Posts by larrylynx

Well, about time I did an update so here we go.

CH53E still causing big problems, not enough power from the engines and rotors speed is up and down faster than a ****** knickers.. This means it swings badly on takeoff then corrects then swings again. It was starting to take up too much time with little progress so, CH53 will be firmly on the back burner till the AH64 is finished. Talking of which.

Progress is coming along, modelled the cockpit interior's, minus controls, seats and glare shields. There are a lot of buttons, switches and instruments so it's taken some time. Working on the TMD file at the moment so joy of joys there. At least I can sit in it in the sim and have a good look around. VR is great for this as it's much easier to spot the things that need adjusting. Once the engines are running plus the big whirly bits I will upload a WIP at the usual site. Texturing tends to be pushed back towards the end as it's sometimes pointless until all the modelling is complete as it can make a mess of the UV mapping.

So all in all we're moving onwards and upwards.

Steve

Hi Phil

Have tried this and as you say, no luck.

I would have thought it should work. The controls entry just links the 2 tmd's together so assigning taxi to both should mean that lights taxi button will work, at least that's my understanding. Assigning lights taxi still makes everything work ok within the sim it's just not picking up the input from a physical controller

Guess this is over to Master Obi Jan and hopefully we shall both learn something.

Steve

Edit, the dreaded red cube is my life long friend these days

Yes to adding // at the end of a line.

If the dr400 loads ok without any problems in my sim I will look into this for you as well. trying to sort out the ah64 which is taxing to say the least.

Think dreaded red box was my error master, fighting the ah64 tmd as well as trying to help Phil, brain overload I guess, I shall go to the naughty step as punishment

Hi Phil

My cockup again, grabbed the masterbattery entry by mistake as well, yes your right, just ignore that one, just need the first entry in the controls.tmd section.

And 2 entries in the dr400.tmd

Steve

HI Phil

As is usual with the tmd files I missed a bit. you will also need to adjust the entry below the buttonstarter. Forgot its a button not a switch so it needs this second entry

<[input_active][StarterButtonPushed][]

// <[string8][Input][Controls.Starter]>

<[string8][Input][Controls.Lighting.Taxi]>

>

Yes I'll slap my leg till its red

Hi Phil

I have been asking for user defined buttons and switches for sometime but it falls on deaf ears. As a cockpit builder I would really like to see this implemented as I could build a full size Lynx, FS2's heli simulation is second to none so it would be the perfect match. Lots of user buttons plus Airmanager support and we would crack it.

The only way I found was to "borrow" existing switches, in this case the taxi light as we don't have working lights at the moment. You can see in the zip file the entries I have changed in both the dr400.tmd and the controls.tmd. The just assign a button to the taxi switch in the setup and you should be good to go.

Cold and dark would require a bit more work but it's mainly finding the entries that set things to automatically on and changing them to off . So for the MasterBatterySwitch just change it's value to 0.0.

Usual T+C's apply, subject to change without notice and if the North West power grid goes down...it wasn't me guv

Steve

Another post where the choir start singing and sing like canaries you are, As us old'uns know the last line of the song is " we'll tell you when we are ready to tell you and not until"

For the cold and dark comments and why it takes so long, so, lets see just how easy it is. We'll take the simple battery master switch. Easy right you just flick a switch.

Well first we need a nice pretty 3d switch, UV and texture mapped of course, we also need its location and its axis. Some code to make it move and that's it...ah..... but, what about the rest.

Is the battery discharged or good ?

Do we have external power, is it connected and powering the electrics ?

Are the engine or engines running and powering the electrics ?

What about the APU, is it running and powering the electrics ?

For a helicopter, what about the rotors, are they turning and powering the electrics ?

If we are really smart, do we have a RAT ?

So now we have an idea of where to look for electrical power but where does it feed to and what feeds it. So now we need electrical busses, generators, TRU's, external power generator, starter generators, contactor's, consumers etc..Engines to power the generators, which need fuel systems and engine components. Switches to make all those work and lets not forget about the gauges and pretty lights. Plus more but it will get boring

We also need a simulator to run it all in and that's as much as I know on this subject.

So for a simple switch it's a really big deal with lots of code. I get the easy option, I just "borrow" Jan's code and adjust it for my needs but Jan has to work from scratch.

So when we say, where's the updates and where's cold and dark, lets take a step back and wonder about what really goes on under the hood. Take a peek at any TMD file to see just some of it.

I do agree more news would be great but their policy is what it is so we just have to lump it.

Steve

At the moment I plan to split my time as just modelling or just TMD gets quite tiresome and tedious. The fun just dies away. As they say, a break is as good as a rest

So it's Modelling and textures on the AH64 and TMD on the CH53. When I get to a point where either overtakes the other I will then concentrate on the one that is further forward. Either way it means we have 2 heli's to look forward to.

Hi Heli fans

After some co-operation with the guys at IPACS the CH53E is back on track.

She still causes a lot of headaches, very under-powered, can fly with a reduced weight and has a nasty habit of pitching up when you let go of the stick, no trimming at this point so that may help. She wants to lift off at min collective and the rudders are all over the place. It can be flown but it's a big handful, not for the novice heli pilot. So....

Whilst having a break from the CH53E I started a AH64A so I now have the dilemma as to where to concentrate my efforts. The Apache in theory should be more straight forward only having 4 blades and a tail that is at 90 degrees. External modelling of the Apache is complete apart from door hinges and wipers though externals still need texturing. No work as yet on either cockpits. TMD file is enough to get it into the sim and no more.

