Douglas M-2 Project

[Jorge]

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Civilian Props

Description: "Platinum Wings" Douglas M-2 Mail Plane
==========================

Thank you for downloading this aircraft project. It consists of four parts due to the size:

Part 1: The aircraft and this readme file.
Part 2: GMAX final file with all work done so far.
Part 3: GMAX file for the VC for improvements.
Part 4: Texture work in PSD.

YOU NEED ALL FOUR FILES FOR THE PROJECT, BUT ONLY PART I TO JUST FLY THE PLANE AROUND.

Aircraft has moving control surfaces, full suspension on the gear, fully dynamic VC with levers and working gauges, and night lighting to include landing light.

Full information in the readme.

Jorge
Miami, FL

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Douglas M-2 Project
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[Jorge]

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Civilian Props

Description: "Platinum Wings" Douglas M-2 Mail Plane
==========================

Thank you for downloading this aircraft project. It consists of four parts due to the size:

Part 1: The aircraft and this readme file.
Part 2: GMAX final file with all work done so far.
Part 3: GMAX file for the VC for improvements.
Part 4: Texture work in PSD.

YOU NEED ALL FOUR FILES FOR THE PROJECT, BUT ONLY PART I TO JUST FLY THE PLANE AROUND.

Aircraft has moving control surfaces, full suspension on the gear, fully dynamic VC with levers and working gauges, and night lighting to include landing light.

Full information in the readme for Part I.

Jorge
Miami, FL

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Douglas M-2 Project Part II.
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[Jorge]

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Civilian Props

Description: "Platinum Wings" Douglas M-2 Mail Plane
==========================

Thank you for downloading this aircraft project. It consists of four parts due to the size:

Part 1: The aircraft and this readme file.
Part 2: GMAX final file with all work done so far.
Part 3: GMAX file for the VC for improvements.
Part 4: Texture work in PSD.

YOU NEED ALL FOUR FILES FOR THE PROJECT, BUT ONLY PART I TO JUST FLY THE PLANE AROUND.

Aircraft has moving control surfaces, full suspension on the gear, fully dynamic VC with levers and working gauges, and night lighting to include landing light.

Full information in the readme in Part I.

Jorge
Miami, FL

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Douglas M-2 Project Part III.
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[Jorge]

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Civilian Props

Description: "Platinum Wings" Douglas M-2 Mail Plane
==========================

Thank you for downloading this aircraft project. It consists of four parts due to the size:

Part 1: The aircraft and this readme file.
Part 2: GMAX final file with all work done so far.
Part 3: GMAX file for the VC for improvements.
Part 4: Texture work in PSD.

YOU NEED ALL FOUR FILES FOR THE PROJECT, BUT ONLY PART I TO JUST FLY THE PLANE AROUND.

Aircraft has moving control surfaces, full suspension on the gear, fully dynamic VC with levers and working gauges, and night lighting to include landing light.

Full information in the readme for Part I.

Jorge
Miami, FL

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Douglas M-2 Project Part IV.
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[IFlySWA]

This is wonderful. I've always liked the Douglas M-2, and it's great to see it in flightsim. Thank you so much Jorge!

Brian

[Mick]

An excellent choice!

I look forward to seeing the finished project.

[Jorge]

Thanks guys!

I figured I'd release it "as-is" for someone to finish. I found that, after three years, all I would end up doing is tinker with it and nothing would finally get done.

I thought it better to put it out there and hopefully someone with the talent and the time could do it some deserved justice.

It started as a project to follow Milton Schuppe's 47-part video tutorial on Youtube on how to use GMAX. I'd messed with GMAX before, but never really understood it until I watched his videos. Even the shorter one on the C-160 wasn't "clicking" with me.

I have some real nice drawings from a gentleman called Paul Matt which are stupendous. I realized the M-2 wasn't available yet, and since it seemed fairly simple in design I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did since it can be easily converted (I hope, anyway) by the more talented over to the more common O-2 in use by the Air Corps. Since most parts are labeled properly, my guess is that it can also be made into a CFS2 model with the usual changes.

I tried to make the textures "all-in-one" for space reasons, but after cannibalization I realized I ended up with way too many of them. Still, I'd have to remap A LOT to get them onto a single sheet from the FS9 defaults. I thought about compressing them to DXT3, but I just like 32-bit too much.

I'm looking at making myself a library of sorts with "parts" from the default aircraft. I'm thinking that way I can have a set of "ready-made" cockpit parts I can repurpose. I'm guessing levers, control columns, yokes, throttles, ECU's, seats, and even pilots. I believe all the default pilots are set up for animation, so it's just a matter of re-linking and re-animating in GMAX.

Well, that's unless someone already has them and is willing to share, that is.

Anyway, I'm just glad I finally got to understand how to cannibalize other aircraft's parts to make the VC somewhat usable. It reminded me of when I was a kid making model planes. I would take the parts from other planes the kids wouldn't use and use them in turn to make something of my own. If I remember correctly it was called, "kit bashing." I mostly did that with balsa and tissue paper. I can say from experience that toilet paper -- though not the best alternative -- does make for some interesting covering for static planes!

Please enjoy it and feel free to improve as anyone sees fit. Just give me a small shout for the initial.

Regards,

Jorge
Miami, FL