TOM's little modelling corner

[TOMCATZ]

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for your support. 

To Urbi: I don`t think that this would be a nice idea because with every model your have pivot points you dont know and you have to adjust, sometime geometry that blocks when you try mechanical animations and size problems overall plus: you never know the rights. So I better do it by my own and still having all rights so that later I can hand it over to the community withous any kind of legal problems. But yeah: nice model indeed. And I´m a very big fan of low poly - I know- that`s the mindset of an old guy with wake hardware. But I think when you see a well made model with good textures - that can look awesome - Like ED original FA-18 out of LockOnDays. That model is just brilliant. That (!) with just 5000 polygons ...wow!

Flanker1 - Oh yes- That reminds me on my childhood. In special the aereal shoot - That is looking brilliant- like real. Yeah - I realized that RAZBAM wanted to present a MiG23. And we still have the old model - good but with limited texture options. And in fact the MiG23 is one of the most important jets we should have available in the Cold War szenario because it was the main oponent against Phantoms, Eagles and early F-16`s. 

So- Gearbay and Weels are textured. Next will be the front gear and then I have to model the wings. I have a deep respect about the flap system - that will be a hellish job for sure ...

 

Cheers

TOM

[flanker1]

vor 19 Stunden schrieb TOMCATZ:

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for your support. 

To Urbi: I don`t think that this would be a nice idea because with every model your have pivot points you dont know and you have to adjust, sometime geometry that blocks when you try mechanical animations and size problems overall plus: you never know the rights. So I better do it by my own and still having all rights so that later I can hand it over to the community withous any kind of legal problems. But yeah: nice model indeed. And I´m a very big fan of low poly - I know- that`s the mindset of an old guy with wake hardware. But I think when you see a well made model with good textures - that can look awesome - Like ED original FA-18 out of LockOnDays. That model is just brilliant. That (!) with just 5000 polygons ...wow!

Flanker1 - Oh yes- That reminds me on my childhood. In special the aereal shoot - That is looking brilliant- like real. Yeah - I realized that RAZBAM wanted to present a MiG23. And we still have the old model - good but with limited texture options. And in fact the MiG23 is one of the most important jets we should have available in the Cold War szenario because it was the main oponent against Phantoms, Eagles and early F-16`s. 

So- Gearbay and Weels are textured. Next will be the front gear and then I have to model the wings. I have a deep respect about the flap system - that will be a hellish job for sure ...

 

Cheers

TOM

Hi Tom, thanks for the compliment. I'm very curious how it will continue with the creation of your MiG-23ML and what skins there will be, @Urbi is always here with very good additions, maybe you can work together at one point or another. The Flogger in the ML variant is the perfect addition to the CWG map of the 80s, as it was used almost everywhere - in Zerbst, Köthen, Damgarten, Falkenberg, Finow and of course with the synonym MF in the East German regiments of the Luftwaffe. . . with the Poles and Czechoslovakia. Actually the most important Redfor fighter of the entire period...    

[TOMCATZ]

Hi,

For sure East German Forces, Polish and Russia. 

But - This project will take months. The further I go the more complex this fighter seems to be ... 

Cheers

TOM

Edited May 4 by TOMCATZ

[flanker1]

This is looking great, well done. I am sure you will get an amazing result at the end and have fun on your way. The community will be very, very thankful!

[Stratos]

Which variant are you modelling?

[TOMCATZ]

Hello,

 

I will go for the MF variant. A basic pilot model is done - Same as missile rails and most of the wraping. 

So the work is going forward. I only plan to present a replacement of the current 3D model. No flyable mod or stuff like that - just saying.

Cheers

TOM

[Stratos]

10 hours ago, TOMCATZ said:

Hello,

 

I will go for the MF variant. A basic pilot model is done - Same as missile rails and most of the wraping. 

So the work is going forward. I only plan to present a replacement of the current 3D model. No flyable mod or stuff like that - just saying.

Cheers

TOM

IIRC ED variant is a MLD.

[flanker1]

MF is identical to ML which was the main variant of the Flogger and fit´s perfect to the CWG map

[TOMCATZ]

Cold war map  ... somebody said? 

 

Cheers

TOM

Edited May 15 by TOMCATZ

[gorandcs]

1 hour ago, flanker1 said:

MF is identical to ML which was the main variant of the Flogger and fit´s perfect to the CWG map

No, it is not, MF is older version, and ML looks different.

[TOMCATZ]

2 minutes ago, gorandcs said:

No, it is not, MF is older version, and ML looks different.

Yes and right - But at the end we just need a new model. 

Cheers

TOM

[flanker1]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb TOMCATZ:

Could war map  ... somebody said? 

 

Cheers

TOM

This is looking amazing!!! Can´t wait to let her beauty up to the DCS skies!  

[Stratos]

I'm not one to complain about a new model; I just think the MLD would be more appropriate. Anyway, thanks for the work, Tomcatz!

