Another conversion project

[OBIO]

I have been working on a new conversion project, as if I didn't have enough projects in the frying pan as was. This project is centered around Tim "Piglet" Conrad's F-5 series for FS2004. A very nice plane with great detail, full animations, very good frame rates (120 to 180 in external view, Free Flight on my system...depending on scenery and cloud complexity). I have the plane hooked up with a nice DP file lifted from the Alpha Sim freeware F-5A, have to regauge the VC panel, do some tweaking to the air and DP files. Have fired off a PM and an e-mail to Piglet for the okay on the upload. Will be contacting Alpha Sim for their Okay to use their files in the conversion. As soon as I get the green light from Piglet and Alpha Sim, the plane will be ready to upload.

Will post a couple screen shots in a bit....got spaghetti cooking YUM YUM. The sauce is from scratch and had a 6 hour simmer.....going to be incredible.

OBIO

[OBIO]

Okay....a bit more info on this project. A, C and RF-5 models are included. Full pylon (5), centerline pylon only, and clean configurations are covered. And it is shined!!!!!

[Oglivie]

Looking good! Could this be an addon for the upcoming Vietnam 4 CFS2....

[Tango_Romeo]

...ever going to get you to start design work with your nice new modeling program, when you continue to mess with this conversion crap? We fear that you have gone over to the dark side. :costumes::costumes::costumes:

PS There's a good place to file all those conversion projects.....the Recyle Bin. :jump:

[Oglivie]

:costumes:
Hmmm....and I thought he was doing such good conversions....shows you what I know.....:d

[OBIO]

Tango,

I will get to Gmax and learn to model....I promise. Right now I just don't have the focus that I need to really do justice to learning the program. Basically just tinkering around with conversions and paints to help take my mind of the mountain of things going on in my life right now...the big one is my wife's recovery (which I need to post an update on...she is doing great).

Oglivie,

Tango is just trying to motivate me to stop doing conversions and start modeling real CFS2 native aircraft. Even a really good conversions of FS2004 aircraft have short comings when being used in CFS2 (most are not multi-res, which is a real problem given the higher poly count of the Fs2004 models...real frame rate hogs when used in numbers in a mission or campaign).

Thanks for the compliment on my conversions....I do them to the best of my ability and know how. They could be better, especially AI performance...which is an area that I really need to spend some time on learning how to "master".

OBIO

[Tango_Romeo]

Tango is just trying to motivate me to stop doing conversions and start modeling real CFS2 native aircraft. Even a really good conversions of FS2004 aircraft have short comings when being used in CFS2 (most are not multi-res, which is a real problem given the higher poly count of the Fs2004 models...real frame rate hogs when used in numbers in a mission or campaign).OBIO


.....as charged! :costumes:

[Jagdflieger]

Obio,

You're a man of TOO many talents! Of course I'm not complaining.

[OBIO]

I have the F-5 series broken down into three folders....F-5A, RF-5A and F-5C models. Makes it a bit easier keeping track of the skins and config file. There are a good selection of FS9 skins for the plane over on AVsim.com. Will include the painter's name in the uploads so you folks can grab them for your install.

Here's a screenshot of the F-5's VC cockpit at night (still without gauges at this time), with some really cool green lighting. There is a package over on Simviation.com that has the VC Light FX modified in different colors. I can't remember the zip name right off hand, but will get back to ya'll on that.

OBIO

You can get the lights on page 13 of the CFS2 Misc section:

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/syb2.cgi?section=cfs&file=VCLC.zip

I have simply renamed them according to the light color and placed them all in my EFFECTS folder. The Medium Green light, which I used in the F-5 cockpit is named fx_mgvclight. This way I can have all the colors handy for use for different purposes. I am going to try using the red light to give the plane some visible exhaust glow for night flights.

[Tango_Romeo]

....all these cockpit light colors, when instrument lights in military aircraft are red. Red because it does not interfere with night vision. :isadizzy:

[bearcat241]

...there's still somethings you don't accept about the CFS2 fan club mindset TR :icon_lol:......if it can be done, it will be, thats all it is; the sim itself is a bed of creativity and that's why you're never gonna dissuade us conversion addicts. Or guys who color VC lighting to exotic tastes.

I've heard your compelling reasons and while i more or less agree, trying to stop the train after its left the station is a losing proposition. Its just another expression of the now well-accepted tinkering mindset of typical CFS2 fans. Once a guy starts down that fascinating road, its hard to hit the brakes or completely divert to full bore designing. Every designer has had his chosen moment and point of entry where he picks up gmax or FSDS for the big score. For some, conversion work is the catalyst that kickstarts them. Due largely to my own efforts in scasm, i'm closer to understanding the mechanics of gmax and FSDS than ever before. Scasm and conversion work has served me as a nice primer.

Good work on the F-5 Obio...and if you get the time and opportunity, slap some SEA camo on her to for that rugged, veteran Vietnam look :d

[Tango_Romeo]

However, it does not change the fact that we are losing designers at more than three times the rate that we are gaining new ones. :banghead:

The Dark Side is the easy way.....they have cookies! :costumes:

[Jagdflieger]

Strangely enough, in aircraft where the pilots use night vision goggles a blueish-green lighting option is used. That color wavelength works best with NVGs. Of course back in the day of the F-5, the lighting was red.

