The easiest way to create a system part in Dped's [PARTS] window is to take an existing part
with similar damage characteristics, right-click the tab and select COPY, then right-click it again and select PASTE. This will give you an exact duplicate of the part, right next to its original. You then edit the Category of the new by scrolling through the Category menu list to find the new part's name. Above the Category box is a Parts box. After setting the new Category, you can either click the red 'UP' arrow on the Parts box to to use the new Category name or you can type in a custom part name of your own, like
"Left Browning M2 50 cal. Machine Gun" instead of the typical
"Left Guns" provided by the Category list.
Next below is the Life Points box where you put in the max damage numbers as discussed above.
If this new piece is a vital, location-sensitive part like an engine, or left/right fuel tank, or oil reservoir that should be hit directly to sustain critical damage, you can use the Location check-box below the Life Points box to set the exact central location that gunfire must strike the model to hit the part. This is done in meters -- lateral, vertical and horizontal in relation to the reference_datum_position established by the air files. Dped uses the RDP data from these files --- primarily the *.air file --- to establish the locations of all boxes, system parts, gun flashes and payload hardpoints.
The main reason that i use this approach is that it automatically ports the damage effects sequence and life points values from the existing parts over to new part, which saves time creating this data for the new part. For example, by simply duplicating the fuselage tank and editing the copy's location and nomenclature, you do don't have to set up any life point or effects info, since all of the fuel tanks in a particular model are supposed respond to damage the same way. I also like using this approach for making new, non-fuel tank bearing fuselage boxes after the main fuselage box, or new wing box sections in addition to an existing main wing box, which i reduce the size of to "splice" in the new section.
Hope this helps...
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