Plane Design Spitfire XVI Working in FSX

[SpaceWeevil]

Apologies if this is already well known, but I came across a patch for the Plane Design Spitfire XVI that seems to make the VC gauges fully functional in FSX. There are three patches - one for the full-span model, one for the clipped and one that modifies a gauge background, available at Flightsim.com - http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=copyright&fid=173170

The patch works by modifying the .mdl files, and there's nothing in the ReadMe to suggest the author Alain L'Homme approached Ed Waters for his consent. My usual attitude to licence conditions is pretty rigid but in this case my moral compass nudges towards 'OK' - the PD Spit doesn't seem to be under active development for FSX, unless anyone knows different.

Other caveats are that it only patches the military (non-IFR) models, and there are the usual FS9 to FSX prop & canopy issues (easily improved by darkening the alpha channels on the two prop and two transparency textures). If you already own the PD Spitfire for FS9 and can live with all that, and don't mind that it's much trickier to handle than either the RealAir or A2A Spitfires, you may be able to enjoy once again the best Spitfire never made for FSX.

[DaveB]

I doubt very much that Ed gave his permission as the model is still on sale. It's been a while since I've spoken to him but I know his wife was ill and this is probably the main reason he's slipped off radar.

ATB
DaveB:)

[Dumonceau]

I doubt very much that Ed gave his permission as the model is still on sale. It's been a while since I've spoken to him but I know his wife was ill and this is probably the main reason he's slipped off radar.

ATB
DaveB:)

Do you really think it is necessary for devs to agree to the release of patchers to make a model work in another sim without supplying the models themselves? I own the PD Spit, love it, and am glad that someone provided a patcher to make it work once again in a more modern sim.

There is no breach of copyright here. No one provided the original models, just a proggie to make original buyers enjoy their purchases in another sim. I ported over several of my FS9 models to FSX and P3D. Does that make me a pirate? I don't think so. Neither do I think it necessary to go on a wich hunt here. Lord knows that SOH is one site that doesn't allow nor approve piracy.

IMHO original and legit buyers can do whatever they want to the things they bought, as long as they don't "share" it. if I want to fly the PD Spitfire in FSX or P3D in a "Pope Mobile" guise, I can and no one can stop me. Because I own it.

Dumonceau

[DaveB]

I take it you're having a bad day!!

The original comment said there appeared to be no mention of any permission given by Ed Walters and I followed it by saying I doubt any had been given as the model is still on sale. That's all.

Was there really any need for that tirade?? No.. I don't think so.

ATB
DaveB:)

[Wings of Gold]

I take it you're having a bad day!!

The original comment said there appeared to be no mention of any permission given by Ed Walters and I followed it by saying I doubt any had been given as the model is still on sale. That's all.

Was there really any need for that tirade?? No.. I don't think so.

ATB
DaveB:)

Hi Dave,

I wish you would contact Ed. I have several times since he released this superb version. He has other unreleased versions and textures. I have never been able to get him interested in any further work on his Spitfires.

Regards, Bill

[WarHorse47]

I might give this conversion a try.

I was wondering, however, if someone could post the other texture files needed: propdisc.bmp, propslow.bmp, vcglass.bmp and vcperspex.bmp.

The instruction say "You must find then on the web or used by another airplanes", but since there are four files I would hope that someone already has done this?

Just thought I'd ask... :adoration:

[DaveB]

Hi Dave,

I wish you would contact Ed. I have several times since he released this superb version. He has other unreleased versions and textures. I have never been able to get him interested in any further work on his Spitfires.

Regards, Bill

Hi Bill:wavey:

Yup.. it was a shame he was pulled away though I understand his reasons for stepping back. I still have a beta of his Avro York and kept all the betas of the Spit and Lancaster. Don't have the heart to throw them away.. just in case;) Many have said how they'd love to have the Lancaster and Lancastrian re-done to FSX format and I can't argue with that;)

ATB
DaveB:)

[Jafo]

IMHO original and legit buyers can do whatever they want to the things they bought, as long as they don't "share" it. if I want to fly the PD Spitfire in FSX or P3D in a "Pope Mobile" guise, I can and no one can stop me. Because I own it.

