New Gotha bombers series thread - Page 2
Page 2 of 8 FirstFirst 12345678 LastLast
Results 26 to 50 of 186

Thread: New Gotha bombers series thread

  1. #26
    The maximum amount of available hardpoints is 24 (not 21), numbered from "mount.0" to "mount.23".

  2. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Roxane-21 View Post
    The maximum amount of available hardpoints is 24 (not 21), numbered from "mount.0" to "mount.23".
    You are right Roxane. I mis-typed. 24 is correct.
    Cheers,

    Captain Kurt
    ------------------------------------------------------
    "Fly, you fools!" Gandalf the Gray

  3. #28
    Hello Roxanne21,

    Well, with that number of hard points there whould be no problem with populating the Gotha G.IV in a decent way.
    Thanks again for your comments on the Caudronīs gunmount. The build went rather well.
    I just uploaded the machine last night, and itīs doing very nicely!

    Hello Ravenna,

    I managed, quite surprisingly, to put in 3 pairs of bomb racks on the fuselage bottom, plus 1 more pair under each
    inner-wing. That should make it possible to carry 10 bombs, plus a few smaller ones in the inner bomb-bay.

    Attached, are some new upgrade test files for the G.II and G.IV:

    Gotha G.II:

    The front windows no longer suffer from bleeds across their curved edges, and the gunner ring has the proper light
    grey colouring instead of tan, as can be seen on the 4th screenshot

    Gotha G.IV:
    This is the first test version, to experiment with 10 bomb racks: 6 under-fuselage ones, and 4 under-wing ones.
    Surprisingly AF99 still compiles - maybe we can even get 3 under each inner-wing!! But for the moment, letīs see
    if these are what you were wanting or expecting.
    The first two screenshots show the bomb racks. The 3rd one gives a more general aspect.

    Please note that the textures are simple ones - for the moment I am concentrating on texture-srpead and model-build,
    not yet on texture quality.

    As before, apart from the .Xaf textures that AF99 normally uses, I have included textures in 256-colour .bmp format,
    naming them the same, but just adding an extra .bmp suffix.
    So: GothaIV.7af is the normal texture, and GothaIV.7af.bmp is the bitmap version.

    Do let me know of any other glitches or suggestions.
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails G4-screenshot2.jpg   G4-screenshot.jpg  
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  4. #29
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    Hi Stephan,
    Your renaming for the BMPs should read this way: GothaIV7.bmp, rather than GothaIV.7AF.bmp. I haven't been able to get your BMPs to show and my efforts were frustrated by a glitch with my PC yesterday, which should be solved today when my service guy arrives.
    The bomb racks look very good, but we probably need to try fitting John Fortin's smaller German bombs to the nose racks. The tails of larger bombs will disappear into the fuselage.
    I haven't tested this, but the Caleb Flerk site says that the upper limit for hardpoints is 26.

    Cheers,
    Michael

  5. #30
    Hi Ravenna

    It really is 24 hard points. We tested higher numbers during the Team Daedalus FW190F-8 fighter bomber development. Nothing will show up after 24 attachments.
    Cheers,

    Captain Kurt
    ------------------------------------------------------
    "Fly, you fools!" Gandalf the Gray

  6. #31
    Hello Ravenna,
    OK, Thanks! I didnīt know how the naming of bitmap textures worked.
    The way I named them was only to make sure one could identify the correct bitmap belonging to the corresponding .xaf Texture.

    The Rack Frames of course must still be adjusted, depending on the way the bombs are going to fit under them.
    From what you comment, for a start, it seems that the supports on the ends of each frame have to go down further,
    but I donīt know by how much - maybe twice? Weīll see once your computer is serviced...
    Good luck with it! Hopefully itīs not something too serious.

    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  7. #32
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    Up and running again. A bit red faced when the technician restarted the PC (which I had previously tried) and the damn thing worked perfectly. At least now I have sound through all speakers.
    Thanks Kurt. Good to know that this has been tried.
    Aleatorylamp,
    Would you like a copy of the texture set UncleTgt renamed and resized for me?

  8. #33
    Hello Ravenna,
    Computers seem not to be an exact science after all. Whether this is intentional or not, is debatable...
    They are more of an aleatory lamp, a bit like Pixarīs one, but perhaps not as vicious as HAL.

    Did you know the letters IBM + 1 letter = HAL? I only found out about 10 years ago.
    I believe Arthur C. Clarke was a bit disappointed when he found out.

