Next Scenery Project

[falcon409]

This is one I have wanted to do for many years but always looked at it as too involved, needing too many hours to complete. I like the quick sceneries with a few hangars and a single runway. . .do it in a week and it's done and out.

But I have a personal interest in this one and so it won't be a quick turnaround. A large volume of custom buildings, static airplanes of a very specific type and a few areas that need fixing from previous attempts that I dislike having to tackle, lol. This model below is the start and should be familiar to many.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52343893871_e62fb364fe_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/Yot6D70Vo7)New_WIP (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/Yot6D70Vo7) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[falcon409]

Wow. . .I'm underwhelmed by the response, lol
Given the presence of so many current and retired Military I figured this would at least ring a bell (it's a Barracks for the uninitiated). I was stationed here in the mid 60's and the base had a very identifiable Control tower that sported a red and white checkerboard and brick exterior and was part of European Command.

[tgycgijoes]

I can definitely see it's a barracks but where this "swabbie" doesn't have a clue. Just to see where I was in the late 60's/early 70's everything has been torn down and replaced by new buildings. They were brand new when I was in them in 1968. Interestingly, waiting for school we were used to demolish wooden WWII barracks at NTC Greatlakes. 30 years wooden barracks lasted and 10 years for the brick ones we used. Logic??? My friend who was a USAF retired Brig Gen former CO of Wright-Pat used to say when you choose the lowest bidder you get what you pay for. No work ethic and quality of materials.

[Jorge]

Looks like one of the buildings I saw at Moron AB in Spain when we were deploying to Iraq. Unfortunately we didn't stay there. Since we were Army they put us in "temporary, transient housing" instead. Nothing like a GP Medium tent set up on a spit of grass next to a perfectly good barracks building. :dizzy:

Something looks different about the model, though. I'm guessing it's one of those "cookie-cutter" designs that was then modified as needed? I just don't remember the plate glass windows in the center, but the doorway overhang does look familiar.

Regards,

Jorge
Miami, FL

[falcon409]

This base was also bombed April of 1986 by F-111's in an effort to rid the country of a Dictator.

[Shessi]

Ha ha how the heck do you expect people to recognise something from a generic Blender building!!...:dizzy:

I think you've been staring at too much virtual concrete.

Op El Dorado, Okba Ben Nafi Airfield or Wheelus Air Base as you would have known it.....

Cheers

Shessi

[Thudman]

it didn't look like any of the barracks where I have ever stayed. I thought it was either a Headquarters building or a CBPO building

[falcon409]

Ha ha how the heck do you expect people to recognize something from a generic Blender building!!...:dizzy:
I think you've been staring at too much virtual concrete.
Op El Dorado, Okba Ben Nafi Airfield or Wheelus Air Base as you would have known it.....
Cheers
Shessi
Well, assuming that the first part of your post was in jest, it isn't a generic blender building, it's done in Sketchup based on the barracks I stayed in for two years while overseas. Also I didn't expect anyone to know what base it was from, only that they would recognize it as a Military Barracks and maybe reminisce about having stayed in something similar during a tour of duty.

Yes, by process of elimination it was Wheelus AB, Tripoli, Libya. . .Sept. 1966 to March 1968. Two years later it was taken over by Gaddafi following a "peaceful? transition.

[oldmsgt]

Looking forward to the end result of this project Ed! Please keep us posted on your progress.
:ernaehrung004:
The Old MSgt

[falcon409]

Here's a bit of History behind the various names of the airport;

The Base transitioned from Wheelus AFB (it's name until turning the base over to the Libyan Government in 1970) to Uqba Bin Nafi (an Arab Leader of the times) and finally Mitiga in the 80's.

Here is the background of the name "Mitiga" as related by a resident of Tripoi. . .

Yes, the story of the child Mittiga Al-Zalitni is true. The girl was living with her family on the farm of the Dali family and they are our neighbors. The American plane crashed on a number of people, including the child Mitiga, and another old woman named Habesha and others. The pilot jumped with a parachute and fell in the Sharif’s farm, our farm (Sania) As for the other pilot, he was killed in the plane, and this accident I think was at the end of the fifties... After the Americans left the base on June 11, 1970, the base was named after the Arab leader (Uqba bin Nafi). Then in the eighties it was named after Mitiga, Mitiga International Airport. Uqba Bin Nafie was then given to another base near the Tunisian border that was a firing range for the US Air Force in the past, and it was called (Al-Wataya)..Thank you!

