Beta Test completed?

[BladeRun]

http://www.flightsimonline.com/a26/index.htm

It must be so, it's in RED! :)

[dcc]

just finished my homework :d

- dcc

[Milton Shupe]

Tonight I am reviewing all the files and folders, documents and settings, etc. Once done, ... I will package up the A-26B for release. It will get one more checkout from the primary team before uploading.

I will upload for them tonight and once all is okay, upload here at SOH. This will likely be Wednesday night. :jump:

[thudpilot]

.



That sounds great. http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[p3aewguy]

I can hardly wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to all involved!!!!! This is one of the best projects I've ever seen!

Dave
P3aewguy

[MudMarine]

Good News!! Thank you MS!! S/F MudMarine

[modelr]

:applause: :applause: :applause: :jump: :naturesm:

[Spranget]

OOOOHHHHHHH......So much to do......I need to clean a spot out in the hangar.....Need to assemble mirrors for it to sit on.......OOOOOHHHHH......So much to look forward to!!!!!!:jump: :ernae:

[Milton Shupe]

I have sent the email to the primary team members to download and review the packages. I sit patiently awaiting responses ...... :d

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you will get for your money. ;)

Thanks to all of you for your patience.

Project stats: I quickly counted 382 files in the aircraft folder, excluding the 214 files in the gauge cab, totaling 596. There were 560 gmax variations of the model build process, 500 lines in the sound.cfg and 500 lines in the aircraft.cfg, 105 gauge callouts in the panel.cfg, standard zip size is 47MB, Installer zip size is 27MB. The project testing required 40 barrels of oil and 73,000 gallons of fuel for testing. hehe Just kidding on that. The things we do when we sit around and wait, huh?

The project required a lot of people to get it done in 4 months. You guys really helped make this happen this quickly and we appreciate all the help.

We look forward to delivering a nice package to you s-s-s-s-shortly. :d

[Leafhopper]

Wednesday? WEDNESDAY?? Is that spelled s-o-o-n? Broken butt or not, I'm settin' up the rudders and yoke! I'll take the pain! Oh, my! No sleep tonight, no sleep tomorrow night! I can't take it!!! Yes, I CAN! Where the hell is my throttle quandrant? I feel...giddy!

[Mr.Mugel]

Reading through the page, looking through the names, this has got to be a hell of an addon ! This really is great Teamwork, seldon have I seen a group working like here, without noticeable egoism, just concentrated on the result !

And by what I´ve seen till now, it was really worth it !:ernae:

[MudMarine]

Leafhopper and Mr. Mugel: Trust me your not going to be disapointed!! What MS and crew have created is a masterpiece!! I've flown a lot of FS9 aircraft, payware and freeware but the SOH A-26B is in a class all by itself!! From MS's modeling, to ROS's panel, Bombers paints and dcc's sounds your going to have to change your pants after you wet them. I'm not trying to tease anyone but I'm just as excited to see the final plane as everyone else!! I really can't rave enough!! Just a few short hours and the flight sim sky's are going to be filled with A-26's and grown men and women with HUGE smiles on their faces!! S/F MudMarine

[Ferry_vO]

And by what I´ve seen till now, it was really worth it !:ernae:

If it wasn't for the 'NDA', I would have uploaded a lot of screenshots from the beta's by now! :applause:

It is an incredible aircraft in every aspect, and a real winner! :ernae:

One part I really liked myself is the cockpit lightning; I spend a lot of time switching all the different lights in the VC (Panel, instruments, cockpit) on and off and IMHO the VC at night is the best I have ever seen!

[Lightning]

I have been following this forum since the beginning and I can't tell you how excited I've been.
I started begging for an A-26 a couple of years ago.
Asked Ito San to do one.
Begged for someone to do an A-26 on SOH last year.
Begged the team over at AlphaSim to do one.
Now at last I am about to actually get one, and by the looks of it, an absolutely stunning one at that. :applause: :applause: :applause: :medals:

Just a thought tho, what would the group think about making this a "Donationware" aircraft to support this great site?
I know I would be more than willing to pay for it and I think most wouldn't complain about a modest charge for such a great aircraft.

Now that that is said, any plans for a dedicated AI version?
(ducks and runs before the bricks start flying from the designers) :rocket:

[Ferry_vO]

Now that that is said, any plans for a dedicated AI version?

The beta version is very easy on the framerate; on my 'old' computer (P4 2.6 Ghz, 1Gb Ram, Ati X800) The framerate stayed locked at 20 fps without a single drop! Only heavy traffic would cause a slight drop in the framerate, so I think (With a decent AI airfile) the model should do OK as traffic.

