The Wing Fell Off

Seasons Greetings and some wallpapers

2008-12-25T08:53:00.003+10:00

I'd just like to wish all my readers and those who've downloaded the Biff a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2009. Take care and enjoy the holidays. May you have many enjoyable hours with your favourite simulations and games.

I've just uploaded some pics of the ADF Airshow at Amberley 2008. They are all wallpaper size. Please feel free to download them for your own use, but remember to otherwise respect
copyright on them.

(Clicking on the image will take you to ImageShack. Click on the ImageShack image to view the full size image.)

The Sopwith Snipe for FSX should also be finished within the next couple of weeks, barring unforseen events.

Best wishes

Robert Bruce.

Home From Hospital

2008-12-15T09:35:00.001+10:00

Just a quick post to say that I am now home from hospital. I still have a period of recovery ahead during which I can't place any weight on the wound for more than a few minutes. That means I can't sit upright for any length of time. I can stand and walk ok. I still don't have the verdict on the success of the surgery or likely prognosis. Updates will be posted on my cancer blog. http://sarcomabattle.blogspot.com/

Many thanks to those who offered their best wishes.

cheers

Rob

Some Downtime..... Myxoid Liposarcoma.

2008-11-15T19:12:00.004+10:00

Unfortunately my battle with cancer, in the form of myxoid liposarcoma, continues and I have surgery next week. So I will be away from blogging until I recover and likewise various FS forums.

I have just been beginning to enjoy being comfortable again after recovering from radio therapy and its side and after effects. There was a chance I was going to be treated with Trabectedin/Yondelis a new drug currently being trialed in various countries and approved in the EU. Alas in Australia Yondelis is only available on compassionate grounds i.e. if the the cancer has metastized or inoperable. It has metastized in me, but the doctors have decided to treat the most recent lesion as a primary sarcoma.

The current sarcoma is in my buttock. Hopefully I won't lose too much muscle. However I imagine I won't be able to sit comfortably for a while and it probably won't be advisable to sit for long periods even after even when I can. Thus activities such as 3D modeling will have to take a back seat yet again. Likewise simming and playing games :(

Soft tissue sarcomas are very rare forms of cancer comprising less than 1% of all cancers. Liposarcomas comprise less than 20% of sarcomas... so it is quite rare. Blues & jazz musician Jeff Healey sadly died of liposarcoma earlier this year.

Being rare there is not as much known or research carried out on sarcomas as other forms of cancer.

For more information on sarcoma check out Sarcoma Alliance.

cheers

Rob

Blog resuming

2008-10-13T18:25:00.003+10:00

I hadn't quite realised it has been so long since I last posted on this blog. I have been posting more regularly on my other blog 'The Biff Diaries'. Cancer in the form of Mixoid Liposarcoma and it's treatment, has been a bit of an ordeal in recent months. Still that's no reason for not posting in this blog and I hope to resume more frequent posting as of now.

I am still in the virtual aircraft creation business, at least hobby wise anyway, with the finishing touches being made to my virtual Sopwith Snipe for FSX. It will be a freeware release. I have also roadmapped a tentative path of future aircraft. I'll probably stick to WW1 era for at least the next four aircraft.

Sopwith Snipe WIP cockpit in FSX

I hope to post some pics here, and on Flickr, of the recent ADF airshow at Amberley. I only went along for one due as I am stil recovering from radio therapy.

Glad to be back.

cheers

Rob

Return to Aircraft Creation

2008-04-21T12:08:00.003+10:00

I've had a much longer break than expected from aircraft creation due to the after effects of radiotherapy and cancer recovery. I am tentatively back on track and have resumed work on a Fokker D.VIII which has approximately 20 hours work on it presently. (For Flight Simulator X)

I've also been spending some time experimenting and working on CFS3 terrain creation. Yes I realise that CFS3 is an old flight simulation, 2002 vintage, however it's the only half decent open architecture combat flight simulator and the most recent example of a combat flight simulator from Microsoft around. CSF3 does show its age.... though it can be tarted up to look nice. The pictures in the linked post show CFS3 sceneries featuring JohnnoUK's trees and terrain textures combined with my SRTM terrain mesh. I hope to post more on this and other scenery experiments in the future.

cheers

Rob

Competition, Completion and Multi Projects.

2008-03-02T17:01:00.003+10:00

A few personal philosophies on the above topic in my other blog, the Biff Diaries.

http://biff-diaries.blogspot.com/2008/03/competition-completion-and-multi.html

Rob

Microsoft ESP at GDC

2008-02-24T09:19:00.002+10:00

At the recent 2008 Serious Games Summit at the Game Developer Conference (GDC), Shawn Firminger , studio manager of Aces studios, delivered a talk outlining the development journey of Microsoft ESP.

An account of Shawn's talk has been posted at Gamasutra and is well worth reading.

http://www.gamedevelopment.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17494

In the talk Firminger emphasizes ESP's Microsoft Flight Simulator heritage. Flight Simulator is Microsoft's longest in development product, being in continuous development for 25 years. Firminger describes these years as ESPs beta period.

The first attempt at creating a training platform derived from Flight Simulator, was in 2004. At that time, Firminger mentions that Aces failed to convince Microsoft sales executives to support the development of such a product. (Note: CFS4 was cancelled in 2004/05 also.... though I have a feeling that CFS will be reborn at some future date.) However the success of Flight Simulator X together with its developer accessible API and SDK and also with train simulator sharing the same core technology, Aces second attempt to create a training platform met with success in 2007.

Shawn also emphasized that it is important to have the support of your sales department if a project such as this is to have success. He also emphasized that ESP is a serious games platform rather than a serious game, which are a different 'beasts'.

The GDS ESP presentation is also featured in a post at ausgamers.com

http://www.ausgamers.com/features/html/2601259

The Ausgamers' article further mentions Microsoft's long term commitment to ESP with a roadmap planned many years into the future. Plans for version 2 and 3 of ESP are still in process, however that article mentions that the next version will see more focus on ground elements with marine elements further down the track.

For further information check out the Microsoft ESP home page.

http://www.microsoft.com/esp/default.htm

Amberley Airshow 2008

2008-02-21T19:57:00.004+10:00

I realise it's only February however for aviation enthusiasts in Australia, particularly South East Queensland, October 4-5 2008 are dates to remember (especially for me), the dates of the next Defence Force Air Show - Amberley.

http://www.airforce.gov.au/airshow/index.htm

This will be the first air show that I will be photographing digitally. My old Pentax 35mm choose the last Amberley Air Show in 2004 to pack it in - unbeknown to me at the time. I shot 16 roles of film of which I ended up with about 20 usable prints. The shutter wasn't working. The same thing happened at the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival in 2001. On that occasion it appeared to be due to a faulty lens link as the few pics I took with the 200mm lens were perfectly exposed. However even that did not work in 2004. Anyway if a digital camera packs it in all one wastes is the time and of course the lost images that may have been and not hundreds of $ on film & processing. I'm toying with the idea of buying a video camera too. We'll see.

cheers

Rob.

Freeware FSX Projects

2008-02-20T09:08:00.002+10:00

Just a quick note to mention that I am still working away on many freeware aircraft projects for FSX, currently focusing on WW1.

I have published a list in my other blog, the Biff Diaries.

I am still recovering from cancer having finished my final radiotherapy treatment last week. Thus I am resting somewhat. My leg will take a year to recover from surgery & treatment and I will have to be careful until it heals. No sitting at computer desks for long periods for the next few months. :(

cheers

Rob

Microsoft ESP on Aero TV

2008-02-08T20:09:00.000+10:00

An interesting video on Microsoft ESP.....

http://www.aero-tv.net/index.cfm?do=app.bestview&videoid=97493d53-a1fe-4a83-982e-c8c2c049a56d

.... and while we're at it.... a motion flight simulator based on FSX ... for a mere $20k... cool stuff

http://www.aero-tv.net/index.cfm?do=app.bestView&videoid=27518b89-4078-41b8-bbe1-b3fb0cfda5c2

cheers

Rob

FSX Goes to Sea - Deltasim Studio.

2008-01-18T11:17:00.001+10:00

I should have blogged on Deltasim Studio long before now. I was under the impression that I had, as I greatly enjoyed Robert Waszkiewicz's freeware Sirocco Motor Yacht.

The Deltasim Studio web site is certainly worth a look. There are many fine examples of finely modeled marine craft for FSX. Most of which sell at very reasonable prices.

Given the direction that Microsoft Aces Studio appears to be heading in developing a core simulation engine that can be used by a variety of products, hopefully true marine simulation will be added to a future simulation product.

Robert's most recent project, a Smit Rotterdam heavy tug, looks absolutely marvelous. I am eagerly awaiting its release. If a large tug does not appeal to you then how about a peaceful cruise on a yacht or perhaps some virtual fishing?

Cool stuff!

cheers

Rob

Paul 'P-12C' posts important info on FSX Carrier Ops

2008-01-17T21:11:00.000+10:00

Paul 'P-12C' Lange posts some very useful information for developers creating aircraft and ships for Flight Simulator X, on his 'new' blog....

http://paul-flightsimguy.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!D282374D24B565FB!264.entry

cheers

Rob

Phil Taylor Blogs on MS Aces Studio Changes

2008-01-17T20:26:00.000+10:00

Phil Taylor, program manager for the Core team of Microsoft Aces Studio, blogs on recent changes within the studio, his new role, some recent departures and some advertised positions. Aces Studio are the creators and producers of franchises such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, Combat Flight Simulator, Train Simulator & ESP.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2008/01/16/aces-studio-organization-yesterday-and-today.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2008/01/15/great-jobs-available-in-aces.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2008/01/15/new-year-new-role-new-series-of-posts.aspx

Phil's blog posts make a good read for anyone in the flight sim community and certainly provides some insight as to scope and direction of the studio... which is growing. It will be interesting to see what new products Aces will add to their product mix in the future. I am always hopeful for a new Combat Flight Simulator. However there is considerable scope in the core platform for a variety of products.

