Hunting water fowl with 54 Squadron

**Capt. Winters** · February 5th, 2016, 23:23

Duck season just opened.

**gecko** · February 6th, 2016, 00:07

Where'd you get that beauty Rob? Been hoping for one of those for a while!

**Capt. Winters** · February 6th, 2016, 01:59

Hi Daniel,

I'm lucky enough to have some of Mathias's Work in progress files which I've slowly been sorting out to at least a B class aircraft.

this He115b is almost ready, I've got a half decent FM in there, it lands and takes off from water with no issues. I have the texture sheets mapped out now to facilitate painting. (when I first got it, it didnt have the mapping outlined on the supplied sheets. But Mathias sent me a second lot of files that had the parts outlined. A god send as I had been using trial and error to work out which part of the texture sheet each part used).

unfortunately the source file is gone, and there are some parts that are not texture mapped in Gmax, you can see the canopy frame and pontoon struts are using gmax rendered brown rather than a texture map. but overall its not to bad. and with a Middle east paint scheme's the brown/cream will become even less conspicuous.

The plane has the following usable player stations.
Pilot, Bomb aimer, a torpedo sight and front & rear gunners.

I have played with subbing in a VC and rear gun model from a me110, they look great but I'm having trouble sorting out the way they interact with the other positions.
This model has a different way of tying in gun stations. the main cockpit_0 model has pilot, front gun and rear gun built into it and cockpit_1 is the bomb-aimer position and cockpit_2 is the torpedo aimers position. normally you would have an individual model for each position which make switching out easy. I've tried all sorts of view numbers and ID numbers, but I have not managed to get it right yet.

there is another limitation, in I cant get damage effects to work for all areas. I'm thinking some of the emmiters have not been modeled in. at the moment the only effects that seem to work are the 100% break effects for wing roots. Is it possible to link an effect to a system effect using X,Y&Z co-ords rather than a emmiter? I have experimented with that but with no luck thus far.

The paint scheme is just a place holder I cobbled together until I can con a certain painter into knocking something better up for her. She'll make a great target in missions etc. and its more than usable for player flyable missions if people want as well.

If your interested in having a look at the effects I'll gladly send it over to you.

regards Rob.

**sixstrings5859** · February 6th, 2016, 02:54

Cool aircraft. A great target for coastal command missions. Thanks to all for this warbird .

***MajorMagee*** · February 6th, 2016, 04:43

The gmax colors can be hex edited in the m3d file, so that's no really a limitation.

**gecko** · February 6th, 2016, 08:17

I can take a look Rob, it'll have to be back burner for a bit (Spit, Me 163, Ankor shaders, WOFF tutorial), but yeah, I may be able to get more working. And like Andy says, the gmax colors can be easily changed to something that matches better. We could customize a model to each skin even.

**HouseHobbit** · February 6th, 2016, 08:35

Too Cool, yes we discussed this during the ETO 1.50 update, glad she hasn't been forgotten.

**Led Zeppelin** · February 6th, 2016, 09:45

wow!

***NachtPiloten*** · February 6th, 2016, 10:01

..... I seem to remember getting these several years ago.... and I believe that i still have them. Imagine that

**Capt. Winters** · February 6th, 2016, 15:17

Originally Posted by NachtPiloten

..... I seem to remember getting these several years ago.... and I believe that i still have them. Imagine that

Hi Ted,
that is very good news indeed. If you could double check the status of the file and let me know if you do still have it. If you do then I'll suspend what I've been doing with the WIP files.

If your not in a position to do a bit of work to finish off mappping and add in a few emmiters etc to at least get a target aircraft in the sky would you allow me to use the source file?

would you consider a VC build in the future? I'll gladly send you the files I have thus far so you can work on the model in game.

Daniel, thanks for the offer I'll send her over to you.

regards Rob.

**ndicki** · February 7th, 2016, 00:09

Mathias did a superb early FW190 for MAW that never got finished... I think the external model is pretty well done, but the cockpit is only a basic start. You don't happen to have that one's source file, do you?

**hairyspin** · February 7th, 2016, 06:52

That is indeed the Grail Quest, Nigel!

**ndicki** · February 7th, 2016, 08:38

Well, I've got the model, as will most of the Desert Rats, but that's as far as it goes...

**Bravo/4** · February 7th, 2016, 16:13

I doubt very much anyone will have the source for that? Come to think of it Mathias may of lost, or scrapped them, it's a bit blurry now but I seem to remember he mailed me about it a good few years ago?
He started his FSX payware model completely from scratch, so even that has no links with the old MAW model.

