FSX Tigercat SOH Native Conversion Progress [Archive]

gman5250

June 12th, 2015, 14:09

Mr. Shupe has handed the F7F-1 off for FSX/P3D conversion. I've started on the work and will post updates on this blog. All thoughts, helpful photos and suggestions are welcome. I'll be giving this work high priority attention...I really love this particular airplane.

At this point she is very much a WIP, these shots have no spec assigned and the light is variable depending on angle. I'm working on alpha balance, rivet and panel height and adding stress contours. There is a lot of detail work to do. This skin is a working bare metal skin, not a representation of any know aircraft.
I'll be offering a comprehensive paint kit with the release of the native bird. Photoshop format with all necessary layers broken out.

Starter photos of the light study and bump mapping. I'll be designing the light and color work to take advantage of P3D2.5 DX11 rendering, so this girl is going to be gorgeous.

Below: Light study for skin reflection and bump height. Very WIP at this stage, but an indication of how drop dead gorgeous she is. These shots are all P3DV2.5.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_043_zpsgnbrjxtr.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_043_zpsgnbrjxtr.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_042_zpsdmvauzl4.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_042_zpsdmvauzl4.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_045_zpsy5c2irmi.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_045_zpsy5c2irmi.jpg.html)

gman5250

June 12th, 2015, 14:17

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_046_zpsnpbkryjc.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_046_zpsnpbkryjc.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_044_zpszq7yfynn.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_044_zpszq7yfynn.jpg.html)

fsxar177

June 12th, 2015, 14:23

Pretty cool!

Been awaiting some more work on the Tiger for sometime!

- J

Bomber_12th

June 12th, 2015, 14:34

Great work, GMan! I'm looking forward to seeing how she goes as you continue to work on the project.

Joseph, I can already see this in your mind's eye! ; ) Would be a lot of fun for sure to round the Reno pylons in an FSX native F7F.

http://www.airracers-thefilm.com/local/cache-vignettes/L900xH575/AirRacers_Still_34-7ce6b.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th006/DSC_0542_zpsjttq8f38.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th006/DSC_0542_zpsjttq8f38.jpg.html)

fsxar177

June 12th, 2015, 14:57

John,
You know me too well..

My Friend, photographer Michael Erwine took these last year;
http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2014/mre1/images/mre_0615.jpg
http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2014/mre1/images/mre_5464.jpg

You can view the rest of the gallery HERE (http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2014/mre1/)

- Joseph

gman5250

June 12th, 2015, 15:04

Ya know, the pickin's are fairly slim for skins on this plane. I thought I'd do the conversion work and the PK, but hadn't decided how far to take the liveries. I've got the source art for the restorations, so it's all do-able at this point. I'll set the model up to be receptive for the spit and polish restorations. If anyone wants dibs....now is the time to speak up.

WarHorse47

June 12th, 2015, 15:12

Yum.. this is gonna be good... (my photos, btw)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Air%20Shows/2014%20Skyfair/DSC01789_zps6281327e.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Air%20Shows/2014%20Skyfair/DSC01825_zpscdf35180.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2014/DSC02207_zpsf7846492.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2014/DSC02229_zps5af0e723.jpg

WarHorse47

June 12th, 2015, 15:25

..and one more for good measure, taken just a month ago... tee, hee

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Museums/Palm%20Springs%2003-07-2015/DSC02756_zpsrrwu285v.jpg

fsxar177

June 12th, 2015, 15:43

This is too much fun!

Some of my own photos from Reno, 2013.

http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2013/nonrace1/images/nonrace15.jpg
http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2013/nonrace1/images/nonrace3.jpg
http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2013/nonrace1/images/nonrace5.jpg
http://www.fsxairsports.com/ncar/gallery/unlimited/2013/nonrace1/images/nonrace31.jpg

WarHorse47

June 12th, 2015, 15:46

Hahahah... found another one but fsxar177 beat me to it...

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2009/PICT2251.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2009/PICT2221.jpg

gman5250

June 12th, 2015, 15:51

A few based on the original flying testbed....she's definitely a babe.

This is the first opportunity I have had to design a paint kit and skins on a platform where I have actual control of the model. In the past, I've always adapted the art to the existing model. With the Tigercat, I can control the light from the model first, then create the art to take full advantage of DX10 and up. The FSX model will reap the benefits of course, but Prepar3D is where she is going to shine....no pun.

Man...I love those spinners on "La Patrona". Maybe Mr. Shupe will make a set if everyone has been good this year.

Prepar3DV2.5 straight screen caps. No filters or touch ups | ASN Weather | REX TD/Soft Clouds | Scenery by ******** |
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_047_zpsdkxnkopz.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_047_zpsdkxnkopz.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_050_zps890wqxlr.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_050_zps890wqxlr.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_049_zpsk46m4o0p.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_049_zpsk46m4o0p.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_048_zpshftb3k7z.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_048_zpshftb3k7z.jpg.html)

falcon409

June 12th, 2015, 15:52

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2009/PICT2221.jpg
WH, this is the livery I did for mine. Fly it all the time in P3D but no shine, so I'm looking forward to what "gman" is working on for sure.

Sundog

June 12th, 2015, 15:58

Thanks for previews and the actual screenshots. I hadn't realized one of the privately owned Tigercats was using spinners. It looks great! (Both Gman's and Rod Lewis')

WarHorse47

June 12th, 2015, 16:16

Here's another one from Reno 2005

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2005/4Hawk_02.jpg

Pips

June 12th, 2015, 23:13

This is great news!

I have a real thing for whole family of Grumman fighters, from the F4F onwards. And the F7F is my favourite! It was a shame that it didn't get to see active service during WWII. It would have proven a nightmare for any Japanese fighters!

hairyspin

June 12th, 2015, 23:27

Will you guys please stop that, I'm drooling all over my keyboard!

Dumonceau

June 13th, 2015, 00:41

An FSX/P3D native Tigerkitty? I must have died and gone to heaven!!!

greenie

June 13th, 2015, 01:47

You can't keep a good man down - go Gman !.....thanks

WarHorse47

June 13th, 2015, 07:19

Thanks for previews and the actual screenshots. I hadn't realized one of the privately owned Tigercats was using spinners. It looks great! (Both Gman's and Rod Lewis')Guess that the spinners were for Reno? Have to research that one...

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/Reno/2014/DSC02233_zpsb5757ab2.jpg

Bomber_12th

June 13th, 2015, 07:54

The silver one, "La Patrona", owned by Rod Lewis, is tuned for air racing (it used to be "Big Bossman" when owned by Mike Brown), and has been fitted with the spinners for a couple years now (its base paint scheme is loosely based on the test/prototype example, which did have spinners, but were larger). The F7F N6178C (the one with "JC" on the tail) also has more recently been sporting prop spinners as well.

Rod Lewis owns/operates two Tigercats, "La Patrona" and "Here Kitty, Kitty" (N747MX and N700F).
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3-Tigercat/2431381/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3P-Tigercat/2533904/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052

Jim Slattery owns/operates two Tigercats that were production-consecutive - BuNo.'s 80374 and 80375 - and are painted in matching paint schemes (N379AK and N7629C).
https://www.facebook.com/wwiiaviation/photos/pb.139347556112266.-2207520000.1434210564./709210955792587/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/wwiiaviation/photos/pb.139347556112266.-2207520000.1434210564./708892999157716/?type=3&theater
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3N-Tigercat/2428318/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3N-Tigercat/2319808/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052

The Historic Flight Foundation owns/operates "Bad Kitty" (N6178C).
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3P-Tigercat/2172850/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3P-Tigercat/1979242/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052

Avstar Inc. owns/operates Tigercat N6178C (this one used to be owned by The Fighter Collection at Duxford, when then registered as G-RUMT).
http://flightaware.com/photos/view/5510-8b249aaeca175b63f7b32975962e1eefaa4fee57/staffpicksweek/sort/date/page/1
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Grumman-F7F-3P-Tigercat/1533065/L/&sid=d87fbc99a27a516057a6f68004ad6052

jankees

June 13th, 2015, 08:41

wow, looking great!

Daveroo

June 13th, 2015, 09:36

falcon409

June 13th, 2015, 10:36

im not sure whats happening here?..is this update to the outside?...the VC wont be being updated?...or will it...and will the ported (or the one setup for fsx ) of the airtanker be being updated in anyway?
i love my airtankers....and the F7F and S2T seem basic to me..not very good (for FSX) VCs which is where i fly...not often does the pilot sit outside on the wing watching the pretty paint job...takes away the realism of a simulator to me...outside flying is for arcade games ONLY MY OPINION,and mine alone..im saying you all should follow my lead.
Based on what I'm reading here, the Tigercat will be converted to native FSX, however only the exterior is being reworked. I don't read anything beyond that. If he's completely redoing the VC he hasn't mentioned that and I think he would have at some point. While the VC isn't the very best it could be, It's always been quite acceptable. . .hasn't kept me from flying it almost every day for the past several years.

Daveroo

June 13th, 2015, 10:42

Based on what I'm reading here, the Tigercat will be converted to native FSX, however only the exterior is being reworked. I don't read anything beyond that. If he's completely redoing the VC he hasn't mentioned that and I think he would have at some point. While the VC isn't the very best it could be, It's always been quite acceptable. . .hasn't kept me from flying it almost every day for the past several years.

ok thank you for your reply its what i was after...ty

ce_zeta

June 13th, 2015, 10:46

Amazing Gordon, as usual!!!!:applause:

gman5250

June 13th, 2015, 11:06

I'm have been flying the updated FS9 model by Mr. Shupe in P3Dv2.5 The cockpit is much nicer than the earlier versions of the model I previously flew. The texture sheets have been vastly expanded. This means that details can be added to things like the canopy. I've done some work inside, but only paint work on the canopy frame. I haven't touched the interior textures...yet.