[Lightning]

The beta version is very easy on the framerate; on my 'old' computer (P4 2.6 Ghz, 1Gb Ram, Ati X800) The framerate stayed locked at 20 fps without a single drop! Only heavy traffic would cause a slight drop in the framerate, so I think (With a decent AI airfile) the model should do OK as traffic.

Sounds good.
Does it have LOD's? (at work and don't have my utils to check it)
I've got it flying here as AI and this may be just fine.
Always better to have smaller texture plates and mulitple LOD's, but I will DEFINITELY be setting up AI using the beta version (from the paintkit page) if that is the best we will get.
Do you guys have a beta (stripped, no VC) version with no guns for the fire fighter paints?
I'll do up an AI version when I get home tonight.
Someone may need to do something with the model for AI landing lights to work.

Hope the source files for the Beta are still available if you guys aren't willing to put the extra time in for an AI version.
(not that "I" know how to make use of them, but sure someone will, and as I said, I'll be doing up an AI flight model and will gladly share it)

[Milton Shupe]

Frankly, this package is way over the hill in every aspect for use as an AI aircraft. The model is heavy at 815 parts/60,000 polys, the textures are very heavy for AI, etc. Model can easily be reduced 50% of that and textures sized down but it will still be way heavy as an AI model in traffic. LOD's are not used.

The gMax source will be available for anyone who wishes to take on that kind of project with my blessing. :mixedsmi:

[t.creed]

wow wednesday ..!! i have to get the isp guys to get me connected again asap..!!!!!!!

rgds
t.creed

[bciv]

This is a great time to have first discovered SOH.

[Real Old Salt]

If it wasn't for the 'NDA', I would have uploaded a lot of screenshots from the beta's by now! :applause:

It is an incredible aircraft in every aspect, and a real winner! :ernae:

One part I really liked myself is the cockpit lightning; I spend a lot of time switching all the different lights in the VC (Panel, instruments, cockpit) on and off and IMHO the VC at night is the best I have ever seen!

Did you discover the instrument light dimmer?

[Lightning]

Frankly, this package is way over the hill in every aspect for use as an AI aircraft. The model is heavy at 815 parts/60,000 polys, the textures are very heavy for AI, etc. Model can easily be reduced 50% of that and textures sized down but it will still be way heavy as an AI model in traffic. LOD's are not used.

The gMax source will be available for anyone who wishes to take on that kind of project with my blessing. :mixedsmi:

Downloaded the Basic paintkit model and have a good working AI package from that now. (paint is a little on the drab side !) :costumes:

Flies nice tho.

I checked it in Aircraft container manager and it says it's about 31,000 polys (no interior of course)
Frame rates are not that terribly bad, and I will definietly have some of those flying in my virtual world.
Sure would be nice if one of you modeler guys could strip a few more polys from it and take off the guns so we could also do civie AI when we get those water bomber and executive aircraft paints.

I'm sure excited by this release ! WTG guys ! and THANK YOU THANK YOU THAN YOU !!!

[Milton Shupe]

Lightning,

I can probably strip a version down for you fairly easily. Give me a week to do this after the release.

[Lightning]

Lightning,

I can probably strip a version down for you fairly easily. Give me a week to do this after the release.

Take your time, take a break, looks like I will have some better textures REAL soon ! :)

I'll set up two AI versions, one Military (guns), one Civy (plain) and just wait for your poly stripped models !

Thing is I HAVE to go to bed now, but don't know if I can sleep cause it's still not up.

Oh well guess it'll be an early one for me tommorrow eh ? :jump: :jump:

BTW did "Islander" beg and plead for me or am I just lucky?

[Lightning]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.
Got up early 4am and it's not up yet :banghead:

Where is the web master?

Impatient? Who me?

Never! (well maybe sometimes) :jump:

[Lightning]

Lightning,

I can probably strip a version down for you fairly easily. Give me a week to do this after the release.


Bump :jump:

[Milton Shupe]

I haven't forgotten you.

I just uploaded the FS2K2 package for mods, just uploaded GMax source for whomever wants to take the A-26 to new levels, and now I am starting on the stripped version for AI. Probably have one ready Friday night.

Depending on the effort required, I may do one, or two, but not four models.

[Bomber_12th]

Milton, do you have a link to the source files as of yet?

[Lightning]

I haven't forgotten you.

I just uploaded the FS2K2 package for mods, just uploaded GMax source for whomever wants to take the A-26 to new levels, and now I am starting on the stripped version for AI. Probably have one ready Friday night.

Depending on the effort required, I may do one, or two, but not four models.

Wasn't "TOO" worried that you had, just didn't want it to get too terribly far down on the list of things to do.
By all means take a break.

I'm having lots of fun with the aircraft as it is.

[Milton Shupe]

Milton, do you have a link to the source files as of yet?