    By all means do send the textures so that I can have a look at them,
    although I doubt Iīll be able to do anything with them for the moment.

    The textures you sent me by e-mail 3 days ago are all 1024 x 512 x 16.7 million,
    and have a different naming-scheme as far as I can see, but I canīt use them yet.

    For the moment, I am completely out of my depth regarding this texture format, as well as the
    use of TEX512, and will have to wait until I have CFS2 so that I can see how they work.

    Presuably TEX512 converts textures and modifies the .mdl file to acept them. What I donīt understand
    is why it worked for two of the Gothas some time ago and not for the present ones. Strange...

    Anyway, weīll get it in the end!
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  9. #34
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    Aleatorylamp,

    TEX512 converts the mdl file to accept BMP textures, then the AF textures have to be run through a program to generate BMP files (I used one by Martin Wright...I think it was/ is Convr8). I'll send you the conversion programs with the BMP reworked by UncleTgt.
    As you say, we will get there in the end.

    Cheers,
    M

  10. #35

    Under-nose, slanted up.

    Good early morning again...
    I saw that the program linked to by Capt. Kurt in Post #19, "mdlc_190_weap.zip" is a CLI-run program
    for making weapons, whose Readme seems to indicate that these weapons are in .bgl format.

    As a result, I have a cunning plan, hopefully with more success than Baldrickīs cunning plans, which
    were commented upon by his master, Count Blackadder, as "O-Legs Mac No-Legs chances of winning the

    London-Harbour Marathon... Baldrick, why donīt you run into my fist?"

    So, my cunning plan: Were I to make bombs with the correct sizes and shapes with AF99 as .mdl files,
    I could convert these to .bgl format easily with MDLtoBGL4, to be used with DP for CFS2.

    This way I could make one type of bomb at a slightly upward-sloping angle for the under-nose racks.

    Another way to automatically generate a .bgl file is to run the .mdl file through SCASM.

    The plastic model on the left would be carrying the bombs of the first type on the left type shown in
    the photo, I suppose - i.e. the 110 lb. Then, if we want to be really bellicose, the internal ones could be
    maybe twelve 22 pound ones like the soldier is holding.

    I could try making a slanted 110 lb .mdl to convert to .bgl.
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp

    P.S. A Technical question:
    Would 44 panels be OK for a bomb, or is this parts count too high, especially if we are going to have 10 bombs?
    This would be an Octagon cross-section, with 4 bulkheads to make the rounded teardrop body-shape, plus 4 fins.
    Maybe a coarsely made hexagon cross-section with fewer bulkheads (3) is necessary to get parts count down to 28?
    AL
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Bomb rackspic1.jpg  
    Last edited by aleatorylamp; September 21st, 2018 at 00:42. Reason: syntax
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  11. #36
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    I've never noticed the windmill tails on the larger German bombs before.
    I like your cunning plan Aleatorylamp. Much more promise than Baldrick's "Rat au van".
    The extended pylon (or is that a bomb sight?) beneath the nose of that model would make it possible to still use the existing bombs if that makes it any easier, but a new slanted bomb would be useful. Certainly Gothas photographed at Nieuwmunster had boms slanted beneath the nose on close fitting racks.

    Cheers,
    M

  12. #37

    Bomb

    Hello Ravenna,
    Itīs the Goertz bomb sight, and the racks seem to reach below.
    Alternatively, bombs could be more close-fitting and beside the sight, as Iīve seen on photos too - and it looks better.

    I never noticed the windmill tails either. Itīs amazing how much unexpected stuff one doesnīt see until one is told.
    Now you mention it, the bigger ones have them, but the 50 Kg ones which we want, have straight fins, though.

    With the bomb size Iīm getting now, proportioned to the photos, I can adjust the rack size to get a close fit for them.

    I donīt have anything with which to see Fortinīs bomb .bglīs, but perhaps the file size will give me an idea about
    the polygon number used.

    Updated Update!:
    I made a bomb .mdl,
    tried using MDLtoBGL4, and made it produce an API to see it in Airport for Windows,
    and it is indeed working now. There is a bomb on the tarmac infront of the plane!

    AND: I got SCASM to make the .BGL ! However, I canīt check if it works for CFS2, but it should.
    BUT: The bomb is still too big. (See blueprint screenshot), so Iīll send the corrected size in a short while.


