F-94B Starfire

[Allen]

I started rebuilding Piglet's T-33A to a F-94B as a request for CFS2 but interest has gone for it. CFS2 and Jet engines do NOT get along. I loaded the F-94B into FS04 just fine using Piglet's T-33A parts but I have never worked in FS04 and my laptop whining and crying the whole time with FS04.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I would hate all of the work to go to waste. Would it be okay to upload the F-94B using all Piglet's T-33A parts and maybe down the line some one can rework the flight dynamics to add an afterburner?

[Mick]

I think that's a question for Piglet.

If it's OK with him, I'm sure one of our flight model wizards could cook up an acceptable set of flight files. (I wish I could do that!)

In a pinch I suppose we could adapt the flight files from a plane with similar performance. I hope this can happen!

[Allen]

Piglet has been out since 2012 and the email in his read me is dead as I get a failure to deliver with it....

This may be a case where I upload it with a note in my read me that I tried to mail him and I release all my work to Piglet as my edits are built on his original work.

[Bjoern]

If I can't contact an author for a permission, I simply credit him/her in my readme. So yep, go for it!
Maybe someone will pick it up.

[SSI01]

The work so far shows it to be a beauty so I hope someone will pick this one up and run with it.

[Allen]

I started packing up the F-94 for upload following SOP for any aircraft I rebuild. The original readmes have been put into the original_readmes folder and credit to original author in my read me.

I made and added the last 2 LODs to the model. At this point I think things are done as I can get them for the most part.

[Mick]

Piglet has been out since 2012 and the email in his read me is dead as I get a failure to deliver with it....

This may be a case where I upload it with a note in my read me that I tried to mail him and I release all my work to Piglet as my edits are built on his original work.

I didn't realize that Piglet was out of the hobby. I just figured he'd gone over to the dark side (FSX).

Since you made the effort to contact him, and since he released the plane as freeware for everyone to have, I agree that it would be OK to release your mods with proper credit. I doubt that he would mind.

Hmmmm... have you considered putting the early F-94A/B nose on it after you finish the C-model? That would give us a version not available elsewhere, and the one that actually had a combat record. Just a thought...

[Allen]

Mick
This is a A/B model.

[SSI01]

A/B model had that little upturned nose vice the C's straightforward, symmetrical nose, also non-swept horizontal stabs.

[Allen]

Models 3 view.



I know it isn't 100% right. If anyone is interested in the gMax model let me know.

[Mick]

Mick
This is a A/B model.

I see! I dunno why I thought it was an F-94C. I shoulda took a closer look at the pictures you posted!

This could get me going on a bunch of skins for some of the may Air National Guard units that flew the F-94A/B. My local Guard unit just up the road from here was one.

[Scale Dail]

Thank you for releasing it! I can make it fly right with some work! Alas the spay painting equipment in the garage will not work on it though. Amazing skill to change existing models into something else!

[Allen]

Do you need the textures in another format? Change existing models is what I seem to do most. Use of Model Converter X to get the model made into a .3ds that gMax can load than go to work. Animation and smoothing are lost but texture mapping is left intact.

[Mick]

Thank you!

What a surprise! I had no idea you were so close to being finished! I've barely begun to marshal my resources. My hobby time is limited right now but I will get my references together and get started. I foresee some regular Air Force skins and some Air Guard ones. Maybe some test and development schemes too.

I see that the textures are in extended 16-bit format, which I think loses detail in the sim, but they're convertible to 32-bit with one click when saved in DXTbmp. I'll simply save my skins in 32-bit like I always do.

I take it that the textures are the same as the original T-33 textures except for the radar nose and other external differences from the T-33? I might steal a different silver base from some other T-33 skins. We'll see...

Corey, if you'll make it fly right, I'll make it look pretty.

I'm really looking forward to painting this plane. I've been wishing for an early F-94 for years! I never really expected one; that's probably why I thought I saw a C-model when I first looked at the images early in the thread without my reading glasses on.

[Mick]

... I know it isn't 100% right. If anyone is interested in the gMax model let me know.

Sure looks like an F-94 to me. And this time I looked at it with my reading glasses on!

As we used to say when modeling in plastic, if it looks right, it is right.

[Switchblade408]

Will this work in FSX?

[Allen]

Mick
The differences are Nose, Tail including rudder and the horizontal stablers.

Switchblade408
Not sure as I know nothing about converting FS04 to FSX. It is made in gMax using the FS04 SDK. If someone from FSX would like the gMax source let me know.

[Mick]

Mick
The differences are Nose, Tail including rudder and the horizontal stablers.

