Bugatti 100P: This legend also returns

[TiAr]

Besides my Soloy project for P3DV5 I'm also working on the ancient Bill Ortis project from FS2004 times for V4.5 and V5. The exterior model is only slightly modified so far, the focus is currently on the cockpit and its operation.

Since the real development is now 82 years ago and the original Bugatti never flew - information about the original cockpit is unfortunately quite rare - I decided first create the cockpit of the replica (N110PX), which flew successfully for the first time in 2016. There is a lot of information about this.

But I want to stick to the original engine with the 2 × Bugatti Type 50P Straight 8 4.9L, 340 kW (450 hp) each.











Many thanks to Bill, who gave me his permission to update and later to publish this fascinating aircraft with PBR etc.

Hope you like this completely new project.

Thomas

[thunderstreak]

The original is in Oshkosh Wisconsin.

https://www.eaa.org/eaa-museum/museu...odel-100-racer

Lots of pictures including a 360 degree view of the original cockpit.

Best of luck, a very worthy flight sim project!

[modelr]

Thomas, this is one plane I miss from fs9. Bill's package for the Bugatti was a lot of fun. I spent many hours flying it around. Looking forward to this one. Thanks, and thanks to Bill for giving permission.

[YoYo]

Great news! Thanks! The car will be also converted from this package?

[Manschy]

Thomas! That's formula 1 in the skies! Never knew about this aircraft - great work!

[Ferry_vO]

Sweet! If you need information, I have the book 'The Bugatti 100P record Plane' by Jaap Horst in my library.

[wombat666]

I'm not surprised the original was a non flyer.
By the time this project became a reality (or part reality) the chosen power plants were overweight, bulky and underpowered.
The engine design initiated in 1938 stemmed from the Type 50, a large straight 8 which evolved into the Type 50B in late 1936, beautifully constructed but somewhat heavy and 'tall', with a bore of 86mm and a stroke of 107mm!
Oddly enough, it has been stated that Bugatti was designing a 16 cylinder aero engine in 1938-1939. Supposedly a pair of Type 50B supercharged 'Racing Engines' coupled in tandem, which is curious, as there is no record (up to 1974) of a 'Type 50B Racing Engine'.
The claimed 800-900+ HP is just a trifle optimistic, but the Bugatti story is littered with myths and legends.
My source: Bugatti-'Le pur-sang des automobiles', 3rd edition, 1974, by H G Conway.

[Ferry_vO]

Oddly enough, it has been stated that Bugatti was designing a 16 cylinder aero engine in 1938-1939. Supposedly a pair of Type 50B supercharge 'Racing Engines' coupled in tandem, which is curious, as there is no record (up to 1974) of a 'Type 50B Racing Engine'.

Even in those times Bugatti was always looking for more horse power, developing his four cylinder into a straight eight, that into a U-16 (Two parallel straight eights in a single block), a double U-16 (Two U-16's in line) and finally an H-32, a pair of horizontally opposed U-16's! This engine, said to develop 1,000 hp, was mounted on the Breguet Leviathan XX and did fly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_U-16

[TiAr]

I'm not surprised the original was a non flyer.
By the time this project became a reality (or part reality) the chosen power plants were overweight, bulky and underpowered.
The engine design initiated in 1938 stemmed from the Type 50, a large straight 8 which evolved into the Type 50B in late 1936, beautifully constructed but somewhat heavy and 'tall', with a bore of 86mm and a stroke of 107mm!
Oddly enough, it has been stated that Bugatti was designing a 16 cylinder aero engine in 1938-1939. Supposedly a pair of Type 50B supercharged 'Racing Engines' coupled in tandem, which is curious, as there is no record (up to 1974) of a 'Type 50B Racing Engine'.
The claimed 800-900+ HP is just a trifle optimistic, but the Bugatti story is littered with myths and legends.
My source: Bugatti-'Le pur-sang des automobiles', 3rd edition, 1974, by H G Conway.

This is too easy for me.

The engines in the Model 100 are not "simple" T50B engines! The T50B was too heavy, the aluminium block had to be redesigned and recast in magnesium. Also a special, leightweight, Roots supercharger was fitted.

Advantageous of the T50B engine was that the crankaxle bearings were cast with the cylinder blocks, not with the carter. So the carter needed be only a sheet of metal, to collect the oil. Thus the weight of a normal carter could be avoided.

Source is Jan Horst, BugattiRevue

In fact, no one knows for sure whether the 900HP could really be reached. On the other hand, nobody really doubted it. On driveshafttests with both engines in the aircraft was reached 550HP, reported by Lous de Monge.

Thomas

[wombat666]

To repeat: 'The Bugatti story is littered with myths and legends.'

[Obie311]

Check out this 360 cockpit at the EAA museum. I love the engine turned surfaces and the steam gauges.

https://www.eaa.org/apps/virtualtour...it360-eaa.html

[Ferry_vO]

To repeat: 'The Bugatti story is littered with myths and legends.'

One of those 'myths and legends' is still preserved at the Mulhouse museum...
And there's a photo of the internals of the 100P engine in my book. Quite interesting how they've managed to integrate the crank shaft bearings and the upper block.

[TiAr]

Native V5 with PBR.



