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People are always complaining about how they don't hear enough about development so.. ;)

 

Anyway, here's all the "one step forward, two steps back" of development.

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Landing Gear dont seem to be animated in the version I have.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, the FC3 Avionics Addition was conflicting with the EFM DLL. lol

 

:D

 

Good you got it working :)

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What systems are currently part of the "Support Cockpit"?, I was planning to remove it, but if the gear and any other LUA systems are still in there I'll leave it.

 

Nothing that concerns me really.

 

All EFM controls are directly by the keybinding to ed_fm_set_command()

 

The cockpit DLL I added for a plan to test some things but it is nothing but skeleton of a DLL now.

 

You have completely free hands to do what you wish in the cockpit.

 

Right now I was able to restore CustomScripts+EFM+FC3 Avionics String.

But Its gonna require a lot of changing around of LUAs and Names etc.

 

There's so many conflicting "HumanCockpit" strings between the LUAs.. lol...

 

To Re-Write the Entire LUA System to match current standards I'm gonna have to Move a lot of stuff around and clean a bunch of stuff up.

 

I'll Prolly create a new Folder, and start w/ Entry.LUA and Database LUAs, then Go from there w/ bringing other items into the new folder.

 

When done, it will likely be a new pack i'll post and users can simply update their dll, because the excessive changes is going to make so many redundant and spoofed files/folders in git, lol.

 

Sure, go nuts :)

 

I tried to understand those scripts at some point, then gave up, lol

 

--

 

I updated github with one change now: landing gears now use actuator code I added previously to airbrake (reduces lines of code) and support individual movements for them. This in case of damaged wheel and such which might be handy at some point.

 

I changed the aero drag calculation to consider all three wheels now (instead of just one), I think it is now closer to realistic values but needs testing.

 

Those changes should be easy to merge afterwards too.

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I think Smiley Programmed a Cockpit System to auto deploy below a specific speed. (but I believe it was a LUA Script in the /Cockpit Folder)

 

That's what I think too, but finding it is another thing..

Thanks anyway :)

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kazereal,

I'm working on new Entry/LUAs etc on my lunch break,

 

are the suspension parameters integrated into the EFM DLL now or still part of your entry.lua?

 

if they are still external, then I'll update it to match current model standards (ie separate file etc instead of clogging entry.lua)

 

would also need updated suspension block if not contained in the DLL.

 

Same for Center of Mass and Moment of Inertia etc.

 

Edit: Nevermind, Downloaded the entire GIT, will begin again converting Entry and LUAs

 

 

Suspension parameters are in the Lua now.

Wheel friction parameters are needed in the DLL too.

 

I think suspension parameters should be moved in to DLL but that needs plenty more work before even thinking of that so it is ok if they are not there now.

 

Center of mass should be same as before but should be calculated in the EFM according to fuel amount changes in different tanks. There's a total mass change in EFM but it does not affect center of gravity now (tank position calculation is not there yet).

 

If you can spot why suspension is sometimes considered "down" by DCS (instead of "up") let me know.

I found old comment about hard-coded thing somewhere that puts them automatically down when below 200kts, I wonder if that is still true?

 

Need to run to the shop now..

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Another thing that needs extra care is that some things use different coordinate system than what DCS uses (left-handed vs. right-handed) so need to look into that in the code too to make it simpler.

 

That seems to have confused me again causing some bugs and problems..

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when I saw the pilot stick moves and we don't have brakes or steering control on the RWY.

 

The stick should not move as much as it does. It is just for testing that code works.

 

Nosewheel steering and brakes are on the list somewhere but you have too high expectations now, go back and read the older messages in this thread.

 

I don't want to repeat a lot of information here.. In short, this is a tool to learn developing modules.

If you want something done quicker, learn to code or make 3D modeling it yourself.

 

Edit: I mean, there are tons of things to do and you are not really in a position to complain when you are getting it for free.

It is all done in free time as a hobby after all.

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I know,

 

Ok, cool :)

 

Sometimes it is hard to know what people know about these things beforehand ;)

 

Anyway, there's a very rough airbrake now, it does slow speed while in air (too much actually!) so something to play around with.

Rolling friction "hack" is back there but that one seems too low now. I'm looking into proper implementation later.

 

Both still need more work and refinement to be more accurate and so on but there is now some kind of effect with it to play and test with.