Hopefully Aces will continue to work and communicate with the 3rd party developer community also.

Cheers

Rob

Additional Blog

2008-01-17T20:23:00.000+10:00

My new Live Spaces.... everything & anything blog has been created http://robbybruce.spaces.live.com/

The Wing Fell Off will continue as usual for now as I appear to enjoy quite a good readership.... for this type of blog anyway.

Alienware Skulltrail & FSX

2008-01-15T11:02:00.000+10:00

Neat video featuring an Alienware's Intel Skulltrail PC at CES 2008. The second half of the video features FSX.

cheers

Rob

How to Marshall a Jet

2008-01-09T17:22:00.000+10:00

This video of Dean Tabreham of the RAF, dancing while marshalling jet fighters to music tracks such as Michael Jackson's and YMCA, has become a hit on YouTube. The video was made by the RAF to raise money for cancer research. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=iqCn5nuasHM

There's a link to a video interview with Dean in this BBC news article..... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7174963.stm

cheers

Rob

What is a True FSX Aircraft?

2008-01-09T09:08:00.000+10:00

Now that FSX Acceleration and SP2 have been released, along with their respective SDK's, there appears to be some confusion in the FS communities as to exactly what constitutes a FSX aircraft. A quick look around various payware vendors' sites sees such terminology as FSX ready, FSX compatible, FSX compliant, FSX model, true FSX aircraft, FSX/FS2004 etc.

Firstly before looking at this terminology, it might be useful to have a bit of a look at the background of all this. Also, before continuing, I would like to mention that it is not the intention of this article to criticise MS Aces or any third party developers, or indeed to debate the wisdom of backward compatibility within MS Flight Simulator. These can be addressed in future blog posts if need be.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) was a significant upgrade over previous versions of the simulation, and in many ways quite ambitious. I think even the Aces team themselves, were surprised at the amount of work involved in developing FSX compared to previous versions of the simulation. Much of the 3d engine was re-written. New shader technology was introduced along with a new GPU based animation system. Much of the world/terrain engine was re-written. FSX now has a round earth and we can zoom out into space if we want to. (No space physics though ...... yet) I am currently not a scenery designer, but I would imagine all these changes and advances would impact scenery designers too.

From what I have read in various forums and blogs, FSX was designed primarily to work on DirectX 9.0 and Windows XP. I am not sure if Windows Vista was around or in early beta stages when FSX was specced & designed. There were certainly no DirectX 10 video cards around when FSX was developed. (DirectX 10 requires Windows Vista and a DX10 video card to function). Prior to the release of FSX RTM, MS/Aces stated their intention to add DirectX 10 compatibility to Flight Simulator X after its release, via a downloadable patch. Though what this would actually involve was not known at the time. Amidst all this change Aces attempted to maintain backward compatibilty with earlier versions of the simulation.

When FSX RTM was released, the sim looked great (at least on my PC) but performance was a significant issue on many peoples' machines. To address this MS/Aces undertook to develop a patch to address performance and other issues . This arrived in the form of SP1 accompanied by a SP1a SDK release. The necessity of SP1 pushed the development and release of the DX10 patch back by several months. Add to the mix FSX/Acceleration, complete with new aircraft and additional functionality. The DX10 upgrade arrived in the form of service pack 2 (SP2), which also included further performance enhancements. However the DX10 upgrade was not a full DX10 upgrade and was called a DX10 preview. I have read various accounts as to why this occurred. The main reason I understand to be, was that a significant code re-write would have been required, which would have further broken backward compatibility and additionally there was not enough time within the life cycle of FSX to fully develop this. FS11 is under development and Aces have other products being developed too. They have to move ahead. Both SP2 and Acceleration have respective SDKs also.

For aircraft designers the most significant DX10 preview feature is self shadowing in aircraft virtual cockpits.

The FSX SDK is now part of the Deluxe version of the product and is included on the DVD. This version of the SDK is required to be installed before installing the SDK service packs. Previous SDKs were available as free downloads. I would assume making the FSX SDK part of the Deluxe version product would enable MS/Aces to fund the development of the SDK. The FSX SDK has its own development team and all this costs money. The SDK is considerably improved over earlier versions of the SDK (IMHO at least :) ) .

As one can guess all this means considerable change in the way aircraft are created and much variability in functionality and features of aircraft created with different versions of the FS SDK.

Returning to the topic of what exactly is a True FSX aircraft, I will quote from one of my own posts at Sim-Outhouse.

"1. FSX Hybrid/Ports = usually compiled with FS2004 SDK tools, materials textures & gauges adjusted to work in FSX. These aircraft usually have issues with prop/rotor disk alpha transparency interacting with autogen and clouds. These aircraft otherwise function correctly in all versions of FSX. However the fps of FS2004 SDK compiled are not as good as native FSX aircraft.

2. FSX RTM SDK Aircraft = Aircraft compiled with the original FSX RTM SDK. These aircraft work in all versions of FSX. However significant changes were made to the SDK tools between RTM & SP1 SDK which reduce mdl size and increase fps performance. Perf is the only real difference bewteen RTM & SP1 sdks, and these are true FSX aircraft.

3. FSX SDK SP1 Aircraft = FSX compliant, but with significant perf increase over RTM.

4. FSX SDK SP2 Aircraft = FSX compliant. Further perf gains over SP1, if the aircraft's 3D modeling gives consideration to draw calls. (My own aircraft compiled with Accel/SP2 SDK appear to work in FSX SP1 but this might not happen for all aircraft.)

5. FSX SDK SP2 Aircraft/DX10 Cockpit Shadows enabled = As per 4. SP2 and Xpack SDKs also provide the modeler with an option to enable a shadow map in the virtual cockpit. Cockpit shadows on enabled aircraft will only work in DX10 preview mode. Designers also have to apply special design considerations in constructing their cockpit models otherwise unpredictable results will occur.

6. FSX SDK Acceleration Aircraft = as per 4 & 5 above, but with support for extra features in Acceleration as in the F/A-18, EH-101 and P-51 e.g. Winches, carrier functionality, P-51 ADS etc.

The bottom line is yes, there are two main categories - those compiled with FS9 SDK tools and made to work in FSX & those compiled with the various FSX SDKs. The various FSX SDKs mainly differ in terms of perf & added functionality."

As I mention in my Sim-Outhouse post now that the SP2 SDK has been released (and most likely no future SPs), it is important, from now on, for developers, payware & freeware to state which SDK has been used to compile the aircraft.

[Edit: I should have perhaps added that much additional broken aircraft functionality in DX10 preview mode is caused by aircraft, perhaps originally developed using tools earlier than FS9 SDKs (eg FS2002 to FS9 conversions). Though some aircraft have texture problems that I believe can be fixed. I have yet to move to a Vista/DX10 system myself.]

As we move forward I would think that SDK SP2, would be the advisable development standard. If DX10 preview cockpit shadow mapping has been enabled, this should be stated. (I use the term cockpit 'shadow map enabled', rather than DX10 compliant as any FSX SDK compiled aircraft should otherwise be DX10 compliant, save for this feature). Likewise if an aircraft or helicopter uses additional functionality found only in Acceleration, this should be stated also, as any purchaser or downloader would require Acceleration to run the aircraft add-on. I should also have suggested that developers should also state what versions of FSX the aircraft has been tested in. I am not a scenery developer but as a purchaser I would like to know similar information, i.e. what SDK was used to develop the scenery and configurations it has been tested on.

This article is much longer than intended. I hope it clarifies rather than confuses.

cheers

Rob

Aero News - TV

2008-01-07T11:50:00.000+10:00

For anyone with an intense interest in aviation, real world or simulation, the new Aero News TV site should be added to your daily surfing itinery.

http://www.aero-tv.net/index.cfm

Recent videos include titles such as 'That Others May Live...' Aero-TV Flies With The 920th Rescue Wing and Do You Feel The Need... For Mooney Speed?

The archives are worth a look too. Old aircraft appeal to me and here's an interesting video on the restoration of a a Lockheed 12

http://www.aero-tv.net/index.cfm?do=app.bestView&videoid=353b852b-0119-43e7-9bf4-73c7c52b05d7

cheers

Rob

Business Week article on Microsoft ESP

2007-12-31T12:40:00.000+10:00

Business Week have published an interesting article on Microsoft ESP - "Microsoft's Games Get Serious", highlighting the fact that it is the first time a major software company has entered the serious games arena. Serious games are games that are published for non entertainment purposes such as training and presentation.

It is an interesting and informative article and certainly serves to open one's eyes to the potential of the serious games. I must confess that prior to reading this article I was largely unaware of the serious games industry. The article points out that the serious games market has tripled since 2005 and is currently valued at $150M. The article also mentions the potential of the larger simulation and 3D modeling market which overlaps with serious games. Microsoft estimates this market to be worth $9 billion.

Northrop Grumman's involvement in the beta testing of ESP is also discussed in the article. One team used ESP to create a prototype of an aviation training simulation game in 3 days, that would otherwise have taken 18 months from scratch.

Anyway the article is certainly worth reading

I would venture the opinion that all this bodes well for the future of Microsoft Simulation products, including FS entertainment products. It will (hopefully) also benefit the 3rd party flight sim developer community over time, and open many possibilities.

The article states that ESP will be launched on January 1 2008. Microsoft will present the final version of ESP at the Serious Games Summit at GDC, February 2008.

Relevant links:
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec2007/id20071220_808794.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game
http://www.gdconf.com/conference/seriousgamessummit.htm

Also ESP team member 'Beatle' http://beatlesblog.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

Back on Deck.... well.... sort of ;)

2007-12-23T09:03:00.000+10:00

It's been quite a while since I posted here, this being my first post since leaving hospital following surgery. I can now sit at a computer a little bit more now. I still have to get up and walk around every half hour or so and have to make sure I don't spend too much time sitting during the day. Walking is good for me.