Al Wataya (pronounced Wa-T-a) was in fact the gunnery range for our fighters and those US squadrons who came TDY from bases in the UK, Germany and Spain. We had an F-4 crash on the range just after I arrived in September of 66'. I volunteered to assist in picking up the pieces and we stayed two days in the desert sifting through what was left of the airplane returning with barely enough to fill one flat bed trailer.

[falcon409]

I attempted to edit the previous post but to no avail. For some unknown reason the "reply with quotes" and "edit" functions refuse to work intermittently.

Anyway, the edit was to correct the name of the Gunnery Range mentioned above the pronunciation shown is correct, however the actual name used by the Military was "El Uotia"

[falcon409]

The Elementary School building is one that repeats multiple times so only necessary to do one. . .same with the Barracks. The other is the Chow Hall modeled the best I'm able given there are no good pics of that building.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52355445101_93bae4b9c3_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/4VH8boX672)Wheelus_WIP-2022-sep-13-002 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/4VH8boX672) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52355870715_5c8d244ff2_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/KC7d413E72)Wheelus_WIP-2022-sep-13-001 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/KC7d413E72) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[tgycgijoes]

Don't Forget to model the O'Club and the EM Club. No base is complete without them. AND the chapel if there was one there. Remembering what I did at NAS Alameda way back when. Was there a Commissary? I'm going to stop before I make you wish that you stuck to single runway grass strips like Grimes. LOL!

[falcon409]

Don't Forget to model the O'Club and the EM Club. No base is complete without them. AND the chapel if there was one there. Remembering what I did at NAS Alameda way back when. Was there a Commissary? I'm going to stop before I make you wish that you stuck to single runway grass strips like Grimes. LOL!
Yes, those plus the Base Theater, The local "Greasy Spoon", The Terminal, The very unique Control Tower, the "Trailer Park", Base Housing area, the Salt Flats, Base Commanders house and not to mention all the hangars and the Main Gate and "Back Gate".

[tgycgijoes]

Yes, those plus the Base Theater, The local "Greasy Spoon", The Terminal, The very unique Control Tower, the "Trailer Park", Base Housing area, the Salt Flats, Base Commanders house and not to mention all the hangars and the Main Gate and "Back Gate".

I created all of those. With NAS Alameda I was so lucky to have the 90 page report with color photos of all the buildings that were being saved or repurposed. I even knew what trees were where which is why I went crazy right down to the Exchange Gas Station.

Three months and two helpers to complete it and though a frame hog was told it was probably the most complete military base they ever saw AND it was freeware.That included the base housing areas. It has sounds too, the first I had ever done learned from the ESP SDK and aircraft carriers getting underway and returning after the day of exercises at sea. My wife said I was crazy but I loved every minute of it. :dizzy: I have never done anything as complex or complete since then. Before I knew of or how to use autogen annotator I hand placed every acacia tree. I am truly not bragging at all. It was a real learning experience for the later sceneries. I am really waiting to see what you do with this. I used a couple of the hangers on another air station that was similar enough.

[falcon409]

There were two Base Chapels. . .this is Chapel #1 down the street from my Barracks: Just an FYI. . .the stained glass window was paid for from donations made by the Military Personnel stationed at Wheelus and commemorates the "Lady Be Good" and her Crew and was saved from demolition prior to departing the base when Ghadiffi took control. It now resides at the National Museum of the AF, Dayton, Ohio along with artifacts found at the crash site that had been on display in the Base Hospital.

[tgycgijoes]

There were two Base Chapels. . .this is Chapel #1 down the street from my Barracks: Just an FYI. . .the stained glass window was paid for from donations made by the Military Personnel stationed at Wheelus and commemorates the "Lady Be Good" and her Crew and was saved from demolition prior to departing the base when Ghadiffi took control. It now resides at the National Museum of the AF, Dayton, Ohio along with artifacts found at the crash site that had been on display in the Base Hospital. This is absolutely a work of art, Ed. Great job and thank you for the history too!
This

[falcon409]

A few more;
The Base Hospital (still a WIP) and the Main Hangar that sat across the perimeter road from the Mediterranean.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52367022082_d670ccdb81_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/6MFp820d7r)Hospital_02 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/6MFp820d7r) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52366752629_a96e6ca3b2_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/81m9G804A4)Main_Hangar (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/81m9G804A4) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[oldmsgt]

Wow Ed, very outstanding work here! This is going to be your best scenery ever, no doubt about it! Keep it up!
:ernaehrung004:
The Old MSgt