Dumonceau

Actually, that's not entirely correct.
Example...Microsoft's EULA refers to 'reverse engineering' something done by many but in fact 'illegal' as it contravenes the MS copyright agreement.

Copyright restrictions depend on the specific product and need not be universal or generic.\

I can, for example release an 'artwork' under the specific 'rule' that it can only be used/viewed once, however it's kinda hard to 'police'...;)

[Jafo]

How about....you can 'purchase' or earn money but it is a criminal offence to destroy it ie. burn ...;)

[WarHorse47]

Interesting how these threads can go sideways. :pop4:

[Sundog]

Hi Dave,

Ed's wife is doing fine now, thankfully. But between his family and work he has been very busy. There has been some talk of making some new products for FSX, but it's just a matter of finding the time. Thanks for your support.

Regards,

Ken

[WarHorse47]

It's okay, guys. I think I can handle it from here.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/2015-2-9_19-30-50-823_zpsvjux6kyu.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/2015-2-9_19-39-1-977_zps7oabpyzb.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/2015-2-9_19-47-25-859_zpsw58xldtj.jpg

[SpaceWeevil]

That's my favourite paint too! Glad you got the canopy and prop textures sorted.

[CavOk]

Anyone tried to port this over to P3DV2? I've tried but I get an error message and P3D closes down.
Mike

[DaveB]

Hi Dave,

Ed's wife is doing fine now, thankfully. But between his family and work he has been very busy. There has been some talk of making some new products for FSX, but it's just a matter of finding the time. Thanks for your support.

Regards,

Ken

Ah.. thanks for that Ken.. great news;)

CavOk
I'm sure I've seen shots of it in P3D but I honestly can't remember if it was v2.
ATB
DaveB:)

[WarHorse47]

Just love having this back and flying in FSX.

Was wondering if anyone knows of a solution to the flickering VC gauge needles. Seems that the needles flicker on/off for the brakes, oil temp, Radiator temp, slip & turn Indicator and vsi. Other gauges are fine. Problem seems to come and go if I shift the view in the VC. I had read something about needles missing for some users, but don't recall this problem for FS9.

[DaveB]

I'll take a look mate. From what I remember.. the gauges are all modelled (eg, they're 3D not 2D bitmaps). I don't have the update you're using though so I may see something completely different:biggrin-new:

EDIT: No.. the only 'issue' I have is the one I've always had and that's the bars on the AH go jaggy at anything but horizontal. I get the same with a few other models so it's probably an issue with my screenres and/or AA coupled with the thickness (or thinness) of the bars;)

ATB
DaveB:)

[skyhawka4m]

Hi Dave,

I wish you would contact Ed. I have several times since he released this superb version. He has other unreleased versions and textures. I have never been able to get him interested in any further work on his Spitfires.

Regards, Bill

He gave me the other models he was working on and I will tell you they are awesome, they were for FS9 also but I have been flying with known issues mainly because I love the darn things that much. Sadly the texture mapping is not very good as they were never changed from the other variants. I mainly fly them in a gray paint with civil buno for my own enjoyment as he asked me not to share. I too have asked him to consider continuing his work but to no avail., real life has it importance in life also.


I'd love to see someone like M2M or Milviz buy them off him to finish his work for FSX.

[WarHorse47]

I'll take a look mate. From what I remember.. the gauges are all modelled (eg, they're 3D not 2D bitmaps). I don't have the update you're using though so I may see something completely different:biggrin-new:

EDIT: No.. the only 'issue' I have is the one I've always had and that's the bars on the AH go jaggy at anything but horizontal. I get the same with a few other models so it's probably an issue with my screenres and/or AA coupled with the thickness (or thinness) of the bars;)

ATB
DaveB:)Okay. Thanks for looking. Wish I knew more about how individual textures behave in FSX.