I hope to commence more frequent posts both to this blog and also my other blogs. I am also slowly getting onto 3D modeling again. It is hard to get into after such a long lay-off. Six weeks is a long time ;)

A few interesting developments occurred when I was out of the loop - the release of Microsoft ESP , and more recently FSX SP2, along with more controversy in various flight sim forums.

I hope to blog my own thoughts on the future of MS simulations in future blog articles.

Enough for now.

Cheers

Rob

D Day tomorrow

2007-11-05T20:13:00.000+10:00

Surgery tomorrow and a big op it is too. As Robin would say .... 'holy trepidation Batman'.... ;)

Hopefully I'll be back up & running in a few months.

cheers

Rob

Some Sopwith Snipe WIP pics

2007-11-02T18:52:00.000+10:00

I am scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday afternoon and will be out of the loop for a while. Before going here are some WIP shots of the exterior model of my Sopwith Snipe for FSX (and later for CFS3).

Hopefully I will have time to complete the cockpit by the end of the year if I have a speedy recovery.

cheers

Rob

American Top Gun

2007-11-02T18:39:00.000+10:00

Do you think you have what it takes to be a 'top gun'? If you do you might like to check out this article on the FSinsider site.

http://www.fsinsider.com/partnerships/atg/Pages/default.aspx

Here's the lead text from the article

"Seeking to build the first multi-entertainment platform experience of its kind, Microsoft and ATG have created a unique collaboration. Virtual pilots from around the world will have the opportunity to compete (using Flight Simulator X) to win a spot on a TV reality show code-named “American Topgun Challenge.”"

It's certainly an interesting concept to say the least, and if successful will hopefully attract a new audience to the genre of flight simulation.

If you think it concept worth pursuing, you can let Microsoft know via their tell_fs email addy.

Cheers

Rob

Draw Calls & optimisation.

2007-09-05T07:25:00.000+10:00

I am 20 days into cancer treatment presently, and have not had as much time for hobbies & sim pursuits. However I do pursue these activities when I can. I am still modeling aircraft, albeit slowly and also working on terrain/scenery for CSF3. (Due to the lack of a CFS4).

I have just posted a brief article on my experiences with FSX SDK1A and draw call optimisation in my modeling blog. http://biff-diaries.blogspot.com/2007/09/optimising-painting-snipe.html

Rob

Postscript - since I wrote that item I have found the benefits of applying these optimisations very beneficial. More on that soon.

AvHistory.org Site relaunched

2007-07-12T08:25:00.000+10:00

The AvHistory team have relaunched their web site with a fresh new look.

Just in case you don't know, the AvHistory team are developers of the 1% flight model system for Microsoft Flight Simulators.

http://avhistory.org/communityserver/default.aspx

Rob

FSX: Acceleration

2007-07-12T07:52:00.000+10:00

Well the first few pics and trailers of the new expansion pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator X have been posted at Gamespot.

http://au.gamespot.com/pc/sim/flightsimulatorxadrenaline/images.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gsimage&tag=images;all
http://au.gamespot.com/video/938537/6174085/flight-simulator-x-acceleration-official-trailer-1

There's also a neat trailer on Games For Windows.

http://au.gamespot.com/video/938537/6174168/flight-simulator-x-acceleration-official-trailer-11

Well E3 is here, albiet downsized on previous years. I'm looking forward to more news from Microsoft on the new expansion pack.

Another New Blog : - Musical Explorations.

2007-07-10T11:52:00.000+10:00

The name says it all - Music from around the web.

http://musicexplorations.blogspot.com/

Enjoy! :)

Rob

Due Up

2007-06-24T09:06:00.000+10:00

I came across this marvellous photoblog, Due Up, by Shaun Lunt, while surfing yesterday. If you like bush flying, beautiful scenery & Piper Cubs then this is well worth a look. The photography is breath taking.

http://shaunlunt.typepad.com/shootings/

Rob

New Blog - Rob's Cancer Journey

2007-06-22T11:38:00.001+10:00

I have created a new blog relating to a recently diagnosed liposarcoma in my thigh. I will still post here from time to time on simming, gaming et al.

http://sarcomabattle.blogspot.com/

Rob

Health

2007-05-31T08:14:00.000+10:00

Unfortunately in the last week health issues have arisen & may sideline me for a bit.

http://biff-diaries.blogspot.com/2007/05/health.html

Freeware Wip pics

2007-05-19T17:32:00.000+10:00

I started my new job this week so I now mainly a weekend warrior.

Here are a few pics of 4 current WIP meshes of aircraft destined for FSX.... freeware of course.

Albatros DV/DVa

Sopwith Triplane.

Sopwith Snipe

Sopwith Baby

I'm not working to any definite timetable with these.

Rob

Biff Diaries now revived

2007-05-11T16:26:00.000+10:00

Now that I am moving forward again with virtual aircraft creation I have revived my other blog - the Biff Diaries which is devoted to that subject.

Rob

Return to virtual aircraft creation.

2007-05-09T17:18:00.000+10:00

With FSX beta testing for SP1 nearly there, I am now able to free a little more time for aircraft creation. I've resumed work on the Sopwith Snipe after a lengthy break. I don't know how long it will take as I have much to do. I'm NOT going to say soon anyway ;)

Here's a pic of the Snipe in FSX complete with placeholder textures.

This is a new image. Somehow the original was deleted by ImageShack.

Rob

Biff-X in PC Pilot

2007-05-05T18:18:00.000+10:00

I'm quite chuffed (pleased) that the FSX version of the Bristol Fighter is the featured download in the May/June edition of PC-Pilot. There's a one page feature & mini review on page 12 of the magazine. The Biff is included on the cover disk.

Soon I'll be resuming work on the Sopwith Snipe for FSX.... just as soon as FSX SP1 is finalised. I've been busy beta testing.

Other good news, at least for me anyway, I've now scored full time work in my day gig... so I'll be busy for a while (not as much time for aircraft creation though).

Rob

7 Fokker Dr-I's

2007-04-29T12:08:00.000+10:00

7 Replica Fokker Dr-I's in action in NZ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeflHKIlGsI

Rob

England to Australia in a Microlight

2007-04-23T08:16:00.000+10:00

Flying from England to Australia in a microlight aircraft would be remarkable in itself. However when the pilot is blind it is all the more remarkable.

Miles Hilton-Barber, blind for 25 years is flying from England to Australia in a microlight aircraft to raise US$1 million, to combat preventable blindness in developing countries. Miles is accompanied by highly experienced co-pilot Storm Smith.

As of yesterday Miles & Storm were in Kupang, Indonesia waiting for weather conditions to change before embarking on the lengthy (8 hour) flight from Kupang, Indonesia to Darwin, Australia.

Miles & Storm are flying in a Quik GT450. http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/blog/?page_id=11

You can follow their progress on Miles' blog or http://www.seeingisbelieving.org.uk/microlightadventure/

A few related links of interest -

http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1903524.htm
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1903546.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6407185.stm

Update: Miles has now landed in Darwin.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1904671.htm

Rob

IWM DH9 restoration rollout

2007-04-22T17:06:00.000+10:00

The Imperial War Museum has unveiled it's newly restored WW1 DH-9 bomber. It's one of two discovered rotting in a Maharajah's palace in India; originally given to India as part of the Imperial Gift after WW1. This aircraft D 5649, featuring a large number of original parts, has been restored as a non flying exhibit. It was restored by the Historic Aircraft Collection.

It is not planned to fly this particular aircraft, however the other DH-9 E 8894 is being restored to flying condition by HAC. Something I'm greatly looking forward to. I wonder what happened to the remains of the other 3 DH9's that Guy Black found?

Will I be making a DH9 for FSX? Yep... I plan to along with it's younger sibling the DH9A or '9 Ack' as it was called. I also plan to cover the DH4 series, both British and US versions. The '9 Ack' will make a great companion for a future Biff/Brisfit project.... the North West Frontier FSX style.

A few links on the restored DH9 -

http://forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.php?t=3741&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
http://www.historicaircraftcollection.ltd.uk/dh9/
http://www.airspaceduxford.org.uk/html/infocus/infocus_news11.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/20/nplane20.xml
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070420/43/6eske.html
http://www2.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=18449849

Flight Modeling & all that....

2007-04-12T10:03:00.000+10:00

I am currently up to my armpits in aerodynamics, stability derivatives, lift co-efficients, pitching moments and a whole lot more. I am also attempting to obtain a sound understanding of the workings of .air files as in MS sims. At this stage I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying the experience.

I am interested in all eras of aviation, from 1914 through to the present. My initial focus will be on aircraft of the 1914-1938 period, and am developing my own spreadsheet which will largely cater for biplanes and perhaps early monoplanes. If a name is worth anything, I have called my system 'Vintav'... LoL. It is MS Excel based. Vintav may be able to write aircraft .cfg files. I have yet to decide. However table data will have to be entered in .air files via programs such as AAM (Aircraft Air File manager).

I am primarily still at the research and data collation stage with much more in front of me. At this stage I have only purchased two books. The first was somewhat advanced and related to aerodynamics rather than aeronautics, not much about aircraft. I still find it useful in providing an understanding of the concepts. I have just purchased Airplane Flight Dynamics and Automatic Flight Controls by Jan Roskam through ebay which will probably take a few weeks to reach Australia. In the meantime I have found Hervé Sors' Flight Simulator Aircraft Dynamics and Navdata website to be a useful portal to the world of flight dynamics creation and reference material for MS Sims.

At this stage I plan to devote at least two months, in my spare time, to this activity, perhaps more if need be.

