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In this Section:
Scale
Getting the Three Views into gMax
Using Cross-Sectional and other views
I recommend using a screen resolution of 1024x768 or larger, as not all the buttons will show at 800x600.
IMPORTANT! Go to "Customize/Preferences/General/System Unit Scale" and make sure that "1 Unit = 1 Meter". This will scale your aircraft when it is exported to the Flight Simulator.
Next go to "Customize/Units Setup" and set the unit you wish to work with (feet, meters, etc.). This will change how your units are displayed in gMax, but it will still be scaled correctly for the Flight Sim.
Expert Notes! From Finn: "Some people say they have problems with even this set to feet, but if that does apply to you then all you need to do is temporarily switch to meters for exporting (you probably won't have to do this, but just in case)." |
Getting the Three Views into gMax
You'll want the 0,0,0 coordinates of gMax to be the CG (Center of Gravity) of your aircraft. The best way to find this is using an engineering diagram of your aircraft that shows the CG. If you don't have a 3-way that shows the CG, the best estimate is usually to place it along the centerline at about 25% of the wing chord (1/4 back from the leading edge of the wing).
This probably isn't at the center of the bitmap with your aircraft diagram but--to make it tricky for you--gMax will always place the center of your bitmap at the 0,0,0 coordinate. To get around this you can use the "textured box" method to place your 3-way views (See video tutorial by Finn Newick at gMax Domination or you can use the method covered in the P-38 gMax Tutorial and add "empty space" to the top and side view bitmaps so the CG is at the center of the bitmap. This is how I've done it. The image at right shows the three bitmaps I'm using and how I cropped them so the CG is at the center of each.
I also modified these bitmaps to improve their visibility in gMax. Using Paint Shop Pro I changed my original diagram to a "negative image" (so the lines are white, not black) then changed the background color to the same gray as my background in gMax. I also changed the default colors so the white you normally see when you select an object is either red or yellow (Customize/Customize User Interface, Color Tab). You can play with them to find what works best for you.
To place the 3 views into gMax, I used the same method as used in the P-38 tutorial:
Make a Box the same height/width/length as your airplane. Make sure you enter the dimensions in the "Keyboard Entry" rollout menu, and not in the "Parameters" rollout. Use "Parameters" to change the dimensions of your box once it's been created.
Make sure you have the top, left, and back views showing (to change a view, Right Click on the name in the upper left corner of the view, and select from the "Views" menu). NOTE: The "back" view in gMax is actually the "front" view.
To add a bitmap to the background, go to "Views/Viewport Background"--or hit Alt.B--to open the "Viewport Background" window. Load the bitmap with "Files", Uncheck "Lock Zoom/Pan" and Check "Match Bitmap".
Then adjust the bitmap using the Viewport navigation controls to be the same size as the box in that view (Don't worry about position right now). Then Alt.B and Check "Lock Zoom/Pan". Your bitmap will jump to the 0,0,0 position, but will remain the correct size. If (when you were trimming your bitmap) you placed the CG of the aircraft in the exact center of the bitmap, then your CG should now be at 0,0,0. If not, then you can delete a few pixels off one side of the Bitmap to adjust it.
NOTE: When you first load the bitmap and it doesn't fit in the screen, simply Check "Lock Zoom/Pan", adjust until you can see all of the aircraft, and then Uncheck "Lock Zoom/Pan" and adjust it to the size of the box.
Once you done this will all three views, you can move the box to match the Bitmaps. Then you can select the box by using the Arrow Button and then Right Click and Hide Selection to hide the box.
If the bitmaps are a little off, just add or remove a little from the top, bottom, or sides (changing the size), then select that viewport in gMax and Alt-B to bring up the "Viewport Background" window and OK to apply the new bitmap until all three line up perfectly. You may find you need to adjust this again after you've started work on your plane.
Using Cross-Sectional and other views
This is an expanded way of using the backdrop bitmaps, and especially helpful if you have aircraft drawings with multiple views or cross-sectional views. For this I'm using Paint Shop Pro, but any paint program that'll let you save with different layers (such as Photo Shop) will work.
To Be Published.
If you're just getting started, you can skip this part for now and go to the next chapter to start building aircraft. However, I wanted to put this "up front" in the tutorial so when you start asking yourself "How am I going to organize all these parts?" you'll know where to find the answer!
For CFS3 particularly, the order you have your parts in is very important. This is called Part Hierarchy, and can be viewed by the Select by Name button, and ensuring the Display Subtree box is checked.
Linking Objects: Hierarchies are built by linking parts together. To link parts you first select the part you want to be "subordinate" and you'll link it to it's "master" object (i.e., select the "aileron" and link it to the "wing"). At this point it's possible to "drag" this object to the master part, but this method is prone to error. Then click on the Select and Link button, then click on the Select by Name button, and then pick the part you want to link to and select Link. You can continue this way to "build" the object "groups" I'll explain below.