[TOMCATZ]

Hello friends,

I worked hard this weekend and I`ve created some first skins. So what can I say: I had to downsize the textures because of my VR settings and in order to save RAM. I still fight gainst the pylon settings given in ED`s engine. If I renember correct there is maybe a lua-life somewhere where the angle of the weapons can be corrected - there was some in the very old past. Maybe hardscripted or coded nowadays? 

Still lots of animations have to be done but so far, I´m pretty satified about the results ... I think the low poly replacement is comming to an end.

 

Cheers

TOM

[flanker1]

AMAZING, nothing to add. . . Thanks for sharing the progress and let us enjoy your milestones!  Hopefully a lot of different / varying camo´s and board numbers come with the mod, to create squadrons on the several red airfields at CWG map. 

[TeTeT]

5 hours ago, TOMCATZ said:

If I renember correct there is maybe a lua-life somewhere where the angle of the weapons can be corrected - there was some in the very old past. Maybe hardscripted or coded nowadays? 

Yes, there are angles that can be used, for example on the Vietnam War Vessels A-1 Skyraider:

https://github.com/tspindler-cms/tetet-vwv/blob/54d70fd724586107c138f61111c28d87eb901d5f/TeTeT VWV/mods/aircraft/vwv_A-1/a-1_skyraider.lua#L314C1-L315C1

        pylon(1, 0, 0.000, -0.100, 0.000, {use_full_connector_position = true, connector = "pylon_1", arg = 308, FiX = 0, FiY = 0, FiZ = 2},

FiX, FiY, FiZ with use_full_connector_position = true should do the trick. Good luck! Impressive work!

[TOMCATZ]

Hello friends,

Because of time issues I want to share the status of the MiG-23 model so far it is right now. Let`s name it ... Version 1  (how creative can I be ... )

https://www.mediafire.com/file/kdptxum93zlilfh/TOMsMiG23-MOD_V1.0.rar/file

I allthough put the template file (pdn-file) into the folder so that some more talented modders could start their dark magic.

 

 

PLEASE!: Before you overwrite the original files quick and dirty - please make safety copies first! This all is on your own risk! 

Okay - So far from me. Have nice flights and happy landings.

Cheers

TOM

Edited May 16 by TOMCATZ
Problems with picture hosting service - works now

[Stratos]

Thanks a lot Tom!

[flanker1]

Amazing news, thank you so much! 

[Urbi]

Thanks for the work. There are a few bugs, but it's finally possible to correctly display the national emblems of some Eastern Bloc countries before 1990. I wish the mod hadn't been released as a replacement for the MiG-23MLD.

 

 

 

[TOMCATZ]

Hello friends,

I´ve updated the model file a bit. Some minor fixes of the wraping, landing lights and so on.

Please use the version 1.0 in this thread above and just replace the model file - the Mig23.edm. Should work ... 

 

 

 

 

 

So Phantom drivers - You have a new worthy enemy over east Germany now!

Cheers

TOM

 

mig-23.edm

Edited Saturday at 05:32 PM by TOMCATZ

[GoodbayAmerica]

I didn't understand anything, man. But it's very interesting.

[TOMCATZ]

Hello friends,

 

After a long time I returned back to my low-poly-MiG-project. 

So - some things I changed so far:

- afterburner modeled

- drag chute modeled and animated ( touches the ground when the AI is landing - ED)

- pilot shape remodeled and textured 

- airbrakes animated 

- the eternal fight against vertex errors continued

- bump map textures corrected

- landing gear corrected

- light settings corrected and some new skins created (Poland ans Syria)

So far I would say, for a presentation of one of the most important fighter during the cold war, my work is good enough. Please ignore the download some messages above. After I some damages are modeled, I will upload the work to the community. 

 

Thats the news from the engine room.

Thank you very much and always happy landings.

Cheers

TOM

[TOMCATZ]

Hi,

I use the argument 32 - bord numbers, second digit to present the MiG23 MDL. Works good so far ... interesting as long as there is no switch in DCS ... 

Damage models next ... 

Hope it will be good.

Cheers

TOM

[Urbi]

Hello Tom !

When assigning the pair of numbers as one decal, the Args for the first two numbers are 31 and 32, for a second number it would be 442. In the ME the sequence of the board numbers starts with the lowest Arg, so Arg 31 for the last two numbers is 3. The first number at 100 would then be 1 = Arg 442; 0 = Arg 31 and 0 = Arg 32. Unfortunately, I notice that you are not using the roughmet textures I created for the fuselage on the left and right. Worse still, you are not using any roughmet at all because the name for it is wrong. You have entered a SPECULAR assignment and therefore only the gray tones from your assigned texture are read. You'll notice this immediately if you copy the two textures "gdr-jg9-no591-right_roughmet.dds" and "gdr-jg9-no591-right_roughmet.dds" from my texture folder into yours. Since these don't exist in your case, you can do it without hesitation. The reason for this is that roughmet textures are automatically loaded with the base textures, and only if they exist can a false entry be loaded for them in the description of a livery.

You can see what I mean by the inclination of the fender on the main landing gear in the picture.