Joao

Thanks D-Scythe, that would be very useful.

I thaught myself 3dsmax 3 years ago, or so. I begun modelling in discreet gmax, (a freeware 3D tool with less options as 3dsmax but still uses many of the same tools as it`s big brother, 3ds max), it was very tedious and difficult to do at first, so don`t get discouraged if things don`t seem to work, we all happened for the same difficulties... :) Try this basic tutorial for gmax on how to model an A/C: http://www.planesimulation.com/gmax2.htm You can download gmax from here: http://www.discreet.com/products/gmax/ Hope this helps in something.

""Hey Joao, can you do us a favour and model the AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire as well? Seems like the AGM-114C/K is already getting a makeover in another 3rd party mod of the Predator UAV.""" Yes sure, it will take some time but I`ll do it, if you have some references or pics to share I would apreciate it. :) Btw, the Predator model looks beautiful! Will it be flyable or is for AI?

Thank you I have been cutting down unnecessary polygons on the engines models. The poly count on the motors has been dropped from the 1810 as it was before to 1148 triangles as it stands now, still however needs some more optimization: The Apache also got new glasses, with more curved surfaces than the ones it had. The old low poly TADS unit has also been changed by another more smoothed version: The M/R air intake (excuses if this is not the real ID) on top of the air-frame is under improvement as well: This is all for now, keep in channel for more...

No prob man, I didn`t too remember "C-H" as the acronym that`s as well assigned Comanche Hokum. Flexman`s has been very busy with the real world commitments and had droped development (at least for now) with Combat Helo. It`s a matter of time, he could come one of these days and finish off what he has started with that great sim. :) ""Actually, the 16 Hellfires don't count towards the poly count. The pilot does though. And you don't have to limit the Apache to 15-20 000 polys. You can double number that no problem, so long as you have modelled the necessary LODs for it too."" I think that with 30-50.000 polys would be ok then. BTW, does anyone has detailed drawings on the T/R assembly? The follow pic shows a lot of details from T/R, if you know of some others pics with similar angles as this one would be much appreciated.

My poly count as for the moment and refering to the wireframe render, that version has 12.352. This will vary depending on many factors; weapons loadout increase trianlges quite a bit, specially when you show off sixteen Hellfires! And pilots have to be added as well...another 1000 faces in the sum :) I think I will go up to 20k as it will be harder to maintain smooth meshes with this budget. I just want to add as much detail as possible.

Thanks :) Heyya rugg, glad to see you again. "Where'd the Stingers go? Excellent job, as usual."" They are in for repair hehe ;). Out of kiding, I just don`t know if include them them or not, does anyone know if v.1.2 will simulate this weapon?

Thanks guys. "Looking as good as ever Do you have any plans to convert it into an AH-64A once you are finished? That model could obviously also use some improvement."" Yes maybe, after all it won`t be a lot of work to convert it to the A version, so yes, if God allows me there is hope for an AH-64A :) "Very nice indeed! However I assume the current EE:CH Apache model is still copyright protected, so using it as an LOD model could be a bad idea should this model make it into Lock On...? Then again, the current Lock On Apache model could also be used as the next LOD model... it's quite a bit simpler"" Sorry I didn`t explain it better. I meant, my current Longbow model that I have been modelling for a sim called Combat Helo (C-H) that has around of 10.000 poly, I could use this as a medium-high LOD, as the highest LOD level will be around 20 or 30k.

Just to let you all know that am still working on the Longbow mod, haven’t` work a lot on it since the last update due to the reasons of always (work, lack of time, work, life etc) but it’s still coming along. I have remade the bulge section (excuse the “technical words”) from the tail boom in the section where the tail rotor assembly is located, this is a version a much more rounded and smoothed than the old one. I have been considering to use the existing 10k "C-H sim" Apache model and assign it as a LOD model, I already have finished off two LODs, there’s only one that needs more work. Excuses for the quick and simple update, now let’s work on that T/R detailing.

Thank you MrWolf :D

Hi, Need you help people, this may have been posted before excuses if so, but I am unable to download and try out FC demo from the main page, it says that I should sign up before start the download, thus I do the registration and then write down my ID on the boxes, but when I finish off doing the registration process, all I get after is the same window saying me "Sign Up" so in order to download, I`m confused, what am doing wrong? :roll:

Your welcome. Sure, in time to time I`ll bring updates on its progress, be on the channel for more. :D

Hi, my model has around of 9 or 10 months of being built, but I don`t know when Lock On`s Apache developing started was, if I did understood well your question. As Skywall23 said, you just need to change a variety of objects on the D model and replace them with the components of an A block. This is not difficult to do, but it takes some time. Yes :) , all but the maintenance handles, as I did change them some days ago. However, I will take another look at these objects to see if some more polygons could make them a bit more rounded when zooming in, but without trying to make a big hit at FPS performance, otherwise I will leave them as they are now. I would also smooth the Air data sensors on top of the engines, as they too look polygonal. There`s in adittion the nav light on tail boom (can you see the little box back there?), that needs improvement as well. :)

