F-14D Tomcat-WIP and volunteers recruiting

[Dino Cattaneo]

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As some of you may be aware of, I am working on a remake of my F-14D Tomcat... I will add some pictures and updates to this post very soon - let me just say that I am quite happy with the current quality of the project.

Reason why I am posting now is that this project is big and I'll need help, and I thought that the entusiasm and knowledge at SOH is a great place to ask for help.

Specifically, I'd need:

A SOUND SPECIALIST - The current Tomcat is using a quite good package from Aaron Swindle. I believe it is good, but it is a quite generic sound package for a military jet.
I'd need someone to develop a custom, authentic sound set for the Tomcat. I have no knowledge at all in this field, so I cannot provide any help or support.

A GAUGE/XML SPECIALIST (TBC) - I have plans to add a RIO cockpit (either from the initial release or as an update) but I will not have time to develop its "special" avionics (i.e. the radar functions). I'd need someone to develop custom XML gauges for the radar display in the RIO station.

The project is freeware - so there is no money involved - but if you consider yourself an expert in these fields and are willing to help with this tribute to one of the most amazing aircraft ever, please contact me.
I may also need the help of other specialists...but I'll announce that later on.

[skyhawka4m]

how about someone to do some texture work?

[Dino Cattaneo]

@skyhawka4m

I will do all the texturing (interior and exterior) myself, at least for the "base" model - which will be the one you see in the picture (Lo-vis Tomcat Last Flight)
I may need the help of repainters, but that is later on - I'd like to have both a lo-vis and hi-vis template ready, before giving the model to repaints.

[Smudge]

Hi Dino,

Hope things are going well for you... I've dropped you a PM with an offer.. :)

Regards

David.

[rcbarend]

A GAUGE/XML SPECIALIST (TBC) - I have plans to add a RIO cockpit (either from the initial release or as an update) but I will not have time to develop its "special" avionics (i.e. the radar functions). I'd need someone to develop custom XML gauges for the radar display in the RIO station.

Hmm... anything involving graphics is not my cup-of-tea, I'm afraid .....
But I'm doing a fair share in the project allready ...:)

Cheers, Rob

[Dino Cattaneo]

@David
Yes, everything is fine - except I wish my days were 28-30 hours long, instead of just 24... - thank you!
Thank you also for your offer - I've seen your PM - I will reply soon.

@Rob - Actually you have the privilege of being the only recipient of the provisional external model so far :) !
I have not asked you for the RIO gauges, as I thought you had no time - and besides, I've seen you mostly work on "simulation control" gauges... which, as you know by the draft "wish list" I sent you, will play an important role on this F-14 rendition.

[Dino Cattaneo]

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Above are some screenshots of the latest external model... I believe it is already good to go, but since there is some free texture space I'll probably add some more "animated panels" - as you can see there are some already, as I wanted to depict the complexity of the mainteinance of this fantastic plane.

[IanHenry]

It's looking great already Dino, really looking forward to it.

Regards,
Ian.

[heavy]

Looks great! Will it be able to "kneel"?

H

[Dino Cattaneo]

As usual,thanks for the appreciation!

As for the kneeling, well... I think I've found a way to do it (at least for the external model) but I have not tested it yet - so I am not sure it screws up something in the cat-launch dynamics...

[skyhawka4m]

Is there anyway you could make the pilots disappear when parked? I'm not sure why most developers don't make this an option.

[Dave Torkington]

Looking very good Dino!

Recalled a story about an extraordinary event in an F-14 that includes interesting info. on the day to day op's of an F-14 driver...

http://www.vfp62.com/F14_RIO.html

[Dino Cattaneo]

@Skyhawka4m

Well, the external model is not frozen yet...so there is room for mods. There are several reasons why few models make the pilots disappear - which is a thing I only did in the F-35A version 1.0... One, for example, is the fact you have to model the ejcetion seat so that they make sense even if you remove the pilot figure (i.e. model the harnessing in two positions...) or you may even need to add details you usually will not see or notice when the pilots model are there (like ejection handles, control stick details etc.). It is not as trivial as it may seem. On the other hand, even it is "Flight" Simulator (and not "Parking" Simulator), I waste a significant amount of time just looking at some nicely detailed modes just sitting on the tarmac... and the pilots in the pic above look a little out of place (and the final model will have even more "moving" panels).

@Dave Torkington

Interesting story indeed. I remember the first time I saw the picture... I can only imagine how strange it has been for the pilot...

[gtirob01]

Looking awesome Dino! Love all the opening panels and such.

Question, will there be a clean model? One that has no drop tanks, missles, or bombs? Love to fly in a clean config... replicate some airshow demo flights!

[Roadburner440]

Wish I could be of assistance but I am only good at customer service. She sure looks like she is coming along well. I fully expected it to be payware like the F-35 was.

[Dino Cattaneo]

Here is a quick picture of the new virtual cockpit, to show you what I've done so far... Basically, whaetever you don't see in this picture (except the NACES) is modeled but not textured. I am keeping the polycount relatively low, so that there are enough resources for the RIO cockpit (which I have just sketched at the moment).
HUD is provisional - Jivko Rusev has promised a custom one (thank you JR!) but I have not sent him yet a VC to work on... I will do that soon!
By the way, I wish to thank Ken Simmons of the Castle Air Museum which has provided a lot of fantastic pictures of the real cockpits - I am getting a much better texture quality thanks to those pictures.
With current pace, the pilot VC will probably be ready in no less than 3 weeks... and then, the RIO VC may take another 1-2 months...

PS - Disergard the accuracy of the carrier approach... this was just a to take a picture with the carrier in sight.


73796

[FlameOut]

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Chris Sykes]

looking good Dino! Thats the usual look of my carrier approaches! You could still make it if your daring

[FSN]

Glad I saw this thread today. Looks like a good oppurtunity to work with Dino on a project and give a lil something back to the community. I'll be supplying the new and improved sound set for Dino's F14D.

[Odie]

looking good Dino! Thats the usual look of my carrier approaches! You could still make it if your daring

Me too, Chris! And I'm usually thinking, "it shouldn't thump too hard!"

Dino, this is looking great!

[Dino Cattaneo]

Pilot cockpit is now fully textured (but full of bugs and missing a lot of functionalities)...

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[FSDSMAN]

Looking good Dino

[Dino Cattaneo]

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According to my initial plan, I should be coding the advisory/caution lights and debugging the pilot cockpit - in order to finish it and start Alpha testing... but it is a really boring process, and I am not in the right mood (provided there is a right mood for such tedious activities) - so I started modeling the RIO cockpit ahead of the schedule.
At the moment, modeling of the pilot cockpit is 99% complete - the outstanding items being night textures and advisory & caution lights.
RIO cockpit is 40% done. F-14D experts may notice that this RIO cockpit is not a "standard" F-14D or F-14D(R), since the upper part is missing the GPS unit and the new digital information display. Well, I am modeling this on the pictures provided by Ken - which have been taken on the BuNo.164601 as preserved at Castle Air Museum... I will just fill some void spaces due to missing panels but will not change the general layout - so you will have to live with this.
It is not clear to me why this Rio cockpit is configured like this - upper part being the same as the older variants, lower part being like the latest F-14D... may be it was for training purposes, may be the upper part has been replaced before the delivery to the museum... I don't know. Anyway, I'll mirror that configuration so that graphic look is consistent.
Also, I am sorry but the vast majority of the RIO controls will be INOP - both because will have not much use in FSX and because I simply do not have the time and resources to do that.

[flewpastu]

Thank you Dino, it looks fantastic I cant wait for a 2 seater vc Tomcat.

Bill