 

One thing causing trouble is with mix of imperial and metric units in the code now.. :(

(Should convert everything to SI-units at some point..)

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Thanks, once I get to a point I'll get everything setup on my end and bring the original source model into max and work on materials/lighting first, then start down the animations list.

 

You can also "fork" repository into your own easily in git, then make your work on your own pace into that. Changes can be merged into other repositories after that.

 

Git was developed just for that kind of independent work originally so it is pretty good at it, other similar tools like SVN were made for a different kind of work.

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A short update:

I've changed the old code to reduce memory re-allocations, this should give better performance and also reduces memory fragmentation (also better performance).

 

Code should be simpler to follow too with these changes.

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is there a compiled dll + package (luas etc) or do I have to download and compile myself?

 

There should be compiled DLL in the github bin-folder (unless something goes wrong).

 

Downloading the whole tree should give working version "as-is":

https://github.com/ipr/F-16Demo

 

I recommend using git-client such as this:

https://desktop.github.com

 

Git-client will detected changes and only transfer those that have changed, nice way to reduce bandwidth needs.

 

Just for cloning (downloading) you don't need account when the repository is public.

[Wheel Brakes]

So are the P51 and Bf109, but those get stuck on the grass (long standing issue in DCS), and the fact that the F5 does not to the same degree makes me wonder what's going on with the tire friction.

 

Getting stuck on grass, mud, sand etc. is not about friction.

 

It is about uneven terrain and tyres sinking into unpaved ground (a lot of weight on small surface area of soft ground).

 

The question is more about how terrain is modelled instead of tyre friction in those cases.

 

Friction is actually *lower* in unprepared runways: grass and mud are slippery, sand acts like small ball-bearings changing static/glide frictions into rolling friction and so on.

 

When tyre is sinking it is not about friction but closer comparison would be about soft-body collision with increasing resistance the more material there is in front (the deeper the tyre goes).

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There's a new prototype for actuator code in the github, it is simpler than what I was originally planning to add:

idea is to get more experience and testing with this code and gradually introducing more things to it.

 

Only airbrakes use that now (not real values, just for testing), if it seems to work out ok it might be useful in other cases too in the EFM code.

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Just to Confirm, Delete Roll Control Animation (ARGs 11/12) from Elevator Mesh?

 

Yes :)

 

That should help setting the surfaces with better flexibility for different conditions.

 

Thanks for the attachment, I'll test that now :)

 

Edit: Yes, this is exactly right, thank you! :)

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I do have an idea about calculating the drag and integrating it to calculations but I need to research that a bit more before implementing it in code.

 

Btw, can you PLEASE separate trailing edge flap (aileron) and elevator animation in the 3D model? (args 11 and 12 I think)

 

That is really problematic since those are conflicting with what the flight model wants to set in specific conditions.

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You can Add to an LUA System to control if needed (but wont effect the drag),

  local Gear_Deploy = sensor_data:getLandingGearHandlePos()
 local Air_brake = sensor_data:getSpeedBrakePos()
 local WoW_Nose = sensor_data:getWOW_NoseLandingGear()
 local WoW_Left = sensor_data:getWOW_LeftMainLandingGear()
 local WoW_Right = sensor_data:getWOW_RightMainLandingGear()
 
 Local WoW = 0
 
 if WoW_Left = 1 and WoW_Right = 1 and WoW_Nose = 1 Then
 WoW = 1
 End
 
 if WoW = 1 and Air_Brake > 0 then
 Set_aircraft_draw_argument_value(<LeftAirbrake ArgID>, +Air_Brake)
 Set_aircraft_draw_argument_value(<RightAirbrake ArgID>, +Air_Brake)
 Else
 Set_aircraft_draw_argument_value(<LeftAirbrake ArgID>, +Air_Brake - <Numeric Value to close Airbrake>)
 Set_aircraft_draw_argument_value(<RightAirbrake ArgID>, +Air_Brake - <Numeric Value to close Airbrake>)
--ie Set_aircraft_draw_argument_value(<RightAirbrake ArgID>, +Air_Brake - 20.0)
 End

 

I'm not sure what you are after with that..

 

Maybe I was unclear: airbrake angle limiter is in EFM code now. Simple keybinding in DCS options works to control it.

 

I also want to move stuff away from Lua into EFM whenever possible so it is simpler to follow and understand.