I am not out of the loop completely as far as 3D modeling is concerned. However that activity is taking very much a back seat at the moment.... just enough to keep a few projects ticking over.

I am also most likely returning to my normal vocation for a while (FS creation doesn't pay the bills), but am still hoping to complete projects such as the freeware Sopwith Snipe, maybe a Sopwith Triplane and two payware projects. Perhaps a big ask, but many of the steep learning curves are behind me apart from flight modeling and issues such cockpit lighting. However WW1 aircraft are a bit light in the systems area. The FSX Snipe is perhaps the most complicated of the planned aircraft. I hope to include cockpit lighting and flares in that aircraft.

Rob

Biff Diaries

2007-04-01T16:26:00.000+10:00

I am scaling down my current virtual aviation blogging activities a little bit and for the time being suspended my other blog, The Biff Diaries, which mainly focused on 3D modeling and virtual aircraft creation.

Anything worth posting on that topic will be posted here for the time being, until I can move ahead at the speed I desire on projects for FSX, and also conceive a project that I feel will be worthwhile pursuing for that sim.

Rob

Round the World - Miami to Miami

2007-03-24T08:06:00.000+10:00

Barrington Irving has set out on his round the world flight from Miami to Miami. In doing so Barrington will become the youngest person to fly around the world solo and the first African American to do so also.

Barrington is making the trip in a Columbia 400, built for him by Columbia using donated components. Microsoft have provided support in the form of free flight simulator software for students taking part in the Experience Aviation programs and are hosting a tracking map and route page where one can follow Barrington's progress.

It's marvelous to see such a spirit of adventure and achievement alive and well in the 21C. Let's wish Barrington all the best on his trip.

You can follow Barrington's progress at http://www.fsinsider.com/SpecialFeatures/BarringtonIrving/barrington_map_route.aspx or http://www.experienceaviation.org/flight_map.php

For further information check out Barrington's Experience Aviation site http://www.experienceaviation.org/default.asp and the FSInsider site http://www.fsinsider.com/SpecialFeatures/BarringtonIrving/

Rob

Information request Sopwith Snipe

2007-03-19T09:51:00.000+10:00

I also posted this on my other blog but may as well post here also. I have hit a stumbling block as to cockpit detail of the Sopwith Snipe, particularly internal details of the right hand side and also the workings of the fuel system. I have also posted this question at the Aerodrome.

http://biff-diaries.blogspot.com/2007/03/information-sought-sopwith-snipe.html
http://theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29889

Any info on this will be greatly appreciated.

3DS Max Dillema Fixed.

2007-03-09T10:28:00.000+10:00

I decided to delete the two previous posts on the dillemas encountered on re-installing 3DS Max, brought about by having to re-install windows and all my applications last weekend.

It was a worry for a while.

I am now up and running with 3DS Max 8.0. Many thanks to my Autodesk Reseller who managed to sort out the situation with Autodesk.

Now on to with some serious design work.

Rob.

Which sim(s) to develop for?

2007-02-24T08:35:00.000+10:00

Back in October not long after FSX was released, with some grumbles around the forums in respect to performance issues in FSX and many users saying they would remain with FS9, I posted a poll at FSDeveloper.com asking developers whether they intend still support FS9.

Four months down the track and people are still voting, with 156 developers voting to date. The results are interesting and percentages have largely settled down during that last 2 months.

44.23% of developers intend to develop for FSX only.
23.72% intend to develop for both FSX and FS9.
21.79% FSX and Fs9 with FS9 being for a limited time.
10.26% FS9 only.

As developers complete their existing FS9 projects I expect the majority will soon be developing for FSX only, especially if FSX SP1 delivers the goods with performance. It will be interesting to see if intentions change in the 23.72% who intend to develop for both sims and the 10.26% FS9 only. Maybe another poll in a couple of months?

Developing for FSX is the way forward. To date, I have no real grumbles with the SDK as far as aircraft creation goes. Rotational animations such as wheels and props could certainly be improved in the sim. Some developers appear to be unhappy with the implementation of virtual cockpit lighting in FSX though appear to find solutions. I will encounter the challenge of cockpit lighting in my next project, the Sopwith Snipe. Given that I use 3D gauges and lighting in WW1 aircraft is somewhat primitive compared to more modern aircraft, lighting in the Snipe was always going to be a challenge. My experience of the FSX export tools for 3DS Max is that they are robust and produce excellent results.... in seconds. Compare that to the limitations in the FS9 makemdl utility, vertex count limitations, model resolution, and the time it takes to compile an aircraft using makemdl.

Having completed the FS9 version of the Bristol F2B, in addition to the FSX version, I'm not exactly enthusiastic about creating further FS9 aircraft. Though I have not discounted the possibilty completely. I guess, in some respects I have benefited by being a relative 'noob' to FS design, coming from CFS3. Many FS developers appear to be set in their ways and have experienced difficulties moving forward. Maybe I'll be the same when it comes to FS 11? ..... LOL.

I always believe that it's best to design an aircraft for a specific sim. FSX & CFS3 share the ability to create cockpit models of a higher resolution thus one can use the same base mesh. FSX offers a superior range of material properties to both CFS3 and FS9. Thus one could possibly use the same base mesh for both sims. However to make effective use of textures and uv maps a somewhat different approach would be required for FSX to CFS3. Likewise a mesh for a FS9 would have to be reworked significantly from one which took full advantage of FSX (and CFS3).
As one of the posters to the poll thread points out, users will blame designers when the FS9 version does not look as good as the FSX version.

The Sopwith Snipe was orginally designed with CFS3 in mind, and also FSX, even though FSX was an unknown quantity at the time. The exterior model of the Snipe was UV mapped with CFS3 in mind. I use 2x1024 texture maps in my CFS3 WW1 models. The interior is only partially mapped at this time and will be completed with FSX as the primary design goal. It will be interesting to see what additional work is involved in the CFS3 version e.g. damage modeling and maybe re-jigging uvs. Unfortunately it's unlikely that I will produce a FS9 version of the Snipe. The Snipe may also be my final project for CFS3..... we'll see.

I am looking at the download stats of the different versions of the Bristol F2B (part1). In just over 3 weeks the FSX version has been downloaded 5,181 times (probably a higher number due to Simviation stats being updated about once a week) . The FS9 version which has been available for download only 6 days has acheived 1,935 downloads but has now slowed to just to 2-3 per day. So far it's a 3:1 ratio in favour of FSX. I expect that to change to further favour FSX, as time passes. Whether these ratios would apply to a payware release I do not know. The real surprise for me were the figures for the CFS3 version - 6,105 over 10+ month period.... not bad for a CFS3 WW1 aircraft hidden away in the web.

I resume work on the Snipe in a couple of weeks (it will be freeware). After that I will be reviewing my options as to projects though I tend to think I will focus on FSX, though with Train Simulator on the horizon and possibly other future products from Microsoft Aces who knows? Life will be interesting anyway. :)

cheers

Rob

FSX Biff on March 'Igromania' DVD

2007-02-21T14:23:00.000+10:00

For the few Russian visitors who visit this blog and any other interested parties - the FSX version of the Bristol Fighter will be featured on the cover DVD of the March edition of Russian PC game magazine 'Igromania'.

FS9 Bristol Fighter released.

2007-02-21T13:48:00.000+10:00

Whoops nearly forgot to announce this in this blog. I released the FS9 version of the Bristol F2B on the weekend. Here's the Avsim download link......

http://library.avsim.net/search.php?SearchTerm=Bristol+Fighter+F2b&CatID=fs2004ac&Go=Search

As previously posted the FSX version was released early in February

http://library.avsim.net/search.php?SearchTerm=bristol+f2b&CatID=fsxac&Go=Search

I'm having a brief break from aircraft creation for a few weeks.... then on with the Sopwith Snipe. Following the release of the Snipe I will decide whether to stick with the WW1 theme.

2 CFS3 Add-ons on Final

2007-02-21T13:34:00.000+10:00

Looks as if the long awaited CFS3 Add-ons Mediterranean Air War (MAW) and Over Flanders Fields (OFF) phase 2 are soon to be released.

http://www.medairwar.com/maw/main.htm
http://www.simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2123704&page=1#Post2123704
http://forums.netwings.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=26

http://off.oldbrowndog.net/index.htm
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=36249

Both are massive efforts involving many people in their spare time, and of course neither of these could have happened were it not for Microsoft and their 'open architecture policy' and SDK's.

At this time it is not known how these are going to be distributed, possibly a DVD swap scheme.

I must say it is ages since I have played CFS3, almost a year. I look forward to checking these add-ons out.

Download link for Bristol F2B 'Biff' (FSX)

2007-02-05T10:05:00.000+10:00

Almost forgot..... here's the link for the Biff at AVSIM. It's in 4 parts. Part 1 has had 2000+ downloads in about 2 days. .... not bad. I'll eventually upload to Sim-Outhouse when they open a FSX download section.

http://library.avsim.net/search.php?SearchTerm=bristol+f2b&CatID=fsxac&Go=Search

I'm having a break from Bristol Fighter activity this week but will start working on the FS 2004 version next weekend. It requires a bit more work.

It's great to see so many people enjoying the Bristol Fighter. If you haven't read my other blog many thanks for all the compliments.

A more professional version of the Bristol Fighter and its derivatives may (hopefully) follow in 2008.

In the meantime I'm refreshing my memory as to where I was with the Sopwith Snipe. I've had a 4 month break from the Snipe and much has happened since then, especially the FSX SDK which was an unknown quantity when I last worked on the Snipe. Many thanks to Microsoft for including the SDK with FSX Deluxe. The Sopwith Snipe will also be freeware.

Let's finish with a few pics of the Biff.....