Display Subtree: The best way to get an idea of how objects are linked together (as well as see all the types of objects that make up an aircraft) is to take a look at one of the example aircraft in the Aircraft, Vehicle & Building SDK available free at the official MS Combat Flight Simulator Insider website, in the "tools" section.
To make it easier for you to see how Part Hierarchy works, the parts subtree of the stock P-47 (from the SDK) is to the right (click it for the entire list). I've color-coded each of the groups to make it easier to see.
This may look a little daunting at first, but it's really quite simple. First, each model is actually made up of several aircraft, each corresponding to a different LOD (Level Of Detail). This is a pretty common concept in computer games. The basic premise is that the "up close and visible" aircraft that fills your screen has all the details. However, when that aircraft is so far away from you that it's just a "dot" on the horizon, then you don't need much computer power to display it, and it can be represented by only a few polygons. The stock P-47 uses six LOD aircraft, with each LOD grouped together under a Dummy objects which is designated with a suffix _LOD_##. From the SDK Readme:
"The number in the LOD name denotes the distance at which it switches. 100 is closest to the camera, and 0 if farthest away. The number does not reflect the distance in meters because it varies based on the size of the whole aircraft (or vehicle or building) on the screen..."
The lowest version--"P-47_25D_LOD_10"--only uses 134 faces, while on the other end "P-47_25D_LOD_100" uses 9332 faces! For more information about this, read the info in the SDK.
To see how all the other groups fit together, take a look below. I've taken a screenshot of each of the major groups so you can get an idea of what they look like (click on the group name to view).
P-47D_25 This is the aircraft name, and all other parts in the aircraft are subordinate (linked) to this. This is actually a Dummy "helper" part with this name that you can link other parts too. However, the dummy part will not show up in the final model.
cockpits Note the "s" on the end. This will be the list of "Virtual Cockpits" you will see from inside the aircraft.
cockpit_virtual0 This is the primary "Virtual Cockpit" of the aircraft. Because the P-47 is a single seat aircraft, this is the only virtual cockpit. If you had others (gun stations, etc., such as the Ju88 example SDK) you would name them "cockpit_virtual1", "cockpit_virtual2", and so on.
Parts The parts here are all the parts you will see from inside the virtual cockpit, to include the cockpit itself, the seat, the aircraft panel, and all the gauges. This does not include parts you'll see outside the virtual cockpit (such as the wings, etc.).
damagebox_fuselage is a rectangular box. Linked to this box are all the "damage Boxes' that are referenced in the *.xdp file, and includes "damagebox_nose","damagebox_l_wing", "damagebox_fuselage_aft", "damagebox_tail", and such. Each damage box more-or-less corresponds to one of your "groups" on your subtree.
P-47_25D_LOD_100 This is your primary aircraft, and can have as much detail as you want to put into it. It will be the one that is visible when your aircraft "fills the screen". Because this is the main aircraft, it'll be the one you'll want to build first. All the other LOD aircraft are only simplified version of this aircraft, and can be constructed quite easily once this one is built.
fuselage In the case of the P-47 in the SDK, all other parts are subordinate to the fuselage. I don't think it has to be this way, but I'll demonstrate it like this for this tutorial.
cockpit Note that there's no "s". This is a simplified version of your Virtual Cockpit ("cockpit_virtual0") and is the cockpit that will be visible from outside the aircraft. Parts here include the inside of the cockpit, seat, gauges, and whatnot (just like your virtual cockpit above).
emitter_*** (highlighted to be more visible) More dummy parts, these are links to the sim for specific effects, and include "emitter_damage_engine_right", "emitter_damage_wing_root_left", and "emitter_oil". In the case of the P-47, these are not linked to a specific subtree, but all fall under the "fuselage".
endcap0_*** These are the endcaps that are linked directly to the fuselage, while others are further down in the subtree. Endcaps are not normally visible unless another part of the aircraft has been knocked off. For instance "endcap0_l_wing" only becomes visible when the left wing as been shot off (so there isn't a large hole in the side of the fuselage).
fuselage_aft This is the rear half of the fuselage and is further broken down into groups, such as "tail". Endcaps are positioned where they'll cover the holes when these groups are broken off.
r_wing contains all the parts in the right wing to include the r_wing_tip, landing gear, and whatnot. Of course, there's also an "l_wing" for the left wing!
nose includes the engine and propellers, but "normal" and "damaged".
pylon0 is another dummy part that designates the location for a pylon, bomb, or other piece of ordinance that will be depicted by the XDP file. There are more of these in the "wing" sub-groups.
P-47_25D_LOD_90 The next LOD "down" (as described above). This LOD has 5559 faces (down from 9332). You can change the "90" in the LOD to make this version of the aircraft viewable from closer or further away. This is the same for the LODs below.
P-47_25D_LOD_70> This LOD has 4855 faces
P-47_25D_LOD_50 This LOD has 2470 faces
P-47_25D_LOD_25 This LOD has 485 faces
P-47_25D_LOD_10 This LOD has 134 faces
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