If someone decides to tackle the cockpit modeling, that is another project. For me, the cockpit is quite acceptable, but it's not A2A or Milviz. It all comes down to what you find to your liking.

I build my aircraft skins and scenery to take maximum advantage of what sim technology has to offer. That means hyper detailing of terrain, vegetation, buildings and aircraft skins.

The technology is to the point where I can go to any location on the planet and get a feeling of what it is really like to be there. I think that is the whole point of flight simulation. Some prefer to fly only from the cockpit, some prefer the other options. Most videos I see represent the entire experience, inside and out.

I'm doing the FSX/P3D conversion which will use the cockpit in its current state of development.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_051_zpswnvct7wd.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_051_zpswnvct7wd.jpg.html)

Sundog

June 13th, 2015, 11:14

That certainly works for me. As usual, thanks for all of the work you're putting into this, it's appreciated. Of course, thanks to Milton as well for modeling Tigercats for us in the first place. :)

falcon409

June 13th, 2015, 11:18

That certainly works for me. As usual, thanks for all of the work you're putting into this, it's appreciated. Of course, thanks to Milton as well for modeling Tigercats for us in the first place. :)
Yep, ditto. . .even though in P3D now the VC is non-functional, it hasn't detracted from the fun of flying the Tigercat.

WarHorse47

June 13th, 2015, 11:26

Awhile back I ported over Milton's Tigercat to FSX. I currently have four aircraft folders for each of the WIP models: -1, -3N, -300, and the -Tanker.

One or two of the readme files refers to a -3P model which I never found.

So which model is being converted to FSX?

gman5250

June 13th, 2015, 11:33

Milton Shupe

June 13th, 2015, 12:53

I have recently invested several hundred hours in redoing all 5 Tigercats (-1, -3 (single seat), -3P (two seat variant), -3N, and the -3 Tanker.

All aircraft have been remapped for high resolution exteriors.

The panel/gauge setups have been simplified but only minor changes have been made to the VC.
I have a couple more additions/changes to make there and it will be done.

Sorry, I cannot now justify investing 6-8 weeks rebuilding the VC for so little payback beyond eye candy.
I do not have a texture artist or a panel-gauge programmer to make it happen. The artistry in that level of detail is a project in itself.

Next week, I should be done with all changes and I will pass it all to Gordon.

I am very appreciative of Gordon's interest and work to bring this to FSX native, and to do the extreme quality textures and paint kit.

gman5250

June 13th, 2015, 12:55

Yep, ditto. . .even though in P3D now the VC is non-functional, it hasn't detracted from the fun of flying the Tigercat.

I'm in the same camp as you gentlemen. This is a muscle car of an airplane...it feels good, it sounds good and it's going to look good. I've purchased some payware with very nice cockpits and systems, but the exteriors keep me in the office. When I turn up the volume and push the Kitty to it's capabilities, I keep the panel in my peripheral and spend a lot of the time just feeling the performance this plane offers up.

gman5250

June 13th, 2015, 13:07

wow, looking great!

Thank you Jankees. The P-38 was probably the best airplane I've seen yet from anyone. I'm just trying to stay up with the pace. :running:

Roger

June 13th, 2015, 13:14

This is looking very handsome:applause:

DaveB

June 13th, 2015, 13:34

It certainly does Roger:encouragement: I saw G-RUMT many times over the years it was with TFC and had a real soft spot for it. Can hardly wait to see it in the virtual skies over Duxford again;)

ATB
DaveB:)

malibu43

June 13th, 2015, 14:52

Watching this closely!

I didn't feel like I needed an F7F... but now I do!

gman5250

June 13th, 2015, 21:31

Progress: I've refined the bump height, added the spec layers and developed the Fresnel ramp to produce an excellent light balance.

The whole package is looking very good at this point. The curve is set to accommodate the high gloss models that are currently flying, but flexible by adjusting alpha layers to reproduce the early production planes.

These are 2048 skins, but I'm thinking I can really dial in the rivets and fine details if I go to 4096. Opinions?

Shown using very light alpha values. Darker alpha produces a mirror polish skin.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_060_zps8wnx2aqm.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_060_zps8wnx2aqm.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_056_zpsgdjylyzo.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_056_zpsgdjylyzo.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_055_zpsbohfecas.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_055_zpsbohfecas.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_054_zps3g5jxtdr.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_054_zps3g5jxtdr.jpg.html)

LE151

June 13th, 2015, 22:08

Looks Great!!!!!:applause:

Dumonceau

June 13th, 2015, 22:12

G,

The rivets already seem very nice to me. Would it be too much work to offer both sets? I can run the 4096 textures, but for people with less than optimal rigs, the option would be nice.

EDIT: is it still possible to add a gunsight?

I'm so looking forward to this release!!

Cheers,

Johan

Daveroo

June 13th, 2015, 22:35

Dumonceau

June 14th, 2015, 03:57

WND

June 14th, 2015, 04:09

G,

Would it be too much work to offer both sets? for people with less than optimal rigs.

Hey "G":

I would have to 'second' that question !!

Some of us ( if not the majority) don't have the 'rigs' to handle 4096 and some of us - for whatever reasons - are on 'fixed' incomes therefore a nice 'big powerful rig' isn't appearing in our sights anytime in the near future !! :sorrow:

Plus it's hard to explain to the wife that you want to spend more money on an airplane / computer than HER - Know what I'm saying !!!! :banghead:

We definately appreciate the time / effort / great work :encouragement: but we might not be able to handle the 'high res' results !!

Just a thought to consider..

Bill

gman5250

June 14th, 2015, 05:34

Hey guys,

RE: 4096 x 4096 textures, I didn't ask the question the right way. lol
I'll do the 2048 x 2048 textures for the basic packages. The 4096 x 4096 could be an option for higher end systems. 2048 is pretty darned good for most of my day to day flying.

Hey Dave...you didn't piss me off either, but remember Art Scholl was known to go out and stand on the wing during his shows. Heh Heh...

G...

Dumonceau

June 14th, 2015, 05:36

Question: how many hours a day do you actually sleep?, :D

Johan

YoYo

June 14th, 2015, 05:44

Fantastic news! My fingers are crossed for this project!

falcon409

June 14th, 2015, 06:06

Hey guys,

RE: 4096 x 4096 textures, I didn't ask the question the right way. lol
I'll do the 2048 x 2048 textures for the basic packages. The 4096 x 4096 could be an option for higher end systems. 2048 is pretty darned good for most of my day to day flying.

G...
Concerning the 4096x4096 textures. . .and understand this is my opinion and not disputing what anyone else has stated. I do repainting, but I am not a repaint artist (big difference). I don't know how to do bump mapping, or work with speculars and find most of that a waste as my flying happens in the cockpit and not from the external view. However, when I have done repaints (and I've done a lot) I always use 4096x4096 textures (the repaints for Tim's Native T-33 and the Donationware F-100 were done with my paint kits at 4096x4096). It allows for greater detail, stencils can be read easily and everything is "in focus". With all the aircraft I've painted that way, and even with payware aircraft I've purchased I've never had a problem with my computer being able to handle the larger format. My system is now 3 or 4 years old and hardly a top end rig. I know there is an immense cross section of users in SOH and folks get by with what they can afford and I'm certainly in that boat myself, but I've never seen a drop in performance or any fps hit when going from smaller texture sizes to the larger ones. Not ever.

gman5250

June 14th, 2015, 06:08

Question: how many hours a day do you actually sleep?, :D

Johan

Errr...Uhhhhh...20 hour days are not unusual. :dizzy:

I'd guess that Mr. Shupe puts in a few hours here and there too.

G

Dumonceau

June 14th, 2015, 06:19

Errr...Uhhhhh...20 hour days are not unusual. :dizzy:

I'd guess that Mr. Shupe puts in a few hours here and there too.

G

Gordon,

do us all a favour and get the sleep that you need, that your body asks for. It's people like you and Milton who are so needed for this community! (that's a compliment by the way)

Take care,

Johan

gman5250

June 14th, 2015, 06:19

Concerning the 4096x4096 textures. . .and understand this is my opinion and not disputing what anyone else has stated. I do repainting, but I am not a repaint artist (big difference). I don't know how to do bump mapping, or work with speculars and find most of that a waste as my flying happens in the cockpit and not from the external view. However, when I have done repaints (and I've done a lot) I always use 4096x4096 textures (the repaints for Tim's Native T-33 and the Donationware F-100 were done with my paint kits at 4096x4096). It allows for greater detail, stencils can be read easily and everything is "in focus". With all the aircraft I've painted that way, and even with payware aircraft I've purchased I've never had a problem with my computer being able to handle the larger format. My system is now 3 or 4 years old and hardly a top end rig. I know there is an immense cross section of users in SOH and folks get by with what they can afford and I'm certainly in that boat myself, but I've never seen a drop in performance or any fps hit when going from smaller texture sizes to the larger ones. Not ever.

Thanks Ed, I'll definitely do a set in 4096. The rivets and panels, along with all of the other details really pop in high def. At 2048, a one pixel rivet is still fuzzy to me, and the highlights are usually too dominant. At 4096 I use a round brush to make the rivet and a small one pixel square brush for the highlights on a separate layer. A Gaussian blur softens the highlight very nicely. Panel lines are much more crisp at 4096 as well.

The Tigercat source photos I have show very tight panel lines and super straight panels on the restored aircraft. To get the look I think 4096 will do the job. The finished skins can be resized to 2048 and still keep their tight appearance.

gman5250

June 14th, 2015, 06:49

Gordon,

do us all a favour and get the sleep that you need, that your body asks for. It's people like you and Milton who are so needed for this community! (that's a compliment by the way)

Take care,

Johan

I appreciate that Johan.

