Consolidated Catalina PBY-6A USN uploaded

[Shessi]

Hi Folks,
Finished at last!!

One of three new Cats, this is the PBY-6A USN Catalina, with centi-metric radar and larger tail.

Cheers

Shessi

[Shessi]

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/soh_ftp/uploads/imageuploads/912115240868302319.jpg
A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Military - Props

Description: Next in the series of revamps for the Alphasim PBY5 Catalinas. This is a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina, last of the production versions of the PBY, for FS9.

Shessi

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Consolidated Catalina PBY-6A FS9.zip (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?linkid=23581&catid=205)
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

[Mick]

Whoot !!! :jump:

I've been very much looking forward to this one!

I'm a bit overextended right now, but very soon I expect to paint up some Classic Era skins, and maybe late WW2.

BTW, the post in that link doesn't seem to be rigged for replies.

[HorusJ]

Shessi,you have done it yet again!Excellent work!
Thank you for all the Cats!:wavey:

[Mick]

I've been fiddling with the -6A and I'm scratching my head over something.

I can't figure out this white line along the wing panel flange fairing, on the outside side of both wings. The WW2 skin has it too, but it doesn't stick out so much against the gray under-surfaces.

I can't find it in the texture files. It's a little thing and it's on the bottom, so not a big deal, but nice if it's fixable.

Am I missing something in the textures? Is it an untextured bit left from the old original AlphaSims plane? Correctable or someting to live with? Any ideas? Mark? Anyone?

[Mick]

I've been fiddling with the -6A and I'm scratching my head over something...

I've got an idea. Watch this space...

Edit:

Well, my idea didn't work out. I thought I'd just change white parts of the model material to dark sea blue until I got the part that includes the wing panel joint flange fairings. Surprise! The model doesn't respond to Modelmat! I can change any model material to any color and save it, but the model doesn't change color at all. No matter what color I put in Modelmat, the model stays white with a few black and gray bits. I never saw a model before that didn't take color changes with Modelmat. Huh!

Another little thing is that I can't find a way to color the nose gear dark sea blue. Both the wheel and the strut show up as white and since they don't seem to be in the texture files, I guess that they takes the model material color.

These are little things that I can live with of necessary, but fixes would be nice. Meanwhile, I'll take my time about painting the one more skin that I have in mind. Maybe someone can suggest fixes in the meantime. If not, I'll put the skins up the pipe as they are.

I am still really pleased to have a PBY-6A!

[zswobbie1]

:jump::jump:

[Shessi]

Mick,
Sorry been busy, I'll take a look but all should be textured?

As for uc, the PBY6A is at the very end of the limit of compilation (various reasons, polys, part number, and textures). Trying to texture everything means it would not compile, so I left the UC a neutral light grey/white colour, so either that or no PBY............

Cheers

Shessi

[Shessi]

Just had a look. It's Alphasim's fault..honest! :biggrin-new:

Unfortunately they made the outside of that wing rib square (WHY?!), and so it needs a LH tex (for just this little rib area) as well as the bottom tex. Not spotted as bottom tex is nearly the same colour as the material. I can upload a modded one, would rather not, if you can live with it.

As for the UC I can't do anything about that as, to split up the UC to allow specific texturing of parts would add to the total part numbers, it is right at the end of that limit and will not compile with any more parts. So I had to compromise to just having UC material colour for the whole UC and no tex.....

Cheers

Shessi

[Mick]

Just had a look. It's Alphasim's fault..honest! :biggrin-new: ... As for the UC I can't do anything about that as, to split up the UC to allow specific texturing of parts would add to the total part numbers, it is right at the end of that limit...

Thanks Mark,

I thought the glitch on the wings was probably something AlphaSims did. It fits right in with the kinds of things you mentioned finding when you first started working on the model. We can live with it. At least it's on the bottom.

No big deal about the gear either. After the dark sea blue era the Navy started painting gear and gear wells white. And it won't show on the water, or in the air once the gear is retracted.

I've got three skins ready to go up the pipe, so up they go.

[Mick]

OK, I've painted three Classic Era PBY-6A skins: a utility plane of Utility Squadron Seven (VU-7) based at NAS North Island, California; a patrol bomber of the Boston Reserves based at NAS Squantum, Massachusetts with the orange Reserve tail band; and an Air Sea Rescue plane based at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, with the yellow ASR fuselage band and wing panels, all from the late 1940s.

I also included a model file with specular gloss enabled (actually semi-gloss) so as to properly display the overall glossy dark sea blue of all three planes.

[huub vink]

They sure look very Mick :encouragement:

Huub

[Shessi]

Yes, they really do look very Mick..;)

Very nice job, love 'em!

I tell you what, when I finish the CFS2 versions, I'll mod that rib and tex that section to the rest of the wing on that version, which you can use...deal?


Cheers

Shessi

[Mick]

Yes, they really do look very Mick..;)
Very nice job, love 'em!
I tell you what, when I finish the CFS2 versions, I'll mod that rib and tex that section to the rest of the wing on that version, which you can use...deal?
Cheers
Shessi

Sounds good! If I understand correctly...

