iVIPER21

I dunno off the top of my head, I'll have to check.

Haha! Thanks for the encouragement guys! Both of those are good pics! Thanks! The more references I have to check and double check against the model - the better. Sometimes I can pick up tiny details in one pic and not see it in another, so the more info the better. Most important now would be a true length measurement. Right now I am using an indirect measurement (temporary).

I've been working on this for a few days in my spare time. The main thing to look at in the rendering is the curvature and shape of the fuel tank body. The fin and suspension lugs are placeholders and are not finalized yet. The fuel tank is 660 polys right now - i figure the final model will be right around 1000 :thumbup: . If anyone has detailed photos or measurements - anything you think could be helpful in making the model or skin - please post it here or send it to me via PM.

Right on. :thumbup:

That's because ATC english is another language in and of itself. Every word has a very specific definition as well as a specific placement/order. It is extremely brief and to the point (in order to keep the channel clear). It's filled with lots of information in each sentence. Many fluent english speaking Student Pilots IRL have a hard time becomming completely comfortable on the radios - it usually takes many flights and hours of exposure to get a full grasp of it.

... here goes ;) I'd be willing to model the F15 610 US gal fuel tank over the next couple weeks - but I need the dimensions and a 3 view of it. I did a very quick search but couldn't find anything online. If you have the necessary info and pics of the more detailed sections/mounts, post here or PM me! Of course, we'd have to hope that ED wants it. Also, they want very detailed user submitted models - no "eyeballing" measurements n such ;) If I get enough info, I'll start a new topic in the 3D models section.

Your model looks really great! Very good detail where it needs it too! How many polys do you estimate the final model will be?

Great video!

Well guys, the time has come. The model has been submitted to ED! :D

Interesting discussion. Anyways, if you were "slam-dunked" into an approach, why not get creative and revert back to your private pilot days - use a forward-slip to landing? I'd be interested to see how that plays out in a full dirty config with crosswind.

Which brings up an interesting point: According to Pratt & Whitney's website, the F100-PW engine family ranges in thrust from "23,770 - 29,160 lbs." which is contrary to USAF's F-15 factsheet which states "Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine". Thoughts?

Exactly correct. Remember that we are flying a late 1970's / early 1980's Eagle with the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 engines, not the newer upgraded -220 or -229 engines. So what you see at an airshow today is not what you fly in Lock-On. Finally, as stated before, the effect of configuration and loadout will also change the allowable load factor with regard to structural limits - which will limit maximum sustained turn rate and affect many other performance factors. Overall, I think we get a pretty decent flight model for $30.

... that's what i get for applying real world US aviation knowledge to a russian sim, lol. Fire up FC and let us all know what you find out SK.

sounds like a substantial tail-wind component to me. remember that with regard to wind direction, the heading is where the wind is coming from - not where it is blowing towards.

thanks for the compliments - it helps keep me motivated! here's a shot of the linkage assembly with and without the fin in place (unskinned and colored to highlight the pieces):

I just wanted everyone to know that the project is still alive, here are some more shots. I decided to remake the model from scratch after finding some much more detailed photos of the snakeye. Progress has been kinda slow due to working 50+ hrs/week at my new job! Little by little it will eventually be completed :thumbup: edit: added suspension plugs->

PM sent.

good stuff. *forwards link to everyone he knows*

Excellent book - definitely not for those with short attention spans - it has tons of useful information for any real or virtual chess match in the sky. You can get it here (I tried on amazon but it was out of print at the time): http://www.usni.org/webstore/shopexd.asp?id=18606 I'd recommend it especially for the online squads out there as a requirement on their training syllabus! ;) Would also recommend: Phantom Leader by Mark Berent Hornets Over Kuwait by Jay Stout Aerodynamics For the Naval Aviator by The Naval Institute Press Human Factors in Flight by Frank H. Hawkins Private Pilot Manual by Jeppesen Sanderson Instrument/Commercial Pilot Manual by Jeppesen Sanderson ...and about 50 others I've had to purchase while in flight school (one year left)! :icon_jook

Exactly what Shigawire said. The tutorials that come with 3dsmax are written in a way that will introduce most - if not all - of the tools and modifiers you will end up using. It will also help you to "think" like a modeller and realize what you need to do and when you need to do it in order to get the results you are looking for. Also, editable poly is highly recommended because it will allow you to add a lot of detail and still keep the polycount down (a must for models used in games). If airplanes are what you want to model, I believe the 2nd modeling tutorial in the training tutorial that ships with 3dsmax is for making a P-38 - but you need to have completed the other tutorials first or you might get lost with the interface.

Small update... Due to moving into a new house and starting a new job (and making a new signature ;) ), the changes seen above took a little longer than I first estimated. The polycount has been up'd to around 2200 - details were added to the bomb itself in order to help smooth it out. The suspension lugs and nose fuse area received a lot of added detail, too. BTW, the pics above are not the real textures that will be used. If I add more detail, then I have to redo the UVW map and redo the skin. I'm hoping for feedback from Chizh before I spend time on that.

upyr1 check PM.

Hey everyone, I live in Las Vegas and was wondering if any Lomac or F4:AF players lived in the area. I was thinking of getting some people together for a weekly LAN. If anyone is interested, post here or PM me. Thanks! :icon_jook

Kindred, I'd recommend using 1.85 (widescreen) for your aspect ratio, looks a lot better and more natural to the eye IMO. Another choice would be 2.39 but I think it is going overboard - it's all a matter of personal preference of course. As for the codec, I've used the Alparysoft one with good results. I think you can download it here: http://www.alparysoft.com/products.php although in the free/trial version, their logo will be in the lower right hand corner. Anyways, give it a shot. Also, when testing out codecs, it's a good idea to just do a 30 second clip (or less). Hope it helps!

thanks! thanks! i talked to Chizh and he gave me the go-ahead to up the poly count in order to add more detail (mostly on the nose fuse area). I'll be sending him the completed model by Sunday (and posting some before/after renders of the changes here for everyone to see). From there, it will be reviewed by ED - hopefully they will like what they see. Just for fun, I think I will also make a couple of animation video clips of the bomb being dropped with the fins popping out etc and some massive explosions. Stay tuned! :icon_supe