It is a pity though because the model is outstanding, and has Nigel says it only lacks the pit, main model is all there, textured the lot!
I worked with him quite closely on it in the MAW days, his attention to detail was second to non. I can remember him re-working the model a couple of times, because the tail section was a few mm off, lol I couldn't tell the difference, but it had to be right, and that really impressed me, made me up my game, and he was a pleasure to paint for!
Sorry for going on a bit, but it brought back some good memory's lol

**dmaloof** · February 8th, 2016, 18:41

cool, definitely needed in sim. Only one i know is the cfs 2 model from alphasim ages ago as payware.

**Capt. Winters** · February 11th, 2016, 15:45

Hi All,

some update shots, Geko has done a great job of matching the gmax base colour into the texture colour. He has also tweaked the reflective properties to give a much better and smoother effect. Glass now reflects correctly as well. Thanks heaps Daniel, made a world of difference.

she'll make a fine target over the channel.

regards Rob.

**gecko** · February 11th, 2016, 19:51

Hopefully those tweaks will eventually be made unnecessary if those source files do indeed turn up on Ted's computer.

**Bravo/4** · February 12th, 2016, 11:26

Looked good before, but looks a lot better now Rob, very good job both of you, can't actually believe this has made the sim after so many years in the wilderness!

**garykidman** · February 13th, 2016, 01:31

I love float plane's find them fascinating love to fly one.

***MajorMagee*** · February 13th, 2016, 08:07

The real thing can be a bit tricky to fly. The first time my instructor told me not to look down at the surface of the water because it was too calm I thought he was nuts. The thing I hadn't though of was that you can't really see how far above the surface you are to judge your landing when you're looking right through it to the bottom of the lake. Contacting the surface with too much vertical speed is just as hazardous as it is with a paved runway. Then there's the issue of that little 1948 Luscomb Model 8E not having any flaps so we had to use slip to drop in over the trees at the end of the lake, but you can't touch down unless the pontoons are pointing perfectly in your direction of travel, so knowing where the surface is relative to the bottom of your floats is critical to your survival. There was a lot of seat of the pants involved...

***NachtPiloten*** · February 13th, 2016, 08:39

Dear Diary:

I searched last night and no go. Went back and looked in other places (never knew my folder catalog system was so .... interesting). So what do I see a zip file called He_115_CFS3. I knew it was old since I no longer use zip files. So could it be, have I found the holy grail of 115 files. I carefully approach, not wanting to spook the prey. I stealthily moved the file to my desktop (yes I know a very risky thing to do but Windows defender is working to protect me). I double click, not to quickly mind you but just the right amount. What do I see, no it couldn't be two texture files and a gmax file called He115_56.gmax. Now my heart is racing, it can't be real am I imagining it having a flashback for all the trips I took as a wayward adolescent in the early 70's, was Timothy Learly calling me again.... Not sure as I need to open it with my other computer (idiot). So oh how terribly long it takes, those old optical drives why why it is maddening I tell you. Edgar Allen Poe has nothing on the suspense slowly slowy it gets nearer and nearer. Yes I hear it the beep a beep I tell you, the light, the icons spinning and whirling about on the old windows xp machine. Ok calm down take a deep breath it will all be over soon one way or another. Yes there it is the gmax icon and with a purposeful double click and ..... no I do not want to visit the discreet site, take me to gmax land please, the waiting is so unfair. Give me 2016 technology please!!!!!!

Ok, now the time has come, Judgement Hour! (Arnold are you with me). I find the file, wait there it is do my eyes betray me, the icon it looks like that elusive bird, all silver and sleek within 2 mm of being perfect I tell you it must be. I nervously double click ( oh how many times with gmax did I get the can find the file or it is corrupted message, please anything not this time LET IT WORK I SCREAM!!!). Side note my wife come running in a says as she would be talking to one of her elementary students, " Oh, just gmax again , when will you switch to max, really!" I scoff at her, not to be deterred from my quest. What, what.... yes there it is OMG what a sight, a perfect day. A silver He115 (needing a cockpit however - Steve where are you buddy...) Tears of joy running down my face and busy run to the other computer...I must share this glorious news, but with whom. Ah yes the crazies over at SOH, they'll surely understand, they know what it is like, What no doctor I am not ready not another shot really I'll be a good boy and eat my vegetables. Promise I won't scream....

Well I almost felt like that but seriously I found it...now what. (Oh also have a Walrus too)

**gecko** · February 13th, 2016, 08:39

Sounds like a blast Andy! Didn't know you flew in real life. If I ever have the spare cash a float rating is near the top of my list.

***NachtPiloten*** · February 13th, 2016, 08:46

really I am...

**gecko** · February 13th, 2016, 08:46

Geeze Ted, had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! And to top it off, right before I got to the good part I had to break off as the smoke alarm went off signaling that breakfast is more than done. A Walrus too! Those two would make a nice pair!