Bristol F2B for FSX uploaded to Avsim

2007-02-02T01:01:00.000+10:00

At long last I've released the Bristol F2B for FSX. It's in 4 parts, the second of which is being uploaded as I type this. These files should hopefully be processed by the Avsim staff in the next few hours. The other 2 parts will follow in the next 24 hours. More later..... it's way past bed-time.

cheers

Rob

Bristol F2B - FSX Screenshots

2006-12-12T13:41:00.000+10:00

Some atmospheric screenshots of my Bristol Fighter aircraft nearing completion for FSX

Bristol F2B for FSX

2006-12-11T16:08:00.000+10:00

Just posted an update and a few pics on my other blog... the Biff Diaries
http://biff-diaries.blogspot.com/2006/12/bristol-fighter-fsx-update.html

New Aces blogger - Phil Taylor

2006-12-01T08:24:00.000+10:00

It's nice to see yet another Aces team member joing the world of bloggers. Actually Phil's blog has been there a while from his pre Aces days.

Phil Taylor is senior PM for graphics & terrain at Aces Studio, producers of Flight Simulator and other products. Previously Phil worked on Visual Studio.

Phil has reposted his original AVSIM post on his blog which has disappeared from AVSIM forums (as mentioned in my previous post).

Phil also announced that Aces are in the process of creating a solution to address issues with the product. Exactly what that will entail is not yet known with further possible news after New Year. Note that this is in addition to the planned DirectX10 update later next year.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/default.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2006/11/30/fsx-responding-to-community-feedback.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2006/11/30/fsx-today-and-tomorrow.aspx

FSX Satisfaction

2006-11-29T12:53:00.000+10:00

I've been very busy these last 4 weeks or so and haven't had the chance to post any thoughts on FSX.

Anyway FSX now has been well and truly reviewed so there is little that I can add. I think the series of reviews at SimHQ by Chris “BeachAV8R” Frishmuth are among the more accurate reviews out there. I tend to share most of Chris's observations and recommend that anyone still sitting on the fence on FS X read these.

http://www.simhq.com/_air7/air_260a.html
http://www.simhq.com/_air7/air_261a.html
http://www.simhq.com/_air7/air_262a.html
http://www.simhq.com/_technology2/technology_093a.html
http://www.simhq.com/_air7/air_263a.html

SimHQ also have a video of TrackIR4 in FSX for download. Impressive and well worth viewing.
http://www.simhq.com/_downloads/air/FSX/FSX_TrackIR4.zip

I must say that I find flying in FSX an incredibly satisfying experience. The first thing that I always notice is the smoothness of FSX. Even at 19fps FSX provides a smoother stutter free experience than FS09 does at 100fps. In testing my aircraft under development I fly in FSX and FS9 several times a day jumping from one to the other. I also test many other aircraft for comparison. FSX always impresses me in comparison to FS9 and also CFS3 and OFF both in terms of sharpness, detail and smoothness. When it comes to smoothness I find that OFF is the worst performer of the four unless one really turns down scenery and terrain settings in OFF. These days CFS3 performs well on most computers though it too met a similar reception to FSX when released.

It's a pity that people are having issues with FSX. I can understand people who have invested a fortune in FS9 addons not wanting to move to FSX at the present time, though they eventually will want to. When FS9 was released I waited 5 months before buying it. I was quite happy with FS2002 and CFS3 was occupying much of my time at that point. From what I have read demand for the deluxe version of FSX has exceeded supply. So in that sense FSX appears to be a success.

As to the future, MS ACES have a Vista/DirectX10 update planned for next year. Phil Taylor of Microsoft ACES posted a statement at AVSIM a few weeks ago concerning performance issues in FSX and the DirectX10 update. This post was accidently deleted by AVSIM however it was copied and re-posted at simFlight. I'll quote a small part of this post as to what Phil Taylor said ACES are looking at :-

"We are following two paths:

Path 1

An investigation is under way to understand if we can do something that is:
1) targeted and isn’t a complete rewrite, and
2) gives real customer benefit.

That investigation includes areas of performance. I cannot comment on the full roster of issues under investigation, I can only say that if there are results worth reporting I will be back.

Path 2

Aces is making a commitment to a freely available Web download DX10 update that will enable all FSX RTM purchasers to upgrade to DX10 support on Windows Vista with DX10 hardware.

We are making progress on understanding what DX10 does and doesn’t do, and what we can and cannot count on. When we are done with those investigations we will have a fully booked DX10 plan. And then we can turn those screenies into real rendering and not "artistic impressions". "'

The post mentions that Phil will further report around about Thanksgiving time. So I assume there will be a further post soon. In other words ACES have a DirectX 10 upgrade planned and are looking to see what can be done to improve performance but cannot say anything further until they know what the can or cannot achieved with respect to path 1. So there is reason to be optimistic.

In other news the FSX SDK Service Pack update is undergoing beta test at the moment and hopefully will be released soon.

Animations in FSX

2006-11-29T12:09:00.000+10:00

I have also posted this in my other blog the Biff Diaries but would also like to post here.

I have been busy beta testing the FSX SDK update these last few weeks hence the lack of posts here. I have been using one of my current projects, the Bristol F2B to test the SDK and have posted a couple of tips at the Freeflight Design site, which may help a few people while they are waiting on updated documentation for the 3DS Max tools in the SDK. Anyone can experiment for themselves using the released SDK as it currently stands. These tips may save a few people a little bit of frustration while learning the new animation system.

For those who like to create their own 3D instruments for their virtual cockpits I have posted xml code which I have created for the following 3D instruments (Unfortunately the blogspot software screws up this code so I can't post here) :-

Simple airspeed indicator - world war one style as found in a Bristol F2B
World War one Mk5 compass as also used in the Biff. This code can also be used to animate any similar compass.

These are simple keyframe animations, just max and min values and a scale. They don't involve any maths or conditional coding.

I hope this helps a few people.

Fake Smile

2006-10-27T09:24:00.000+10:00

Can you tell the difference between a real or fake smile?

An interesting test on the BBC science and nature site. I only got half of them correct.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml

3DS Max 9.0 and FS X

2006-10-19T12:27:00.000+10:00

Yesterday my 3DS Max 9.0 upgrade arrived. I decided to check out the FS X 3DS Max 7/8 plugins from the FS X SDK and of course they do NOT work in 3DS Max 9.0. Autodesk updated the 3DS Max SDK this time around thus requiring all plugins to be re-compiled for Max 9.0 as there are now both 32 and 64 bit versions of 3DS Max 9.0.

I mention this as I notice people in various FS forums talking about moving from Gmax to the full product. They won't be able to use 3DS Max 9.0 for FS X development until when and if ACES update the SDK 3DS Max plugins. When and if ACES do so, hopefully they will remember to create plugins that work with both 32 & 64 bit versions of 3DS Max.

Oxygino-Aviation Art

2006-10-13T15:12:00.000+10:00

Another very interesting site I stumbled on today, especially if you like 3D aviation art is Gino Marcomini's 'Oxygino-Aviation Art'. If you frequent the art pages of the Luft '46 web site you will already be familiar with some of Gino's work.

In addition to downloadable wallpaper the site features tutorials, photoshop swatches. roundels and downloadable 3DS Max meshes.

Well worth a look.

http://www.oxygino.com/htmls/oxygino_menu.html

IL-2 Sturmovik 1946

2006-10-13T14:53:00.000+10:00

Ubisoft and 1C:Maddox Games have announced IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 for release in November 2006.

Here's an extract of the announcement from the Pacific Fighters web site.

STURMOVIK™: 1946 offers new campaigns, missions and aircraft as well as many exclusive features. Pilots can fly the skies and fight enemies over the Russian front, German occupied Europe, the Far East and the Pacific. STURMOVIK™: 1946 also includes all of previous Il-2 series content, thus bringing the most respected anthology flight simulator to an astonishing 229 flyable aircraft and over 300 total aircraft.

http://www.pacific-fighters.com/en/home.php

This will be interesting. I guess this is to fill the gap until Storm of War: Battle of Britain is released. Of course these guys are not the only people producing 1946 'what if' aircraft.
http://biff-diaries.blogspot.com/

Revamped FSInsider Web Site

2006-10-13T13:16:00.000+10:00

Just stopped by FSInsider.com and noticed that their new site has gone live. Certainly worth checking out.

http://www.fsinsider.com/

Blog Focus & Biff Diaries

2006-10-08T09:29:00.000+10:00

From now on most of my FS dev & 3D creation posts will be in my other blog The Biff Diaries which has greatly expanded from its initial concept of modeling a Bristol F2B 'Biff' for CFS3 to creation of content for CFS3, FS2004 and, once the full SDK is available, FS X. That blog will be a diary of my efforts, trials & tribulations & experiments in creating aircraft for Microsoft Simulators

In the Wing Fell Off I will still post general news on flight simulation, my experiences of and perhaps the occasional tip on FS X, my own news, computer graphics & associated technology. Maybe the occasional general interst article too.

I am currently working on a website too.

FsDeveloper.com Portal

2006-09-25T10:19:00.000+10:00

Developers for Microsoft Flight Simulator now have another useful resource FsDeveloper.com.

Formerly SceneryDesign.org, FsDeveloper.com has been re-launched by Arno Gerretsen and Nick Whittome to provide a common portal for all areas of FS development.

www.fsdeveloper.com

Model export in FS X Beta 3

2006-09-17T12:07:00.000+10:00

As mentioned in a previous post the NDA on FS X beta testers has now been lifted. This means that beta testers are allowed to talk about FS X within reason provided we do not discuss the beta process itself or anything that may have been discussed in the MS Connect FS X beta forums. We can talk about our own experiences with FS X Beta 3 and also our experience with the Beta SDK tools.

I would like to mention a few things about the model export process using the tools provided with Beta 3. Before proceeding please keep in mind these are observations made in the beta and the final will probably differ and that much of the SDK was incomplete at the beta 3 cutoff.