    The bomb is still only horizontal, and untextured, coloured in dark grey and blue fins, but before doing anything else,
    Iīd need know if it works. Most probably too, itīs built the wrong position - under the Gothaīs nose, instead of
    at Coordinates 0,0,0. That just dawned on me. Stupid things happen to beginners, Iīm afraid.

    The rat au van is hilarious!
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Too big.jpg  
    Last edited by aleatorylamp; September 21st, 2018 at 06:05.

  13. #38

    Horizontal and slanted bomb .bglīs

    Hello Ravenna,
    Hereīs the better stuff now:
    One horizontal 110 lb bomb .bgl, and one slanted 110 lb bomb bgl, (nose-up by 7 degrees),
    both built in position 0,0,0.
    Colours are dark grey body and grey fins.

    Hopefully they will be recognized and accepted by DP for CFS2.
    If they are correctly placed, I will modify the bomb racks on the Gotha G.IV to fit.

    If you would like them texturesd, or otherwise modified, do let me know and I will gladly try.

    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Two Fuselage-bombs.jpg  

  14. #39
    These may help ??

    Payloads ** Building custom payloads for CFS2 by Martin Wright and Simon Porter ***
    Loadouts ** Building custom loadouts for CFS2 by Martin Wright and Daisuke Iga ***
    **FILES MdldisAS and MDLpatchw files required for payloads and loadouts above
    http://thefreeflightsite.com/Tutorials.htm
    http://www.TheFreeFlightSite.com
    "Laissez les bon temps rouler"

  15. #40
    Hello NoDice,
    OK, got them - Thanks. Iīll see what I can do!
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  16. #41
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    Hi Aleatorylamp,

    To show up in the sim we need a DP file for the bomb itself. As well as the aircraft having a DP, each object placeable in the sim has its own DP. Hope I haven't muddied the waters here. Its the name of the object DP which goes in the aircraft DP. I'll send you my DP for the Gotha IV to show you where it is included below the hardpoint entries. Very much looking forward to seeing your bombs in CFS2.
    Cheers,
    Ravenna

  17. #42
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    .......Following on from the last post, this website has a very methodical approach to understanding and working with ordnance in the aircraft DP file: http://www.cfgse.calebflerk.com/DP_Ordnance.htm

  18. #43
    These may help for DP files:


    DP Edit by WW Cline is a must have for anyone interested in damage profiles
    and those mysterious Microsoft codes. ****

    Damage Files by microsoft, create and edit damage profiles the correct way ***

    Dped Blue Print style Dp Editor for CFS1 and CFS2 by Yusaku Homma ****

    http://thefreeflightsite.com/Utilities2.htm
    http://www.TheFreeFlightSite.com
    "Laissez les bon temps rouler"

  19. #44
    Hello Ravenna, hello NoDice,

    Looking into the files of John Fortinīs WW1 Bomb set, I saw it was quite different from CFS1 - but not to worry!
    As soon as I have CFS2 Iīll investigate - it certainly looks intriguing.

    Iīll check out the other links as well.

    I am familiar with the blueprint-style Dped by Yusaku Homma is CFS only, so the CFS2 version should be quite understandable.

    What is more of a mystery is why the present Gotha .mdl files arenīt accepted by TEX512.

    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  20. #45

    .mdl files not being accepted by TEX512

    Hello Ravenna, hello Folks,
    Iīve been a bit "silent" on the thread recently, as there is really nothing else I can do
    before
    having a CFS2 installation, but I was just thinking about the present Gotha .mdl
    files being
    rejected by TEX512.

    I wonder if anyone knows if the files require some kind of prior treatment?

    Perhaps, if I were to run the .mdl files through SCASM and recompile, they would be accepted.
    If so, I could post some SCASMed files here for you to check out meanwhile.

    UPDATE:
    Iīve just tried running the two models throught SCASM.
    The G.II is no problem, but the G.IV seems to have some kind of un-identified problem,
    because SCASM rejects it. Iīll have to re-work it and see if I can make SCASM accept it.
    Then, if you could do something meanwhile, perhaps you could check if the most recently
    sent Gotha G.II .mdl file is accepted by TEX512, or not.

    Cheers,

    Aleatorylamp
    Last edited by aleatorylamp; September 27th, 2018 at 04:08.
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  21. #46
    Hello again,
    The origin of the SCASM compilation failure was a space in the name of the Gotha GIV.mdl file, which
    should be GothaGIV.Mdl for SCASM to accept it, the same way as it accepted the GothaGII.mdl file.