I do the skins to un-wind from the scenery work, which I do tend to spend enormous time on. The scenery work is a mixed bag. The autogen can be like a root canal when you are doing many hundreds of houses/buildings and large areas of hand annotated trees. The modeling is more relaxing, especially since I went to 3DS Max. Photoshop, where I spend many, many hours is very Zen when I'm painting trees, brush and grasses. That work is very restful and I find that hours go by in low brain wave states.

These particular skins are the first I've done with the Wacom tablet/Photoshop CS6. The resulting art is the product of using real hand strokes. I've waited a long time for the Tigercat, so naturally I'm going to throw myself at the art.

It's my pleasure gentlemen, I sincerely thank you all for the encouragement.

Gordon

Milton Shupe

June 14th, 2015, 07:54

ok i meant no disrespect to anyone especially Milton..i've always appreciated what he does for this community and to Gordon and all the rest of you.i was mostly wondering what if anything would be changed..i always type to much and get myself into trouble...

Not a problem Dave; I understood your comment and no offense taken.

The cockpit is basic by choice and circumstance, a decision I had to make due to limited resources.

If anyone wants to take the VC up a notch as freeware, and Gordon wants to release the gmax source when he is done, I will support that.

fsxar177

June 14th, 2015, 13:51

I certainly applaud the effort to resurrect this beast! +1 To all involved!

-Joseph

gman5250

June 15th, 2015, 07:11

I did a set of spinners to match "La Patrona". I don't have the model yet, so I put them in the F7F-1 model to get a sense of how they look.

These shots are of the spinners on a high polish frame. I won't do any skins for the restored versions until I get the correct models, but these light studies work to get the gloss levels and spec right.

Note: The absence of exhaust stain on the starboard wing is intentional. This is a light study, I'm balancing the alpha to dull the shine under the exhaust.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_061_zps9kauuxj8.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_061_zps9kauuxj8.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_063_zpszxfwrnal.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_063_zpszxfwrnal.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_065_zpsglpfigj3.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_065_zpsglpfigj3.jpg.html)

Dumonceau

June 15th, 2015, 07:18

Jeebus! :jump: That looks lovely!

Johan

Milton Shupe

June 15th, 2015, 07:34

Agreed! Excellent job there Sir. :applause:

I will start packaging up the other models today and upload for you.

gman5250

June 15th, 2015, 08:02

Agreed! Excellent job there Sir. :applause:

I will start packaging up the other models today and upload for you.

Thank you sir.

I'm ready when you are.

Mach3DS

June 15th, 2015, 08:11

Gentlemen,

Absolutely phenominal work. Gman your work is absolutely incredible! You are the metal master. :applause:

Dumonceau

June 15th, 2015, 08:11

Gordon,

May I volunteer to be a Prepar3D v2.5 tester??? :jump:

Cheers,

Johan

Mach3DS

June 15th, 2015, 08:25

I second that request! v2.5 is all I fly these days...

gman5250

June 15th, 2015, 09:58

Johan and Rick, I'll need a note from your doctor. The "Kitty" can cause dizziness and heart palpitations. :encouragement:

fsxar177

June 15th, 2015, 11:13

This is getting more and more exciting! Good work Gman!

- Joseph

Milton Shupe

June 15th, 2015, 11:53

Thank you sir.

I'm ready when you are.

Uploaded and links sent via Email. :-)

gman5250

June 15th, 2015, 13:43

Status update:

I have all of the files from Mr. Shupe. I'll be converting the entire set to FSX/P3D native.

Just an FYI, the model is not guaranteed by Mr. Shupe for P3Dv2.5, however, I'm flying the plane with the few known anomalies in 2.5. The flight model is excellent, some cockpit functions are limited, but I can read gauges, adjust mixture/prop and add my external HUD and radios that I prefer for high performance flying. Only the hard core purists may find exception to the model in 2.5, so be advised.

I'll continue to post updates on the thread here.

Thank you Milton, for the hundreds of hours you put into this project, and the countless hours you have donated to this community. :ernaehrung004:

gman5250

June 16th, 2015, 18:44

A shout out for a bit of Gmax assistance.

I thought I'd put a request out here as well as FS Developer. I've decided to use Gmax, rather than 3DS Max to do the FSX conversion on the Tigercat. I've converted the model to 3DS Max 2015 using the FFG tool by Manfred Jahn. The conversion is fine, but the animations would have to be completely redone from scratch.

In Gmax, the animation pivots, bones etc. translate from the FS9 SDK model supplied by Milton Shupe, over to FSX/Acceleration/updated version of Gmax that I have used for quite some time. The entire time I have used my version of Gmax, I have never had the Dope Sheet option under Graph Editor/Track View. I only get Track View with no Dope Sheet showing in the drop down menu.

I'm at the point of tagging the various animations for the FSX conversion, but can't access the Dope Sheet. Has anyone else experienced this anomaly, and if so where is the fix?

Thank you in advance gentlemen.

G

Dumonceau

June 16th, 2015, 23:28

Johan and Rick, I'll need a note from your doctor. The "Kitty" can cause dizziness and heart palpitations. :encouragement:

LOL!!! As an ex-para commando I think I'm in good health!

;)

gman5250

June 17th, 2015, 08:55

LOL!!! As an ex-para commando I think I'm in good health!

;)

Works for me...PM me.

Dumonceau

June 17th, 2015, 09:03

Works for me...PM me.

PM sent!!! :jump:

hairyspin

June 17th, 2015, 11:15

...I'm at the point of tagging the various animations for the FSX conversion, but can't access the Dope Sheet. Has anyone else experienced this anomaly, and if so where is the fix?

There is no Dope Sheet in Gmax, Gary; only the Track View. What exactly did you want it for? You can possibly use the Track View with suitable filters applied.

gman5250

June 17th, 2015, 11:31

Thanks Tom,

I'm tagging the animations for the FSX Tigercat. FSX SDK points to the Animation Manager & Dope sheet. I have no trouble accessing Track View for the graphical view of the tags, but was curious when I could not fine the Dope Sheet under Track View.

I appreciate your quick response.

Gordon

hairyspin

June 17th, 2015, 12:47

I understand now what you mean. I've also discovered when running Gmax from the FSX sdk shortcut, the Notes showing the animation tag information can be read from the Track View, so I learned something today. Thank you!

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll173/hairyspin/Dope-Info_zpsrfwqbd6b.jpg

gman5250

June 17th, 2015, 12:52

A profound example illustrating the symbiotic nature of quantum mechanics and the observer manifesting reality......:dizzy:

hairyspin

June 17th, 2015, 13:10

Well, before returning to the Tigercat, just had to share...

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/344/703/01c.jpg

gman5250

June 17th, 2015, 13:21

Well, before returning to the Tigercat, just had to share...

Speechless..............

Dumonceau

June 20th, 2015, 05:34

G,

Any news on this? Not wanting to stress you out or anything, but I'm really following this one!

Cheers,

Johan

gman5250

June 23rd, 2015, 20:46

Working on the animations. I had to take some time and devote it to my WIP projects and getting the house ready for sale. :running:

gman5250

July 13th, 2015, 00:52

Update:

The animations are nearly complete. I'm finalizing the landing gear and prop animations now. Sorry to keep everyone waiting, but I'm primarily a scenery designer. Aircraft modeling has always taken a back burner to the scenery, but the Tigercat was irresistible. I bit the bullet and dove into the project.

The early model will be first, then I'll finish up the variants. I'll be handing the first model off to the beta testers in a few days. :jump:

Roger

July 13th, 2015, 04:05

That's great news Gordon:applause:

Dumonceau

July 13th, 2015, 05:19

Being one of the beta testers, that is indeed brilliant news!

And with my two weeks off, I'll fly the wings off that gorgeous thing!!

Johan

huub vink

July 13th, 2015, 06:16

Great news indeed Gordon! Thanks for all your efforts! :encouragement:

Sundog

July 13th, 2015, 14:46

Thanks for the update, I appreciate all of the work you're putting into this to make it native. :)

Milton Shupe

July 13th, 2015, 15:02

Thanks for the update, I appreciate all of the work you're putting into this to make it native. :)

Me too ;-)

Dumonceau

July 14th, 2015, 05:48

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25185&stc=1

Johan :jump:

gman5250

July 14th, 2015, 21:44

I took the Tigercat on her first shakedown flight this evening. I've still got some work adding lights and merging the cockpit, but she's definitely worth showing. All that's left is synchronizing the prop anims and doing some fine tuning. The skins are exceptionally good with the light I built into the model. Seeing as most of the service skins and restorations are light dependent, I focused on a base model that would favor those representations.

I've waited a long time for this model...taking her native was a real honor. Thanks Milton...

Prepar3D v2.5. Shown in service metal skin with average wear. The polished skin is in the wings....no pun.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_069_zpsar7ndlkm.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_069_zpsar7ndlkm.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_066_zpssqwd6wyi.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_066_zpssqwd6wyi.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_068_zpsieniq0c1.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_068_zpsieniq0c1.jpg.html)

Dumonceau

July 14th, 2015, 23:12

Now that looks purdy indeed! Way to go G!!!

Johan

bpfowler

July 15th, 2015, 09:59

Hokey smokes, wot a stunner!:jump:

delta_lima

July 15th, 2015, 10:47

What great news.

I could be wrong, but does anyone else see the pilot as a bit small, proportionately? In most photos I see online, the head takes up roughly half the available vertical height of the canopy, seems our pilot is a bit smaller than that ...

http://img1.jetphotos.net:8080/img/2/9/7/3/40160_1244138379.jpg

http://cdn.airplane-pictures.net/images/uploaded-images/2011/8/29/153569.jpg

25226

25227

Question about the front wheel. I see both the solid wheel shown in the screens as well as spoked wheels. In fact, the latter type seems to be (by photo accounts, at least) the more common. But I don't the rhyme or reason for which models used which - I've seen virtually all of the models sporting both types. Anyone know the story behind when/why where each of the two wheel types used? Just curious.

