Boeing B-47 Stratojet Multi-Variant History Package for FS9

[Mick]

Thanks Josh.

I just want to make clear, for anyone who might not have been following this conversation, that those alternate coordinates are an FSX adaptation, not for FS9.

 

[Josh Patterson]

If you use this in FSX, here's a tweak to the smoke system to the early and late variants so the smoke trails don't run vertical instead of in line with the engines.

Here's what is currently in the aircraft.cfg files.
[smokesystem]


smoke.0 = 1.6, -38.18, -46.1, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.1 = 0.0, -18.36, -24.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.2 = 0.0, -18.36, -22.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.3 = 0.0, -18.36, 22.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.4 = 0.0, -18.36, 24.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.5 = 1.6, -38.18, 46.1, fx_B-47_Exhaust

Copy and paste this in its place in in the aircraft.cfg file in both the early and late folders.

[smokesystem]
smoke.0 = -38.18, -46.1, 1.6, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.1 = -18.36, -24.0, 0.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.2 = -18.36, -22.0, 0.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.3 = -18.36, 22.0, 0.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.4 = -18.36, 24.0, 0.0, fx_B-47_Exhaust
smoke.5 = -38.18, 46.1, 1.6, fx_B-47_Exhaust



Had I flown one of the later versions first this might have gone quicker as the effect locations for the water/alcohol injection are in the correct order!

(Oh, I don't know why the 2nd exit command wouldn't open the sliding canopy on the XB-47 yesterday but it is working fine today!)

Fixed the first sentence to clarify this post. Thanks for posting this EXTENSIVE B-47 set! (Just flew the turboprop this morning. Pretty fast even with the outboard engines shut down!

 

[zswobbie1]

Probably the confusion is that the mods are for FSX & this is a FS2004 forum.

Any chance of mods for us FS2004'ers? (Please?)

 

[anels9]

Mick, I’ve noticed some bleeding through of the model (you can see the sky/ground). I’ve emailed david but haven’t got anything back, maybe you could possibly email him on my behalf please

 

[Mick]

Probably the confusion is that the mods are for FSX & this is a FS2004 forum.

Any chance of mods for us FS2004'ers? (Please?)

No need. Those mods are not an FS9 fix, they're an FSX conversion.

 

[Mick]

...Just flew the turboprop this morning. Pretty fast even with the outboard engines shut down!

The XB-47D set a world speed record for turboprops. I don't know if the outboard turbojets were running then.

 

[Mick]

Mick, I’ve noticed some bleeding through of the model (you can see the sky/ground). I’ve emailed David but haven’t got anything back, maybe you could possibly email him on my behalf please

I have a clue about what seems to be happening but I have no clue at all about how to fix it. I see that David has seen your post and I'm sure he'll reply as soon as he figures it out.

However, I saw no transparency like that when I was painting the plane, nor when I took screen shots. Maybe I just didn't notice, but it's hard to miss something like that when you're constantly studying the plane while painting textures. That makes me wonder if you have reflectivity enables in your sim - though I must admit that I don't know if that would make the alpha channel produce transparency instead of reflectivity.

 

[anels9]

I have a clue about what seems to be happening but I have no clue at all about how to fix it. I see that David has seen your post and I'm sure he'll reply as soon as he figures it out.

However, I saw no transparency like that when I was painting the plane, nor when I took screen shots. Maybe I just didn't notice, but it's hard to miss something like that when you're constantly studying the plane while painting textures. That makes me wonder if you have reflectivity enables in your sim - though I must admit that I don't know if that would make the alpha channel produce transparency instead of reflectivity.

sorry i should clarify, this is not a texture issue but a model issue.

 

[this4dave2]

Alex:

I answered your email a couple of days ago.

Over the last 2 days as time allowed I have been checking various different models in the flightsim how ever i do not see what you described as model bleed through. Can you please take a screen shot of what you are seeing and send it to me.

the only thing i can see resembling what you are calling bleed through is in the Navigators compartment which is actually looking in a window on one side of the fuselage and out the window on the opposite fuselage side.

please clarify

David

 

[Mick]

Here's one more data point. I just looked at every skin on every model and couldn't see any bleed-through. This time I was looking for it, so it's not just that it slipped past me because I was concentrating on something else.