[Mick]

When I packed up the three Classic Era skins I neglected to include the semi-gloss model file that brings out the proper look of the overall glossy dark sea blue finish.

I have just deleted the incomplete file and uploaded a replacement that will be on the download list as soon as Rami does his thing to make it available.

Apologies to Rami for his trouble, and to the five people who downloaded the original file without the glossy model.

[wbuchart]

Good, Thanks, I thought I went blind!:adoration:

[Shessi]

Hi Mick,
Just had a thought that I could upload a separate modded USN 6A version (with wing tex mod!), shined and with your texs included....but I see you're half way there...

That way you get your 'perfect tex' wing, shined and your texs....

I know it will send Rami a bit more bonkers, but he needs it to keep him on his toes...HA! ;)

Let me know.

Cheers

Shessi

[Mick]

Hi Mick,
Just had a thought that I could upload a separate modded USN 6A version (with wing tex mod!), shined and with your texs included....but I see you're half way there...
That way you get your 'perfect tex' wing, shined and your texs....
I know it will send Rami a bit more bonkers, but he needs it to keep him on his toes...HA! ;)
Let me know.
Cheers
Shessi

Great idea! You could put something in the file description so those who have already grabbed my skins would know to get the new version and why they should want to.

You might put in your original WW2 skin too, since it's also affected by the mapping anomaly, just not so obvious because of the gray wing undersides.

If you put up the new version I can delete the skins-only file, so all Rami would need to do is his usual thing for the new file.

[Shessi]

Mick,
As this needs shine it will be just the new skins version. So new mdl, with full wing tex, with shine, your texs..deal!

Wait on me getting it uploaded etc.

Cheers

Shessi

[Shessi]

Mick,
All done...Ha! spotted a few things myself!! Isn't it always the way......

On the Quonset tex, the mapping was wrong for the RH float arm, not yellow as the LH one, corrected that.

You had forgotten to re-tex the radome, so was the wrong blue colour, re-done that small tex.

Also on the ac.cfg changes in your README for your x3 tex upload, unfortunately you missed out the ui_manufacturer=Consolidated for the Quonset tex, so it doesn't show up, corrected that.

So now corrected under wing mdl for all blue tex, shined, correct mapping for all texs, and complete ac.cfg...phew!

Uploading!

Cheers

Shessi

[Mick]

OK, I deleted the file with just the repaints.

I also just spotted a major glitch that somehow slipped past me. The floats on the Quonset Point ASR plane should be yellow!:dizzy:

I'll fix that this morning and post a fix.

I'll leave it to you to decide whether to incorporate the fix into a new package.

[Mick]

OK, the fix is uploaded.

The picture shows what the Quonset Point plane looks like now. As it should have looked all along.

I'm also attached it here in case anyone wants to grab it before Rami gets a chance to make it available on the download list.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I can't believe that something so obvious slipped past me yesterday!

[HorusJ]

OK, the fix is uploaded.

The picture shows what the Quonset Point plane looks like now. As it should have looked all along.

I'm also attached it here in case anyone wants to grab it before Rami gets a chance to make it available on the download list.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I can't believe that something so obvious slipped past me yesterday!



Shame on you Mick!:rocket:
Just kidding.:wink: Love your work!

Joel

[Mick]

It's getting confusing, having two sticky threads about the same model.

At the risk of seeming greedy and requesting more work, I must ask, is there's going to be a model of the -6A with the radar removed, for use as a water bomber and other civilian applications?

What prompts the question is my intent to convert two excellent skins painted for the original AlphaSims -5A that really should go on a -6A model, but without the radar.

One is the overall red water bomber skin provided by AlphaSims with the original PBY-5A release. The skin is completely authentic but the real plane is a PBY-6A, not a -5A.

The other one is Pierre L'Heureux excellent skin depicting the Cousteau Society's"Calyoso," which M. L'Heureux graciously released way back when the model was new with no restrictions on its use or further distribution.

Presently we can't have an authentic red water bomber or Calypso. Either we leave those skins on the -5A model and they lack the tall tail of the -6A, or we put them on the -6A model and they have the radome that both real planes lacked. A -6A model without the radar would resolve that situation.

I don't mean to agitate about this. Just askin' ...

[Shessi]

Mick,
Whatever your little heart desires.......;)

NP

Cheers


Shessi

[Mick]

Mick,
Whatever your little heart desires.......;)
NP
Cheers
Shessi

Excellent! Thank you!

I will restrain my impulse to convert files until the model is ready. Then I'll convert the Cousteau skin and the red water bomber. It's mostly just a matter of renaming texture files.

I'm not much good with those modern, colorful air tanker schemes (things like script markings and other unique company graphics are beyond me) but we have people here who that sort of thing is right up their alley. Maybe someone will paint up some colorful air tanker liveries.

It would be easier if there was something you could do about the distorted mapping on the vertical tail. That was there on the original AlphaSims model. I recall bumping into it when painting that model. Stretching the mapping to cover the new tall tail didn't help. Look at the tail texture files in my Classic Era US Navy skins, compared to what the planes look like in the sim, and you'll see what I mean. But don't make a project out of it. As my skins show, it can be dealt with in the textures if need be.