Really smart-looking shots, again, and thanks for the great work on this.

DL

Milton Shupe

July 15th, 2015, 11:05

What great news.

I could be wrong, but does anyone else see the pilot as a bit small, proportionately? In most photos I see online, the head takes up roughly half the available vertical height of the canopy, seems our pilot is a bit smaller than that ...

http://img1.jetphotos.net:8080/img/2/9/7/3/40160_1244138379.jpg

http://cdn.airplane-pictures.net/images/uploaded-images/2011/8/29/153569.jpg

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25226&stc=1

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25227&stc=1

Question about the front wheel. I see both the solid wheel shown in the screens as well as spoked wheels. In fact, the latter type seems to be (by photo accounts, at least) the more common. But I don't the rhyme or reason for which models used which - I've seen virtually all of the models sporting both types. Anyone know the story behind when/why where each of the two wheel types used? Just curious.

Really smart-looking shots, again, and thanks for the great work on this.

DL

The wheel should be spoked. The solid black wheel texture is used on the night versions like the 2N and 3N.

The pilot is not small; he fills up the cockpit.

delta_lima

July 15th, 2015, 11:14

Thanks Milton!

dl

Milton Shupe

July 15th, 2015, 11:17

I am sure his head would look larger with a white full helmet on but this is the test pilot who did not wear a helmet.

EDIT: Here are a couple shots from FS9 to assess pilot size

Milton Shupe

July 15th, 2015, 11:27

Thanks Milton!

dl

BTW, in the FS9 forum, Padburgess thought the pilot was too small and sat too high.

I made the pilot figure larger as a result, as large as I could and still fit in the cockpit with shoulders rubbing the canopy glass.

delta_lima

July 15th, 2015, 12:41

I am sure his head would look larger with a white full helmet on but this is the test pilot who did not wear a helmet.

EDIT: Here are a couple shots from FS9 to assess pilot size

Looks good in those photos!

dl

gman5250

July 15th, 2015, 19:02

The pilot figure looks pretty good to me. If he were wearing a flight helmet, he would need to duck...pretty much par for the course.

More photos coming once GMAX gets over it's PMS...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_070_zpswfngl5te.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_070_zpswfngl5te.jpg.html)

Mach3DS

July 15th, 2015, 19:10

Fantastic job gman! You're really doing her justice!

Dumonceau

July 15th, 2015, 20:33

And how!! Lovely work G!!

Johan

Cirrus N210MS

July 15th, 2015, 20:52

looking forward to fly it :wavey:

jankees

July 15th, 2015, 21:23

That's looking just great!

gman5250

July 17th, 2015, 22:09

The exterior model is coded, I'm tagging the cockpit and polishing the paints. There will be two Fresnel ramps included in the model so that the shine level can be tweaked by the end user. The working skin is meant to look like the basic service skin on the early models. The polished skin is for the restorations.

Various spinners:
The custom spinners are for La Patrona...I haven't done the skin yet, but I sure like them on the flying beta model.
For the test model, the large spinners are also modeled.

I'm looking for opinions on what everyone would like to see at this point. Now is the time to put in your two cents so I can tweak the final model. As always, I'm doing basic skins and a PK for others to add their contributions.

Note: The contact points are correct, the runway is a WIP scenery sloped runway that is not entirely dialed in yet...thus the "sunken" tires.

P3Dv2.5 un-retouched screen caps. F7F-1 early model polished and service skins.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_073_zps43liwjci.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_073_zps43liwjci.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_072_zpswhv4jzdi.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_072_zpswhv4jzdi.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_071_zpsvgbkjjsz.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_074_zps3b1succx.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_074_zps3b1succx.jpg.html)

Dumonceau

July 17th, 2015, 22:43

WOW Gordon! That looks sumptuous!

Does this mean that we can start testing?? :jump:

Johan

gman5250

July 17th, 2015, 22:47

WOW Gordon! That looks sumptuous!

Does this mean that we can start testing?? :jump:

Johan

I've been testing...it means you can start testing. lol

Dumonceau

July 17th, 2015, 23:06

Check yer mail G!!

Johan

Lonewolfee1

July 21st, 2015, 06:16

Thanks for all your work. Can't wait to fly it.

Dumonceau

July 21st, 2015, 07:03

I'm/we're awaiting the files from Gordon, after which Beta testing will start.

But let Gordon sleep for now! ;) He's been working hard on this!

Cheers,

Johan

gman5250

July 21st, 2015, 18:57

I've completed the beta version of the FSX Native F7F Tigercat. I'll bump the gentlemen who have generously volunteered to help me chase out the various warts and technical bits.

As you can see from the previous screen shots I've posted, this is a beautiful airplane. I've incorporated all of the DX10 friendly tweaks to the skin for those of you who prefer P3D. She has tested well in FSX and FSX ST, so I think we are close to a release on this conversion. Thank you all for your support and patience while I have finalized the project.

Thank you Mr. Shupe for allowing me to do this conversion for you and our community.

Cheers all....

falcon409

July 21st, 2015, 19:34

Stickshaker

July 22nd, 2015, 06:55

I'm looking for opinions on what everyone would like to see at this point. Now is the time to put in your two cents so I can tweak the final model. As always, I'm doing basic skins and a PK for others to add their contributions.

Hello Gman,

I hope I am not too late, but I would very much like to see a gunsight in the cockpit, even if it is not working. I suppose operational aircraft had gunsights mounted. Perhaps it requires too much rework of the model, but since you asked for opinions...

Anyway, the plan looks excellent as it is!

Daveroo

July 22nd, 2015, 07:37

gman5250

July 22nd, 2015, 07:58

Hi Gordon and the rest of you....

please dont get mad at me,and yell at me...my nouves kaint take it...heheheh..

anyway...will you be doing this treatment to the air tanker version?....military stuff is fun to fly...but so are the conversions of some of those military planes...like the tankers..or like in the 60s all the planes used for large area sprayers..cargo planes..gosh i cant think of more..but there out there..like B-17s being used for mapping...

Mad....????? Me...???? Never.

I'm doing the entire set including the tanker. I'll do a basic skin set for each variant and provide a comprehensive paint kit that will cover the entire package. I'll leave the paints for the guys. For the tanker, I'll do a skin based on an existing aircraft, but I think the rest of the painters will want a chance to do their own skins.

The basic models will be set up with shine parameters suited to that particular model. The military planes don't shine as much as the restored birds, so the painters will have the option to choose a model that best suits their project.

The first model to be released is the Early F7F-1. I've set up the light parameters in the model to produce a wide range of shine based on the alpha applied. The basic skin has texture and wear built in, so the painters will only need to work with color and markings. The PK will have separate layers for those who want to modify wear or tweak the alpha and spec. Bump layers are included too.

rvn817j

July 22nd, 2015, 10:21

This is an awesome aircraft and I'm joining many others looking forward to the re-release. Thank you to Messrs. Shupe and Gman for their work and to all others that have participated in this project.

Daveroo

July 22nd, 2015, 18:10

Mad....????? Me...???? Never.

. The PK will have separate layers for those who want to modify wear or tweak the alpha and spec. Bump layers are included too.

i really dont know what ya mean in all that..i AM a simple man ya know...lol....my family is gettin to me i think. but does this mean that the alpha thing doesnt have to be messed with?...i tried a paint loooog time ago on Bills Kodiak..it looked like a it was covered with colored mirrors,people tried to explan how to use that alpha channel thing in BMPsomething...and i just couldnt understand...

gman5250

July 22nd, 2015, 20:29

i really dont know what ya mean in all that..i AM a simple man ya know...lol....my family is gettin to me i think. but does this mean that the alpha thing doesnt have to be messed with?...i tried a paint loooog time ago on Bills Kodiak..it looked like a it was covered with colored mirrors,people tried to explan how to use that alpha channel thing in BMPsomething...and i just couldnt understand...

That's a deep well to dive into. :encouragement:

There are a number of variables that control shine, alpha is the primary but combinations of alpha, spec, spec alpha....blah blah blah.... can bring on fits of depression and alcohol consumption. Throw in a healthy dose of Gmax and therapy may be the only alternative. To keep it more simple...the PK will have everything a painter would need to do just about anything.

gman5250

July 22nd, 2015, 20:33

Mr. Shupe has the working beta model to begin his evaluation. The beta team will have the model in a few hours. I'm going to be working on the bugs that will surely arise, and the cockpit updates. In the meantime....

Prepar3D2.5: Dusk ambient lighting with Shockwave illumination.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_075_zpset7cqeqy.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_075_zpset7cqeqy.jpg.html)

rvn817j

July 22nd, 2015, 20:48

Great shot Gman. Please include Shockwave coordinates in loading instructions (I never seem to be able to figure those out unless I get real good direction). Thanks.

Daveroo

July 22nd, 2015, 21:17

Great shot Gman. Please include Shockwave coordinates in loading instructions (I never seem to be able to figure those out unless I get real good direction). Thanks.

me three man..me three....i paid for it and i never could get the thing to work for me...i cant read n learn...i need to someone to show me...youtube videos are my savior at times.

mvg3d

July 22nd, 2015, 22:40

me three man..me three....i paid for it and i never could get the thing to work for me...i cant read n learn...i need to someone to show me...youtube videos are my savior at times.

Hi Daveroo,
Just a silly question/suggest for You :

Have You included the following line in the panel.cfg ?

gaugeXX=shockwave_lights!SW Lights, 1,1,1,1

Without this line the SW lights DON'T work.

