The center of gravity for loadout items

[BorekS]

it is possible to modify the center of gravity / mass center of a weapon WITHOUT gmax usage?

example:
having airplane M3D with hardcoded Pylon node and having a standalone weapon M3D, mounted with the airplane XDP loadout definition. all visaully fits fine, but when mounted such weapon, the airplane nose goes down when flight...

... ok, you can say I have to retrim the airplane, right? but my question is, if I can somehow set the weapon mass center with its own XDP file config.

[hairyspin]

A curious question. The a/c model has pylon dummies which determine where the pylon is located, the pylons (modelled or not) have one or more mount which determine where each weapon hangs. Wouldn’t it be simpler to relocate the appropriate pylons by changing their position directly in the XDP?

[BorekS]

ok, maybe I didnt described it too much right.

the airplane mesh contents encoded pylon nodes (axis) which are the XDP loadout definable hardpoints, where to place the regular pylon mesh. the pylon mesh contents encoded mount axis where to place the weapon mesh... thats the CFS3 logic as we know.

I am talking about the PylonType="pylon_null". that means invicible pylon mesh with one single mount axis point is the weapon place basically.

now imagine you have one single place where to put a bomb: bottom of fuselage and it is not well ballanced when the bomb is mounted.

if is relocating of pylons posible at airplane XDP I dont know, never tried, but it would move the whole weapon object visually.

I cant explain it better with my poor english I am affraid.

[NachtPiloten]

If it just about moving the weapon, just make a new pylon to relocate the mount point. Weapons as you know all have the mount points determined in gmax.

[BorekS]

well, I was asking WITHOUT gmax usage

[NachtPiloten]

....... if the models do reflect with accuracy the placement and weight of the weapons, than why would you want to alter this? I always enjoyed how the various loadouts influenced the flight characteristics of the planes, made it more of a challenge I guess. Happy flying, BTW I do like your work!

[greycap.raf]

To my knowledge CFS3 only understands lateral positioning of weapons, not longitudinal. Easy to try out - make a pylon that places the ordnance something silly like ten metres behind the aircraft, mount a 2000 kg bomb, see if it flies. It probably does but it definitely shouldn't. Repeat the test with the ordnance ten metres in front of the aircraft, I'm betting the flight characteristics are the exact same as with the first experiment. I'd be very happy to be proven wrong though!

Carrying a bomb only under one wing, now that's a different story indeed. It works like it should.

[BorekS]

Having exactly same suspicion, but I didnt tried such kind of extreme tests as you described

[BorekS]

ok, a quick test says the longitudal hardpoint position (weapon item mount point) suprisingly works, it seems.

nose vs tail mount with 1000 kg bomb, no airplane controll / trim:

[greycap.raf]

Extremely interesting. I still suspect the effect to be muted because the aircraft should pretty much somersault backwards with the bomb under the tail but anyway, it has an effect. That might just give me an idea.

[BorekS]

it definitelly doesnt act as it should - when such loadout is is selected ingame menu virtual airbase / takeoff, the airplane still is ballanced as the 1000 kg add stuff is not much for such way positioned pylons similar is the flight, it takes a "slight" effect only.



anyway such kind of special offset hardpoint mounts could be used for airplane ballance tweaks maybe, by using invicible wapon items. technically easy to do, but if it is really practically usable I cant say now...