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Maybe it seems complicated and verbose but it's very flexible. It's documented there: http://wiki.flightgear.org/Howto:Animate_models I think it should be possible to automatically convert SF2 ini files into FlightGear xml files. No, the axis definition is not binary. The axis component values x,y,z are floating point values. In this case 1.0 and 0.0. Those data are entries of an interpolation table: <interpolation> <entry> <ind>-6000.0</ind> <dep>-258.6</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>-4000.0</ind> <dep>-219.3</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>-3000.0</ind> <dep>-198.0</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>-2000.0</ind> <dep>-172.2</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>-1000.0</ind> <dep>-138.5</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>-500.0</ind> <dep>-116.7</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>0.0</ind> <dep>-90</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>500.0</ind> <dep>-63.3</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>1000.0</ind> <dep>-41.5</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>2000.0</ind> <dep>-7.8</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>3000.0</ind> <dep>18.0</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>4000.0</ind> <dep>39.3</dep> </entry> <entry> <ind>6000.0</ind> <dep>78.6</dep> </entry> </interpolation> In SF2 this interpolation table is defined with: Set[01].Position=-258.6 Set[01].Value=-6000.0 Set[02].Position=-219.3 Set[02].Value=-4000.0 Set[03].Position=-198.0 Set[03].Value=-3000.0 Set[04].Position=-172.2 Set[04].Value=-2000.0 Set[05].Position=-138.5 Set[05].Value=-1000.0 Set[06].Position=-116.7 Set[06].Value=-500.0 Set[07].Position=-90.0 Set[07].Value=0.0 Set[08].Position=-63.3 Set[08].Value=500.0 Set[09].Position=-41.5 Set[09].Value=1000.0 Set[10].Position=-7.8 Set[10].Value=2000.0 Set[11].Position=18.0 Set[11].Value=3000.0 Set[12].Position=39.3 Set[12].Value=4000.0 Set[13].Position=78.6 Set[13].Value=6000.0

Minor update: -Creation of a generic prop taildragger flight model. It really doesn't resemble a P-51D! -Animation of (primary) control surfaces -Animation of gauges (although some gauges need some tuning) -Animation of the propeller Test flight video: This can be achieved *without* patching FlightGear. I only had to add the LOD file loader plugin DLL to the plugin directory. However for the planned support of the LOD keyframe animations (landing gear, ...), FlightGear must be patched. If anyone wants to know, how the configuration files in FlightGear look like: p-51d-model.xml contains the control surface and propeller animations. In SF2 that data is in the <aircraft>_data.ini. vc.xml contains the gauge animations. In SF2 that data is in the <aircraft>_cockpit.ini. My todo list for the SF2-FG project: -Re-creation of the SF2 systems and flight model -Support of keyframe animations -Gunsight -Weapons -Decal support -Normal and specular map support

As streakeagle wrote: "Flight Gear is open source. What it doesn't have, can be added." Of course, FlightGear is mainly a civilian flight sim and the core (C++) developers are not that interested in combat stuff (means they won't implement themselves), but a C++ skilled combat flight sim fan can of course do it. Besides, there exists already a combat "addon" for FlightGear: Bombable. It's implemented in FlightGears own scripting language "NASAL". But I haven't used it myself yet. There is also a military flight sim community: http://opredflag.com/. I think they use special adapted aircraft and the normal FlightGear multiplayer network. Via my LOD file loader plugin, the LOD files can be read directly without conversion. Sorry, I don't understand that?

Mainly to motivate myself, I made an initial test regarding using 3D assets from SF2 in the open source flight simulator FlightGear. Since FlightGear uses the same 3D graphics library (OpenSceneGraph) that I also use in the LODViewer, I could easily reuse my LOD file loader plugin with only minor modification. This is only an initial test. There are still a lot things to do regarding 3D models: animations, shader adaption, .... not to mention reimplementing the SF2 FDM in FlightGear. But maybe some day... TWs P-51D at Honolulu International (the current FlightGear default airport). Note the missing landing gear caused by nonworking animations: Cockpit view:

I've never experienced anything like that yet. Have you updated your graphics card driver? What are your system specs?

Poor TK. Now he is getting flak from the mobile faction: Source

The main effort was in the reverse engineering of the lod format. But if someone knows the lod format (he can start with my blender exporter plugin, it's written in python and should be more or less understandable. But beware: around 10% of the lod format are still unknown to me) and he is experienced with writing 3ds max plugins, I think it should be possible to write a new exporter in 1-2 weeks (40-80h). Depending on the wage rate it will maybe cost you around $3000 - $6000.

Correction: the blender exporter does support animations. But note: The exporter is written for blender version 2.78/2.79. It isn't updated for the new blender version 2.80 yet.

I didn't want to sound too negative. Anyway, I contributed some $. Maybe it helps...