:wavey::wavey::wavey::wavey:

Daveroo

July 23rd, 2015, 07:12

Hi Daveroo,
Just a silly question/suggest for You :

Have You included the following line in the panel.cfg ?

gaugeXX=shockwave_lights!SW Lights, 1,1,1,1

Without this line the SW lights DON'T work.

:wavey::wavey::wavey::wavey:

well this discussion is off the topic of this thread..so Gman,im apologize, but in the shockwave things..when you get the package,do you need to put that line in?..or is it supposed to go there automatically?....i dont recall..id given up on the lights package long ago...but if ya gotta do it manually it explains why it didnt work for me...lol...sheeesh

gman5250

July 23rd, 2015, 07:30

well this discussion is off the topic of this thread..so Gman,im apologize, but in the shockwave things..when you get the package,do you need to put that line in?..or is it supposed to go there automatically?....i dont recall..id given up on the lights package long ago...but if ya gotta do it manually it explains why it didnt work for me...lol...sheeesh

Shockwave doesn't do anything for you, except provide the software. Everything needs to be added by hand. For the F7F, I'll include the code in the .cfg file with instructions on how to change from stock FSX/P3D to Shockwave. It's not hard to do. Once you have done it, you'll be able to do it on all of your airplanes.

Dumonceau

July 23rd, 2015, 07:35

Shockwave doesn't do anything for you, except provide the software. Everything needs to be added by hand. For the F7F, I'll include the code in the .cfg file with instructions on how to change from stock FSX/P3D to Shockwave. It's not hard to do. Once you have done it, you'll be able to do it on all of your airplanes.

Awake already? Jeebus!! :biggrin-new:

Johan

gman5250

July 23rd, 2015, 07:49

Awake already? Jeebus!! :biggrin-new:

Johan

Nag..Nag...Nag....:biggrin-new:

Daveroo

July 23rd, 2015, 10:25

boys boys boys..no bickering .....:untroubled:

gman5250

July 23rd, 2015, 19:23

A heap load of thanks to you as well Gordon for such a meticulous job on this beauty. The Tigercat is a favorite for a lot of folks and having it FSX Native is icing on the cake. Gracias!!

De nada Ed.

I tend to be detail oriented, but this plane deserves a bunch of respect. Probably the pinnacle of big radial fighter development (IMHO), but relegated to a less lofty status than her contemporaries. Nevertheless, she is a beauty to be taken very seriously.

I'll give the Tigercat my best effort.

Dumonceau

July 24th, 2015, 03:39

A couple of shots from my first test flight!

http://s29.postimg.org/kteims86f/betatest6.jpg
http://s17.postimg.org/6j68sc3wv/betatest7.jpg
http://s30.postimg.org/oh9ssj1ld/betatest8.jpg

What a beast! :jump:

EDIT: shots taken in P3D v2.5. I thought I'd better say that!

Indications of the performance FPS wise: I have my sim locked externally at 60 and it never ever drops below 55.

Johan

ce_zeta

July 24th, 2015, 03:46

Wow! Superb Gordon. Finally the Tigercat will have the recognition which it deserves. :encouragement:
Marvellous Pics Johan.

Dumonceau

July 25th, 2015, 00:54

Just a small update. The model is still continuously being updated.

I'll post new shots this afternoon!

Johan

Dumonceau

July 25th, 2015, 02:26

Guys,

Any reference pictures of the Tigercat cockpit would be highly welcomed! Jafo? You did a panel for the FS9 Tigerkitty, didn't you?

Cheers,

Johan

stansdds

July 25th, 2015, 04:57

WOW! Polished metal and those long, pointy prop spinners make it look like it's ready for racing at Reno. :applause:

Dumonceau

July 25th, 2015, 05:36

And a few shots from the non-polished, non-spinner version

http://s30.postimg.org/mbgqli169/betatest9.jpg
http://s16.postimg.org/yi5a63gud/betatest10.jpg
http://s11.postimg.org/otl7fjmoj/betatest11.jpg

As you can see, Gordon is doing an excellent job on this loveliest of creatures!

Johan

ejoiner

July 25th, 2015, 06:13

Dumonceau

July 25th, 2015, 06:34

Johan, these pics are pretty small. Any bigger ones? THis looks great.

You mean bigger format or just closer up?

But the priority now is the testing, the screenshots are just to keep you guys posted!

Cheers,

Johan

gman5250

July 25th, 2015, 06:39

WOW! Polished metal and those long, pointy prop spinners make it look like it's ready for racing at Reno. :applause:

I couldn't help but add the Reno spinners. Once I get this model airworthy, I'll put those spinners on the correct model.
They looked so good...I'll admit I jumped the shark a little and put them on the F7F-1.

Mach3DS

July 25th, 2015, 07:18

gman5250

July 25th, 2015, 08:26

Going to see a real tigercat today and Paine field Skyfair hosted by the Paul Allen collection FHC. Hopefully the Historic Flight foundations F7F will be flying or at least on display!

Gordon is doing an outstanding job...he really is. Will post a few pics myself when I get a chance ;)

Lucky dog Rick...If you take a camera, get some shots of the inner nacelles, gear, gear doors. Enjoy your day...sounds like big fun.

gray eagle

July 25th, 2015, 12:44

Hey G,

I sent you an email with attached pics of things I noted while flying.

Meanwhile, here is my in flight picture.

http://i61.tinypic.com/x4iy3s.jpg

Daveroo

July 25th, 2015, 18:57

im up n runnin fellas...yall gon heaha from meh soon...

gman5250

July 26th, 2015, 10:43

Update: Mr. Shupe and the beta team are giving the model a working over. Once I get the basic model dialed in, the other variants will proceed very quickly.

In the real world, there were only two test planes flown in bare metal. All others were Sea Blue or black. There was one F7F-1 flown in the Sea Blue. I've done a basic skin based on some preliminary research. I'm anxious to get to the other variants so we can start seeing some racing skins. They're going to be exceptionally gorgeous.

Prepar3Dv2.5 screen caps. Not re-touched.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_076_zpscjpba9so.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_076_zpscjpba9so.jpg.html)

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_077_zpsp0ho16oi.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_077_zpsp0ho16oi.jpg.html)

hairyspin

July 26th, 2015, 12:49

Guys,

Any reference pictures of the Tigercat cockpit would be highly welcomed!

Not common, try this:– http://combatace.com/topic/69241-f7f-3n-cockpit-details/

hairyspin

July 26th, 2015, 13:04

D'oh! Historic Flight Foundation cockpits 360 degree views! http://historicflight.org/hf/collection/cockpits/

Daveroo

July 26th, 2015, 13:10

im having trouble setting my flight controls,every thing seems to work...its just every thing is behind what im doing...meaning,i turn the yoke left,and its a second or so behind....and damned if i cant remember how to use fsuipc....

gman5250

July 26th, 2015, 13:50

D'oh! Historic Flight Foundation cockpits 360 degree views! http://historicflight.org/hf/collection/cockpits/

Man...those are incredible.

Back in the 90's I owned a hot rod and restoration business. I did a lot of work like this on cars...I can really appreciate the massive effort it takes to restore the F7F or any other historic aircraft.

Milton Shupe

July 26th, 2015, 14:25

Cockpits pics attached

EDIT: and more

gman5250

July 28th, 2015, 14:22

Cockpits pics attached

EDIT: and more

Thank you sir....I'll archive these.

Mach3DS

July 28th, 2015, 20:37

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/503/20097018052_ecd5d1cda4_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/412/19916902818_ca3d0c51df_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/392/20097018842_84155e8cee_o.jpg

YoYo

July 28th, 2015, 22:57

Looks better and better! Any "ETA" :) ?

Maybe some of TacPack's MASTER will do guns and rockets mod? :) VRS has in TacPack HVARS and guns from P-38.... (as part of TacPack). Just idea. :wavey:

Mach3DS

July 29th, 2015, 01:38

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/272/19487883144_6325079751_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/419/20084225466_72ff7c1710_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/387/19489531723_261491c72e_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/423/20084226596_5228571bff_o.jpg

Dutcheeseblend

July 29th, 2015, 01:43

Nice, awesome shots and model! But, will the radials remain 2D?

davido53

July 29th, 2015, 07:11

whoever did those textures should get an artist's award

gman5250

July 29th, 2015, 08:02

Progress report:

As you can see they guys are beta testing, chasing out bugs. I think we are close to putting the F7F-1 in the box which means the other models will follow very closely behind. They won't take long since they share many common features like wing, gear, basic cockpit etc.

ETA: I think we're on short final.

Model the radials....hmmm. I thought it might be a nice touch. I'm concentrating on coding the model, but as that is nearly complete I'll be able to look at things like modeling the R-2800's. :encouragement:

Thank you all for your comments and thanks guys for the stunning screen caps. She's a beauty.

gman5250

July 29th, 2015, 08:46

Looks better and better! Any "ETA" :) ?

Maybe some of TacPack's MASTER will do guns and rockets mod? :) VRS has in TacPack HVARS and guns from P-38.... (as part of TacPack). Just idea. :wavey:

Awesome idea. If anyone want's to contribute their expertise in this area I would be keen to pursue this.

Dutcheeseblend

July 29th, 2015, 08:47

Basic TacPacking won't be a problem for me. I also made a kind of tutorial-thingy to do this (guns only). If you need me, let me know ;)

And a beauty she is!!

gman5250

July 29th, 2015, 09:19

Brilliant...! PM me.

YoYo

July 29th, 2015, 09:28

Basic TacPacking won't be a problem for me. I also made a kind of tutorial-thingy to do this (guns only). If you need me, let me know ;)

And a beauty she is!!

Great!!!

