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Stealthiness of the F-35 Lighting II...

Dino Cattaneo

Dino Cattaneo

Charter Member
Hi, all. I just wanted to share with you the latest images of my new project, the F-35 Lighting II.

This will be my first payware project ever - but I'm confident that you will find the price very resonable.

A brief history of the project:
I've been tinkering with an FSX version of the F-35 for a couple of years... but never come up with anything good enough, mainly due to the absence of accurate drawings and sections. Then I decided to acquire the excellent 3D mesh by Camelot Inc. - which is on sale on several modeling sites - hoping that I could use that for my project. The mesh wasn't cheap so I decided it would have been a payware project.

Unfortunately, my first "venture" into acquiring commercial 3D meshes was not completely positive. The data from Camelot Inc. is far too complex for being used proficiently in FSX so I had to redo all the 3D model - which took much more time than I expected as the shape of this machine is pretty complex... I also had a hard time in making the textures (and getting them to look "right") and a resonable flight model.

So here we are. The project its currently starting is Beta stage. For now, it will depict the CTOL version of the Lighting II, that is F-35A. Main features will be:

- 3 accurate external models: AA-1 (first prototype), AF-1 (weight optimized test plane) and a "production" F-35A (based on the latest information).

- Accurate virtual cockpit (based on the information and pictures publicly available at present). NOTE: the functionality of the multifunction display will be much simplified (i.e. will have some "touch screen" functionality but you will not be able to change/resize/swap its windows)

- "Reasonable" flight model (for obvious resons it will be built on a lot of guessing)

F-35B and F-35C are being left out (at least from the initial release) due to time constraints.
The plane is designed to work with FSX:Acceleration but should work, with some restrictions, with SP2.
It should be available in a month or so - probaly through SimMarket (but I have not made the final decision yet).
 
Can you base payware on some one else's model? Impressive, but the fun is making it ALL yourself!:applause:
 
@ Piglet

I've been told that acquiring professional meshes is common practice in the industry. Most professional meshes are intended for photoreal rendering and are way too complex for FSX usage (as I sadly verified) and usually, as long as you pay for the them, their licence allows the usage in videogames provided that the "3D content" is within a format that does not allow a third party to extracting/rip the geometry.

And yes, I agree that the fun is making it ALL by yourself...but since several attempts turned into bulgy winged potatoes, I had to confess I gave up and turned to Turbosquid. Much less fun was to discover, after a short while, I could make little use of the mesh I had just paid for...
Then, "fun" is not the first word that comes to my mind if I think about the hours unsuccesfully spent trying to understand why a couple of the F-14D MFD buttons don't work :mixedsmi:

BTW, provided that FSXI will be more graphically efficient than FSX, I see a growing usage of "professional" meshes - at least for the most popular planes - while I see rare/exotic planes as the main territory for freeware/individual developers

@ Thrawn

I hope I will find the time to make the F-35C to land on your fantastic ships :mixedsmi:
 
Looks great Dino, finally a CTOL F-35! :applause:

All it needs are some fictional (For now at least) RNLAF paints.... :mixedsmi:
But with a paintkit I'm sure someone will take care of that! :engel016:
 
Looks beautiful Dino, those will be a familiar sight around here in a few years since at Cameri AB will be built a second production line! Can't wait to see 'em side by side with our Typhoons!:applause:
 
Based on the quality of your T-45 I will purchase the F-35. I had to enlarge the attachments to tell if they were FSX or real photos.
 
If people couldn't base commercial products on purchased meshes, a certain very well known military visual modelling company that is seen regularly around these parts wouldn't exist... ;)

Looking nice, Dino.
 
Dino Cattaneo said:
And yes, I agree that the fun is making it ALL by yourself...but since several attempts turned into bulgy winged potatoes,
Click to expand...

Surely you got it spot on, then? :icon_lol:

Looks like a fine model, but I'm not an F-35 fan at all. Turns out the cockpit is just as ugly as the aircraft itself!

Good luck with your first payware venture, either way!
 