Thank you, am glad it does like you :) Excuse the delays of my updates, real world commitments and other projects do require my time and thus I have been working a bit on the model. However, here`s another news for you and for the other members: Low poly motors are being removed, as you can see in the above pics, I have replaced the old ones with more rounded meshes, but for the render image I have maintaned one of them for show off their differences. This mesh engine still needs more optimizacion, but it will look way more curved than its old counterpart. :D In adittion, the Exahust diffusers have now been extruded, and are a bit more detailed: All in all, there are around of 250 pieces yet to be updated.

There`s a car sim called Toca Racer 2, wich does just that, "flashing" lightings effects as when the sun reflects off from the glasses of the cars, and when you see that in real time it`s just superb. 8) PS: D-Scyth, those images in your Lock on look terrific, at first look I thought they were taken from real world sources... gone are the days from the old F-15 Strike Eagle graphics stuff. :wink:

thanks Chizh :)

Thanks people, glad it likes you :)

Just made a little update from the improvement the Apache mod. Since my model needs more smoothing improvements that other thing, I have been doing some changes at the parts that requires more poly count. In the following pics there is the new tail boom model (excuse me if that`s not its real id) that I took from a high poly Apache I was doing a while, and have merged it to the real time one. You can see in the pic as it looked before and after the redo: Also, the "maintenance handles", as you can see in the pic, are being re made, and some of them now look more curved. I`ve in adition chamfered the "port bow": There are lots more to do onto the Longbow mod. To put some at example: 1) Landing wheels needs more detail, and course, smoothing. 2) The engines could also be better. Nose gearbox assembly looks pretty polygonal and simplier. Exhaust diffusers, etc. 3) Main rotor head and T/R assembly could as well be improved by far more. 4) I have to remove the ugly TADS unit cylinder model, as well as the PNVS dome and nose assembly, and change them to another smoothed versions. 5) Nav lights... 6) 30mm chaingun, another one that needs more work. 7) Hellfires... and a long etc... I don`t know when I will finish off with its improvement, I am also working on another projects that require my attention and time, and thus I could had work a few times on this helo. But all in all, it`ll come along. :)

Big lol for me, lol. :? Found everything that I needed to know about. Thank you.

Thanks for the compliments. Sadly, the head developer has been absent for quite some time now, we do not know if he`s okay or not, there`s still hope he will come however. :) Phew, is still a pretty nice number. I will try to maintain within 15 and 18k. More or less, how many LOD`s should I create for my model? Mine has three LOD`s, one that`s already modelled and a third that needs more work. Oh, and another question, the Apache has its meshes in triangles, and some other parts were made in quadrangles, now, should I convert all of them to tris or quads? :roll:

Thanks for the advice, for a moment I was dreaming with that number. :o Then for a helo 15 to 20k (max) polys, is okay or a bit excesive? It is intended for a helo sim called "Combat-Helo". Please take a look at the dev site, to check out for more: http://www.combat-helo.com I have made an virtual cockpit for the AH-64D, but for lack of time it`s been put on hold momentarily, here are some wip shots of it: The low poly pilot station

Thanks trident. Yes I`d like to redo many parts, make objects a little more rounded, there are also several parts that could be improved. Am still amazed at how high can be the poly budget limit for Lock On with those 50k! When I looked in the ads about the coming release of the Su-27? and saw at how many polys has the F/A 18, my eyes grow like this :shock: 15.800 faces? superb! 8) I know little about this kind of stuff, but I could not have any problem to remove them from the model if the devs see it so. After all, there`s still the 30mm chaingun and Stingers :roll: :wink: :)

I will ask them about the stingers, but I`ll left them anyway, if the devs see that it is a problem for them to incorporate it, then they can delete them. :) Yes, I think that was what I tryed to explain. Just in case puting another of my weird examples :wink: : when you build a model; ie a box that will be placed face to face against another box, their oposite faces can be deleted since they will not be visible and thus they would not need to be renderable.

Hi again, I fotgot to ask something else. Could I have on my meshes "open faces"? Having said this, my mesh has no problems as I`ve check it with the STL checker in max, but what I try to tell you (excuse my english btw) is that if I could delete the -oposite faces- that will not be visible to the expectator in the sim, could this cause any problem to the devs? I know by experience that in MFS you can build whatever model with "open faces" and it will show up correctly in the sim, and this is done in order to reduce overall poly count. I hope you get what I try to say. :?

Thanks for the congrats and the welcome :D