'm done for the day.
time to kick back and watch some tv.

oh yeah, as i said yeserday,
i couldn't stand the center horizontal piece,
so, i moved it and everything around it.
i think it was worth the effort.
 

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Hello Aleatorylamp,

Glad the SCASM process is going well.
Again, keep in mind that what you see internally need have no relationship with what is visible from outside.


Hello Smilo,

The Bomb Aimer panel looks pretty good, but I do have to ask you:
Why did you remove the Starboard side Cheek Windows?
I know the Port side windows were not there, but the Starboard side ones were there.

On a more frustrating note:
I just found a pretty good image of a Dual Manifold Pressure Gauge and will likely have to completely re-do my Dual MP bitmaps.
A couple steps forward followed by a whole bunch of steps back.....

Gotta love this hobby.

- Ivan.
 
the windows on yesterday's draft
were hold overs from the b-17 panel.

from what i can see in drawings,
there were windows aft of the nose glazing.
the center one appears to be the floor.
there was a short one next to it on the port side,
then, a longer one followed by a short one
opposite on the starboard side.
granted, the lower fuselage angles upward
where these windows are located,
but, i don't believe they are terribly wide.
i added small windows on each side
of the lower panel...they are small,
but, they're there.

also, i believe the rough lay out in post #221
is a much better representation,
than the finished product.
it is narrower and taller,
where as the final is more round.
basically, i made do with what i had
and ended up with what we now have.
 
Hello Folks,
Yes, the beehive is bustling with activity!
Just one more step needed for SCASM to take out the bleed of the forward glazing through the top exterior infront of the cabin canopy.
Smilo, great, the slits in the struts to help the virtual bomb aimer. I´d been thinking about that too! Then, I hope the numbers for the aiming scale will not be too much of a problem.

More later.
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
the aiming scale may be a problem,
we shall see.
do you want to use the same one
as was used on the baltimore?

i'm not sure how much will get done today.
it's house cleaning thursday
and later, i have to run errands in town.
it doesn't sound like much, but,
there are some other things to do as well,
that i have been neglecting lately.
 
Hello Smilo,
It all depends on whether you want to use the aiming system that the B-17 bomb aimer´s panel was designed for.
It used the map view (vertically down) with two zoom clicks I seem to remember, to get 15% Zoom.

Adapting your fantastic front Canopy view in a similar way that I adapted for the Baltimore Canopy view (derived from the B17), and using the vertical map view, it worked well, and seemed quite an effectiv way of aiming.

One got a selection of 2 or three speeds, and 2 or three altitudes, and the marks indicated exactly where or when you had to release the bombs so that they hit on the target you wanted.

This is just a suggestion: Please don´t think I am imposing anything!
It is just an explanation to see if the B17 system can be transported over to this aeroplane, because I don´t know of any other effective system.

The B17 aimer´s panel is 800x600 pixels, and yours is 800x450, so your bomb aimer´s bitmap could perhaps be extended downwards to 600 pixels without distorting the existing glazing and spars, and without changing anything on the existing graphic.

The extension at the bottom could incorporate a panel for some basic instruments - speed, altitude, throttle, automatic pilot, whatever you need for a bomb run, and you could pilot the plane from there too.

Also, the bottom and side windows Ivan was talking about could be fitted in, I repeat, without altering anything of what you have already done. Then, the scale from the B17 panel, as a layer, could be copied directly over to fit along the vertical centreline of the panel.

As there are slits in your narrow canopy spars, your bombardier can see what he´s doing, so with the scale conveniently placed on the sides of the slitted spar in exactly the same positions, it should work!

I could try and place the scale, if you like!

I hope you don´t get angry thinking I am interfering or anything - it is just a suggestion!

Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
gosh, i hope i'm not so thin skinned
that i can't take constructive criticism.

the images posted were not the bitmaps.
they are screen shots...if that makes a difference.
as i mentioned above somewhere,
this is actually a conglomeration of three bitmaps,
the upper walls, the lower walls and the glazing.
the upper and lower are both, 800x600,
with the respective top or bottom half all black/transparent.
this is something i developed years ago to accommodate
render_3dwindow=1 or 0 in the panel.cfg
for now, i'll leave the explanation at that,
but, would be happy to explain
the whys and wherefores if there is interest.

now, about the glazing bitmap,
it is only 557x440....why?
simple, i was too damned lazy to enlarge it.
i let cfs do it for me.
all i had to do was add or remove
black edges to center the thing.
finally, it is layered over
the upper and lower "walls"

adding the release points shouldn't be a problem.
i'm sure i have an old b-17 bomb panel
with the information on it.
cutting and pasting it to the do17 walls
should be an easy task...

i'll see what i can do,
but, not right away.
i still have more chores to get done today,
a town run and band practice tonight.
needless to say, thursdays are nuts around here.
 
Hello Smilo,
OK, sorry! Not to worry - I realize it´s a screenshot, and I also knew how meticulously you are working on the panel.
I should have known that you had got it quite sussed out, that with the bomb aiming.
For a moment I had the impression that you wee running into difficulties, but I see it is not the case.
I needn´t have explained everything - probably all I said was obvious anyway! Captain Obvious, ha ha!

No hurry anyway- take your time.
I have to finish with the SCASM process yet too.