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm110/kaydle50/Applause-2.gif~originalhttp://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm110/kaydle50/Applause-2.gif~originalhttp://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm110/kaydle50/Applause-2.gif~original

Scratch

July 29th, 2015, 20:02

That is one beautiful bird!!!

dharris

July 30th, 2015, 06:51

Some of the finest artwork I have seen, great job, the Navy blue is a beaut!

Dumonceau

July 30th, 2015, 07:41

Another shot of the Navy blue one in P3D

http://s29.postimg.org/spakd2q6f/Tigercat.jpg

Johan

Milton Shupe

July 30th, 2015, 10:07

There is "awesomeness" going on everywhere in this thread. Thank you ******** for taking the F7F series to new heights. :applause:

And thanks to all the supporting people helping out with beta testing, ideas, and feedback. Great teamwork. :wiggle:

gman5250

July 30th, 2015, 10:12

Thank you sir for entrusting the project to me, thank you for your support and most of all thank you for your service to this community.

bpfowler

July 30th, 2015, 19:36

just saying. :encouragement:

gman5250

July 30th, 2015, 20:46

A request was made for a modeled set of P&W R-2800 Twin Wasp radials for the Tigercat...they are a WIP, but worth showing adorning the Sea Blue variant. Installation of TacPack is underway as well. I'll need to model the nose cannon and wing hard points. We're down to the eye candy now...:encouragement:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_078_zpsvbive3cf.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_078_zpsvbive3cf.jpg.html)

Flyboy208

July 30th, 2015, 21:09

Wow! This big Cat looks gorgeous !!! You guys are doing a stellar job. Mike :applause:

Mach3DS

July 30th, 2015, 23:00

Gman you work fast! looking great! can't wait. Very excites to see the. next variants...will a water bomber version make the cut?

YoYo

July 30th, 2015, 23:49

gman5250

July 31st, 2015, 03:33

Just please notice here the contact points. Not too less? The front wheel is in the asphalt. ; )

The contact points are good, this screenshot is taken at a WIP airport scenery I am developing. The ground poly is not "attached" to a platform in this parking area yet. This is where I kind of left off when I switched to the F7F conversion. Needed a break from airports...maybe I should crop the screenie a bit. :encouragement:

gman5250

July 31st, 2015, 03:44

Gman you work fast! looking great! can't wait. Very excites to see the. next variants...will a water bomber version make the cut?

Yep...water bomber will be one of the models. Once we finalize the F7F-1, I'll do the variants. The biggest part of the work was this first model...doing the gear animations, VC etc. The other models share those common attributes, so the only tweaks will be in the fuse.

I finished coding the mouse rectangles in the VC today as well. Look for an update with the engines and live VC.

Dutcheeseblend

July 31st, 2015, 03:53

Good, 3D radials!

TacPack basics are done. What I did so far (please feel free to correct me if I did anything wrong):

- Four guns in the wings, two on either side, chosen type is AN/M3*
- Four cannons in the nose, type: Hispano-M2
- Created/mixed some gun and cannon sounds, both exterior and interior (so a total of four sounds)**
- Learned about droppable bombs in TP, so that could be a feature as well ;)

Bombs can be an option, the only real WW2 bomb in TP is the AN-M64 (if I'm correct). Rockets too, but torpedoes are not in TP (yet).

I'm now refining some tracer effect I've modified. The effects in FSX are still difficult to me. As far as I know, there's no other way for triggering effects than attaching them to a poly in the 3D model (like with landing lights) under a visibility condition, or triggering them as lights, or as smoke. So we need to find out our own way for this. I'd prefer the attachpoint approach, since the source model is available.

Cheers!

* TacPack only has a limited number of stores available so far: http://forums.vrsimulations.com/support/index.php/TacPack_SDK#Store_Names
** Using Doug Dawson's sound gauge. Could have done this another way, but I'm used to his gauge now.

gman5250

July 31st, 2015, 04:28

Here's a better shot of the contact points. I must have been tired when I posted the previous shot...:dizzy:

Here you can also see some texture details improved such as gear door interiors. I'm dialing in all of the small details now. We're closing in on a release!

Prepar3Dv2.5 KEDW
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab202/********/F7F_079_zpsrops9kcy.jpg (http://s864.photobucket.com/user/********/media/F7F_079_zpsrops9kcy.jpg.html)

gman5250

July 31st, 2015, 04:38

Stickshaker

July 31st, 2015, 04:50

You're becoming a TacPac guru, Daan!

Dutcheeseblend

July 31st, 2015, 04:56

Thank you Daan...even though this variant does not appear to have had hard points, we can still model everything and add them to the F7F-3 and other variants. You interested in the current beta for your testing?

Oh sure I am!

@Stickshaker: I'm finally getting the hang of it ;)

gman5250

July 31st, 2015, 05:25

Gman you work fast!

I was actually working on the radials for a while....was keeping them under wraps, waiting for a more technically dialed in model before I added them. Can't wait to see your next screenies!

Dutcheeseblend

July 31st, 2015, 06:45

So, these are the tracers. I'm testing them, in the basic Tigercat configuration, TacPacked, on the heavily modified Fokker G.1 by Michel Migaud (my testbed).

I use two separate tracer effects, one for the guns and one for the cannons. For the time being, I included them in the aircraft as landing lights and strobe lights These are the only lights that can be set to on or off using XML, the other lights can only be toggled which is rather unuseful in this case. TacPack has a variable that can be read, saying whether the station is firing or not. If it's firing, the landing/strobe lights are set to ON, else to OFF. Better we get them hard-coded in the model.

https://googledrive.com/host/0B3rXXshj-mHdNzZEN1JuV3E1NlE/DCB_tracers_01.png

Not very well visible in these pictures, but the effects are composed of one/two tracer emitters, two shells emitters, one/two smoke emitters and a muzzle flash thingy.

https://googledrive.com/host/0B3rXXshj-mHdNzZEN1JuV3E1NlE/DCB_tracers_02.png

As seen from the cockpit, on impact:

https://googledrive.com/host/0B3rXXshj-mHdNzZEN1JuV3E1NlE/DCB_tracers_03.png

Hope u like it!
Cheers!

Edit: not everybody may know, but the impact effects are created by TacPack.

YoYo

July 31st, 2015, 07:17

Nice work! BIG Thank You! :applause:

I dont know, but is Tigercat carry any ungided rockets like HVAR for example? I cant find any info, just this screen of model but different version:

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal14/13501-13600/gal13538-F7F-7N-Pedulla/01.jpg

Daveroo

July 31st, 2015, 08:24

i wish someone would make a "model" (?) of the Nevada County airport,Grass Valley Air Attack Base,that would be compatible with the FTX Orbix NA Northern California scenery.it would be so great to fly this as Cal-Nat's (Airways) "E-43",which is now "Bad Kitty".would be a blast to fight fires in my area...lol..

http://historicflight.org/hf/collection/tigercat/tigercat-backstory/ history on Bad Kitty

PS..they are not and never have been water bombers...they are "Retardant AirTankers" ,retardant and the old "borite" mixes are indeed made with water,but the slurry made and carried is Retardant,which starting this season is a lighter pinker color...

in 1983,i was hit,,it was a direct hit,by an S2A carrying retradant,knocked me on my azz.and then the departments equipment man refused to give me new gear..so i used pinkish red "yellows" or wildland gear for the rest of that summer and the next season..the local CDF (CalFire) Batallion Chief nicknamed me pinkman....until i caught up with him when he moved to a house up the street where i lived...wont say what i did for payback..but he called me "Mr Dave" for the remainder of both of our fire carrears..his wife worked at the office my surgern uses,one day don was there when i came in,,he was beind the walls between the office and the waiting room.he hollars "Hey Pinkman" ,guess he didnt realise i knew the back entrance..so i snuck up on him and gave him a wedgie..seriously..don is about 5'6"..im still 6'4"..i was very close to 6'6" before i was injured,but i grabbed him..spun him around,reached in his waitband and grabbed ahold of his shorts and pulled with all i could...you could hear them ripping.....the women ,except his wife,were in shaock and yelling..davey what are you doing?..ect...Don turned around ,and was laughing so hard he was almost convulsing...his wife just said...told ya years ago not to tease men who are bigger n you Don...and she walked out of the office...it raised such a comotion that all four doctors had come out to see what was goin on...al of them were laughing after they understood what had happened...the next few times i saw him..it was a nice "hello Davey"...lol

Milton Shupe

July 31st, 2015, 08:25

To answer your munitions questions, download the attached from the link.

http://www.sim-outhouse.net/downloads/SOHTeam/f7fdoc.zip

Also some attachments

Milton Shupe

July 31st, 2015, 08:27

a few more ...

Dutcheeseblend

July 31st, 2015, 08:52

Ok, thanks for that Mr. Shupe! I see I have to change the guns/cannons config.

SixGhost

July 31st, 2015, 09:10

Milton Shupe

July 31st, 2015, 09:32

Hey Gman, maybe you can find something useful for the radial here:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/gmax-p-47d-25-thunderbolt-source-file.153/

After all it's the same engine basicaly!:wavey:

Here's a shot from gmax of that engine

gman5250

July 31st, 2015, 09:52

Dutcheeseblend

July 31st, 2015, 11:40

Just to tease you guys...

https://googledrive.com/host/0B3rXXshj-mHdNzZEN1JuV3E1NlE/tigercat_01.png

She's a beauty!

https://googledrive.com/host/0B3rXXshj-mHdNzZEN1JuV3E1NlE/tigercat_02.png

In her element!

https://googledrive.com/host/0B3rXXshj-mHdNzZEN1JuV3E1NlE/tigercat_06.png

Sundog

July 31st, 2015, 15:02

I guess that makes me officially teased now. :)

Nice shots.