    Perhaps you would like to try out if TEX512 will accept the new model files now that they have been
    run through SCASM.

    I have left in texture and .air files for file-naming purposes.

    Will they work with TEX512? ...suspense and drum roll....
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  22. #47
    SOH-CM-2023 Ravenna's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Newcastle, Australia
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,355
    Aleatorylamp,
    Interesting idea. When UncleTgt renamed and resized the Gotha BMPs they turned up in the sim. When I followed the same procedure for your recent model I got an untextured Gotha. Real life demands (read wife) mean that it would be judicious to try out your new model sometime this weekend. BTW, I hope my new skin fits your new model!

  23. #48
    Hello Ravenna,
    Thanks for your comments!

    As regards the new skin fitting the new model, there will probably be a couple of issues, and you
    would do well in expecting that it will not all automatically fit.

    On both Gothas, there were untextured bits and pieces on the tail (fin and tailplane), as well as on
    the front fuselage, so Iīm afraid that most probably the numbering of some of the textures has changed,
    because one extra texture has been added, for the tailplane.

    The manner in which AF99 decides what number to assign to the textures can radically change, and does not
    obey any logic other than maybe the order of appearance in the internal building-list, which is not the last texture
    to be installed getting the next free number in the 0-15 sequence, or rather, the .0af to .eaf sequence.

    Then too, the texture mapping (spread) has changed for some textures like the fin/rudder and the rear fuselage top.

    Anyway, the most important thing at the moment is to see if the .mdl files can be accepted by TEX512.
    If not, we may be landed with the limitation of only being able to use the old 256x256x256 .Xaf texture style, which could
    perhaps be of debatable use. Should that be the unfortunate case, perhaps the solution would then be to try and work
    on the
    old models only.

    There is a way of changing the colour of the untextured surfaces, by identifying the parts in the SCASM text and changing
    the colour code. Anyway, weīll deal with that if it comes to the crunch, which I hope wonīt happen.

    I hope we get lucky!
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  24. #49

    Preliminary results with TEX512.

    Hello Folks, hello Ravenna,
    Happily, I finally managed to get TEX512 from Flightsim.com.
    I got in with a different browser, because after a hard-disk re-formatting of my WinXP system last week,
    Google Chrome installed its newest WinXP-obnoxious version which hardly works and I threw out.

    So, I tried out TEX512:
    For the time being, I wanted to see, step-by-step, what it did with the Gotha.G.IV as a CFS1 aircraft.
    The tests I did were for model files with and without SCASM processing.
    Step 1: TEX512 re-converted the .mdl file quite happily to make it look for .bmp textures, so obviously at first the model showed up textureless.
    Step 2: Re-naming the 256-colour Bitmap files I had included as visual reference, with the correct naming style worked fine!
    Everything showed up correctly, and I then removed those bitmaps into a separate folder.
    Step 3: Re-naming the .xaf texture files with the correct bitmap-naming style, also worked perfectly, and everything displayed correctly.

    So TEX512 seems to be doing its job. With these motivating preliminary results, I will now install FS2002 again (until I have CFS2), and see what happens there, the objective being to test the differently sized CFS2 texture bitmaps.

    Incidentally, I discovered an animation-glitch on my recently-sent G.IV model files, which I put right. The new model file is attached herewith.
    Update:
    Iīve just found yet another glitch, this time in the animated propeller circle, so here is
    the newly corrected file - yet again... so sorry, I do apologize.
    And: A new glitch has appeared during the the G.IV model re-work, that I have just noticed:
    The lower-wing aileron cut-out has now become faulty, and is being filled in with a triangle across the "L" opening.
    This will require a little work on the wing-panels.

    Never a dull moment...
    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    Last edited by aleatorylamp; October 3rd, 2018 at 07:37.
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

  25. #50

    Lower aileron gap bleed-fix

    Hello folks,
    Hereīs the G.IV model file again, with corrected lower ailerons (the cut-out wing-gap no longer fills with a triangular bleed).
    This substitutes the deleted one in the previous post.

    This specific .mdl file hasnīt been run through TEX512 yet, but if done, it will work OK:
    In FS2002, the 256x256x256 correspondingly renamed bitmap textures also show up correctly.
    What I havenīt done yet is try and use CFS2-type textues.

    Cheers,
    Aleatorylamp
    "Why make it simple if you can also make it complicated?"

Members who have read this thread: 0

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •