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An old project brought up to date: Canso PBY-5 of SAGQ

Sorry for the inconvenience but this morning my PC has crashed and nothing was working:(

Thanks to Macrium Reflect and my disk images, I was able to rebuild my Windows system but a second issue this afternoon with Dropbox forced me to redo the archive.
The current link is therefore now :


Sorry again but given the time I lost today, I am happy that both smulators and the others software work perfectly :engel016:
 
@Joe,
Post #215, I put a temporary link (to my Dropbox) valid for about ten days.
That you do not read the previous 10 pages is understandable, but reading at least the last page of the thread is not too much to ask :p
Thank you lagaffe for pointing me back to post 215. I had used that link, but never having used dropbox before, when I saw the leaf with the warning "file is too large to load here", i exited without trying the download button thinking it wouldn't work. So I tried an old page on french vfr which also didn't work. I tried the drop box again and still got the leaf with the warning but clicked the download button anyway and now all is good. Thankyou!! many times being old and tired has downsides.

Thanks again, Joe.
 
With v.0.9.3, wake on floats not detected in fs2024. Aircraft seems to tip too far left or right onto the floats. Floats contact point seems a bit low in the water, aircraft wants to circle slowly in the water as a result.
 
With v.0.9.3, wake on floats not detected in fs2024. Aircraft seems to tip too far left or right onto the floats. Floats contact point seems a bit low in the water, aircraft wants to circle slowly in the water as a result.

The wing floats contact points are an easy fix, but the wing float wake still doesn't appear in FS24 and the plane will still pivot around the wing float in the water - I use Toolbar Pushback as a 'virtual anchor'.
I press keyboard 'Y' to enter slew mode and stop the plane moving, then press 'Y' again to toggle it off and quickly press the 'Pushback' button on the Toolbar Pushback window:

 
The problem of wingtip floats is not as simple as it seems.
This aircraft was released in 2022 when at that time the management of this type of floats was not yet implemented in MSFS. To work around this problem, I used the Spoilers function which provided two advantages:
- being able to trigger the movement of floats
- bring an additional time to the plane’s train to slow it down as physics proves

Since the floats are managed natively, but modifying everything would require redoing many models already written and tested, so I tried to mix this new management with the existing one.
My choice was to add additional calculations to know the bank of the plane and if the plane is on the water from a certain value (+ or - 1.25°) a variable changes from 0 to 1 to indicate that the float touches the water and therefore that the effect must be displayed.

For an effect to appear, it takes a certain amount of time (sprites should be appear after a specific time) which causes a slight delay and can explain why it does not appear at the right moment.

For the effects, I used the native effects of FS20 but some have been modified and are no longer exactly the same under FS24.
I have to quietly test this on FS20 then on FS24, because I remind you that this plane was originally designed for FS20.

Today is Sunday and so from time to time, I also rest a little ... we’ll see quietly tomorrow to solve this problem. Thank you for waiting a little ;)
 
Hi,

In the latest SDK, by searching in the variables of the simu I finally found those that match the floats, are they categorized in the GEARS (sic)

=> https://docs.flightsimulator.com/ht...ars/Aircraft_Brake_Landing_Gear_Variables.htm
These SimVars are related to the landing gear of the aircraft. Note that some of them require an index to identify the landing gear. This index value should be one of the following:
GEAR POSITION:index [settable]
  • ...
  • 6 = Left Float Retracted
  • 7 = Right Float Retracted
  • ...
RETRACT LEFT FLOAT EXTENDED If aircraft has retractable floats. Percent (0 is fully retracted, 100 is fully extended) [not settable]
RETRACT RIGHT FLOAT EXTENDED If aircraft has retractable floats. Percent (0 is fully retracted, 100 is fully extended) [not settable]

Regarding the provided planes, there are not many amphibian models but I still found one: the Latecoere 631 from Microsoft and made by a Frenchman: Bluehmesh.
What is funny is that this developer also used the same trick as me by calculating the inclination of the plane to know if the floats touched the surface of the water or not.
As far as I’m concerned, my last tests I was using a value of 2.5° then I decreased to 1.25°, the Latecoere uses a value of 0.7°.

With this information, I think I can modify the current code at a minimum to manage to visualize waves behind the floats.

[EDIT]
This information from the SDK is incorrect: a bug has been submitted on this subject
=> https://devsupport.flightsimulator.com/t/gear-position-index-can-only-control-the-main-gear/8387

and Asobo’s response speaks for itself: SDK says settable but in fact it can be only read :mad:

1762789226999.png

This solution based on the value taken by GEAR POSITION:6/7 cannot be used :banghead:.
 
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Oouuuuffff ! Yes, I got it :p and without the help of Asobo's SDK ;)

1762795145544.png

With some angle (0.7°) on the left, the left float create its wake, idem for the right one in the other direction and when the PBY is under a threshold altitude (0.05 ft) the two floats have their own wake.

I will be able to take care of the AP for Ed and the other problems that have accumulated in the ChangeLog (section ToDo for v1.0)
 
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Curently, I don't know. At the beginning of the project, the 6A and the military versions were not planned, I have already deviated from my plans.

Technically it's possible (I have enough documentation to create the inside of this compartment with a lot of details) but it need at least 2 months:
- closing the fuselage exterior,
- modifing the fuselage interior to add the necessary bulkheads,
- add some essential details: the engineer’s gauges for fuel management, the small kitche, move the apu to the part dedicated to it
To be consistent it would be necessary to review the fuel management (levers and selectors to move from current position to the third bulkhead) ) and the panel just behind the pilots.
Without counting the military VC that I started and that should be finished (Sperry gauges).

Afterwards, I can do what is strictly necessary to have the external appearance of the PBY-5 but that would be a shame.

In short, I will finish what is already underway and planned and then I will see because the next project is already under consideration and should start part-time very soon. I don’t say no but I postpone my response to the end of the year, at which time I hope I will have more perspective to decide.

I noticed that the windows above the pilots were white. However, at the request of Ferondoe (Marty), I reviewed the UVs of these objects between v0.9.2 and v0.9.3. By the way, v0.9.3 was upgraded last night with the latest modifications so if you use the last link I gave (the one on the top of this page) you should be able to get it (I didn’t modify the ChangeLog, I just fixed the display of the wakes behind the floats, some XML codes and these UVs).
 
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Hi Didier,
I'm downloading the latest version. I have a few more elusive parts of the textures (see picture): one of the trimtabs on the elevators, the area around the exhausts, and as you say, the windows above the cockpit. If you can help me find those, it would be great.
Also, the engines use the same textures, so it is impossible to make camo schemes where the engines have different colors. No problem yet, but I thought I'd mention it.
Another thing I noticed: the machine gun in the bow turret disappears as you zoom out.
 

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Ok, i noted.
Currently, Hollister56 and Tiger1962 had noticed an incorrect behavior of the Heading Bug (coupled with the AP. I am finding a solution for that before before switching to improving UVs and textures.

The three machine guns use a large number of polygons so they are placed only in LOD00 and not in LOD01. Therefore, when one zooms out, FS changes its LOD and switches to the LOD01, the machine guns disappear. I will try to modify the parameters that adjust this transition from one LOD to another to mitigate this sudden change.

Actual version for the military version:
<LOD minSize="50" ModelFile="PBY5_BlackCat_Int_LOD00.gltf">
<AttachModel id="Military"/>
<AttachModel id="Rhea"/>
</LOD>
<LOD minSize="20" ModelFile="PBY5_BlackCat_Int_LOD01.gltf">
<AttachModel id="Military"/>
</LOD>
I have to find best values than (50,20).
 
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I've been chipping away at the paintwork, what do think? Worn enough, or do you want more paint removed?

59 (00001) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

and I started on yet another paintjob (still wip):
snafu(00008) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

snafu(00007) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Didier, I can't find the textures for the walkrails at the nose, below the turret, that are now always black. Also, that little triangle just behind the main wheels is proving elusive. Can you tell me where I can find these textures?
 
Very good stuff Jankees !

As far as I’m concerned, the level of scratches and dirt on the plane seems satisfactory. Doing much more doesn’t seem realistic to me: who would want to fly in a plane patched up with tape?
I know that the liveries of aircraft that have lived are fashionable but IMO with the current repaint, the right level is established.

The UVs for the workrails are not done currently: it's just a material with a black color. I will do this very soon.
For the little triangle, the UVs are on the "ailes.png" like this:

1763023799303.png

This week I was supposed to start reviewing UVs but with Hollister56, we found a bug in the compass management.
By going into more detail, I noticed that the animations were incorrect. So I took over this instrument but it has 5 different animations and there are two compasses on each plane, so it’s not very funny to redo everything and it takes time.
Yesterday, the standalone model was finished, tested and works perfectly in the military version.

I still have to replace them in the 5 other variations and recompile everything (10 exports to to) to finish the v0.9.3 version which should be ready tonight and release on my site.

The first step will be to migrate the military model of Blender 2.83 which works with the plugin from Vitus to Blender 3.6.xx and the latest plugin from Asobo in order to have the latest functions offered by the SDK: scratches, fingerprints on the windows, formation of ice on the wings and the windshield.
As the management of shaders has been deeply modified between these two plugins, ALL materials will need to be redone.
For this, the authors of these plugins have added to the Blender interface a "Migration Material Datas" button that allows reconfiguring old shaders so that they are compatible with the version of Blender used and therefore allow export correctly.

1763025116117.png

I did not count the material's number per plane but it must be between 30 and 40.
After these long and laborious manipulations, it will then be necessary to redo this for the five 3D models, which further increases the risk of error but I think I have a faster method to achieve this goal by scripting out all the materials of a model and importing in one go the materials of an already upgraded model.
This will also allow me to import the windshield materials and ice formation that I had developed for the Aeronca, which will make me gain time by increasing the functions proposed for these aircraft. The black lines precisely represent these devices intended to receive "hot air" from the engines in order to melt the ice in formation

During these manipulations, I will also rename the textures in a more compliant way: ailes.png will become wings_albd.png, etc and I will create the necessary Comp and Normal textures. Ferondoe sent me their two files "ailes.png & "fuse.png" with the lines and rivets layers to be able to create Normal files for all models. But if you want to, I can also see with yours if we can improve these layers even more

Just a quick look to realize the number of files needed for this addon:

1763026846263.png
In short, theses things will move a little in the next days (of course, I will be careful not to destroy the work of the repainters ;) ) and I have a lot of work, just for the textures.
 
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Ha, I'd better stop creating more paints then, if you are going to redo everything. I did find the triangles indeed, on the ailes (odd, because they are part of the fuselage?).
If you are going to revisit all the materials, I have one more suggestion: at the moment, I find all the glass too reflective, maybe something to look at as well?
 
Last month, I was indeed planning to review all the UVs but as I advanced in the project, I realized that it might be a collosal work.
For the exterior, I will simply try to slightly improve them without modifying too much, only small objects like triangles are likely to be modified. For the rest: the wings themselves and the fuselage, which are the objects that have been reviewed by the repaints, I will try to keep them in their original state.
Why I wanted to do this: to allow you to add more details but since it seems to be correct and to allow you to work, I think it’s better to think twice.
For the interior, however, I will indeed review the UVs quite strongly.

In fact, what I didn’t see while working on these planes is that there are transfers between formats. At the beginning of the project, I have some objects that are pinned on textures but do not have UVs. I didn’t think it was possible, I searched on the Net to see if my concern was unique but so far I haven’t found anything. Ors, in this list of objects (there are less than 5) is the fuselage, and the cockpit. So I will need to do at least something on the fuselage to resolve this warning that appears during compilations.

For the glass I note this point in the ToDo list, especially that in the current version I haven’t yet added the glass on the instruments but they exist in the Blender files.
In previous versions, I had also put windows inside and some had noticed that when looking through the windows, the landscape became blurry. Since then, I have found the origin of this: it is a poorly appropriate choice of material so on the final version I will put them back but benefiting from the experience I had on the Aeronca in which I put: external windows for the management of rain and snow and internal windows for ice and steam.

PS: Meanwhile, I just finished replacing the two compasses in the 6 models, so all we have to do is export, then compile and test.
 
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