[WIP] MiG-25PD cockpit

[Centurion-1]

Hey all, I picked this up as a project yesterday. Partially because I wanted to develop a good workflow for working with cockpits, which has been very difficult for me on a previous project, and because the Soviet side is sorrily neglected in SF2. So I am making a MiG-25PD cockpit, and maybe later on mod it to MiG-25P and RB versions. A full new hi-res exterior model might follow if I can ever complete this.

 

I need some good info though on the MiG-25P and PD, and if anyone has good close ups on the gauges that would be very much appreciated! Esp. the banks of warning lights are a complete mystery so far. And I only have one small pic of the radar scope..

 

 

Also, how difficult is it to export from Max and get a cockpit working ingame? If some experienced modder wanted to lend a hand, that would be ok :P

 

Any and all C&C is welcome but remember this is a very early WIP... I am shooting for a good amount of detail here so the polycount will probably be quite high.

[+Brain32]

Very nice start

I know references are scarce for MiG-25...

[Centurion-1]

Yeah, perhaps someone has got the MiG-25 book by Yefim gordon? I found this list of sources from Airwar.ru

Wings of Russia. History and aircraft design bureau "MiG"

Wings of the Motherland. Vladimir Ilyin. "The English hound" with red stars

The world of aviation. Alexander Larionov. "Deli" or "do not sleep under the open sky"

Aerospace. Yefim Gordon. MiG-25

Aerospace. Eugene Podrepny. Steel "Foxbat" in Nizhny Novgorod

Fighter. Michael Nicholas. MiG-25 - fighter nesbivaemy

Vladimir Ilyin. The fastest fighter aircraft MiG-25 and MiG-31

 

Still got a long way to go but perhaps I'll make it :P

[+FLOGGER23]

I have several booke for the 25 if you are interested, just send me a pm and i can sen them to you. they are some variations and the gunsight (!) is like the MiG-21PFM!!!

[Centurion-1]

PM'd you!

 

Q: Are there any sample models available for 3ds max to show how to set up gauges and the like?

[+FLOGGER23]

I think is in the KB but i'm not sure, maybe we can find out...

[+Wrench]

would this help?

 

Red Star #34: MiG-25 (one of Gordon's books)

 

cockpit pics near the end

 

also have the Aerofax on the 25 & 31, but it mostly just rehashs the Red Star book

[+FLOGGER23]

that's one of the ones i have, it's a good one, highly recomended!!!

[+Brain32]

PM'd you!

 

Q: Are there any sample models available for 3ds max to show how to set up gauges and the like?

 

Just point the needle upwards and ofcourse set the pivot point to the center of the gauge, rest of it is done via INI...

[Stick]

Wrench-thats a great read!!!

[Centurion-1]

Thanks Wrench and Flogger23 for your help, and yes that book is a great read. I almost was late for work this morning as I started to read it. An interesting view into the aircraft R&D process in the Soviet Union in the sixties. Anyways, I think we need some bird that can blast the F-15A out of the sky in the '79 campaign :P

 

As i previously stated I will be initially focusing on the MiG-25PD, the definitive interceptor variant, and from there make the older P interceptor, RB recce/bomber and BM sead-aircraft. I won't get much actual work done now in a few days, away from my work comp, but i can read up on the subject and plan some.

[+Wrench]

glad that book will be of some help!!

[+Stary]

Centurion-1, nice work so far!

 

If you want to check the gauges needles placement and axis orientations, mesh linking etc with ini magic, in this pack of "generic" WW2 cockpits are some core max files I have included to ease starters the work:

 

http://combatace.com...-cockpits-pack/

 

Yes, we need more cockpits builders badly

[Centurion-1]

Thank you very much Stary, you can't believe how much this helps my work! You really are a man of many talents :P

As said before my pit is still very early WIP but it helps that the 25 has such as nice and clean pit with clear surfaces. Just wait until i get all the proper small bits and pieces in and start tweaking the textures :P With a good ambient occlusion map blended in I think it might look quite attractive. Now i hope to get as much dials as possible working to give actual cockpit feedback when doing stuff, but I really havent got a slightest clue how to model it apart from the simple self explanatary analouge gauges. Ideally, I'd really want atleast radar managment correspond to physical stuff happening in the cockpit, to cater to those who like to play on the HUD "hard" setting. Oh well. Anybody know any MiG-25 pilots? :D

[+FLOGGER23]

Good to hear of your plans, BTW are you planning to make just one or several of the cockpit varians?, not that i want to sound greedy, hehehe, i just love the Foxbat :D it is like the mystery plane, revealed to the world!!!

 

 

[Centurion-1]

Several, but order of importance:

MiG-25PD cockpit (ie improved interceptor)

MiG-25PD exterior

MiG-25RB pit+ext (modifying the above)

MiG-25BM pit+ext (dito)

 

and then maybe somewhere along the way, a regular P variant, U trainers et cetera... Which require more work ofcourse as they differ more from the above. The RB should be an interesting bird to fly, imagine bomging at Mach 2+ with eight FAB-500 retarded bombs from 60,000ft :P (how would you ever hit anything in SF2)

[+FLOGGER23]

I was tinking about it, what if by instance we adapt a camera in as much the same way as the Camberra, at least to give the the plane a chance to aim and bomb in the game, it might work, i think is doable via some ini tweaks.

[Centurion-1]

Update pic, small progress but still

Edited September 10, 2011 by Centurion-1

[Wraith27]

Mayby this will be helpful in later works:

 

[+76.IAP-Blackbird]

It looks fantastic!!!

[Centurion-1]

@Wraith27: Very nice! Is that a schematic for the Saphir-25 radar scope symbology?

 

@BlackBird: thx

 

@Flogger: Yeah that might actually work, as we can read in YGs book the bombing computer was supposed to release the bombs automatically at a pre-determmined point. But a bomb cam might be a good work around!

 

This mornings work, been working away on all the small pieces and panels. I've decided to UVmap and model at the same time as opposed to first modeling the whole thing then uvmapping, so progress is a little bit slower this way.

[+Julhelm]

I'd try and build a highpoly of the panels and stuff first and bake that down or at least bevel the edges so you get rid of the sharp edges everywhere.

[Wraith27]

@Wraith27: Very nice! Is that a schematic for the Saphir-25 radar scope symbology?

 

I think it's something more - it's name " integrated information system" - there are signs from radar, termal source, ground source. The system tells pilot what he must doing in the moment - like "enable afterburner" or "enable radar" etc.

[Centurion-1]

Julhelm if you mean the background basic panels they are only place holders at the time being, but i took your advice and beveled a bit and generally tried to make stuff more smooth.

 

Wraith27, aha okay so the feedback from the Lazur datalink is displayed together with the radar picture then i guess. More stuff that is impossible to model in SF2 Oh well, who cares

[+Julhelm]

Yeah that looks way better.