The modeling tools provided with FS X beta 3 are Micrososft ACES own in house tools designed to work with Autodesk 3DS Max 7 which they currently use for production. These tools work well with 3DS Max 8 which I use. ACES are currently working on a gMax SDK to make these tools functional with gMax, which I believe will be available from FSInsider after FS X is released.

The Tools

The 3DS Max modeling export tools included with beta 3 include :-

Plugins - FSModelExp.dle and two .gup files. These allow a mesh created in 3DS Max to be exported as a FS x-file. This is a custom version of the DirectX x-file format, which includes meta data relevant to FS X models.
XToMDl.exe - this is a command line utility which converts FS x-files to the mdl format for use within FS X.
FSXAnimation.ms - this is a max script tool to aid the creation of FS X animations within 3DS Max - presently there is no documentation for this in the SDK.
FSXMaterial.ms - this is a max script tool that adds FS X material functionality to the 3DS Max material editor. Again as at beta 3 there is no documentation on how to use this.
Attachtool.ms - as the SDK says is a MAXScript plugin that allows you to attach special effects, library objects, visibility conditions, and set active mouse rectangles for use with virtual cockpits, to your 3D models. It also allows you to create landable platforms, remove crash boxes from parts of your model and attach beacons or other simulation driven objects to your models.
CloudTool.ms - a maxscript for creation of clouds - similar to that in FS9.
modeldef.xml - this replaces makemdl.parts.xml used in FS9 and fills a similar role in FS X. New animations can be added to this file by the modeler.
Other tools include a BGL compiler and mdl and bgl scanners. A testX.max example was included in Beta 3.

The Good News

Modelers will have the following reasons to be pleased with the new export process:-

Export within in seconds rather than several minutes. As can be surmised from the description of the above tools the export process as at beta 3 involves two steps - export to an x-file and compilation of a mdl file. These processes take a few seconds each even with large meshes designed for CFS3.
Vertex resolution. Modelers are no longer required to weld vertices at a resolution of .004 (4mm). This allows higher resolution meshes - particularly useful in virtual cockpits for small details.
Restrictions on model size have been removed. Makemdl in FS9 imposed a 64k vertex limit per model. Causing much in the way of grumbles with my Bristol Fighter when I initially attempted to export to FS9. XToMdl uses multiple vertex buffers and appears to have no practical limits as to model size. This means large detailed interior models are possible for those who desire to make such. Combined with the new camera system in FS X this will enhance the immersive aspects of flying in FS X.

What we don't know

At the time of writing we are still awaiting SDK documentation on -

FS X materials.
The new animation system.
Modeling information pertinent to aircraft modeling.

Hopefully this information will be in the final SDK or the GMax SDK when it becomes available. I anticipate that the new material and animation systems will take sim modeling to a new level.

Conclusion

It's early days yet and FS X has not yet gone gold at the time of writing. However for modelers these beta tools are promising and reveal much potential, and, as mentioned above, when the SDK is complete, modelers will be able to take modeling for simulation to new levels in the next couple of years.

It's absolutely awesome that MS ACES have adopted a new open policy and have declared a policy of working with the flight simulator community on a number of levels. At the time of writing this has yet to be outlined, though we will soon find out, with the AVSIM conference happening this weekend - including a Microsoft ACES presentation. Roll on the future!! :)

Coming Out

2006-09-03T22:26:00.000+10:00

One of the reasons I have been busy for these past few months is that I have been beta testing Flight Simulator X. Microsoft have now lifted the NDA on their beta testers [within reason].

Anyway here are a few pictures from beta 3 of FS X. Please bare in mind that the final RTM version may differ.

Difference between CFS3 & FS9

2006-08-14T20:52:00.000+10:00

Now that Microsoft are releasing a new sim, FS X, I thought I'd take a couple of contrasting shots of my Bristol Fighter from Microsoft's two most recent sims, FS2004 and CFS3.

CFS3

FS2004

Note the difference in the fine detail. The detail in the CFS3 model is much finer. Just look at details such as the sights and windscreen frame. The FS2004 version took another two weeks work and much trimming down of mesh. Most of the observer's cockpit was removed or reworked for the FS2004 version. Hopefully the export tools and capabilities of the new FS X will at least equal what can be acheived in CFS3 as far as vertex count and vertex resolution. FS 2004 was quite restrictive in that respect in comparison to CFS3.

FS X, as witness the demo, sports nice shiny new shader technology. Let's hope the differences in 3D engine go further than that. From the player perpective FS X looks very nice.

Edit: Sept 3 - Modelers will be pleasantly surprised by the possibilities offered by FS X.... more later.

Some FS X Demo Screenshots.

2006-08-10T14:57:00.000+10:00

I posted these at Sim-Outhouse also - some pics of the DHC Beaver flying over some Carribbean scenery.

New Microsoft Flight Simulator X site

2006-08-10T11:42:00.000+10:00

Flight Simulator X fever and excitement abounds on the internet today with the demo version of Flight Simulator X becoming available from a number of sites around the web including a new Microsoft Flight Simulator X site.

http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/

also a Flash website http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/flash/default.htm

As I type this the first user screenshots of the demo have appeared at Avsim. It will be interesting to see the various responses to the demo in the flight sim communities.

It is certainly a bold decision to release a demo at this stage as FS X is still in beta. Microsoft ACES bloggers Paul P-12C Lange and Mike Taildragger Gilbert have both commented on the demo and the challenges it has posed in their blogs.

http://blogs.msdn.com/tdragger/archive/2006/08/09/693623.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/p-12c_pilot/archive/2006/08/04/445078.aspx

The demo is not to be confused with the beta which was available to subscribers of FilePlanet. Actually there are two beta groups for Flight Simulator X, one run by FilePlanet and one by Microsoft.

Demo Downloads

http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/downloads.html
http://www.gamershell.com/download_14950.shtml
http://www.fileshack.com/file.x/9240/Flight+Simulator+X+Demo
http://www.3dgamers.com/dlselect/games/flightsim2006/fsxprereleasedemo.exe.html
http://www.fileplanet.com/166127/download/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-X-Demo
http://www.worthdownloading.com/download.php?gid=1959&id=8270

Martin Arts

2006-07-25T13:31:00.000+10:00

Another interesting little site. Martin Arts have provided digital assets in the form of 800 buildings, bridges and stadiums for Aces Game Studio producers of Flight Simulator.

NAVTEQ to provide data for FS X

2006-07-25T13:14:00.000+10:00

NAVTEQ, a leading provider of premium-quality digital map data, are providing Microsoft with data for the forth coming Flight Simulator X

NAVTEQ's press release.

Want to move with your sim?

2006-07-25T13:07:00.000+10:00

Then this VR chair might do the trick http://www.vrealities.com/r&r.html

One would want to make sure the monitor is securely fastened - and also oneself :)

Crew Figures in Virtual Cockpits - CFS3, FS2004, FS X

2006-07-25T12:12:00.000+10:00

Not everyone likes crew figures in virtual cockpits in their sims and I have set up a couple of polls in the Sim-Outhouse forums to survey users attitudes to these in add-ons for CFS3, FS2004 and the forthcoming Flight Simulator X.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=22734
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=22732

Stavatti Aerospace

2006-06-29T11:37:00.000+10:00

I came across this very interesting website this morning after reading about it in a thread at Sim-Outhouse this morning.

Stavatti Aerospace.

The website and documentation are very impressive. The designs are somewhat out of this world. Regardless of whether any of these aircraft ever take to the air this site is well worth a look. You can read a little more about Stavatti on the Defense Tech website http://defensetech.military.com/archives/000009.html

It would be cool to see some of these designs in flight simulator.

Rob

A change of pace.

2006-06-12T18:02:00.000+10:00

It's been a long weekend down here and I have been having a bit of a break from 3DS Max and flight simulation. I have been re-visiting one of my other passions, music, in particular blues music, an area which has been very much neglected over the past year. I've spent a bit of time catching up on what has been happening around the web including checking out blues videos on YouTube and Google Video.

I have quite a large favourite list already and hopefully it will grow.

In the meantime you can checkout a couple of my playlists The Blues and Roomfull of Fun.

Below is a clip featuring some blues greats of the 1950 & 60's.

You win some you lose some

2006-05-27T11:45:00.000+10:00

As anyone who has modeled a 3D aircraft, especially for a flight simulator, will tell you, research and the acquisition of reference material is a significant component of any project. A Google search will usually be productive and of course asking on on-line forums may prove useful. However to carry out a thorough job one invariably needs to acquire reference material in the form of books and/or drawings.

With WW1 and vintage aircraft such material may be difficult to come by. Sites such as eBay and on-line sellers of new and used books such as Biblio and Abebooks are quite useful. In the instance of eBay if one waits long enough one or two publications referring to the specific aircraft one is researching will eventually turn up. For WW1 aircraft, Windsock datafiles, published by Albatros publications are invaluable references. Also useful, not only for WW1 aircraft but right through until the 1960's are Profile Publications, little profile booklets. Searches of eBay frequently reveal other out of print or otherwise difficult to obtain books. Frequently one can pick up a bargain at eBay.

However bargains are not always the case. It depends how many people are after the same book. I discovered the phenomenon of sniping with my first bid. I was winning on a Junkers D.I until about 10 seconds before the auction closed. Needless to say I have not let that happen again on any important item. Many people use sniping software or subscribe to an online sniping service which automatically places your nominated bid seconds before the auction closes. I am reticent to use such software and services, as that usually requires that one imparts one's eBay user name and password to the sniping service and with that security concerns as one does not know to whom they are being imparted to. When sniping I choose to snipe live and of course that has led to a little bit of sleep deprivation, as many items close in the early hours of the morning local time. Now if an item closes in the wee small hours of the morning I generally place my highest bid before going to bed, unless it is an ultra important item.

