AR196 Project in AD2K

[smilo]

hello hubba,
yup, that would be a big moment for sure.
here's a tidbit from the ad2k help file;

AFX files and 3DM files are not fully compatible. The importation of data from an AFX file may fail or the data imported may be incomplete.

AFX files are composed of :

· structures,
· components,
· parts.

All of them are sorted out into groups. The following rules are applied during the import process :

· each structure is stored into a dedicated sub-assy,
· the structures are transformed into templates,
· you can use the same template class for several structures,
· each component is stored into a dedicated sub-assy,
· there are a few generic sub-assies in which are stored the independent parts (one sub-assy per group),
· the footprint, the glues and other special parts are not imported, nor the texture files.

i especially like the part about
structures being transformed to templates.
that could come in real handy.

unfortunately, there is no mention of importing conditional jumps.
this does not mean that it can't be done.
i just don't know how to do it.
heck, it might even be within ad2k.
i just haven't found it yet.
to be honest, i haven't looked awfully hard.
i've been kind busy lately.

as far as i know, only one side of a polygon
can be painted in ad2k.
ad2k offers interior/exterior or fore/aft options
when covering templates, depending on the axis.
for example, when i do the cockpit interior,
i will cover my bulkhead templates again,
but this time, i'll select the interior option.

[Ivan]

Hi Smilo, Hubbabubba,

What is possible in SCASM code doesn't necessarily translate as an option for AF99 and thus is pretty much irrelevant to this discussion. No doubt there is much more potential in SCASM than in AD2000 or AF99, but that is not the tool we are using.

As for conditional displays, Smilo already commented on that several weeks back. I believe that basic objects will translate but don't believe that much else will even though an AFX can be imported into AD2000.

- Ivan.

[hubbabubba]

That's sad and that's suck, big time, on both counts, guys. Ivan, if you ever make your own MDL builder for CFS1, please, I implore you, make it fully compatible with SCASM!

I've just read an article where they have confirmed that the human brain starts to degrade at 45.

I'm 55; do the maths...

[smilo]

...lots to talk about here, guys.

being as there are only a few of us here,
we are in the infancy stage of ad2k,
my experience with ad2k, af99 and scasm
is, to say the least, limited,
and that we are well known for going off topic,
i don't see how anything said can be irrelevant.
who knows, by talking about it,
maybe we will find solutions.
i think they call it brainstorming, don't they?

understand, i don't have the slightest clue
as to the capabilities of scasm or af99.
while you guys have been developing,
i've been off doing other things.
it's not that i wasn't interested,
it's just that my brain can only absorb
so much information at one time.
i'm easily distracted and confused.
it's a real struggle to stay on task.
i would bet that, when i was a kid,
if they knew about adhd,
they would have given me the label.
so it goes.

hubba, a scasm question,
does it work with ad2k or just af99?
be careful what you say,
yes, could open a can of worms.

now, about the brain deteriorating after 45.
looking at both of your ages and rounding off,
i see that i am 10 and 20 years older than you guys.
so, if we are going to talk about deterioration,
we should start here.
here's what i think,
if we use the damn thing,
it will stay healthy...to a point.
if we don't use it and veg out in front of the tv,
we get what we pay for.

--------------
now, where was i?

[Ivan]

Pardon me for hijacking your thread temporarily.

Way back in the dark ages, computer programmers used assembly language to write programs. Assembly allows you to do ANYTHING on the computer that it can do. I see this as pretty much equivalent to SCASM. The problem is that productivity was generally pretty low. The way computers work doesn't quite match how people think.

After a while, "High Level" languages were developed. Languages were pretty much designed for the particular application such as COBOL for business / reports, FORTRAN for Scientific number crunching. Along these lines, AF99 has groups such as "Left Wing" because it is intended for aircraft construction. Unless you are British, a Left Wing doesn't have much application to a car. Programming a scientific application using Assembly isn't really practical. Imagine having to write all the code to implement a Floating Point Multiply.

Some of the flexibility in Assembly or SCASM isn't terribly useful. It would not be hard to shift half a word after doing a division but that doesn't have a whole lot of general application. The general idea is that the functions being offered by a language or design package need to be chosen intelligently.

- Ivan.

[smilo]

please don't worry about
a perceived thread hijack.
your post seems relevant to me,
even though i had to read it four times
to basically get your drift.

i think i have said this before,
all i know is what i'm told
and then, i'm still not sure.

suffice to say, i am not a programmer,
although, i would like to be.
unfortunately, at this point in my life,
it's a little late to become one.

-------------------
apparently, once again,
i have jumped track on the 196.
instead of working on the sequence coding,
somehow, i have moved to animation.
specifically, the raising and lowering of gear doors.
i figure there are only two ways to solve
this lower float visibility problem.
since there is no one to tell me how to do it,
i guess i'd better figure it out myself.

[smilo]

greetings gents,
i figured it was time for a little update.
after hitting a wall with the float animation,
i decided to go back to the tail section
and work on the visual sequence coding.

....needless to say, this has been
a real test of my patience.
i am happy to report that i've achieved limited success.
funny side note;
i've noticed that whenever i say something like that,
whatever i am doing quickly turns to do do.

for the most part, the cone, stabilizers
and the stabilizer joints are complete,
with the exception of a couple very minor issues.
at this point, i am tempted just to leave them.
(it'll give the critics something to do.)

so, today, i've been fighting with
the elevator and, mainly, the rudder.
Attachment 57228

Attachment 57231
for some strange reason, the trim tab on the elevator
doesn't want to draw properly,
except, i've noticed, when the Alt key is pressed.
go figure.
Attachment 57234
like i said, i'm having a little problem with the rudder.
i've tried several options, to no avail.
Attachment 57236
at this point, i'm going to chalk it up
to being tired and will set it aside for a bit.

---------------------
oh yeah...i just remembered,
the elevator and rudder animations do work,
but i am having issues with the spoiler.
that can wait.

[No Dice]

Looking good smilo,
Although I must admit, I have always liked looking at a good piece of tail.

Dave

[smilo]

yeah, me, too.
i'll leave it at that.

[Ivan]

Hey Smilo,

The trailing edge polygon on your stabilizer is concave.
The Alt Key turns off smoothing.
You need to break the concave polygon into at least two polygons.

Looking pretty good so far!

- Ivan.

[smilo]

sorry, i don't know what you mean.

do you mean the elevator?
i thought it was a straight line.

[Ivan]

I can't see your model, but I am guessing that the trim tab and elevator are the same polygon. If I am incorrect, then the sim is removing the concave edge when smoothing. Sometimes a perfectly vertical polygon survives the smoothing with no change. You can see the effect very often on main gear doors.

- Ivan.

[smilo]

thanks for the insight.
your guess is correct...almost.
the elevator, with trim tab,
is actually. 2 pieces joined at the center line.
should be an easy fix.

he says, ignoring the keep big mouth shut rule.

[Ivan]

Hi Smilo,

I think I should STILL get the points for the insight.
In this case, "Almost Correct" is the same as "Correct" in my opinion.
'Tain't bad for not being able to see the polygons in the model....


- Ivan.

[smilo]

as i see it, you get all the points.
no question about it!

i haven't had a chance to make the change,
but i am certain that's the reason.