Will the general flight model (GFM) replace the standard flight model (SFM) for player aircraft?

[Sérvalpilot]

I'm wondering if the general flight model (GFM) will replace the standard flight model (SFM) used as the default for player-controlled aircraft. Several mods like the JAS-39 Gripen, F-22 Raptor, Su-57 Felon, among others, use the SFM, which feels awkward, jittery, and can induce motion sickness in VR.

I made a video a while back demonstrating the bizarre flight behaviour of the SFM, especially when the aircraft gets stuck and loses all angular momentum when in a stall.

Will the GFM get rid of this weird flight behaviour for community aircraft?

Also, can we expect the GFM to be implemented this year?

Thanks!

 

[Mars Exulte]

Not all mods use an SFM. The ones that do, it's not ''forced'' on them, they choose to use a look up table, typically because of lacking access to the SDK and/or not being sufficiently skilled to code a flightmodel themselves. So, just off that, no, it will not ''replace'' anything. At the very least it would require the developers implement it, which at this point it remains to be seen what that would entail or if it's possible. Mod aircraft is certainly not something that's going to be a priority for ED.

[sthompson]

The GFM was developed for AI aircraft and I doubt if it even could be used for player controlled aircraft. See https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/2021-12-03/?sphrase_id=19843819. Perhaps you meant to reference the PFM, which is used in almost all ED developed player flyable planes per https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/support/faq/general/?sphrase_id=19843819#1512209.

 

[SharpeXB]

Mod aircraft flight models are a joke. A realistic F-22 or Su-57?

[Sérvalpilot]

I know about external flight models and mods that have them like the A-4, and OV-10. I'm working on one of my own right now! All I'm wondering is if the GFM update will make player aircraft that use the SFM less awkward and jittery (and disorienting in VR).

The GFM demo video from December 2021 looks quite impressive and much smoother, so we'll just have to wait and see.  

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

On 1/7/2023 at 9:17 AM, Sérvalpilot said:

standard flight model (SFM) used as the default for player-controlled aircraft

Either PFM (professional flight model) or EFM (external flight model - for 3rd parties) are the default for player-controlled aircraft in DCS. Even FC3 only uses PFM.
SFM (standard flight model) is a relic from the Lock-On days, and the last of them for player-controlled aircraft was the FC3 MiG-29.

[WinterH]

10 minutes ago, Raven (Elysian Angel) said:

Either PFM (professional flight model) or EFM (external flight model - for 3rd parties) are the default for player-controlled aircraft in DCS. Even FC3 only uses PFM.

De facto, they are right now because all the payware aircraft including FC3, most popular standalone mods, and even ED's two default free aircraft have them. In practice however, no, SFM still is the default unless modder has the skills/goes through the trouble of coding a custom EFM for their aircraft. Otherwise it's going to be an SFM by default, there is no EFM/PFM default.

OP is asking if GFM will be possible to use instead of SFM in player controlled aircraft mods without a custom flight model coded for them, which is an interesting question to know about indeed.

[NineLine]

GFM is AI only. All ED modules are at PFM levels, all third parties use a EFM. Many mods use an example EFM we shared some time ago that they can edit on their own although I cannot speak for all mods, some replace purchased modules, etc.

[whisky.actual]

1 hour ago, NineLine said:

GFM is AI only. All ED modules are at PFM levels, all third parties use a EFM. Many mods use an example EFM we shared some time ago that they can edit on their own although I cannot speak for all mods, some replace purchased modules, etc.

Actually most mods that use FC3 avionics use the SFM of the said airplane, we can edit the flight model and the engine table to give the mod a feel of the airplane that we are moding. My feeling is that when the GFM models come out this will break all those mods, we would fix it if ED does not hide all the code in a DLL, would that be the case @NineLine?

[cubanace]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:17 AM, Sérvalpilot said:

I'm wondering if the general flight model (GFM) will replace the standard flight model (SFM) used as the default for player-controlled aircraft. Several mods like the JAS-39 Gripen, F-22 Raptor, Su-57 Felon, among others, use the SFM, which feels awkward, jittery, and can induce motion sickness in VR.

I made a video a while back demonstrating the bizarre flight behaviour of the SFM, especially when the aircraft gets stuck and loses all angular momentum when in a stall.

Will the GFM get rid of this weird flight behaviour for community aircraft?

Also, can we expect the GFM to be implemented this year?

Thanks!

 

My SU-57 Mod is running on an EFM no longer SFM, I had to tackle EFM in order to add thrust vectoring.

16 hours ago, SharpeXB said:

Mod aircraft flight models are a joke. A realistic F-22 or Su-57?

In terms of Flight computer yes it's hard to simulate that without documentation but in terms of raw aerodynamics it's possible thru CFD, how you think enemy aircraft are studied when they don't have them or can't test them, they make wind tunnel replicas and also thru CFD software.

 

So even a classified aircraft can be somewhat studied to some degree.

[cubanace]

To my understanding GFM is ment for AI , improved flight behavior over the limited SFM that AI use at the moment.

For player modded Aircraft, It's SFM and EFM .

 

 

[SkateZilla]

1 hour ago, whisky.actual said:

Actually most mods that use FC3 avionics use the SFM of the said airplane, we can edit the flight model and the engine table to give the mod a feel of the airplane that we are moding. My feeling is that when the GFM models come out this will break all those mods, we would fix it if ED does not hide all the code in a DLL, would that be the case @NineLine?

Mods that use FC3 Avionics only use the avionics using the "old = <Id>" parameter for the Binaries, the flight model for particular aircraft isn't loaded, the data is the SFM Data from the mod's Aircraft Data LUA.

[NineLine]

13 hours ago, whisky.actual said:

Actually most mods that use FC3 avionics use the SFM of the said airplane, we can edit the flight model and the engine table to give the mod a feel of the airplane that we are moding. My feeling is that when the GFM models come out this will break all those mods, we would fix it if ED does not hide all the code in a DLL, would that be the case @NineLine?

I am not sure, its possible this simple FM will still work after the GFM releases, but the GFM itself I doubt will be freely available to people to edit and use. 

[whisky.actual]

9 hours ago, NineLine said:

I am not sure, its possible this simple FM will still work after the GFM releases, but the GFM itself I doubt will be freely available to people to edit and use. 

That's very sad news, you stated above the ED shared information on example EFM. Could you please share the link? Also, you said in the past that ED was working on a for a full plane example (to help out modders) any news on that?

Thank you! 

[NineLine]

\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\API\

Should find it there I believe. 

Also look here if you need more help https://forum.dcs.world/forum/218-how-to/