VectorScope
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Mini Update We know, we know. It's been quiet since we announced the C172M - too quiet. But not because we've been idle. Every bit of our development time is focused on bringing our Talon to life, and we're still optimistically aiming for a 2025 release. This is one of those cases where "no updates" really just means we're deep in the trenches, making steady progress where it counts. Truth is, preparing polished dev updates takes time. And right now, every minute counts. We'd rather put that time into the jet itself. In the meantime, here’s something tangible: a few shiny renders of your new helmet (WIP). More soon.
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Did you know that the Virtual Turkish Stars fly Veco Simulations' custom-built NF-5's? These aircraft share a flight model closely based on the Veco T-38A. The team played a crucial role in early stage testing of our Talon, before the final tuning was handed over to the very experienced SMEs for refinement and testing. With the team now flying in 8-ship formations, the flight model has demonstrated impressive close formation capabilities and reliability.
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For those who missed it; Here's our development update video from April 1st: https://youtu.be/-SnZ2RP8YuE?si=v5eBDsfHwhxXMHiD
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1500 Strong on Discord & YouTube each! + Meet the Current Veco Simulations Team! We’ve just hit 1500 Discord members and 1500 YouTube subscribers at nearly the same time! This is a huge milestone for us, and it’s all thanks to you. Your support, feedback, and passion mean the world to us. Whether you’re here to chat, share ideas, follow the progress of our project, or *even ask when the Talon will be released*, every interaction fuels our drive to aim higher and push forward. We believe that transparency is key to building trust and collaboration with our community. To celebrate this milestone, we’d like to introduce you to the talented individuals behind the scenes who are working hard voluntarily to bring the T-38A Talon to life: Copprhead (Lead Developer): Graduate Computer Scientist with 17+ years of experience as a software engineer, several years as team lead and project lead of international multi-year-long software development projects. Vector (Lead Artist): VFX Artist / Finishing Artist with 7+ years of experience in commercial/film post-production and workflow optimization. Baydu (Developer): Senior Software Engineer with 11+ years of experience, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and extensive experience in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Cuper (Developer): Software Developer who previously worked for a 3rd-party development team with a focus on turbojet simulations, and various EFM mods. Roughmaster (2D Artist): 2nd Assistant Camera and Director of Photography, as well as a highly acclaimed DCS World livery maker. Breadmaker (3D Artist): Briefing Officer (aviation), Freelance 3D/2D artist, creator of the DCS SK60 mod, and the founder of BAAS Dynamics. We’d also like to give a special shout-out to our amazing livery artists, whose creativity and attention to detail help us bring the T-38 Talon to DCS. Special thanks also goes to Kujo, Panic, Unc0nn3ct3d, Tango, and Kunefe and the Virtual Turkish Stars team for their various contributions! And, of course, our SME team, with tens of thousands of combined real flight hours and deep T-38 experience, who continue to provide invaluable insights. Thank you for your support! https://discord.gg/ZFK7mVKa5t https://www.youtube.com/@VecoSimulations
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Veco Simulations: 2024 End-of-Year Update As we wrap up 2024, we want to take a moment to look back at what we’ve accomplished and share our plans for the coming year. Developing the iconic Talon for DCS has been a challenging but exciting journey, and we’re eager to update the community on our progress. Highlights of 2024 This year, we hit several major milestones that have moved us closer to delivering the T-38A in time: Proof of Concept Completed One of our biggest achievements was completing the "proof of concept" for all major aircraft systems and essential gameplay features. This step gives us a strong foundation to build on as we refine and improve the mod. EFM Flight Model We’ve made big strides in developing the flight dynamics, thanks to new technical documents, including wind tunnel test data. These resources have allowed us to replace estimations with real-world data, making the T-38A’s flight behavior more accurate and realistic. 3D Cockpit Modeling The cockpit model is nearly finished! Only a few final touches are needed before we move on to animation and texturing. Early 2025 will focus on adding the fine details and textures that will make the cockpit both functional and visually stunning. Below is a preview of the current front cockpit model. Plans for 2025 Looking ahead, our focus will shift toward refining systems and flight dynamics, using self-built tools to speed up development and improve efficiency. Our plan for 2025 is to fully release the aircraft. While we can't give an exact date, we can say that the groundwork and proof of concept for all of the planned features are done and tested. New Development Tools and Testing Environment We’ve introduced powerful in-house debugging tools that provide deeper insights into the aircraft’s systems and behavior. These tools allow us to: Monitor engine and system parameters in real time. Modify variables, trigger faults, and run test routines dynamically. Plot aerodynamic forces and coefficients to analyze flight performance in greater detail. Testbench Application We’ve developed a "testbench" application that runs the external flight model (EFM) DLL in a separate simulation loop. This tool allows us to: Test flight dynamics, engine performance, and systems behavior quickly and efficiently. Use debugging features like breakpoints, hot reloads, and performance profiling - features that aren’t available in DCS. Skip lengthy DCS loading times, making it much faster to test and validate code changes. System Integration Work With our new tools in place, we’ll focus on integrating the aircraft’s hardware systems and engine. The core components are already developed, and we’ll refine and expand them in multiple stages to ensure they closely mimic the behavior of the real T-38A. Cockpit Animation and Texturing The next steps for the cockpit include animation and texturing. These updates will bring the cockpit to life and create a truly immersive experience for users. Final Thoughts This year has been a turning point for Veco Simulations. Having gone public in 2024, we’ve made remarkable progress in a very short amount of time. Beyond the strides in the flight model and cockpit, we have also built a solid framework and workflow to support the development of our future aircraft mods (and modules?) for DCS. This foundation not only streamlines our current processes but ensures that Veco Simulations is well-prepared for long-term growth and innovation. As we move into 2025, we’re focused on refining and polishing every detail to ensure the final product exceeds expectations. We’re incredibly grateful for your support and excitement throughout this journey. Your enthusiasm drives us to push harder and aim higher. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working to bring the Iconic Talon to life! Happy New Year from all of us at Veco Simulations!