It generally pays to wait as long as possible before placing a bid, though I did win a few Windsocks at bargain prices by placing a low bid early on items I did not expect to win as it transpired that there was no-one else around who bid on them. That was certainly not the case yesterday or today. Indeed I see people paying way over the new price of in print books. For example Windsock datafile No.74 RAF FE8 in used condition, currently has top bid of 16.00 GBP (US $29.89) and is currently available brand new from the publisher for 8.75 GBP(US $16.35), quite a difference.

One sees this frequently. I guess it's the case of more money than sense for some buyers. Other's just like winning or dislike losing. The thrill of winning over powers them. The other type of bidder that annoys me are those who enter a bidding duel days before the auction closes. Again it is usually the case of one not wanting to be lose. All these guys do is drive up the final price. They seldom win unless of course they go to ridiculous extremes, like the item mentioned above, and bid much more than the item is worth. Then they are left well alone.

At least one can have the consolation when one is suddenly deprived of the bargain that one has been monitoring for days, that the buyer paid top dollar for a second hand item that is readily available new, at a lower price, from other sources.

When shopping for aviation related books and datafiles on eBay I suggest the following:-

Check and see if the item is currently available from other online sources and its price new.
Carry out an eBay search for the item using slightly varying search criteria. Quite often one will see the same item from a number of different sellers.
When doing 2. Above check for Buy Now fixed prices. This is very applicable for Profile Publications as many online second hand book stores carry these publications at fixed prices. I have witnessed some buyers pay top dollars in auctions for profiles when the item is available elsewhere on eBay for a much lower fixed price.
Try and avoid bidding too early or if you do and someone else bids avoid a bidding dual as that will only force the price up. You probably will not win it anyway, if you do, as someone will most likely snipe higher than either of you at the end of the auction.
Only bid what you think the item is worth after carefully researching the price using steps 1-3 above.
Make sure you know what currency you are bidding in. Many buyers do not appear to be aware the GBP are worth more than USD and of course will receive an unpleasant surprise when they receive their bank or credit card statement. At the time of writing 1.00 GBP = US$1.87
If the item being auctioned closes in the early hours of the morning, rather than staying up late or rising in the middle of the night, decide your maximum bid and place that bid before going to bed. If you have carried out your research carefully using steps 1-3 above, anyone who outbids you will be paying more than it's worth. Let that console you. Wait for another time or buy it from other sources.

Follow these steps and you'll spend wisely and most likely acquire a few bargains in the process. You also will be less likely to attract the ire of other buyers when you deprive them of their bargains by bidding ridiculous prices. Remember it's not about winning and getting, it's about buying sensibly.

Alternative sources of datafiles and books:-

Windsock Datafiles - Albatros publications http://www.windsockdatafilespecials.com/stock.html
Abebooks http://www.abebooks.com/
Biblio.com http://www.biblio.com/- I find it adavantagous to contact the book sellers directly and work out a cheaper deal on shipping rather than the stated quote by Biblio.
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com

Note: The auction items above were mentioned for example purposes only.

Orbiter 2006 Released

2006-05-27T10:20:00.000+10:00

Orbiter 2006, the latest version of the freeware Space Simulator, was released earlier this month.

This one slipped under the radar for many people. Normally new versions are announced and publicised on all the main sim Sites. I happened to stumble across a post announcing this at Sim-Outhouse.

Oribiter is available for download at http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/download.html

Further information can be found on the Orbiter Wiki. Orbiter forums can be found at http://orbit.m6.net/Forum/default.aspx

I have enjoyed earlier versions and recommend checking this out. Now if only had a bit more time :)

Rob

Some cool Flightsim Videos

2006-05-24T15:44:00.000+10:00

A couple of new videos worth looking at - firstly someone at Microsoft has taken time out from their ultra busy agenda and posted an E3 press kit . Towards the foot of the page there are a couple of links to videos including a high definition version [160MB] of the FS X E3 press release video.

The other video was mentioned in an AVSIM thread. As the thread title at AVSIM says it is indeed stunning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gigOl-8tsYc

Biff for FS9

2006-05-24T15:38:00.000+10:00

I've finally managed to trim down the CFS3 Bristol F.2B 'Biff' mesh so that it can be squeezed through the makemdl exporter for FS9. I still have a bit of work to do such as the instruments, further optimisation of the mesh and construction of a pilot figure.

I cannot say when but at least I can now say a FS2004 'Biff' will happen.

Flight Simulator X - E3 info release

2006-05-10T18:09:00.000+10:00

Micrososft have issued some more info on Flight Simulator X to coincide with E3.

You can read it on Xbox.com and Gamespot. Both sites show some screenshots some of which I have not seen before.

FS X also featured in the MS press conference video - about 2 seconds worth. Hopefully we'll see and know more in the coming days.

Cockpit Capers

2006-05-08T07:53:00.000+10:00

Just how seriously do some people take their simming? This interesting article in the Sydney Morning Herald explores the subject.

Cockpit Capers SMH article.

Interview - Shawn Firminger on FS X at Flightsim.com

2006-04-10T11:05:00.000+10:00

A very interesting interview with ACES Studio Manager Shawn Firminger on Flight Simulator-X. Enlightening and well worth reading.

Journey short lived.......

2006-04-10T10:11:00.000+10:00

For the FS 2004 version of the Bristol Fighter at least. I have decided to shelve that project for the time being The reasons are given in the 'Biff Diaries'.

I have to say how incredibly disappointed that FS2004 cannot support high resolution meshes that CFS3, from the same design studio, can easily support and play at upwards of 38fps depending on configuration.

The slow and somewhat restrictive 3D model export capability of the FS2004 mdl/bgl exporter is extremely disappointing to say the least.

The other area of disappointment is the quality of DXT .bmp image conversions afforded by the SDK imagetool, compared to the quality of DXT .dds images output by photoshop with the Nvidia plugin as used by CFS3.

I will be modelling an all new aircraft for FS2004, yet to be decided, to provide some experience with the FS2004 way of doing things. I will also continue to luxuriate in the modelling capabilities provided by CFS3 until that product is superceded.

I am greatly looking forward to Flight Simulator X. Let's hope these modeling restrictions have been removed from that sim. I am looking forward to the FS X SDK almost as much as I am to the main sim.

Let's hope that models of this resolution are supported by Flight Simulator X.

Check out the CFS3 Biff for yourselves AVSIM, SOH

And so the journey begins....

2006-04-03T16:50:00.000+10:00

.......The conversion of the Bristol Fighter CFS3 to FS2004 that is.

Back in the 'old days' many CFS3 users and designers would have referred to such a move as a move to the 'Dark Side'. I don't know about 'Dark Side' but after a few frustrations with the FS2004 SDK's makemdl.exe exporter on the weekend I felt 'journey to the dark ages' might have been appropriate. Especially compared to the comparative ease with which one can export from CFS3, which generally exports in seconds rather than minutes, usually without hiccup. In CFS3 one can model the entire aircraft to a 1mm resolution, which is useful for producing sharper virtual cockpits. Makemdl.exe for FS2004, supposedly supports 1mm vertex resolution on the external model and only 4mm on the VC. It should have been perhaps the other way around. I tend to think specular in CFS3 looks nicer and more natural too.

Virtual cockpits in the two sims also differ in their implementation and I tend to think the CFS3 solution is more elegant with its seperate VC model and neat solution of using nodes in the 3D model to switch off the cockpit in the external model while seated in the VC. The virtual cockpit is drawn over the top of the external model and the environment in CFS3. and if everything is modelled correctly looks very convincing.

FS2004 handles things quite differently. FS2004 requires that any parts of the external model visible from the cockpit be copied also to the virtual cockpit. In the case of a biplane as in the Curtiss Jenny or the Bristol Fighter that means much of the external aircraft - indeed more so especially now that many people use trackIR and lean out and look along the side of taildraggers. This means that interior models can have very high polycounts.

CFS3 is however restricted to using stock animations and instruments. These cannot be added to or expanded on as can be acheived in FS2004.

This is where the real power in FS2004 lies. One can create almost any instrument capable of being supported by the sim in FS2004. One can also animate just about anything in FS2004 using XML coding and the appropriate variables from the sim. I hope to use parts.xml to animate the Bristol Fighter's instruments in the 3D model, similar to the instruments I have used in CFS3.

Additionally the Bristol Fighter was modelled with the CFS3 game engine in mind. Much experimentation and research was carried out to test the limits of that game engine along the way. It was never intended for FS2004. I did experimentally export it to FS2004 last year before it was textured, and it worked without hitch. With the non advent of CFS4 and the coming of FS X I thought it best to learn the FS way of doing things by converting the Bristol Fighter to FS2004. I look foward to the experience and we'll see how things turn out in the hopefully not too distant future.

Before closing this post I would point out that comparisons between CFS3 and FS2004 are somewhat obsolete, if not lacking in relevance, given the coming of FS X. There's certainly scope for improvement in makemdl.exe and one hopes that is the case. Hopefully the implementaion of virtual cockpits in FS X adopts some of the elegance of the CFS3 implementation, combined with FS's power.

One can always hope for a further installment in the Combat Flight Simulator franchise in the not too distant future. Let's hope CFSx will continue the open architecture trend of FS2002/FS2004/CFS3 and soon to be FS X. [Let's hope that the next CFS will be a PC or multi platform game too.]

cheers

Rob

CFS3 Biff now uploaded to multiple sites

2006-04-02T08:55:00.000+10:00

The CFS3 Bristol Fighter has now also been uploaded to AVSIM, Flightsim, and Simviation. I see it is available now at Flightsim.com. It should appear at other sites in the next few hours.

Filename: rbf2b_v1.zip at AVSIM, Simviation and Sim-Outhouse. rbf2bv1.zip at Flightsim.com

Bristol Fighter for CFS3 Finally released.

