5 Attachment(s)
Ships With Working Guns Now Possible.
“My method is different. I do not rush into actual work. When I get a new idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination, and make improvements and operate the device in my mind. When I have gone so far as to embody everything in my invention, every possible improvement I can think of, and when I see no fault anywhere, I put into concrete form the final product of my brain.”
- Nikola Tesla
Folks, that has to be the most appropriate quote that came up when I just looked for one online. We have working turrets, barrels, and targeting on ships. I'll put together a tutorial in due time, but for now here are the basics so that others may test my findings and improve on them (please, please, pretty please):
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DESIGN "RULES"
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1. Use animation POINTS and not dummy boxes. These are your mount#, gun#, and barrel# items.
2. Make your meshes as you see fit. I used files from Stuart since they are available with his ships. I'm also collaborating on his next project (which I'm not going to divulge without his consent first) which is going to have rotating radars and - now - targeting AA guns as well.
3. Screenshot from his BB-33 Arkansas, but any ship will do.
4. Make sure labels and hierarchy match. You can name the parts anything so long as the hierarchy matches what I have and your pivot points are done properly (see item #1). Picture attached.
5. For the gun# and barrel# points, change the axis so that the green one is pointing up, the red one to the right (normal), and the blue one to the back. Not sure if this is a needed step, but it won't hurt (and it happened to work for me like this).
6. For "pindle"-type guns (the ones that swivel like a 50 cal): the three points may be co-located since it rotates about the same point. Axis, however, should be done the same way (orientation).
7. When all is said and done, the highest point in the list (mount#) MUST, MUST, MUST be linked to a mesh. One reason for no turret or missing turrets was because I had not done this seemingly innocuous step. Like I said, I haven't touched gmax for a while and wasn't that good to begin with (still not). I was just linking it to the LOD_100 dummy square like the rest of the stuff so it wasn't working. Otherwise, this post would have happened Saturday night!
COMPILE PROCEDURE
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1. Export with FS2K2 gamepack. I'm using Middle-Man. Settings in picture.
2. Run resulting "x" file through the !!DEFAULT/STOCK!! FS9 gamepack. DON'T use other ones. Might be just me and my 64-bit Win7, though. Settings in picture.
3. 64-bit system, so: DOSMdlc 2.0 by Allen. Rename your model to "Z.mdl" and cut and paste to the DOSMdlc 2.0 folder.
4. Execute the batch file called: DOSBox Auto Convert.bat (best option for ships I've found so far).
5. Get coffee. Wait for batch to run. Get more coffee. Play Tic-Tac-Toe. Keep waiting for batch. Okay, you're getting bored now.
6. Finally, rename the CFS_MO2.MDL file to your model name from before (the one you named "Z" for this step). Copy and paste it into your project folder for safe keeping.
7. Now, cut and paste the mdl file from the DOSMdlc 2.0 folder to our ship's model folder. Check to make sure you have the correct name in the model.cfg file for it to show up in the sim. It should read something along the lines of "normal=model_name" (your choice of name).
NOTE: You should have five (5) more files in the DOSMdlc 2.0 folder that are related to your file. They are: Z.MD2, Z.MD8, CFS2_MOD.MDL, Z.mdl, and Z.LOG. I've been deleting these, but if you think they can help in troubleshooting issues keep them with the project folder.
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DAMAGE PROFILE INFO
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;=============================
; This is for the USS Arkansas by Stuart.
; The coordinates are ship specific and come from a reference point called the origin.
[GUNSTATIONS]
; Turret_01 Gun0
;gunstation.0=1,-23,1,20,880,24.8864,5,23900,6,0,1d1*1,0,8.718,53.4 52,0,0,0,-150,150,15,-5,0.3
; Using the 1.1in "Chicago Piano" info for testing.
; Type 4 settings trick sim for gun flashes (SOH - Caleb - Others) and T&E with firing all at once.
; Group with main guns that use.
gunstation.0=1,-23,1,0.40,820,1.8293,0.40,6400,5,100,1d1*28,0,8.71 8,53.452,0,0,0,-120,120,85,-10,14.672
gunstation.1=4,-24,1,60.0, 1,1.0000,0.01, 1,0, 0,1d1*1, 0,8.718,53.452,0,0,0,-120,120,85,-10, 0
gunstation.2=1,-25,1,0.40,820,1.8293,0.40,6400,5,100,1d1*28,0,9.93 0,41.383,0,0,0,-120,120,85,-10,14.672
gunstation.3=4,-26,1,60.0, 1,1.0000,0.01, 1,0, 0,1d1*1, 0,9.930,41.383,0,0,0,-120,120,85,-10, 0
[guns.0]
gun.0=100, 0.866,-13.184,0.351,0,0,1,100
gun.1=100,-0.872,-13.184,0.351,0,0,1,100
[guns.1]
gun.0=100, 0.866,-13.184,0.351,0,0,0,100
gun.1=100,-0.872,-13.184,0.351,0,0,0,100
[guns.2]
gun.0=100, 0.866,-13.920,0.835,0,0,1,100
gun.1=100,-0.872,-13.920,0.835,0,0,1,100
[guns.3]
gun.0=100, 0.866,-13.920,0.835,0,0,0,100
gun.1=100,-0.872,-13.920,0.835,0,0,0,100
;=============================
For those of you on 32-bit systems please see if you can run the settings on MDLC with the settings Allen wrote into the "conf" file for DOSMdlc 2.0's automatic conversion batch file since the setting for 64-bit should be the same method/process to get the file from FS9 to CFS2.
In case I missed this point, pics attached.
I don't want to sound patronizing, but I'm trying to write this for the gmax-stupid like me that waste two days not realizing you need to attach a point to a mesh or that was using a dummy box for the pivot and was wondering why nothing showed up at first. No offense.
An in-depth tutorial WILL show up eventually, but for now I need to get ready for work coming up later this week. When I have another break I'll work on making naval guns using Stuart's help since he has them made already. It's just a matter of making a gun mount and you're in business. All the desinger would need to do is place the thing and you're in business since there's no animation involved. I'll ask him if it's okay to load that gun package up on the server here - whenever it's done unless someone beats me to the punch - once I can get his permission to start. He's on vacation/holiday for a while so it may take some time.
In the mean time, if the moderators think there is a more appropriate place for this or if it is better as a sticky somewhere please do so. I'd like to get the widest discemination to see if I did this correctly.
After this marathon I'm actually looking forward to the trips that are coming up at work starting this weekend!
Now time for dinner and a frothy, adult beverage!
Jorge
Miami, FL
PS: I'll monitor the site for the next few days to answer any questions as best I can and to see how you are all doing with the testing.