[falcon409]

I'm ready to be done with the Hospital, lol

I've already placed 100 windows and I'm only halfway around the building, lol

[tgycgijoes]

I looked up online what aircraft flew out of there for when it's completed. :wavey: Like Alameda if you put in roads it can be driven around in one of the driveable vehicles like the Jeep CJ or even the Willys Jeep that you can do in USAF blue with markings (Or I can if you want me to)


https://i.imgur.com/RL7LMqX.jpg

[falcon409]

I looked up online what aircraft flew out of there for when it's completed. :wavey: Like Alameda if you put in roads it can be driven around in one of the driveable vehicles like the Jeep CJ or even the Willys Jeep that you can do in USAF blue with markings (Or I can if you want me to).

During my time there the primary Jets for the 7272nd were F-100C's and a couple of "F" models. Transient were F-4's mostly and the Libyans had T-33's. The Air Rescue folks flew the HH-43 "Huskie".

As for driving around the base. . .that would be awesome. It would really be a shame to do all these buildings and then never see them other than as you're landing or taking off.

[tgycgijoes]

During my time there the primary Jets for the 7272nd were F-100C's and a couple of "F" models. Transient were F-4's mostly and the Libyans had T-33's. The Air Rescue folks flew the HH-43 "Huskie".

As for driving around the base. . .that would be awesome. It would really be a shame to do all these buildings and then never see them other than as you're landing or taking off. Ok count on me doing that Jeep for you driveable and I will send you the file you can include there is permission to do that. I know there's no real hurry. I am doing a special Alaska Airlines repaint that I will share here down the road as it gets further.

[falcon409]

First look at a small portion of Wheelus AFB. Barracks row looking out to the main hangar and "The Med". Some days just a short walk across the street and down to the beach for a swim after work.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52375466425_d14b0123bb_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/18y620w381)wheelus_WIP-2022-sep-21-001 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/18y620w381) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[oldmsgt]

Lookin' mighty good Ed!
:ernaehrung004:
The OMS

[falcon409]

Thank you Sir. This Tower has a story to it;

This is the tower I remember from my time at Wheelus, however after chatting with a controller that was there at the same time, there was a newer tower. Only problem is that the only pic of that tower is about the size of a postage stamp and impossible to see any detail other than the fact that it's a Tower, lol. Because of that. . .and because I like this tower better anyway, this is the one that will grace the scenery.

You can probably tell there is an alignment problem with the stripes. Because the tower is multifaceted each plane must be textured individually and getting each plane to line up is proving difficult (but not impossible). I'll get it done eventually.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52378876419_7ff88522eb_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/962ArV0s39)Wheelus_Tower (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/962ArV0s39) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[falcon409]

One thing that drags this out significantly is not building the objects. . .it's cross checking the current layout with what it looked like prior to the takeover. There are numerous new buildings and changes in landscape that were never there before and so figuring out where specific buildings should be placed and then adjusting the ground texture to remove and tweak to look correct or as close as possible is a bit daunting. In the end I want it to be as accurate as possible, but also realizing that it would be slim to none that anyone would have been there in the first place.

I belong to several Wheelus Facebook sites and they've been a major help in locating pics and remembering where certain buildings were located. . .but no one I've ever run across in those sites is familiar with Flight Simulations. They know of it, but beyond that. . .nada, lol. So the reality is that whatever I end up producing, I'll probably be the only person who knows the base.

[ian elliot]

I dont post much here these days, but im really looking forward to this project, My local airfield,RAF Manston was home to USAF units untill 1958, and Wheelus was a regular destination for gunnery practice by Manston units. Looking forward to some long flights south from SE England, maybe stopping off at Luqa for a beer :encouragement:

[falcon409]

I don't post much here these days, but I'm really looking forward to this project, My local airfield,RAF Manston was home to USAF units until 1958, and Wheelus was a regular destination for gunnery practice by Manston units. Looking forward to some long flights south from SE England, maybe stopping off at Luqa for a beer :encouragement:

Thanks Ian, I'm doing my best to get it completed.

[huub vink]

I can assure you Ed you have my full attention as well. However I had to google the airfield as I was completely unaware of its existence.

Like most of us here I grew up during the cold war and from my viewpoint now, it is amazing how much infrastructure was build during this period. While in my youth it was just normal....