2006-03-31T14:03:00.000+10:00

I have finally released the CFS3 version of the Bristol Fighter F.2B 'Biff' for CFS3. It is available from Sim-Outhouse

I have now started the conversion to FS2004. I cannot provide a timeline as yet as virtual cockpits for FS2004 differ in their implementation. I also have to get my head around xml parts coding for the virtual cockpit gauges. It may or may not be easy. We'll soon find out.

A few screen shots of the CFS3 version.

Windows Vista delay and FSX

2006-03-24T10:34:00.000+10:00

For those wondering whether the announced re-scheduling of the release of Windows Vista to January 2007, Michael Z has posted this related item on his blog. He cannot say much but what he does say is encouraging. It is also worth reading the Flight Simulator X FAQ.

Ultra Busy

2006-03-24T10:22:00.000+10:00

I apologise for the lack of posts over the last month or so. I have been ultra busy with my Bristol Fighter F2B project. The CFS3 version of the aircraft is almost complete - just some tweaking of textures and damage modeling. I am in the process of converting this to FS2004 which involves a little more work as the two MS simulations differ in the way they implement virtual cockpits.

Hopefully normal blog posts will resume from now on.

Request For Information - Sopwith Baby

2006-01-30T09:17:00.000+10:00

I am currently modelling a Sopwith Baby, among other aircraft, and unfortunately do not have any information on instrument layout and other cockpit fittings such as pumps.

If anyone has information that may assist I would be very pleased.

Thanks in advance

Rob :)

Russian WW1 Sim - WW1:Knights Of The Sky

2006-01-22T10:39:00.000+10:00

This is not exactly recent news as Gennadich Team initially announced the WW1 PC simulation product with the working title 'WW1: Knights of the Sky', in November 2005.

The simulation will focus on Western Front activity in the 1916-18 period. The simulation will feature 13 player flyable aircraft, 30 non flyable AI aircraft and some 60 types of ground units. The game will be based on a modified version of the popular Il2-Sturmovik engine. The game is scheduled to be released in fall 2006, Russian publisher 1C.

As the screenshots show the simulation will feature some very nice aircraft indeed. I am most impressed with the texture work, especially that of the SPAD S.VII. More screenshots and regular updates will appear on their developer update forum thread.

2006 Looks like being a bumper year for flight simulation and combat flight simulation fans, with this WW1 project, Micosoft's Flight Simulator X and other projects in the works such as Third Wire Productions forth coming WW1 simulation, and Maddox/1C's Battle Of Britain' [no release dates announced on the last two.]

Developer's update - http://www.gennadich.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1500

Other Links
http://www.gennadich.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=37
http://www.gennadich.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1454
http://www.gennadich.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1504

CFS3 Add-On news

2006-01-17T09:12:00.000+10:00

Firstly Over Flanders Fields [OFF] has been reviewed on SimHQ. I think it is a fairly accurate review and agree with most of it, though the writer appears to have his biases against CFS3 and earlier CFS editions. The review incorrectly states that campaign mode is the same as stock CFS3. Campaigns commenced via the OFF Manager are managed independently of CFS3 campaigns. Definitely worth reading.

The other CFS3 add-on WIP Mediterranean Air War or MAW [yep acronyms galore], has a newly revamped and updated web site. A release date has yet to be announced for this product.

The Evolving English Language - now defunct

2006-01-13T08:28:00.000+10:00

This post was inspired by the temporary re-naming of a popular CFS addon. They have since reverted to the original name. Just a bit of trite fun at our over use of acronyms in this day and age.

Now deleted in a fit of anti triteness. ;D

Cheers

Rob

Over Flanders Fields [OFF] - to go payware

2006-01-10T12:01:00.000+10:00

I just noticed this post at Sim-Outhouse Mark 'Winding Man' Andrews has announced that phase 2/3 of the Over Flanders Field [OFF] add-on mod for Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3 [CFS3] will now be payware. The new combined phase 2/3 add-on will be called 'Over Flanders Fields: The Great Airwar' or OFF:TGA

The freeware phase 1 version of OFF has been reasonably successful and I would say that it would have sold quite few copies of CFS3 in the time since its release. It will be interesting to see what the guys do with the next phase and also the CFS community response to this announcement.

Good luck to the OFF team.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=12084
http://off.oldbrowndog.net/index.htm

EDIT: As of Feb/March 2006 the OFF team have reverted to a donationware paradigm.

Some More FS X screenshots.

2006-01-09T10:49:00.000+10:00

Just noticed this link posted at AVSIM. The site appears to be Spanish and shows some nice screenshots of an international flavour which I have yet to see elsewhere around the web. Some nice pics in France, especially of the Eiffel tower. Also another pic of the Maule on the snowfield.

More news on Flight Simulator X

2006-01-06T09:23:00.000+10:00

Just thought I'd post a few FS X related links that may be of interest.

FS Insider has just been updated with a press release and some gallery shots.

FS Station has a link to a downloadable .rar of the FS X preview at CES.

AVSIM now have a dedicated FSX sub-forum.

Sim-Outhouse also have a dedicated Flight Simulator X forum. I think they were actually the first when the PC Gamer article was first made known.

Also don't forget the ACES blogs ... always news there.. so far we have comments and items of interest from pixelpoke, Torgo 3000 and Steve Lacey.... looking forward to comments/news from other MS bloggers too.....

Flight Simulator X now announced.

2006-01-05T12:30:00.000+10:00

Flight Simulator X has now been officially announced. MS hope FS X will be ready for the 2006 holiday season [hope that's Oz too].

AVSIM - FS X FAQ
AVSIM - FS X Screenshots

Flightsim.com

There was also a brief preview of the new FS in the webcast of Microsoft's presentation on Windows Vista. The presentation is ongoing as I type this.

The screenshots of Flight Simulator X are very impressive and compulsory viewing. I love the new water effects - especially the shot of the Grumman amphibian, and of course the birds.

Sopwith Snipe

2006-01-01T18:20:00.000+10:00

Here's a WIP pic of a Sopwith Snipe mesh for CFS3 [and probably for FS2004 too - once I figure how to key frame gauge code using parts.xml.] I'm working on this in between other projects.

I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2006.

Whew !

2005-12-31T07:33:00.000+10:00

More on the next FS from Microsoft via AVSIM

Quote:

'In a communication received from representatives of Microsoft Game Studios late yesterday, AVSIM was informed that 'the next instalment of the Flight Simulator franchise' is forthcoming, with a projected release date of Q4 2006. This information was released in response to the inaccurate release date published in US magazine PC Gamer's February edition; AVSIM delayed its publication of this note from MGS until it had verified that this information could be released to the public.'

Personally I am quite pleased about this as my next computer upgrade is scheduled for Q4 2006 anyway. Hopefully Q4 will mean Q4 world wide - as Australia frequently seems to lag behind US and Europe when it comes to Microsoft releases - I think we were a couple of months behind with FS2004 [on another subject XBox 360 will be released here in March - long after its northern release].

Something nice to look forward to anyway.

Being involved in the add-on side of things the SDK is almost as important to me as the main product. Hopefully it will be ready around the same time as FS X.

FS X ?

2005-12-29T12:53:00.000+10:00

On my daily visit to Sim-Outhouse I happened to notice a new forum - FSX General Discussion. On entering I saw a number of new threads on the subject of Microsoft's new sim Flight Simulator X [for X].

I do recall a thread somewhere [possibly AVSIM?] on a Flight Simulator X when XBox 360 was unveiled - many months ago. However this is the first mention such a product being the next incarnation in the popular Flight Simulator franchise.

My first inclination was to suspect some sort of hoax as there has been no official announcement from Microsoft - it's the wrong time of year for April fool's jokes - perhaps too much Christmas cheer? Maybe the ginger wine was a wee bit too strong? Anyway further reading revealed that this is based on a small article in PC Gamer magazine previewing FS 10.

AVSIM and Simviation have threads on this topic too. Just surprised that a magazine beat MS to the punch. Any hints of this on the MS blogs? Well we know there's a new version of FS on the way and of course we have a cryptic 'X Marks the Spot' Christmas greeting from pixelpoke, which could have meant anything ;).

I'm not going to speculate or offer much comment myself on this at the moment. I'm sure Microsoft's official announcements will be forthcoming 'real soon' as they say. If the article is correct then it seems that we'll have quite a rich environment to fly around in featuring cars, trucks, ships and even herds of wild animals going about their business. Cool :)

Sim-Outhouse FSX Forum
Sim-Outhouse initial thread with a scan of the PC Gamer article.
AVSIM thread
Simviation thread.

Looking forward to Microsoft's comments/announcements.

Over Flanders Fields Forums

2005-12-28T09:27:00.000+10:00

This is possibly old news by now, but just in case you don't know there are two new forums dedicated to the Over Flanders Fields [OFF] CFS3 add-on, at SimHQ and Sim-Outhouse.

Some SimHQ threads have been moved to the new forum. I have also updated the links referred to in my post on CFS4 below.

A few pics .... Over Flanders Fields

2005-12-19T08:53:00.000+10:00

I could not resist showing a few pics from Over Flanders Fields along with a dawn pic of my WIP 'Biff' (second from the top).

Over Flanders Fields [OFF] Released

2005-12-18T08:00:00.000+10:00

Phase 1 of Over Flanders Fields more commonly known as OFF has now been released and is available for download.

http://off.oldbrowndog.net/downloads.htm

The OFF team have kindly provided alternative download mirrors at

http://www.polovski.com/offdownload.htm

and

http://www.vko1.com/

Virtual Bristol Fighter F2B 'Biff' project rolls on.

2005-12-13T10:31:00.000+10:00

Just thought I'd post a WIP pic of my virtual Bristol Fighter project here. More pics and WIP news will appear in The Biff Diaries.

OFF Website updated

2005-12-13T10:17:00.000+10:00

Just noticed the OFF [Over Flanders Fields] website has been updated at long last. OFF will be released on 18 December 2005 - not long now.