Mach3DS

July 31st, 2015, 18:29

Working some oil/carbon deposits...finally manged to get the reflection and shine out of the overwing and engine dirt...still working the access panel leaks...WIP (P3D2.5)

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/489/20192114691_08f21e0c9f_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/294/20192115251_a91ca20eff_o.jpg

tankerguy72

July 31st, 2015, 22:29

PS..they are not and never have been water bombers...they are "Retardant AirTankers" ,retardant and the old "borite" mixes are indeed made with water,but the slurry made and carried is Retardant,which starting this season is a lighter pinker color...
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25965&stc=1
Maybe a water bomber during practice Dave ;) Looking forward to this very much.

Mach3DS

August 1st, 2015, 00:33

More progress...dropped the color of the leaks...looks better IMO how it was...gman knows his stuff! Settled for the look here....only slightly different from gman's original. Very nice indeed!
Had her up around FL300 very much at the limit altitude...was at around 10% mixture setting...very lean.

Dutchcheeseblend, TacPack = awesome!!!!

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/344/20198679941_fef9b83bee_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/523/20006400379_6e65945e48_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/427/20184846562_702d1b557e_o.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/270/20184847392_1454fc810e_o.jpg

stansdds

August 1st, 2015, 03:01

Just beautiful! :applause:

gman5250

August 1st, 2015, 07:03

Super work Rick.

The paint kit has the oil stains and wear broken out into layers. You'll be able to tweak all of your alpha layers by laying the stains on as white. That will get you where you want to go with the shine. In all truth, the artwork is developed to an acceptable level but not ultra refined on my end yet.

My guess is you are testing out of KLSV. The terrain looks awfully familiar. If you fly three six zero out of KEDW you will find some spectacular copper green mountains a few minutes out. The Nevada desert and Owens Valley are some really spectacular locations for those of us who prefer PR scenery.

Gorgeous shots Rick...:applause:

Daveroo

August 1st, 2015, 07:39

oooo i stand corrected,nice shot and nice plane..did this fly/work in this paint?..

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25965&stc=1

Maybe a water bomber during practice Dave ;) Looking forward to this very much.

Dumonceau

August 1st, 2015, 07:52

Nice work all around guys! Just finished another very enjoyable testhop in her, and this keeps getting better and better. The 3d radials are really impressive!

I guess the only things that need to be added now are guns, hardpoints and a gunsight.

Will the tracers and sounds also be available to people without TacPack?

Cheers,

Johan

Dutcheeseblend

August 1st, 2015, 08:00

May I reply to your question Johan?
I'm thinking of: yes. But that depends on how we put the tracers into the model (either leave them as lights like now, or in attachpoints). And that's up to Gordon ;)

Dumonceau

August 1st, 2015, 08:15

Bedankt voor je antwoord Daan! Cheers for that!

Johan

Dutcheeseblend

August 1st, 2015, 09:29

Haha!

This is a visibility code that controls the visibility of polygons in a 3D model. If this code is pasted in the modeldef.xml and the model is compiled with this file, the visibility code will be attached to certain polygons (of modellers choice). When attaching the tracer effect to this polygon, this code controls the visiblity of tracer effects. See vistag.txt for the xml code

<visibility> </visibility>Here I got a bit of (2D xml) code that checks if TacPack is present or not. Based on that, it determines when the user is pressing the trigger, so: setting the GunsFire Lvar. See Tracers.txt.

So, within certain limits, it's certainly possible to display the tracers with or without TP. Cheers!

gman5250

August 1st, 2015, 09:39

I'm at a bit of a disadvantage with TacPack due to the fact that they only support P3D Academic and I run Pro. I could use it in FSX but I can't justify the investment for a platform I seldom fly.

I can locate the attach points in the model for the effects and let you gentlemen do the beta work. I'm sure we can accomplish the result we are looking for.

Glad you fellas like the radials....

Roger

August 1st, 2015, 09:43

Brilliant job to date! Wish I had the time to ask for beta testing but I don't have the time presently to do it justice.

gman5250

August 1st, 2015, 09:59

Brilliant job to date! Wish I had the time to ask for beta testing but I don't have the time presently to do it justice.

Thank you sir, the guys are doing an awesome job with the beta work and weapons systems. I'm extremely thankful for everyone's devotion to the Tigercat. She's definitely worth the effort...a bit like flying a '69 Hemi Cuda.

Dumonceau

August 2nd, 2015, 06:22

Not only is she worth the effort, she's beautifull! She's a very very bad Kitty!! :biggrin-new:

http://s11.postimg.org/o4a88o44j/Tigercattest3.jpg
http://s11.postimg.org/vucf02h2b/Tigercattest.jpg
http://s13.postimg.org/n2nziwqlz/tigercattest2.jpg

Johan

gman5250

August 7th, 2015, 22:16

Two final shots: Windows 10 DX12 is difficult to describe, so I thought pictures would convey the message more effectively. The subtle nuance of color and light are obviously another big step forward. I'm looking forward to 64 bit somewhere down the line. Even with the limitations we live with now, the environment is extremely rich.

I'm dealing with the last pre-release details. If Mr. Shupe and the beta team think she's good to go, you will see the release here in the next day or so.

Early morning | KRNO WIP scenery by ******** | Prepar3Dv2.5
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/134413808@N02/19768696354/in/dateposted-public/" title="F7F_080"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/468/19768696354_c64c9de10f_h.jpg" width="1600" height="900" alt="F7F_080"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The test bird in her element and natural skin
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/134413808@N02/20383698522/in/dateposted-public/" title="F7F_081"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/428/20383698522_7f5580966a_h.jpg" width="1600" height="900" alt="F7F_081"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

gribouil

August 7th, 2015, 22:23

Fantastic job!!! :ernaehrung004:

Dumonceau

August 8th, 2015, 09:50

Gordon,

I for one cannot find any faults anymore. She's beautiful!

Johan

Milton Shupe

August 8th, 2015, 15:46

Gordon,

I for one cannot find any faults anymore. She's beautiful!

Johan

Well then, I guess the delay is all my fault. :wiggle:

Daveroo

August 8th, 2015, 15:47

ive just today gotten my yoke and all setup...i didnt see anything wrong..but i am new to this..and it seems i was later to the party......dang it...but i sure like it.

gman5250

August 8th, 2015, 16:34

ive just today gotten my yoke and all setup...i didnt see anything wrong..but i am new to this..and it seems i was later to the party......dang it...but i sure like it.

Check your Email...latest update is attached. :encouragement:

Daveroo

August 8th, 2015, 20:34

got it...ty sir

Dumonceau

August 9th, 2015, 00:29

Two shots of my latest test flight over KHQM:

http://s13.postimg.org/i92axkotz/Tigerkitty_test2.jpg
http://s10.postimg.org/ov8f789hl/Tigerkitty_test.jpg

Love the new things you've added Gordon! And in Prepar3D the cockpit shadowing is brilliant!

Cheers,

Johan

Stickshaker

August 9th, 2015, 02:03

The outside is indeed looking fantastic! Johan, can you perhaps post some VC shots?

Will the cfg have the entries for landing on a carrier?

Dumonceau

August 9th, 2015, 02:14

Of couse, we aim to please (and invoke drool)

http://s7.postimg.org/e6gz1g8uj/Tigerkitty_VC2.jpg
http://s21.postimg.org/7pwph3a1z/Tigerkitty_VC.jpg

Remember that this is P3D with a tweaked HDR lighting.

Johan

Stickshaker

August 9th, 2015, 02:52

Thanks, Johan, that indeed looks very good! I have FSX not P3D but this gives a good impression of the detail and 'atmosphere' of the cockpit.
Since it will be Tacpac-equipped, I notice that there is no gunsight. Are there plans to add one? I suppose operational Tigercats had gunsights?

Thanks again for the nice pictures.

Dumonceau

August 9th, 2015, 03:03

That would be more of a question for Gman, but we talked about it. I think it will be added at a later stage.

We'll have to wait for Gordon to wake up (time difference) so he can provide the definitive answer!

Johan

Stickshaker

August 9th, 2015, 04:51

Thanks, Johan, all clear.

gman5250

August 9th, 2015, 06:46

From what I have learned about the Tigercat, the XF7F-1 was purely a short lived test bed with no armament.
If there is interest, I could do an F7F-2 with armament by adding some of the elements from the F7F-3 model to the F7F-1 model. I haven't done the deep research, but the F7F-2 looks like the same airframe as the F7F-1 i.e. short round tail etc.

I'm starting work on the F7F-3 variants immediately after we finish the XF7F-1. These variants have armament up the kazoo and I will be looking at the gun sight requested for these models. TacPack will be included as well.

Bear in mind that I am doing this work concurrent with my full time effort to launch the new FSX, Steam and P3D scenery product line, so I'll need everyone's patience as I bring these models online.

The XF7F-1 is essentially finished at this point.
Working on last minute cockpit and gauge lighting now with Mr. Shupes insight, input and generally keen eye for detail. Neither Mr. Shupe nor myself would allow this model to fly without it being thoroughly vetted.

G...

Stickshaker

August 9th, 2015, 07:35

That sounds excellent, Gman!

LE151

August 9th, 2015, 15:27

LE151

August 9th, 2015, 16:25

Some 4000+ HP motivation for ya gman!!!!!...........OMG listen to her purrrrr on the 4th and last past!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1IM6nXsdQc

<tt>"In level flight the F7F at 30" manifold pressure (MAP) pulled away from the F4U at 43" MAP. In sea level runs over the river [Delaware River] with both planes at 49" MAP, the Corsair indicated 250 kts and the Tigercat 330 kts. Checking acceleration in dives, the F4U pilot reported that the F7F '...pulled away so fast I felt like I was standing still!" :redfire:

BTW gman, any chance we may get a model with droptanks????? (please, please, please......:mixed-smiley-010:)

</tt>

gman5250

August 9th, 2015, 17:21

BTW gman, any chance we may get a model with droptanks????? (please, please, please......:mixed-smiley-010:)

</tt>

Droptanks on the F7F-3...affirmative.