If the green light comes from an effect file, then we should be able to change it back and forth from green to red by changing out the .fx file. Either way, nice looking Freedom Fighter Obio and Piglet.

I saw SVNAF F-5 fighters in the ground support role in the A Shau Valley many years ago. At one point, it seemed like everywhere I went in the world there were F-5s supporting the cause.

[bearcat241]

Jagd, the custom VC lighting files are found at simviation under the filename "VCLC.zip" - contains 16 different ‘fx_vclight.fx’ files:

ftp://www.simviation.com/47cfs/VCLC.zip

Like i said TR, the train's left already...and the designer recruitment/development program was on board. A few faithful like yourself thankfully chose to remain, and inspired user fans to aspire to the role, but the designer recruitment will never be what it was years ago for a 9 year old sim...that's par for the course of ANY legacy open architech sim. And when the goal is purely personal entertainment now, the "Dark Side easy way" ain't so easy for getting what you want today as opposed to 3-6 months of designing agony. But on the flip-side, i think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the number of user fans who are secretly tinkering in gmax and FSDS under the radar. They may not be moving at a pace you'd like to see, but its better than no one trying at all.

[OBIO]

I can put the red light in the VC for accuracy..I just went with the green because that is how the VC light in the B-57 conversion (still oh so close to being done, but just not close enough) is set up....I copied the LIGHTS lines from it and dropped it into the F-5 config file. Red I can do easily.

Like I said, I will get back to Gmax....once things have returned to a bit more normal state. Got tons of things going on that keep my focus broken up between them....big big things that can not be put to bed easily. Once some of those big big things leave my daily life, time and attention span will be dedicated to learning Gmax. I have it installed, I have it all jazzed up for CFS2 modeling. I have a growing collection of 3 views of planes that I will model once I gain enough skill and confidence to do so. I also have a nice pile of source code for planes that will benefit from updating and/or production as CFS2 aircraft.

OBIO

Now I remember why I went with green in the VC....because it does not conflict with the red from G-Effects. A red VC light might get a bit confusing when you have G-Effects on and go into a nice red out from a rapid dive....haven't tested it yet, but will.

[Tango_Romeo]

[quote=bearcat241;36912] Like i said TR, the train's left already...and the designer recruitment/development program was on board./quote]

...you're correct and I just don't fit into the new culture. Probably time to move on. :wavey:

[Jagdflieger]

Na, not time yet. We're all in this together!

[Good_2_Be]

Looks good OBI, looking forward to flying it. Keep in mind whenever your ready for G-max you know where to find us :jump: (don't forget to bring the cookies)

TR if you do move on don't go very far, we still need all the help we can get from all the folks that have been doing this a long time, Nothing like a good teacher to keep us newbies in line :violent:

[bearcat241]

Na, not time yet. We're all in this together!

Yup...what Jagd said...and besides, where else would you go if you want to blow virtual stuff up in FSDS and Gmax models :icon_lol:...

You'd have to learn 3ds_Max for CFS3 development... and no *loaded* guns are allowed in the civil sims. :d

[Dirtman]

Tango is just trying to motivate me to stop doing conversions and start modeling real CFS2 native aircraft. Even a really good conversions of FS2004 aircraft have short comings when being used in CFS2 (most are not multi-res, which is a real problem given the higher poly count of the Fs2004 models...real frame rate hogs when used in numbers in a mission or campaign).
OBIO


For what it's worth: Frame rates have become a huge issue & major problem in Vietnam-4-CFS2. None of the planes are multi res.

2 missions at present will bring my 256MB video card virtually to it's knees resulting in F/R's in the 10-12 range. (IQ slider maxed)

For 2 months I have been wrestling with the best way to solve this problem.

Rebuilding 25+ aircraft (many are new) is really not an option at present.
Removing effects/weather (clouds, contrails etc.) has a minimal positive effect.

About the only recourse at this time is just to reduce the image quality to a lower setting. But much time & effort has gone into building the scenery and adding realistic detail that this seems to be such a waste.

We may just need to accept this situation for now. But I am sure in 5 years (when everyone has a 512MB - 1.5GB vid card) that this will no longer be an issue.

Could I get some feedback about this from all you guys?
.
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[miamieagle]

All I want say to you OBIO is thank you very much for all you have done for all of us.:ernae:

[OBIO]

Miami

You are quite welcome...the entire community is quite welcome....because without the entire community freely giving and sharing of its knowledge, insights and wisdom...I would not be able to do the things I do (such as they are). I will continue to produce skins, panel sets, DP tweaks, conversions and (in time) will begin to produce new CFS2 native aircraft.

Hello, my name is Tim, and I am a CFS2 addict. I have no hope of ever being cured of this addiction, nor am I actively seeking help for this addiction. I enjoy this addiction too much to let it go.

OBIO