FastCargo

You can, but again, you need someone with 3ds max to convert the file for you. Flying Toaster (who's quite excellent F-8 models from the MF you've been seeing) uses Blender. In fact, he's just finished a model that has been converted and is being worked on. A hint: It's named after 2 animals with lots of teeth. FastCargo

Well, you don't have to use 3ds max. There are other programs (GMax which is free) that can make the 3d models for you, you just need someone to convert them. The other option is getting a student version of 3ds max. It's still not cheap (almost 400 USD) but at least you don't feel like you're buying a car. Plus, it's not neutered in any way as far as I can tell, it just can't be used to make commerical products (ie payware). There is also ebay for older versions...or if you know someone 'in the biz' who would sell you an older copy... FastCargo

1) I don't know if that's possible. I don't think it is. 2) As far as I know yes. It's because you have to assign a transparancy value to the glass of something other than 100 which affects the whole mesh. However, I'm curious what would happen if you used a TGA file on that mesh with parts of it that are solid colored....I haven't tried such a thing. I've seen it done before, but I don't think I've ever seen it done to make a canopy frame 'solid' while keeping the glass clear... FastCargo

Cool!!! Rock on. FastCargo

This is an interesting topic. I've found personally to think that bloom is overdone a bit in games, but HDR is a nice idea. Simulating temporary blindness (too much white) is pretty neat. Just never been crazy about the 'fuzz' that happens...or 'motion blur' for that matter. FastCargo

Ditto! FastCargo

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autom...ode=sst&id=5896 File Name: JSOW for the TW series File Submitter: FastCargo File Submitted: 28 Jan 2008 File Updated: 29 Jan 2008 File Category: Weapons Mods/Skins Readme for JSOW for SFP1/WOV/WOE (Version 1.0) ********************************* Version 1.0 Original Release ******************************** Version 1.0 Thanks to the following folks: TK - For the ThirdWire series of sims. Bunyap and Wpnssgt - For the original Weapons Pack. Mustang - For the great video tutorials. To my fellow Combatace moderators - For helping me beta test and work out bugs. Any errors or mistakes are entirely mine. What you will need first: Thirdwire Weapons Editor - http://www.thirdwire.com/downloads_tools.htm Copy of SFP1/WOE/WOV patched to the latest standard (as of 28 Jan 08) Notes and limitations: Your aircraft will need to have EOGB on the weapon station in order to be carried. Also, the JSOW is 4 meters long, so you may need to check your weapon station limitations to make sure you can carry it. The JSOW is a GPS guided glide bomb with about a 75km max range at altitude. It comes in 3 versions - the A model which is a cluster munition, mainly against soft targets, the B model which is anti armor cluster, and the C model which has a 500 lb class explosive warhead. This is FREEWARE only, NO money is allowed to be made on the contents of these files, in whole or in part. Feel free to redistribute, as long as the original authors are given appropriate credit. Questions? Contact me at Combatace. FastCargo Click here to download this file

'Flew off by hand'...I set the catapult that I sit on with no length or strength to speak of...so when I release brakes, I just do a real jump jet style takeoff. However, it also means that the number 5 guy in your flight (the guy that will appear in your 'slot') after your number 4 takes off won't get airborne...so I usually 'Alt-N' before he has a chance to appear and takeoff...he magically shows up...:). FLIGHT_DECK is a parameter in the data.ini that sets the 'mesh' for your flight deck and sets the altitude above the ground that it is. Maybe you're colliding with the actual 'hull' of the ship? On second thought, that probably isn't it either...disregard my FLIGHT_DECK comment. Try the AV-8C and see what you can come up with. Also, I think there is a data.ini available that updates the Harrier FM to make it easier to ground handle... FastCargo

Just flew a mission in WOI in campaign. Flew off the carrier by hand and wingies all got airborne. One thing I did do with the wingie's 'cat' shots is instead of making them long, I angled them up slightly. Simulates doing a 'jump jet' T/O since the AI can't do TV takeoffs. Coming back, I did a normal VTOL landing. The jet was just fine once it touched down...no blow ups or anything. Even taxied clear to let the wingies land (if they could...). I'm not sure what the issue you are having is. Are you saying ALL your aircraft handle oddly on ALL your carriers? If so, there is a deeper problem. If it's just the AV-8C and USS Tarawa, it could be something as simple as a FLIGHT_DECK issue. FastCargo

That sounds really odd. Let me check...because I've built a campaign using the USS Tawara and the AV-8C, and they work just fine last time I flew it... FastCargo

I wish I knew about that tutorial about a year ago...would have saved SO much freaking time! Hell, just that Flatten Mapping tool would have been nice to have used. Well, that'll make future projects easier...nice find! FastCargo

Grinch, couldn't tell ya on the 'stitch' function. However, if you 'instance' mirror copy a part, the duplicate retains the UVW mapping. It just means that for things like wings, twin tails, etc, that the bmp outlines will look the same, but one of the parts is reverse aligned. A good example is look at the Su-27 bitmaps for the wings. Note that the right and left wing outlines look the same. But they have a different scheme. One is simply 'reversed'. FastCargo PS Julhelm...yes, please tell us of this stitch function...I've seen the button but didn't have any idea what it means or does. I used Mustang's tutorials as my base guide.