[DaveB]

Hmm.. well the gauge textures are in individual files (in the PD Spit Texture folder) covering the panel, gauges and needles. To the best of my knowledge, Ed was the first outside Real Air to master 3D gauges and they've since been taken up by many.. some given exotic names. They still remain a mystery to me though. I was much happier with 2D:biggrin-new: Hopefully.. one of the experts here will be of some use;)

ATB
DaveB:)

[WarHorse47]

Hmm.. well the gauge textures are in individual files (in the PD Spit Texture folder) covering the panel, gauges and needles. To the best of my knowledge, Ed was the first outside Real Air to master 3D gauges and they've since been taken up by many.. some given exotic names. They still remain a mystery to me though. I was much happier with 2D:biggrin-new: Hopefully.. one of the experts here will be of some use;)

ATB
DaveB:)Are you referring to the PDSpit16Needles_T.bmp in each texture folder or to the individual needle bmp files in the Supermarine_Spitfire.CAB file located in the individual panel folders??

I'm really not sure which of those are for the VC or the 2D panels.

[DaveB]

Ah.. now there's a thing. I'd forgotten this has a 2D panel:banghead: I actually went and bought TrackIR4 to beta test this as I just couldn't see out of the 2D window. A huge departure for me as I'm a big 2D panel fan but on some things.. 2D just doesn't work (for me) and WWII fighters fall into that category. I'd assume that the bmps in the cab will be for the 2D gauges and the 3D gauges will use the files in the texture folders. Could be wrong though and not for the first time!!

ATB
DaveB:)

[DaveWG]

The ones in the individual texture folders will be for the modeled VC gauges, & the ones in the CAB will be for the 2D.

[WarHorse47]

The ones in the individual texture folders will be for the modeled VC gauges, & the ones in the CAB will be for the 2D.Thanks.

On closer examination it seems as if the alpha doesn't align with the main image. Wonder if that's what I'm seeing.

[SpaceWeevil]

If that's the case, I wonder if it would make a difference re-saving the offending textures without the alpha channel? I remember being advised to do something similar in the cockpit of the 'old' A2A Mustang before it was properly patched to FSX.

[WarHorse47]

If that's the case, I wonder if it would make a difference re-saving the offending textures without the alpha channel? I remember being advised to do something similar in the cockpit of the 'old' A2A Mustang before it was properly patched to FSX.Tried that. Made it worse.

The detail on the needles is in the alpha and not the main image (if that makes any sense), so when you remove the alpha all the needles turn into blocks and rectangles. Still got the flickering. I even experimented with saving the texture file to DXT3 with no improvement.

Maybe the problem is not with the texture but with the mapping?? I'll have to load up my PD Spit in FS9 and make a comparison. ..as time permits, of course.

[Lewis-A2A]

Eddies doing well stateside, I chat to him on/off possibly once a month as little catch ups. Ill point him toward this thread, I get the impression he would like to return to MSFS dev but as noted its finding the time. I still poke at him about it every time we chat :encouragement:

[SpaceWeevil]

Eddies doing well stateside, I chat to him on/off possibly once a month as little catch ups. Ill point him toward this thread, I get the impression he would like to return to MSFS dev but as noted its finding the time. I still poke at him about it every time we chat :encouragement:

That would be grand - it would be nice for him to know how much people still appreciate his creations. I think (personal opinion only) that you can the count the number of FS Spitfires that look and sit this well on one hand, possibly with some fingers cut off...(I am including A2A's!)

[Snurdley]

I just became aware of this Spit thanks to this thread. I would be one of the first in line to purchase a native FSX bird.