Yep, that's about what I figured.

I see that the model is not reflective, which it should be to best show off those nifty fifties bare metal liveries. That will change quickly. I made my copy of the model reflective and the process ruined the VC, a not-uncommon side effect with some models. Not a problem, it can be fixed. Fixing it is beyond my capabilities, but a copy has been sent to l'Iguane, who knows how to fix it (and who is a far more talented painter than me!)

I have some Air Guard skins planned, and I can't wait to see what l'Iguane will come up with. He's already made that fantastic T-33 skin he just posted, and he's going to adapt it for the F-94.

BTW, if anyone's wondering about a suitable sound set, the F-94A and B (not the later C) were powered by an afterburning J-33, the same powerplant used by the F-86D. Some years ago David Wooster released a Dog Sabre with a sound set, and David seems to know what he's doing with sounds. That's what I'll be using for the early F-94.

The F-94 brings back memories of my childhood, when the local Air Guard squadron flew the A model and the local SAC base had a tenant ADC squadron of C models. They flew right over my childhood home every day.

This is gonna be great fun! I can't tell you how pleased I am that you did this conversion for us!

[l'iguane]

At first, a nice picture to help you reading through a complex situation

F-94 bare metal template, in progress


As Mick kindly turned Allen's model into a reflective one (using Ivan Hsu "Shiny" or similar) he sent it to me so I could fix the usual issue, a shiny untextured VC texture.

First fact : the canopy lost its transparency (solid white from the VC VIEW, normal transparency from EXTERNAL VIEW)) and as expected, shiny untextured VC.

So I ran Hex Editor, as well as opening the panel.cfg to get the textures name of each [VC.XX] section.

ISSUE : while opening the "shined" F-94 mdl, Hex Editor displays the following : This file cannot be run in DOS mode


I try locating the vc texture different name but I was unable to locate a XXXXXX.BMP at all as all the hexadecimal is a complete mess, nothing like usual shined mdl...

[l'iguane]

Second issue :

I tried fixing the canopy transparency in VC view by using MDLMAT and coloring each part of the LOD2 (VC "model") and I found the canopy to be on LOD2 part 17




One major problem is, LOD2 part 17 is not only the canopy but the whole VC model...

as shown here, there was no transparency, 255 alpha on diffuse color. So I set up 121 as reasonnable value of transparency.

[l'iguane]

And here is the result :





So here are my thoughts, facts and (unsucessful) tries.


If Allen has ideas or suggestions I'd be really happy with it
JDTinballs, I think we need your Hex expertise

Cheers

L'iguane

[Mach3DS]

Would anyone mind if I turned this model into a Native P3D model with reflection, bumps and specs, and fresnel?

[Allen]

l'iguane
Not sure why the VC canopy lost its transparency. The VC canopy is 1% transparent by Material settings and the rest of the transparency should be done by the t33_glass.bmp when in the VC. The untextured parts can be mapped onto a new texture with out much of a prob.

The "This file cannot be run in DOS mode" is done as I adjusted the collision bubble with Ivan Hsu MDLC.

000rick000
I have the the gMax source. I don't have FSX/Prepar3D. If you or some one want the gMax source that is fine. Just credit Piglet.

[l'iguane]

Hi Allen, thanks for these info, it makes sense now...

Not sure why the VC canopy lost its transparency. The VC canopy is 1% transparent by Material settings and the rest of the transparency should be done by the t33_glass.bmp when in the VC. The untextured parts can be mapped onto a new texture with out much of a prob.

-------> An idea of solution would be to map separately the canopy texture from the whole VC model ?


The "This file cannot be run in DOS mode" is done as I adjusted the collision bubble with Ivan Hsu MDLC.

What is the collision bubble ? Any chance I could push you the MDLMAT settings I experimentally applied and set them up directly from gmax before compilation ?


Cheers

L'iguane

[Allen]

The VC cockpit glass is mapped to t33_glass.bmp and is only used for that. The rest of the VC using the t33_02.bmp and t33_03.bmp for the inside of the cockpit and t33_01.bmp for the wings. That is why I can understand how the entire VC model is using the same Material MDLMAT.

No idea how to convert MDLMAT settings to gMax. I still use MDLC. Can MDLMAT settings be translated to MDLC Specular and Power settings?

The collision bubble is what is used to know if you crashed into an object or aircraft. The smaller the collision bubble is the closer you can get to something.

Below is a rework the model a bit to fix the intakes as part of them is not textured and a few other parts on the outside that wasn't textured.

Attachment 49310