Thomas

[YoYo]

Nice!
How did you recive this metallic effect on texture for v5? Dynamic reflection is ON too?
I have problem still with „old” PBR models for P3Dv4.5 in v5 (matellic textures are very dark and no shiny effect).

[TiAr]

Yes, its trueSky - without enhanced atmospherics it is much better with the PBR effects. Hope it is better with the hotfix now. I will try it tomorrow.

Important is to use V5 SDK with its imagetool to create PBR models and textures. The Bugatti has the new PBR feature "metallic has reflectance". Dynamic reflections have less impact - for me it looks better with off. HDR is also off (to create nicer cockpit sceenshots).

Thomas

[TiAr]

Yes, its trueSky - without enhanced atmospherics it is much better with the PBR effects. Hope it is better with the hotfix now. I will try it tomorrow.

Important is to use V5 SDK with its imagetool to create PBR models and textures. The Bugatti has the new PBR feature "metallic has reflectance". Dynamic reflections have less impact - for me it looks better with off. HDR is also off (to create nicer cockpit sceenshots).

Thomas

[YoYo]

Important is to use V5 SDK with its imagetool to create PBR models and textures.

Thx Thomas, where is this option in imagetool?



(or it must be created in model in 3Ds Max only?)

[TiAr]

First you need a model with PBR materials, second the textures (for the PBR infos in materials).

While creating a mdl you have to use V5 SDK. You can do it with Max or Blender. Or you convert a mdl without PBR to one with PBR materials very simple with Model Converter X (MCX). Works great.

The Bugatti was converted from Bills FS9 old mdl using MCX. Last development MCX uses the V5 SDK to create PBR materials and V5 compiling.

Now V5 textures: In the Bugatti, I use only bump and metallic.dds next to the normal diffuse main texture with 255,255,255 alpha. No speculars (in some cases they are useful, but mostly not). For V5 I didn´t change the textures itself from V4.5, I only created textures new with V5 imagetool.

Now one point to to the addons around (payware and freeware). I see a lot of issues of developers, trying to get right PBR materials in their mdl´s. It belongs to some addons you try to give them a new paint. Keep in mind, textures one point. But for me the model based PBR materials are more important.

Thomas

[YoYo]

Thx TiAr!
So mdl of model must be saved with ticked "metallic has reflectance" option to have now metallic effect in P3Dv5? So here is the reason why old metallic skins (from P3Dv4.5) look strange in v5? Textures done before are good still but the model use old SDK mdl? Im right (Im not any 3Ds Max expert ;> )? Mdl must be updated for v5 to show correctly PBR metallic materials?

[TiAr]

Thx TiAr!
So mdl of model must be saved with ticked "metallic has reflectance" option to have now metallic effect in P3Dv5?

No, there is more to do.



This screen shows some important PBR settings in MCX of my parts with the PBR material Bugatti_turned_t. All these parts are mapped with Bugatti_turned_t.dds (and the bump and metallic.dds.) Normally all the configs will come with Blender or Max. It looks completely difficult, but most settings are standard.

So here is the reason why old metallic skins (from P3Dv4.5) look strange in v5?

As I wrote its trueSky and the new rendering engine DirectX12.

Textures done before are good still but the model use old SDK mdl?

Than you have no chance to get right PBR effects

Im right (Im not any 3Ds Max expert ;> )? Mdl must be updated for v5 to show correctly PBR metallic materials?

Yes, mdl`s should be updated to get full rendering power.

Thomas

[TiAr]

Little update:

For days I've been taking a closer look at the real Bugatti 100P. And day by day I get more and more respect for the engineers who were involved in the development of this design icon more than 80 years ago.

Anyway, it is really difficult to get specific information about flight characteristics, engine behaviour and the cockpit controls I am looking for - especially if the original never flew.

But: the worldwide Bugatti-Association is very helpful with detailed information that I need for a good implementation. And here, more and more details come to me that I can process directly. And the 1:1 replica by Scotty Wilson+Team, is well documented and actually a great help. So it's a project that I really enjoy, and not just an update of an existing model from ancient times.

That's why I'm really confident that we'll get a very high-quality implementation for V4.5 and V5. And I have to take up the cudgels: Bill Ortis and his team did a surprisingly good job with the FDE back then - I can confirm that today with reference to real data.

Picture from P3DV5 HF1:



Thomas

[thunder100]

Dear Thomas

Spendid

Semi stupid question

The VC has normal gauges or build in gauges ?

Just to know wether we can FRENCH customize it later- whenever we are allowed to fly it again

THANK YOU

Roland-->The Replica

[TiAr]

My plan is doing two cockpit styles - the replica main panel as you can see on the pix and a original one with the Jaeger gauges. Both will come with 3D shadow frames like in real.

Your shown Jaeger RPM (of a car?) will not work because one engine (green section) will go to 4.500 rpm, the whole gauge range is from 0 to 6.000 rpm.

Thomas

[thunder100]

Perfect

Thank you

Roland

PS..

We can REV 4500 too and above is 1920 Hispano B

[TiAr]

Roland,

Thanks! I am deeply impressed - ich bin tatsächlich tief beeindruckt.

But I am looking for something like this...



REV6000 - this is the Jaeger one of the original Bugatti 100P in EAA-Museum in Oshkosh (but it could be a replica of the gauge). But other sources are showing the scale like your REV4500 (in clockwise direction).

Thomas