Julhelm definitely has a good point here. Seams can be a royal pain to deal with, and usually are visible unless you do what he suggests or do an 'overspray' when doing colorations. Typically, that's what I've done with my models, but can result in 'inefficient' layouts with lots of gaps between areas on the bmp for the overspray (like you saw in my eariler example). For me, since I'm still working on my first aircraft models, of which all have the more classical round tubes and bulges, I've elected to go with a simpler layout to minimize me distorting my UVW maps. Thanks for the tip there Julhelm...I wish someone had mentioned that to me before I started mapping...cause I ain't going back! You would have thought I would have figured that out eariler... FastCargo

Roslyn, IMHO. Shared dreams with Six and Athena about Hera. 'Repaired' by Hera's blood... Precog dream sequence about spacing Leboen... She's just malfunctioning...because maybe she was the first non-hybrid Cylon model... FastCargo

Well. again, in the things I've tried recently...here are some of my techniques. 1) Build the bmp one map at a time. Basically, UVWMap, UnwrapUVW, then export to Lithunwrap, make the BMP, then go back to 3ds max for your next map with your new bmp...this works but takes a LONG time. 2) 'Build' the bmp beforehand. In other words, actually make a bmp with the general layout you want, using basic 'blocks' of color to get you close. You then 'layover' the outline in UnwrapUVW. Then use Lithunwrap, and there ya go. 3) Similar to number 2, but use parts of original 3-view as a template to lay the UnwrapUVW parts on. 4) This next technique I only just discovered, but it works pretty nicely. Take your basic wing (as an example) but BEFORE you cut the ailerons and flaps. UVWMap and UnwrapUVW. Do the Lithunwrap thing. You now have the whole wing mapped. NOW cut the ailerons and flaps out. The polygons that were part of the original wing will still have that same mapping. Any NEW polygons you make to 'close' those parts will now have to be mapped (basically the normally hidden parts of the wing). Then export to Lithunwrap...you'll notice the general shape of the original 'uncut' wing will have the colors of all 3 parts now (wing, aileron, flap) at the appropriate locations...makes it REALLY easy to skin because the lines will automatically match... I've applied the first 3 techniques in this example: FastCargo

That's 2 T-38Cs, 2 instructors and 2 students we've lost in the past 8 days...both incidents occured in the same general phase of flight, but at 2 separate bases. The incidents may have absolutely no relation to each other. But it's prudent to 'take a break' and at least get the initial reports figured out. FastCargo

It was assumed that weapons could make the radar signature larger for the F-117 and B-2...but only for the time the weapon's bays are open. And the sim doesn't model RCS THAT closely. Gotta be careful with those LODs... FastCargo

Well, to an extent, B and C might both be true. Japanese on average are smaller overall than those of European descent. If a plane was built with the average Japanese person in mind, it might be too small for non-Japanese people to use. Also, fictional aircraft sometimes tend to be over optimistic in certain realities...one being how much space a real human pilot takes up. Finally, does this aircraft have one of those 'reclined' seats like an F-16? If so, the pilot model maybe just sits too far upright. Unfortunately, there is no way to 'rotate' a pilot model in game. You either have to alter the aircraft, or use a different pilot model. I wonder if the WOI F-16 Netz pilot model is different... Looks good so far! FastCargo

Basically, from what I understand, Reset XForm simply resets the part to align with the world as it currently sits. In other words it takes what the part looks like at the top of the list of modifiers and basically resets it as if it was natively formed that way at the beginning (the pivot axis is aligned, scale and rotation are set to zero). You might get some wierdness if you used Instanced to 'flip' parts (say, copying a wing). That may be what you are seeing there. 3dsMax has some oddities (like booleans with complex objects for example). Please tell me you made backups first... I'd recommend doing only a few parts at a time, so you can quickly go back if you need to. In addition, before applying Reset XForm, I'd collapse all the modifiers on the parts you are going to Reset XForm. FastCargo

Yea, pretty much if you want to avoid any future problems. You got it...start with the most extended position and move up. One thing that could help (I'm not sure how you have some of your stuff) is for mirrored items (ie flaps, main landing gear) you can animate (say the left landing gear), then group the items, then mirror a clone of that group (in the X axis), move the 'mirror' group to the proper side, ungroup and link to the proper location (ie if the LeftMainGearStrut is linked to the LeftWing, the LeftMainGearStrut01(your mirrored gear) will need to be linked to the RightWing). You can then rename all the parts (rename LeftMainGearStrut01 to RightMainGearStrut, etc), and it should work perfectly. Note I say 'should'. Occasionally, you'll get some weirdness that will require you to 'flip' a few parts in the 'mirrored' group. Not a problem...took me about 2 minutes to figure it out. This is especially useful if your landing gear or animation or both are complex. FastCargo

Silly question...did you give it a cockpit.ini entry? You need that to have it show up in the list to fly.... FastCargo

Welcome to the forums! Read this thread: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=25845 and this thread: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=26451 Download the CAT extractor from here at CombatAce, then use it to get the files needed from the GermanyCE.cat file. FastCargo

The only problem I see is they've been around longer than the TW series already. At some point, like FlightGear, technology begins to outstrip your goals. Unless you make the engine extremely modular, by the time you can release a viable project, no one is interested any longer because it's so far behind the technology curve. Bummer...because otherwise it's a noble goal. FastCargo

Johnny, You have not provided enough specific information to help you. There are too many variables at this point to nail down the problem. Have you referenced here: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showtopic=9323 Have you insured you followed the steps EXACTLY? Did you ensure the weapondata.ini and the weapondata.dat file is located in the Objects/Weapons directory? Are you flying the right year for the weapons? Do the weapon stations on the F-14 have AHM as a type of weapon that can be carried (they should)? Did you use the right weapons editor? You need to troubleshoot first. Is it specific weapons? Are all the aircraft affected? Only specific years? We need more information...go ahead and start a new topic if you narrow down the problem and can't search for a solution. FastCargo