I also did an experiment with settings. I turned off reflectivity and saw that it only turns off reflections on reflective textures; it does not make the textures transparent. So that's not it. OK, so two data points.

No solution though...

 

[Mick]

A screenie might offer a clue...

 

[anels9]

ive sent dave an email with corresponding photos

 

[Mick]

ive sent dave an email with corresponding photos

OK, I'm sure I'll see them pretty soon, when I check my e-mail.

I understand that you inspired this project. Thank you! It's the best thing David and I ever did. I'm sure David can get it looking right on your rig.

 

[anels9]

OK, I'm sure I'll see them pretty soon, when I check my e-mail.

I understand that you inspired this project. Thank you! It's the best thing David and I ever did. I'm sure David can get it looking right on your rig.

sadly dave is not willing to fix the errors i brought to his attention. all good, will still fly it, just needed some cleaning up around the edges

 

[Mick]

sadly dave is not willing to fix the errors i brought to his attention. all good, will still fly it, just needed some cleaning up around the edges

I misunderstood your earlier comments. I took "bleed-through" to refer to translucency in the models so you could see things through the parts. When I saw the screenies I realized that you meant gaps between the parts.

Well, I'm not surprised that David doesn't want to fix those little gaps. They aren't very conspicuous. I looked all over those models when I was painting the skins, zoomed in real close to make sure things like panel lines lined up, and to make sure none of the details impinged on things like the bomb bay or landing gear doors, and none of those gaps jumped out and poked me in the eye. Now I'm old and freely admit that my eyes aren't what they used to be, but still... I've seen well-regarded payware planes that were worse, and I didn't notice them either until someone pointed them out to me.

Perfection would be nice but it has a cost. Time spent correcting barely visible glitches on a project is time not available for other projects, or flying, or doing non-FS stuff. That's an important factor for folks like David and me who never have enough hours in the day or enough days in the week for all the things that we want to or need to do.

There is an old French saying, "Il meglio è nemico del bene", "The best is the enemy of the good." It's usually attributed to Voltaire, but he cited it as an old Italian proverb. It means that the time and effort spent striving for perfection can inhibit you finishing what you're trying to do.

Sometimes when I get too deep into the details of a paint job I have to remind myself that FS is a hobby based on a computer game, not a museum. Maybe if we were publishing payware we might feel compelled to strive for perfection. I don't know about David, but I wouldn't want to be in the payware business, partly for that reason.

I hope you can overlook those little gaps and enjoy the Stratojet package and have fun with it. Despite its flaws I still think it's the best thing David and I have done yet and I'm really pleased that you put him up to it.

 

[Mick]

Texture Fix

I just uploaded a texture fix for the B-47 History Package.

A sharp-eyed downloader reported a couple spots on the jet pod intake lips that allowed tiny bits of the background color of the texture files to show up. A close look at that revealed a slight mismatch of the red turbine warning stripes towards the read of the pods.

The flaws were so small that only one person out of the hundreds who've downloaded the B-47 package noticed it, or at least bothered to point it out. Though the flaws were probably small enough to ignore, the fixes were too simple to leave undone.

The edited textures are in a zip file set up so that all you have to do is aim WinZip at the main Aircraft folder, (or whatever folder the Stratojets are in) and click Yes" when windows asks if you want to overwrite files.

View attachment 82946

 

[Mick]

B-47 Package Texture Fix

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Military - Jets

Description: This is a fix for a couple of little glitches on the engine pod textures in the B-47 History Package. Installs simply with just a couple clicks. Corrections by Mick.

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit B-47 Package Texture Fix
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

 

[demile]

Ayone try the mdlc converter to get this into cfs 2?

 

[Mick]

Ayone try the mdlc converter to get this into cfs 2?

If anyone knows how, they're welcome to do it.

I don't know much about CFS2 but I wonder if it can handle reflective textures? The early vintage of that sim makes me suspect not. All the skins but one are reflective, and that one, the AACS plane "Sweet Marie," wasn't a combat aircraft. If someone knows a way to convert the textures so the plane will appear silver instead of dark gray, they're welcome to do that too.

 

[demile]

I know mdlc util has a feature for shineness or to add shining to the model. If it does convert we do need a dp expert for weapons or bombloads.