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We appreciate the kind words, friends! I'll pass on the livery request to the team. I'm sure they're reading anyways. Closer to release, if we forget, feel free to remind us!
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Progress Update: Liveries and Exterior Texturing In this update, we’re excited to showcase the latest progress in our texturing work on the T-38A Talon. One of the most distinctive features of this aircraft is the variety in liveries used by its many operators. From the wide range of U.S. Air Force liveries to the vibrant red and white schemes of the Turkish Air Force, each operator has brought its own unique touch to the "dress" of the Talon. At Veco Simulations, we’re committed to meticulously recreating these differences, capturing the essence of each version and the character it brings to the aircraft. Our texturing process involves a layered approach that allows us to build a high level of authenticity into every livery. Structural details like bolts, rivets, and other surface elements are standardized on a dedicated layer, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all liveries. The livery itself sits on a layer sandwiched between these structural details and a weathering layer, allowing for flexibility in creating and modifying liveries without losing detail. The weathering layer, positioned at the very top, is designed to adapt to the full spectrum of liveries, from bright white to deep black. This adaptability is crucial because weathering behaves differently on light versus dark surfaces. For lighter liveries, like those used by the Turkish Air Force and some U.S. Air Force schemes, we’ll incorporate subtle dirt, grime, and wear to give a realistic, lived-in look without overwhelming the brightness of the paint. For darker liveries, we’ll emphasize elements like edge wear and faded patches that stand out against the deeper tones. This approach allows us to capture the unique aging and operational wear seen on Talons across the globe, regardless of the specific color scheme. By establishing this flexible, layered foundation, we aim to make livery creation accessible for the community as well. We believe that customizing the Talon’s iconic look is an integral part of the experience, and we can’t wait to see how the community brings their creativity to this platform. Finally, we’d like to give a huge thank you to our talented livery artist team for their outstanding work and dedication. Their attention to detail and passion for bringing the T-38A’s liveries to life are key to achieving the authenticity we strive for.
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So far in our testing, it's a lot of fun (and also a healthy level of challenging) to fly, especially in formation!
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Progress Update: SME Testing. As development on our T-38A Talon continues, we’re excited to share insights from recent Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing. Our SME team, comprised of experienced pilots with first-hand knowledge of the T-38A, has been working closely with us to refine the aircraft’s performance and behavior in DCS. Their feedback has been instrumental in refining various aspects, from the aircraft's flight dynamics to the accuracy of its 3D model. In its current state, alongside countless performance test flights, our Talon has undergone several mock training sessions simulating real-world scenarios. This has allowed us to assess the aircraft’s performance across a variety of use cases, providing valuable insights into areas needing refinement, while also confirming the accuracy of several key flight characteristics. With their permission, we’d like to share the full, transparent testimonies from two of our SMEs, both of whom have extensive experience flying the T-38A: Murdock: Toby: We are incredibly grateful for the valuable insights provided by our SME team and contributors, and we look forward to sharing further updates as we make additional progress. We hope that their positive outlook serves as a preliminary showcase for the love and attention our team is putting into this project. Stay tuned for more as we continue to push toward delivering the most authentic and immersive consumer-available T-38A experience.
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Thanks, friends! Your encouragement is our fuel. It's positively overwhelming to see the support.
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VectorScope changed their profile photo
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Hi everyone. Lead Artist/3D modeler of the Veco Simulations here. I'm copying over this announcement from our Discord server, where we usually post our progress updates: Progress Update: Cockpit 3D Model Today, let's talk about the cockpit 3D model. We’ve made significant strides in refining the internal details, and we're excited to share some new renders showcasing our recent work. Progress Highlights: Panels and Instruments: We’ve continued refining the layouts and dimensions of the instrument panels to ensure they’re true to the T-38A's real-life counterparts. Cockpit Structure: From the canopy frame to internal supports and other details, we’re capturing the intricacies of the T-38A’s cockpit architecture. What's Next (3D Team): We're currently working on the structure and details connecting the ejection seat to the cockpit itself, including the moving parts Keep in mind that everything you see here is still a work in progress, with further refinements to come. We'll post smaller and more frequent updates like these. Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more! We appreciate your support! And we aim to not disappoint.
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