My thoughts are to push on with the Apache and keep plodding a way at the Stallion when the mood takes me as I think that will be a very long project even without the Apache getting in the way. A lot of trial and error with slow progress.

The woes of being a developer, recon I should have taken up the piano, much easier

Steve

I believe this has been mentioned previously and the answer given was, it is panel lines not shadowing issues

Reminds me of a British artist, Rex Whistler, he could make a flat wall look very 3D

I agree with the above comment, amazing

Is everything really that uniform ??? if so, I guess that's why they call them blocks

Before we all start to kick Delfin take a good look at the pic shown, it does look pretty awful.

This is not due to the excellent work by Michael, we all respect and thank him for what he does, the fault lies with the buildings themselves. Now I'm not a scenery builder anymore or FS2 flyer for that matter. to busy developing to fly, but we do seem to have a common set of building textures that are supposed to fit in anywhere. We need texture sets that are more in line with the area they are meant to represent. As with all sims they look like lego buildings scattered around and are far too bright. Roofs and walls all age very quickly yet the above image looks like the city was built yesterday.

In my mind, Delfin wasn't criticising Michael, he was pointing out the obvious flaw in all flight sims..Auto scene gen buildings just don't look good everywhere

Steve

Is this the same Spitfire that was being developed by Matt

Brewster B339 Buffalo and Spitfire Mk1a Project

If so, the reason given was the problems caused by the undercarriage axis and not being able to visualise them. The very same reason I suspended work on the CH53E, though in my case, not being able to visualise the rotor blade axis.

There is a tool that can assist with this but it's not available to the public..

Hi Guys

Short developer update.

After a week of frustration I have reluctantly decided to suspend any further development on the CH53E

As can be seen from the attached pic the blades are doing really strange things when collective is applied. The stallion still rears backwards and rolls to the right as the rotor speed increases making engine adjustments pretty much impossible.

This could all be down to the axis assigned to the blade joints but I am unable to see these axis, so any adjustments are a stab in the dark and hope for the best. I have tried using Jetpack's matrix generator but the outcome does not change. So until I can see what is happening I have no choice but to stop work.

I say that it may be the axis. but, it may also be the sim doesn't handle 7 blades very well so until I can rule out the axis it's rain stop play. There is a tool that can display these axis but it is not available to me or anyone else for that matter.

Perhaps a better update next time, till then, time to perfect my super carrier landings ( which are pretty awful)

Steve

Lynx Mk7 is always cold and dark

Goes like this

Buy VR headset....download a 360 vid (scuba ones are great).... show wife and she thinks "this is fantastic".. wife converted...problem solved...

I'm also 63 and VR is the only way to go, as has been said previously.. 3 minutes and your hooked..VFR flight great, space sims mind blowing, carrier landings are scary and in-flight re-fueling impossible. A lot of good sims out there to show off VR and FS2 joint top so no worries there.

Take the leap you will not regret it...may feel sick to begin with but it gets easier the more you use it

Hi Jens

At the moment I cannot see where the axis are, which way they are pointing or what my adjustments are doing, I just know they are wrong. I have been at this for hours now and making zero headway. The stallion simply rears back and buries its tail in the ground...it also has a vibration which I cannot track down either

Come to the conclusion its pointless carrying on at the moment as I can't set anything up, even applying full forward and full right cyclic doesn't do anything. I have removed the dynamics for the canted tail thinking this may be causing it but no change

Steve

I'm afraid the Stallion is proving difficult to tame. Now I have added engines 2 and 3 she is not allowing me to set things up. As soon as the rotor speed builds up it rears backwards and rolls left.

Visualising the axis and the way blades move for 2 and 4 blades are quite easy, 3 and 6 become harder but 5 and 7 are pretty much impossible for my tiny brain at the moment. Not being able to see what happens when I make adjustments is like trying to touch someone when you have a blindfold on and they keep moving.

All good fun but pretty soul destroying at times.

Steve

Hi Guys

As promised a 2 weekly update to the beast. Please PLEASE remove all CH53E files from any previous install then install these into your user aircraft add on folder.

File available here

https://flight-sim.org/filebas…f-the-developers-journey/

So here's what happens in 2 weeks

Texturing finished on the tail section, ramps and elephant ears.

Further modelling in the cockpit around pilots and co-pilot windows.

Started the major work on the TMD. We now have working engines (APP and 3 flight), need lots of fine tuning as they do not have enough power. Added electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems, still more to do to these as I add extra stuff and interlinks between each system. Some gauges now working but will need tuning once the engines all sorted as that work will effect the gauge movement.

You can now get it off the ground, hovers like a bag of S**t but at least it gets off the ground, after some cheating (it weigh's a lot lot less). So much work to do here it's frightening but until the engines behave its just a hover..ish. Canted tail is proving interesting as it want's to roll the heli all the time so some interesting times ahead on this.

Guess you'll want to try it so quick start instructions.

External power on..App lever to run then full (yes textures are wrong needs adjusting)...fuel lever to direct for each engine (first detent).. generators on...ignition on for each engine...push starter button and move throttle to first detent then to full once engine up to 60% ish. You will need all three engine to get enough rotor speed.. then the fun starts..

Not sure yet if the AFCS or trim is working but you can try...push the AFCS cmptr button, afcs button, trim button and servo1 button..Bar alt and heading hold joystick buttons same as Lynx, hopefully.

No I'm not going to tell you where all the buttons and levers are...you'll find em not going to all the work

See you in 2 weeks

Steve