Band practice? Sounds fun. Do you play an instrument?
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
let's not get carried away
with the meticulous stuff.
that's Ivan's department.
i'm just an old copy and paste guy.

i'm glad to see you didn't delete.
it's a good reminder.

i'm off to find that b-17 bomb panel.
i know it's laying around here somewhere.

ps, on the way home from town,
the thought crossed my mind,
the bomb drop information
is in feet and mph, right?
what do you suppose kilometers
will do to effect drop zone accuracy?

pps, no, i'm not a musician.
but, i've always wanted to be.
i could never get past the really sucks stage.
i was so bad, i couldn't stand myself.

so, instead, i became a roadie
and audio engineer/sound man.
back when i was young, i did it for 15 years.
now, after being out of it for 30 years,
a local band asked if i would help them out.
sure, why not? i've got lots of time.
i'm retired, so, here we are,
back into rock and roll.
 
Hello Smilo,
Sounds great, and sounds like fun too, to look after the sounds of a band on the road,
and I bet it´s not only great for the band!

Good grief, Kph and Km... I hadn´t thought that far - This stuff always catches me out. Brain strain.
I remember fine-tuning a plane with the Beckwith Gauge thinking it was in Kt like the speed in red
at the top of the screen, so you can imagine the confusion until Ivan told me the gauge gave mph...

With metric Airspeed indicator and Altimeter, the bomb-aimer scale should of course be metric too.
Shall it be the same lines on the scale with speed numbers x 1.61 and altitudes x 0.3048 ?
- or maybe rounding off and moving lines up or down by one pixel, for an "an elegant approximation" :adoration:

I´ll multiply it tomorrow and see what numbers fit better. Now it´s too late!

P.S. I forgot to say, I managed to eliminate the glass canopy bleeding through the nose cover in front
of the windshield. Then I was thinking of texturing a dashboard in there, but it wouldn´t be realistic there anyway.
Pity I don´t know enough about SCASMing to get the Virtual Cockpit looking like the real thing, like looking under the
dashboard to see through the nose glazing... Maybe it wouldn´t be all that difficult, but the Bombardier´s body would
have to have legs.

Good night!
Aleatorylamp
 

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Hello NoDice,
Impressive, demo video!
I don´t have CFS2 though...
Good luck with the downloads - A huge project indeed!
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
hello Dave, i'm waiting patiently
for my slug bait internet
to buffer your video so i can watch it.

academy award, is it?
sheesh, i didn't know there was a category for
the best invisible extra in an epic film.

Stephan, working with the band has it's pluses and minuses.
mostly pluses because i like the band.
as with most live bands, it's a constant battle
between instrument and vocal volume levels.
as always, the instruments drown out the vocals.
if the vocals are turned up enough to be heard,
then, there is risk of feedback and/or distortion.
and, there you have my job in a nutshell.
basically, an exercise in futility.
 
Well I think we all stopped counting downloads a long time ago..
But I do remember the days when..
Yes, a huge project...yet really no different than everyone elses
Takes just as much time to create an airplane as it does to create
a few airbases with objects...

But for the record.....1613 downloads and 111,454 hits on the CFS2 forums.
Please understand that you have to download over 28 sections and then the
updates and extras, plus it is a stand alone install, so you have to have CFS2
installed in 2 locations on your computer. So you really have to be interested
in the era. Setting it up will take at least a six pack of beer or a pot of coffee.

WE all do what we do because it is an addictive hobby that just will not go away.
 
The Spirit of Carl Norden....

Hello All,

As they say, if you give a man a Hammer, then everything starts to look like a Nail.
I obviously have a new hammer but am still polishing and sharpening it. (Are you SUPPOSED to sharpen HAMMERS?)

With my newly developed ability to program working Gauges, I have been contemplating MANY grandiose schemes and purposes for these gauges.
I have actually been thinking about one idea for about a week or so but it seems appropriate to describe the idea at this time.
An Turn and Bank Indicator can obviously track sideslip,
An Altimeter can indicate altitude and I believe there is actually a number for distance Above Ground Level.
A Speedometer can indicate Airspeed, either True or Indicated.....

Now what if we combine all these values in a gauge with a moving reticle to indicate the ground impact location of a bomb dropped at that time???

Carl Norden did this with an analog computer for his famous Norden Bombsight.....

I wonder if I can do the same with a Norden Bomsight Gauge?

There is a bunch of stuff that has to come before, but the idea seems quite feasible at this point.
(I DO have a wild imagination, don't I?)
I suppose I should also program an autopilot gauge before that.

Perhaps I can do a simpler version for a SBD Dauntless or Ju 87 Stuka before that?

BTW, Smilo....
In case you hadn't come to this conclusion already, it looks like there will be additional delays in my B-25 Mitchell project.

Any interesting thoughts on the subject?

- Ivan.
 
i have a digital/hud gauge called real alt.
i believe it is from gerry beckwith.
as the name implies, it is the current altitude
from the ground, not sea level.

i also have a bombing gauge
that does exacly what you described.
no clicks or stuff like that.
it's been years since i've used it,
so i want to test it before sending it.
as i recall, this gauge was so accurate,
it made me feel like i was cheating.
i called it, my gnat's ass bombing gauge.
 
Hello Smilo, Hello Ivan,
Sounds like the next best thing than sitting on the bomb itself!
No need for manned flying bombs then! Those were invented to
kill off superfluous humans - or give them a chance for some
heavy partying they couldn´t have had otherwise, and they
wouldn´t care what happened after the party. Some dopes...
Cheers,
Aleatorylamp
 
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