Playing with pylons

[+CrimsonRoamer]

I've been playing with adding multiple missile pylons to other aircraft.

 

Specifically the 'two sidewider' pylon from the F-4, the 'two sidewinder and fuel tank' from the F-15, and the AGM-65 maverick triple rail. The problem is that I don't know what the model names are to put in the data.ini

 

Help would be appreciated

 

[+Florian]

Like in many posts before on adding pylons, the answer is that each pylon is part of the aircrafts 3D model. So if they are not modelled, you can´t just add them to an aircraft by INI editing.

Here you can add those IRM rails to a F-8E like the way the rails where added to the Tornado model.

Take a look in the Knowledge Base area:

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=21133

[+CrimsonRoamer]

thanks for the help, I've managed to find the 2 Sidewinder attachment in the knowledge base (should have looked first)

[+CrimsonRoamer]

Aha, success

 

 

I added another pylon entry in the same place but 0.3m higher on the z-axis, thanks for the help

 

Another thing I've been playing around with are macross style micromissile pods

 

 

I modified the rockets from the LAU-61 rocket pod with active radar seeker for a 38 rocket Macross Missile massacre

[Guest capun]

Have you read my mini-tutorial about adding pylons via a dummy weapon station? You can probably add a pylon so the outer rails don't just hang in the air

[+FastCargo]

Actually, i've found a better way to add pylons...will reveal as soon as I get time today.

 

FastCargo

[+FastCargo]

Okay, two disclaimers to the method I'm going to show here.

 

1) It does not work for moving pylons...so you still can't fix the Tornado Sidewinder stations...

2) You can't mount the pylons at angles...it always assumes zeros on all angles.

3) It MAY increase your vulnerability to weapons fire...MAY.

 

In addition it has the same limitations as the 'weapon station' methods (will be color of the bitmap assigned to the pylon LOD file, does not change with aircraft skin change, etc)

 

It's actually very simple.

 

Make a new pilot position.

 

An example from the A-4L_data.ini.

 

First, determine what you want to call the new mounting area...for the A-4L, I decided to call it the AvionicsHump

 

Second, add this line (as an example) to a component section (Nose, Fuselage, etc): SystemName[XXX]=AvionicsHump

 

Now, go to the Pilot section and add the following:

 

[AvionicsHump]

SystemType=PILOT_COCKPIT <---- Will always be this

Position=0.0,3.82,0.825 <---- Coordinates where you want it to show

PilotModelName=A4LAH <---- Model name of the pylon/hump/canard

SeatModelName=

SeatPosition=

MinExtentPosition=0.0,3.82,0.825 <----- I suspect these lines define the 'hit box'. So I made the lines

MaxExtentPosition=0.0,3.82,0.825 <----- equal the position to minimize the hit box (hopefully make it zero)

CanopyNodeName=Fuselage <---- Section of the aircraft to 'attach' the pylon/hump/canard to...the idea is that if that node is destroyed, the addon will vanish

SeatID=2 <---- Used to determine which pilot model 'disappears' when in cockpit view. Make sure it's something other than SeatID=1

 

Save the new data.ini.

 

Make sure the LOD of your hump/pylon/canards is in the Objects/Aircraft directory.

 

That's it.

 

Advantages of this technique:

 

Idiot proof...you can't unselect them, you can't jettison them, they will ALWAYS load with your aircraft.

Don't need to make weapondata.ini entries (no fake weapons).

As a bonus, no other aircraft could use them either.

 

Tested on my fake Su-33 and A-4L...works beautifully and I haven't seen any issues so far.

 

FastCargo

[+Florian]

 

Great stuff, FC!!!

[Lexx_Luthor]

Additionally, the seat position might be used in addition to the pilot. ie...for every "pilot" object added, another object can be added as well as "seat."

 

You should be able to delete the collision box, for simplicity, and to save just a little bit in performance.

 

Also, using this pilot method frees up and simplifies the loadout file, but it must assume that the objects added are always used -- no loadout options once this method is chosen.

[Lexx_Luthor]

The seat position might be used in addition to the pilot. ie...for every "pilot" object added, another object can be added as "seat."

 

You should be able to delete the collision box, for simplicity, and to save just a little bit in performance (**but see edit below).

 

Also, using this pilot method frees up and simplifies the loadout file, but it must assume that the objects added are always used -- no loadout options once this method is chosen.

 

---

 

 

**edit...just PURE speculating here....this method does not allow mass or drag modelling, but for many purposes, for fixed objects always used, this might be approximated in the general flight model instead. The collision box may be useful if the added "pilot/seat" objects can be damaged and hence offering a possible change in mass or drag. This is just pure speculating here, as I have not got this deep into learning and modifiying FM's for my purposes yet.

Edited January 27, 2008 by Lexx_Luthor

[+drdoyo]

*In best russian accent*

 

Hmmm, Vill try zis on MiG-29K in next few days.

[+FastCargo]

One thing I need to clarify. My mod is for the visual part of the pylon only. You still need to make the weapon stations where your weapons (not the 'pylons') will hang from as per Capuns tutorial.

 

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=24863

 

FastCargo