[DickB]

Hi Bill:wavey:

Yup.. it was a shame he was pulled away though I understand his reasons for stepping back. I still have a beta of his Avro York and kept all the betas of the Spit and Lancaster. Don't have the heart to throw them away.. just in case;) Many have said how they'd love to have the Lancaster and Lancastrian re-done to FSX format and I can't argue with that;)

ATB
DaveB:)

+1

I was doing some early testing on Ed's FSX version of the Lancaster and I can tell you it was going to be awesome. I know he still tinkers with it, but as others have said, it's all a case of finding the time.

I still fly his FS9 Lanc in FSX as my main a/c. The textures (particularly the interior) look a bit dated of course, but for my money it is still the best Lanc produced for FS.

[rgatkinson]

It's okay, guys. I think I can handle it from here.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a185/WarHorse47/2015-2-9_19-30-50-823_zpsvjux6kyu.jpg





I'd forgotten how beautiful this model is. Having fun trying to get it to work properly is FSX. WarHorse how did you get the canopy open? I've tried the spoiler key as advised in the manual but it refuses to open. Also, any luck curing the VC needle issues. I'm trying but no luck so far :-(

Taff.

[WarHorse47]

Taff,

The spoiler key works for me. Check to see if its still assigned to the speed brake.

No solution found for the VC needles. I tried a multitude of different things with the texture files but no joy.

[rgatkinson]

Taff,

The spoiler key works for me. Check to see if its still assigned to the speed brake.

No solution found for the VC needles. I tried a multitude of different things with the texture files but no joy.

Thanks, got it working now. I've been tweaking the aircraft.cfg file and had turned the spoiler off in there! No wonder I couldn't get it to work :banghead:

I am very much enjoying this airplane and the paintkit ;-)

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh565/rgatkinson/Spit16%209NF.png~original

[WarHorse47]

If you love the PD Spitfire then you may want to track down a DVD called "SPITFIRE, The Year is 1940, The Time is Now (http://www.amazon.com/Spitfire-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B000228D9Q/ref=sr_1_12/191-3571895-4033530?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1425329587&sr=1-12&keywords=spitfire+dvd)" produced by ClassicPictures.co.uk that features a segment on Kermit Weeks flying the Fantasy of Flight Spitfire (http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraft/wwii/1945-supermarine-spitfire-mk-16/)that I highly recommend.

[Bradburger]

If you love the PD Spitfire then you may want to track down a DVD called "SPITFIRE, The Year is 1940, The Time is Now (http://www.amazon.com/Spitfire-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B000228D9Q/ref=sr_1_12/191-3571895-4033530?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1425329587&sr=1-12&keywords=spitfire+dvd)" produced by ClassicPictures.co.uk that features a segment on Kermit Weeks flying the Fantasy of Flight Spitfire (http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraft/wwii/1945-supermarine-spitfire-mk-16/)that I highly recommend.

Thanks for the HU on the DVD WarHorse.

If however you can't get the DVD, the segment of Kermit Weeks flying TE476 (with some nice cockpit footage) is on YouTube: -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpvuEDzmVO4&list=FLGH1pcbjqxYhS4t5Tnhlnkg&index=5

Good to see the PD Spitfire XVI in FSX.

Might have to dust off mine and give it ago with the modded files!

Cheers

Paul

[DaveB]

Not seen that before. The sound is a bit ropey and the quality of video isn't exactly HD but a good way to spend 40-odd minutes none the less:encouragement:

ATB
DaveB:)

[rgatkinson]

I think there's some life in this model yet and a few repaints to be considered, for example...

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh565/rgatkinson/Spit%2016.png~original

[JamieC]

I might give this conversion a try.

I was wondering, however, if someone could post the other texture files needed: propdisc.bmp, propslow.bmp, vcglass.bmp and vcperspex.bmp.

The instruction say "You must find then on the web or used by another airplanes", but since there are four files I would hope that someone already has done this?

Just thought I'd ask... :adoration:

I know it's an old thread but I just bought this Spit and are having the same issues...did you find any textures to fix the issue?

Thanks
Jamie


EDIT: I figured out how to do the textures and they work fine