In principle I like the idea of crowdfunding. But in this case I wonder... 1.)...why TW started a "Keep It All" campaign instead of a "All or Nothing" campaign, since the goal of $25K was already stated? 2.)...why the Windows 10 update is so expensive? I thought the games (unsupported) run already on Windows 10. Is the update to DirectX 12 really necessary? I think Windows 10 supports DirectX10 quite well. 3.)...why the campaign is only two weeks long? I really doubt, that the $25K can be reached in this time.

Version 0.6.3 was uploaded. Changelog: Version 0.6.3 -bugfix: selection of nodes without material crashed the program

Thank you baffmeister for your infos, explanations and tests. I still wonder when exactly the stall tables "kick in". When alpha > AlphaMax or alpha > AlphaDepart? My guess is the latter (alpha > AlphaDepart). I also wonder how is the Drag handled between the end of the CDLAlpha table and when the stall table kicks in (AlphaMax or AlphaDepart) in cases were AlphaMax and/or AlphaDepart are greater then the end of the CDLAlpha table. Maybe the CDLAlpha table is then extrapolated (linear or constant)? Regarding the abscissa of the stall tables: First I thought it's alpha. But maybe it's delta alpha, i.e. the difference to AlphaMax (or AlphaDepart). Because the tables have (modifier) values of 1.0 (or near 1.0) at angle = 0 degrees. I assume the modifiers are factors for the lift and drag values at AlphaMax (or AlphaDepart). If the abscissa would be alpha (and not delta alpha) were would be a "step" in the resulting lift and drag graphs when the stall occurs, because the (modifier) values then (at AlphaMax or AlphaDepart) are quite different to 1.0.

No, those free download links are all illegal. Please buy the strike fighters games from the official thirdwire store!

Bug confirmed!

The original values you can find in the original <aircraft>_cockpit.ini files. Note: Not all <aircraft>_cockpit.ini files contain those data. I think most stock SF2 aircraft do not, but most (all) FE2 aircraft do. If the data are missing I _think_ the game uses 0.0 as limit, that means no lateral head movement. The values describe the allowed minimum/maximum lateral head movement in meters. Unfortunatelly IMHO the trackir implementation of the lateral head movement in the game is not fully correct. Because if you change those values, besides changing the movement limits it also changes the movement scale. IMHO the movement scale, i.e. how much real head movement translates into virtual head movement, should only be defined by the trackir profile and not by the game.

To allow larger lateral head movements the following entries in the [CockpitSeat001] section in the <aircraft>_cockpit.ini can be changed: MinMovementX=-0.1 MaxMovementX=0.1 MinMovementZ=-0.1 MaxMovementZ=0.1

With a little trick you can view ALL lods contained in the cats: Create a fakeaircraft.ini that contains the following lines: [LOD001] Filename=Meteor8_pit.lod <--- insert lod file name here By opening this fake aircraft ini the LODViewer shows the referenced lod. The meteor clock node name is "face_clock":

Fantastic pics! ... Now I have to watch "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" and "The Hunters" ... And then maybe I'm motivated enough to start a long, long, long, long-time project of a Korean Air War flight simulator game using the FlightGear engine and maybe SF2/KAW mod assets...

Maybe it helps to switch to orthographic projection by switching off the perspective projection. Have you tried the side (left/right) views. And then to pan the view either with mouse (shift + left mouse) or keybord (shift + arrow keys)? You can also set the view control "sensitivity" in Extras->Settings->Control.

Setting Options->Gameplay->Fuel Usage to "Easy" gives you unlimited fuel.

I think if the Stall* tables are missing the default ones from AIRCRAFTOBJECT.INI are used. Because I want to reverse engineer the TW flight model to (re)implement it with JSBSim for use in FlightGear I have to use a more "academic" approach: I bought a copy of Modern Combat Aircraft Design and Aircraft Control And Simulation to learn the needed know how about aerodynamics and flight model simulation. Together with the TW forum archive and this forum I then try to reverse engineer all needed formulas. I think the *Speed= entries under [FlightControl] are only relevant for the AI.

Ok. For Drag you can extend the CDLAlphaTable. But how do you define Lift at post stall condition (alpha > AlphaDepart)?

Currently I'm trying to reverse engineer the SF2 flight model. I stumbled over the stall tables. Does anyone know how the stall tables (StallLiftTable, StallDragTable and StallXacShiftTable) work? As an example here are the StallLiftTable and StallDragTable from the P-51D and F-4B inner wings: I assume the abscissa is alpha and the ordinates are factors for some lift or drag coefficients. Correct? What are the lift and drag coefficients? CLmax for lift and StallDrag for drag? But the drag table looks odd. I would have assumed that at alpha = -90 degree and +90 degree the drag factor would have its maximum. When are these tables used? If alpha > AlphaDepart?

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately "Chord=" is not described there. I already searched my TW forum archives, but didn't found anything.

I know the definition of chord. I wanted to know what the chord values in the aircraft_data.ini means. As far as I understand for the pitch moment calculation the ReferenceChord value is used. TK wrote: Therefore in my opinion the extra chord values don't make any sense. What am I missing here?