@ Tweek

I have to disagree... at least partially. The top side seems quite sleek...the potato-esque shape of the plane is much more evident on the bottom side...:icon_lol:
Get used to it. It is the shape of the future :icon_lol:

And...after having flown a little with its simulated cockpit, those of all of the other planes seem incredibly complicate. But then, I've also enjoyed the fact it was much easier to model than the F-14 and T-45 cockpits - and a piece of cake after the external model.

Then... believe it or not, I liked the Boeing X-32 design better than the X-35 that evolved into this. And for those who don't know, X-32 was nicknamed "the Fugly Fighter".

@ JamesChams
:salute:

@ Sixghost
Credo che il riuscire ad avere una linea di produzione a Cameri sia stata una delle vittorie più importanti dell'industria aeronautica Italiana (e una buona giustificazione agli investimenti fatti). C'è da dire che, vicino all'F-35, le linee dell'Eurofighter tradiscono "l'anzianità" del suo progetto...
 
Dino, after the wonderful T-45 and F-14, I am sure that, although I am not a jet giy, this will make its way into my stable. Beautiful work. :applause:

Caz
 
@All

Thanks a lot for the appreciation!
Due to several constraints, unfortunately, the project will suffer from some limitations, mainly in the MFD functionality. I'll make sure that a proper feature list / manual will be publicly available for everyone who might be considering the purchase. To take in account these limitations, and since the target is break even, the price will be relatively low - but still TBD as I have not chosen the distribution method yet.

The current target is to have the test version before the weekend - I had almost finished it yesterday, but I've finally found a good picture of the canopy frame that highlighted some mistakes..and I am to redoing it...

To those who don't like the F-35 too much because of its stubby appearance... Well...remember it could have been a lot worse:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USAF_X32B_250.jpg

:icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:
 
Tweek said:
. . . . .but I'm not an F-35 fan at all. Turns out the cockpit is just as ugly as the aircraft itself
Click to expand...
Please explain further? Fighter cockpits are designed to reduce, as much as possible, the workload of the pilot. Allowing him time to multitask without visual overload and still maintain his situational awareness. Remember also that with this aircraft and beyond the HMD plays a major part in how the fighter pilot functions in his airborne environment. What you're not seeing in the cockpit (the HMD) is equally as important as what you do see.

For the most part it's touch screens and HMD's. . .gone are the old round dial gauges and a lot of the switches (especially when cockpit voice activation is refined and standard equipment). Yes it takes a bit to get used to, there is a learning curve, but as Dino said. . .it's the future, get used to it. Ugly. . .I think not. In a few years, when I go to visit my buds at Carswell, I could find myself walking through a flightline full of these. I hope I live to see that.:salute:
 
Love the T-45 and this F-35 Blows me Away!

Awesome Dino. That looks outrageously GREAT!
 
falcon409 said:
Please explain further? Fighter cockpits are designed to reduce, as much as possible, the workload of the pilot. Allowing him time to multitask without visual overload and still maintain his situational awareness. Remember also that with this aircraft and beyond the HMD plays a major part in how the fighter pilot functions in his airborne environment. What you're not seeing in the cockpit (the HMD) is equally as important as what you do see.

For the most part it's touch screens and HMD's. . .gone are the old round dial gauges and a lot of the switches (especially when cockpit voice activation is refined and standard equipment). Yes it takes a bit to get used to, there is a learning curve, but as Dino said. . .it's the future, get used to it. Ugly. . .I think not. In a few years, when I go to visit my buds at Carswell, I could find myself walking through a flightline full of these. I hope I live to see that.:salute:
Click to expand...

Without wanting to turn this into a 'How ugly is the F-35?' topic, I'm fully aware of how beneficial such a cockpit is to the modern fighter pilot, but I just simply don't like it. Old steam gauges look much nicer to me!

And I don't need to get used to it, as I'll never be a fighter pilot. :icon_lol:
 
Tweek said:
Without wanting to turn this into a 'How ugly is the F-35?' topic, I'm fully aware of how beneficial such a cockpit is to the modern fighter pilot, but I just simply don't like it. Old steam gauges look much nicer to me!

And I don't need to get used to it, as I'll never be a fighter pilot. :icon_lol:
Click to expand...
. . . .and that's what makes this place so interesting.
 
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