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There's now some simple support for trimming plane in pitch, roll and yaw axis.

 

While I was looking through the code I found a way to add it without much work and binding happened to work out easily too.

 

Values are not realistic (too large per notch) but can be something to play with.

 

Airbrake does have limit in opening too (forgot to mention earlier): that is part of flight control logic when landing gears are down and locked so that airbrake won't hit runway. It needs improvements of course but something to get started.

 

Code is in the usual place. I'll go back to looking at code now, figuring out how to add various stuff later..

 

Edit: and the trimmer does not have limits yet either so it can get out of control..

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Is this project still active and being improved, I really like it, but I'd have to learn everything from the basics to help with programming/modeling. Maybe I can provide some information about the F-16 engine, if it might help.

 

At this point it is not so much about information but more about making suitable simulation code and integrating DCS.

 

When there is more code ready then getting accurate parameters becomes more important but there's many steps to do before then.

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Hey Kazereal, I tried the latest commit and it's getting alot easier for novices like me to start understanding. Really appreciate the updates. :thumbup:

 

I couldn't get the wheel brakes to work even though I added

   PlaneWheelBrakeOn = 74,
   PlaneWheelBrakeOff = 75,

to command_defs.lua

 

Am I missing something or are they not working?

 

They are not working at the moment.

 

I messed something in the code and commented it away (disabled it) until I had time to figure out better way to do them. It was something of a quick hack then and I wanted a better way to implement.

I can look into the way I originally implemented them and enable that again until I have better way prepared.

 

It is high on my list of things to do.

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There's just sooo many systems and components depending on each other it can be slow progress at times.

 

I started looking at generators and hydraulic pumps and then I was sidetracked when I noticed AB fuel pump is driven by bleed air from the engine.. Yet another thing that needs to be done.

 

Anyway, top of my list for 3D model would be:

* was the trailing edge flap animation tied to elevator animation at some point? Need to double-check that..

Edit: looks like arguments 11 and 12 have both elevator and aileron functionality tied together, that might be better if both are controlled in EFM at same time instead of linking them in animation, need to check that

 

* nosewheel steering: now it does not rotate or I'm missing something.

I'll need to go back and fix the code too, I think I commented that away when I broke some time ago.

 

* refueling trap door would be interesting to try out things needed for air refueling but a LOT needs to be done before that can happen so, just "nice to have" but not essential

 

* also would be interested in adding at least some damage modeling to figure out how that can be integrated but still much to do before then (landing gear damage would be my first choice)

 

* bounding box handling seems to be working now when landing gears are in so disregard earlier comment about it.

Sounds like DCS is somehow still thinking landing gears are out (sounds, movement etc. from landing gears) when animation state shows them in.. Maybe something in the scripts instead?

I'm calling this the "Star Wars effect" :P

 

Engine spool and fuel burn are high on my list for the code, also airbrake drag and integration to hydraulic system with proper actuator functionality. There's plenty of work to do, we'll see how that all goes..

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Hi. High speed fluttering is largely due to the Flight Control Law, since the one by NASA TP 1538 is used for low speed. Try the GD one.

 

Be sure to implement the law line by line, including every filter. The original version lacks the filter and also the PID so that there's a ton of flutter and 1G trim is broken.

 

Thanks for information.

 

Now it might be simpler to make changes like that so I'll look into that.

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One large batch of code cleanup finally done.

 

Finally had enough motivation to finish that. Further changes should be easier to make and code should be easier to follow now.

 

Some cleanup still likely but should much easier to make sense of the code now.

Again pushed into github in the usual place:

https://github.com/ipr/F-16Demo

 

Have a look and leave a comment if you care.

 

Edit: maybe adding airbrake effect to aero drag would be cool in the future etc.

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Many of the bindings work properly now (with joystick and keyboard) so that is updated to inputs. Code pushed to Github again.

[Full Images and Source Code]

This should have everything you need:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=95985

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Landing gear keybinding started working in some version (change in DCS?) so I tested that.

As a result, there's now animation of the landing gear movement working.

 

Actuator support is not there yet (hydraulics code not done) but this should be a bit forward again.

 

 

Edit: ignore the part about taking off from grass.. :facepalm:

 

Animation support was there in 3D model before, now there's just code to give different angle for DCS when gears are going up/down.

 

Code pushed into github again in the usual place:

https://github.com/ipr/F-16Demo