The AI-Gmax source is here: http://www.flightsimonline.com/a26/MShupe-AI-a26c.zip

This gmax source is of the "exterior" model only with a few parts removed and optimized. But, it has a long way to go yet to become a legitimate AI aircraft. I am leaving that to folks who know exactly what they need rather than me guessing.

This is the C model, civil version. Have fun. :kilroy:

[Lightning]

The AI-Gmax source is here: http://www.flightsimonline.com/a26/MShupe-AI-a26c.zip

This gmax source is of the "exterior" model only with a few parts removed and optimized. But, it has a long way to go yet to become a legitimate AI aircraft. I am leaving that to folks who know exactly what they need rather than me guessing.

This is the C model, civil version. Have fun. :kilroy:

Milton, is this what you had in mind when you said you would have something in a week or so?

Not being pushy, just not sure.

If so, hope someone can complete the process for at least one solid nose with guns and one without (for fire bomber / exec etc.)

Course, best case senario would be to seriously strip it down and do a texture map on one or two plates plus add some LOD's.

Any GMAX modelers up for it?
I've got a good flight model already set up if you do.

[Milton Shupe]

A full blown model like the a26 can never be seriously stripped down to make a proper AI model. That model must be designed that way, else you will simply be rebuilding every part of the a26. There are 815 parts, about 650 need to disappear to meet a reasonable poly count.

This model can possibly be taken to 10,000 poly's plus some LOD models but I don't want to do that. I am burned out on this project and am getting it off my desktop. :-)

Anyone who is up for it can take this source and give it a go. What you are doing is coming up with a whole new design. The aircraft will have to be remapped to fit existing textures. This is a full blown project in itself. We must understand taht creating a well-done AI is as much a art and project as any other model. I have lots of respect for the folks who do it. :)

Have fun.

[modelr]

Milton, you are so right about the work to do a good AI model. Watching the guys over at MAIW do their work is just as awe inspiring as this project was. My hat is off to you guys who have figured out these programs.

A true AI model takes as much time as this one did, sometimes more, where the object is to get as much detail without increasing polys, which means small sacrifices to detail that were constantly harped on here, and graciously fixed/further detailed by you, would never be allowed in an AI model. Things such as the cowl scoops, turrets, canopy shape, prop shaft length, etc, all very good arguments for a full detail model such as this, would barely have even come up on an AI model, because they are designed to be looked at from afar, not two feet away. Then, after texture mapping the primary model, multiple less detailed models, utilizing the same texture maps, each one being slightly less detailed, must be made, while preserving the proper specularity of each part, as well as shading, etc. And, each LOD change must be as invisible as possible. No, this fantastic aircraft cannot be made into a proper AI.

I don't blame you one bit for being tired of this one, as with all your fantastic models. Thank you very much for the fantastic effort you've put into this. Oh, and thank your wife for allowing us to dominate your time, she deserves a big, THANK YOU, also. :applause: :applause: :applause: :d

Take some time off, enjoy your retirement. You deserve it.
Thank you.
Don Horneff

[Lightning]

I do know that a full blown multi LOD AI version can be as much work as the user model and can take a huge amount of time.
Thing is I got the basic version Milton put up for the painters to use running as AI, and although not a "TRUE" AI version, it's not all that bad if you don't have too many of them.

Anything that could be done to strip that version of polys would make at least a USABLE version for AI, and I will continue to use it for myself.

No worse and probably better than using default aircraft for AI, which many people do when proper versions just aren't available.

Too nice an aircraft for me not to have a few parked at my airport.

[Milton Shupe]

I do know that a full blown multi LOD AI version can be as much work as the user model and can take a huge amount of time.
Thing is I got the basic version Milton put up for the painters to use running as AI, and although not a "TRUE" AI version, it's not all that bad if you don't have too many of them.

Anything that could be done to strip that version of polys would make at least a USABLE version for AI, and I will continue to use it for myself.

No worse and probably better than using default aircraft for AI, which many people do when proper versions just aren't available.

Too nice an aircraft for me not to have a few parked at my airport.

Lightning,

The link here is for an exported model.AI folder file ready to plug in. It should be better than what you are using.

http://www.flightsimonline.com/a26/model.AI.zip

[Lightning]

That one is for the glass nose.
Seems to work ok.
Now was there something better than the version that came with the paint kit for the solid nose / guns model?

Haven't had time to play with it much today, been spending all day trying to get AI to work on the AlphaSim HMS Eagle and it's driving me nuts.
Thought the Kuznetsov was small, then thought the Kiev was a bear to get AI to work on, but this 1952 straight deck Eagle is a killer ! :(

Anyway, thanks a bunch Milton.

I'll sort out the AI A-26 and upload it to SOH soon.