Cheers,
Huub

[falcon409]

A few more:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52384957098_8db4dbeaed_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/7948Lj98g7)Wheelus_Updt-2022-sep-26-002 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/7948Lj98g7) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52384957148_8ad98791f3_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/770w6q82Kt)Wheelus_Updt-2022-sep-26-001 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/770w6q82Kt) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[tgycgijoes]

It's really coming along nicely.

[Duckie]

Ed, that’s looking really good!

[Cees Donker]

Looking very good Ed!

:applause:

Cees

[oldmsgt]

Well done Ed, looking forward to the finished product!
:ernaehrung004:
The Old MSgt

[falcon409]

Well, I may have painted myself into a corner here, lol

This is the current extent of what I've accomplished. If I am honest, this also represents about half of what I had planned on including in the scenery when completed. The problem is that I think I might be reaching the limits of my system because those F-100's you see on the flightline turn black when I get too close. This suggests (I think) that my graphics card is being taxed and if that's the case then anything else I add will only exacerbate the situation. I had big plans to add the theater, NCO Club, Officers Club, Terminal, Base Ops and so on. If I'm right about the graphics card, none of that will happen. Ughh!!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52391139310_13c96ccd83_k.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/88r53ZYm5d)Wheelus_9_28 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/88r53ZYm5d) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[tgycgijoes]

It's always a decision to make. When I finished NAS Alameda all who had been following me said how fantastic it was. But then, many said it was a frame hog. I did not know back then how to use "Clean-up" in Sketchup either to remove all those pesky triangles from it before its exported for MDCx.

I believe that you have accomplished as fantastic a scenery here with Wheelus AFB. There are all kinds of freeware and payware that is great,l but the military bases have long been neglected.

I am going to suggest that you add the buildings you want and make the F-100's ai a separate folder that can be added or not by the user. Also the same for the sound files. The end-user can decide based on their system capabilities. I don't have a powerful game system either and that is what I did. Its your decision in the end.

[stansdds]

That's some impressive scenery! I would not doubt that it is stressing your computer.

[Jorge]

Outstanding work, Ed! It makes me wish I had a system that could run FSX well, as opposed to just running it! :banghead:

I wasn't aware that Sketchup had a function that could clean up the scenery object, but it makes sense since GMAX has something similar if I'm not mistaken. For GMAX I think it's "smoothing", but I may be mistaken.

Another option (though VERY time consuming) would be to make Levels of Detail (LOD's) for the objects. I can't remember if FSX handles them the same way as CFS2/FS9 did, but it may be an option.

Also, if you use one texture sheet per object as opposed to several sheets for one object, then it will reduce the "drawcalls" for the sim as well. You can do all the drawcall stuff with MCX. It won't be the same as if you did it prior to applying the textures to the object in Sketchup, but at least it will lower the need for computer power since the system will be calling up one or two textures as opposed to a dozen.

Since FSX can handle up to 2048x2048, you can have a better option of reducing the number of textures than you would when using the MCX function for FS9 since that one only goes up to 1024x1024. By using 2048 you can "stuff" more textures as pieces onto a single sheet - almost 4x as many.

If you model the LOD's individually in Sketchup, you can then add them one by one in MCX using it's LOD editor.

You also have an option to use the "auto" function MCX has and have it do it for you. In that case you just run the models you have through the MCX function and won't have to make the LOD's yourself, but you'll sometimes get some strange looking shapes as a result - especially with the lower LOD's.

It's definitely a wonderful project, Ed. Let me know if some of the tricks I've learned recently can help. They're meant for FS9, but FSX shouldn't be too far off. I'd be more than happy to share! :encouragement:

Jorge
Miami, FL

[falcon409]

Getting close:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52399938686_f041233cca_h.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/M287i460gE)terminal_etc-2022-oct-2-002 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/157601388@N02/M287i460gE) by Ed Wells (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157601388@N02/), on Flickr

[oldmsgt]

Looks great Ed, did you figure out a fix for the F-100's? I've got a less than stellar PC as far as running FSX!

[SgtT]

Very nice, outstanding work.

[falcon409]

Looks great Ed, did you figure out a fix for the F-100's? I've got a less than stellar PC as far as running FSX!
Actually no I didn't however I'm convinced it isn't my graphics card. I have continued to add objects along with several flight plans for F-100's and a few C-47's that will fly to El-Uotia and back for supplies. My FPS continues to be around 24 after hitting that lull a week or so ago. It may just be the model which isn't ideal since on any given view the ones that turn black change repeatedly, lol.