2000+ ponys over each shoulder...there were a number of R2800 models, some of which made up to 2800 HP. I suppose one could tweak the F7F-3 Racer up to racing power with a bit of judicious code enhancement in the .cfg. Not sure where we could find anyone in this bunch with the technical wherewithal to achieve such a feat of daring do.....hmmmm?

Did I mention this model comes with a rather impressive sound set? :encouragement:

The Kitty can from time to time...wellll...snarl! Keep your whip handy.

LE151

August 9th, 2015, 23:42

Droptanks on the F7F-3...affirmative.

2000+ ponys over each shoulder...there were a number of R2800 models, some of which made up to 2800 HP. I suppose one could tweak the F7F-3 Racer up to racing power with a bit of judicious code enhancement in the .cfg. Not sure where we could find anyone in this bunch with the technical wherewithal to achieve such a feat of daring do.....hmmmm?

Did I mention this model comes with a rather impressive sound set? :encouragement:

The Kitty can from time to time...wellll...snarl! Keep your whip handy.

YOU DA MAN!!!!!!! :applause::applause:

YoYo

August 9th, 2015, 23:56

http://s10.postimg.org/ov8f789hl/Tigerkitty_test.jpg
http://s21.postimg.org/7pwph3a1z/Tigerkitty_VC.jpg

Hello, this is the same cocpit of XF7F-1? Outside I see big covers on the proper, from VC inside not... ?

LE151

August 10th, 2015, 00:08

gman5250

August 10th, 2015, 03:32

Each variant has it's own interior model with view of correct wing, spinners etc. Nice catch...thanks.

Dumonceau

August 10th, 2015, 04:18

Something changed with the new models? Didn't check that, as it was fixed in earlier builds...

my bad!

Johan

gman5250

August 12th, 2015, 19:01

Crashed video card cost me a couple of days. I've been working in the "office" on night lighting, some additional modeling and developing the interior to a reasonably comfortable level.

There were some requests for interior shots....

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5774/20518702082_d722b8e67e_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xgaHgy)F7F_082 (https://flic.kr/p/xgaHgy)

vclight on
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5679/20518697662_a498abe9e5_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xgaFXm)F7F_084 (https://flic.kr/p/xgaFXm)

vclight off
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/20339502640_93d79e2a5c_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/wZkgw1)F7F_083 (https://flic.kr/p/wZkgw1)

vclight and landing light on
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5722/20533970751_56d4dabce6_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xhvY7t)F7F_085 (https://flic.kr/p/xhvY7t)

greenie

August 12th, 2015, 19:19

As with a lot more folks I've been keeping a close eye on this thread . Fantastic work Gman . Thanks .

Excited too about the vegetation product your working on . I guess it will be Orbx compatible and I assume you're aware of their vegetation add-on package . If your going to top that this will be something else to get really excited about .
Cheers

LE151

August 12th, 2015, 19:50

Simply exquisite!!!!!!!!..........excellent work!! :applause::applause: Sorry to hear about your video card Gman, seems like lately noth'n is easy.....dang PC's/FSX......pray someth'n don't break if you look at it wrong! :dizzy:

Dutcheeseblend

August 12th, 2015, 23:29

Looks very good!

Gordon, can you assign a 2D popup (armament panel) to the Armament Master? That might give a few more options re TacPack...

Stickshaker

August 13th, 2015, 00:17

Thanks for the cockpit shots, Gman. Very nice! The cockpit usually determines how much I fly an aircraft.

gman5250

August 13th, 2015, 17:22

Excited too about the vegetation product your working on . I guess it will be Orbx compatible and I assume you're aware of their vegetation add-on package . If your going to top that this will be something else to get really excited about .
Cheers

I needed a break from the scenery work, thus I took on the F7F. Once she's released I'm back to work on the sceneries. Yes, I did get the ORBX vegetation upgrade as soon as it was released. In my view it is an absolute must and a massive upgrade for the money. Excellent value.

My libs will be individual objects i.e. trees, grasses, bushes, brush etc. that can be added anywhere via IS or other SDK tools for FSX, FSX Steam, P3D and compatible with scenery from all major developers.
Very FPS friendly with negligible impact on performance.

The attached screens illustrate a small sample of my grasses installed at my KMMH WIP scenery.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5831/20366307398_b138a02abe_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/x2GDD1)

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5797/20528268686_85f46cdd31_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xh1K61)

tankerguy72

August 13th, 2015, 17:48

Beautiful work Gman! Im in awe

gman5250

August 13th, 2015, 18:10

Looks very good!

Gordon, can you assign a 2D popup (armament panel) to the Armament Master? That might give a few more options re TacPack...

We'll need to put that together for the F7F2, and F7F3 variants. Lots of cannon, rockets on those two.

delta_lima

August 13th, 2015, 18:31

Looks superb. I can't believe how well this project has progressed.

Will there be a "small faired spinner" (as per La Patrona) model too?

26425

No biggie, if can't be done - it's just a sweet look. Just like on the B377, L-749, Tempest II, Sea Fury ... something about faired spinners on radials ...

Interestingly, I learned from this project about the large diameters spinners featured in these screens. I had never seen those until a few months ago, and prior to commenting on them being too large, discovered that indeed, the prototype, did have them, just as shown in the screenshots. Makes me wonder how that resulting tiny ring of open surface area managed to provide adequate cooling to the engine - I suspect that the deletion of the large faired spinner had something to do with that ... speed gain (if any) was marginal against the cooling lost? Just guessing here ... but it was an interesting discovery - thanks to Milt and co., who modelled it and made me research ...

dl

gman5250

August 13th, 2015, 18:59

Looks superb. I can't believe how well this project has progressed.

Will there be a "small faired spinner" (as per La Patrona) model too?

Interestingly, I learned from this project about the large diameters spinners featured in these screens. I had never seen those until a few months ago, and prior to commenting on them being too large, discovered that indeed, the prototype, did have them, just as shown in the screenshots. Makes me wonder how that resulting tiny ring of open surface area managed to provide adequate cooling to the engine - I suspect that the deletion of the large faired spinner had something to do with that ... speed gain (if any) was marginal against the cooling lost? Just guessing here ... but it was an interesting discovery - thanks to Milt and co., who modelled it and made me research ...

dl

I did do a set of La Patrona “what if” spinners for the F7F1. La Patrona will be a special variant of the F7F3 with spinners, special textures and a unique second seat bubble canopy.

gman5250

August 13th, 2015, 19:05

My limited understanding of the F7F1X is that originally the P&W R2800s over cooled. I would assume the large spinners were an attempt to control airflow over the jugs. Maybe one of our experts could provide more light on this factoid.

stansdds

August 14th, 2015, 02:48

It is my understanding that the prop spinners were found to not improve cooling nor make any significant improvement in the performance of the F7F, so they were deleted from production.

Dutcheeseblend

August 14th, 2015, 03:21

What I conclude from the latest-generation radials, is that they indeed used big spinners. Look at the Sea Fury, the FW190: these were high-performance, high-speed fighters.

From the side, these fighters look very streamlined, something achieved by the big spinners. Only a small gap is left between the spinner and the cowling, to allow a part of the total mass flow (that flows onto the nose) bleeding into the engine compartment, thereby cooling the engine.
Look at the Bristol Mercury and Pegasus. Between cylinders, 'guide plates' were placed to guide the air exactly alongside the cylinders to effectively cool them. But, this is still very un-streamlined, since the air has to change direction in a very unpleasant way (the basic principle of streamlines). If you determine the required air massflow to cool the engine, make a smallest possible gap to let that massflow through and make the surroundings of the gap as streamlined as possible, will result in these spinner/cowling configurations.

So, I guess the required mass flow to cool the engine, isn't that big as we expect.

Just my 2 cents as budding engineer ;)

Mach3DS

August 19th, 2015, 16:34

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5718/20531101458_417a525d3b_o.jpg

hairyspin

August 19th, 2015, 22:19

Regarding spinners and other fighters, the Fw190A series had a fan behind the spinner and was extremely effective at cooling. The airflow inside the cowling was directed so it actually flowed forward between the BMW's cylinders afaik. Hard to imagine but the designer was one of the best of his era.

Oh Daan, streamlined airflow is not as efficient a coolant as turbulent air, but turbulent causes more drag: the continual engineering problem of trade-off!

hairyspin

August 21st, 2015, 01:32

Regarding airflow in the cowling, I may have got my info wonky. The airflow entered the engine bay central area and flowed outwards around the cylinder heads, but the annular oil cooler just behind the spinner did have air drawn forward from there to cool the oil. There was therefore a measure of air recirculation going on, before the hot air exited the rear cowling. Now back to the bad kitty!

Dutcheeseblend

August 21st, 2015, 02:08

gman5250

August 21st, 2015, 05:35

Thanks Tom, makes it clearer!

Gordon: if we want bombs and the like on this sweeet kitty, you'd have to model them as well and tagging them with a visibility tag. TP has models of the armament of course, but they only show up while being jettisoned or fired. I can write the background code, if you want.

Just to let you know ;)

The F7F-3 variant has a variety of armament modeled. What may be lacking we can surely add, I'll do some background but anyone wishing to contribute is certainly welcome.
I'll be moving on the F7F-3 as soon as we release the F7F-1...then the fun begins with cannon, missiles, bombs and the tanker.

Once I get a flying beta for the F7F-3 we can start integrating the code.