HTAI F-16D conversion test

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gavinc
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HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by gavinc »

Hi,
I have started working on converting the F-16Ds. They of course have their own special set of issues that I didn't run into with the F-16Cs :smt017

Here is the clean model. I tried it in both my FSX and P3D-v4 install and it seemed to work for me (but then we know what a lousy tester I am :oops: ).
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmOrUMU7XnTMhA186wUjFIlcbf6N

Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks
Gavin
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hschuit
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by hschuit »

I tried the new D model in P3Dv4 (simple take off and land within 20 minutes flight plan at EGVA):
- Model spawns with canopy open, elevator drooped down (nice!).
- Start up and taxi out looks OK. The crew heads slowly turn left and then snap to right, then slowly left again etc.
- Clearance and take off OK.
- After the gear retracts, the flaps stay halfway down - is that correct? This is in the pattern phase.
- Landing/taxi back/shut down OK.
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gavinc
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by gavinc »

hschuit wrote: 14 Sep 2017, 15:32 I tried the new D model in P3Dv4 (simple take off and land within 20 minutes flight plan at EGVA):
- Model spawns with canopy open, elevator drooped down (nice!).
- Start up and taxi out looks OK. The crew heads slowly turn left and then snap to right, then slowly left again etc.
- Clearance and take off OK.
- After the gear retracts, the flaps stay halfway down - is that correct? This is in the pattern phase.
- Landing/taxi back/shut down OK.
thanks for the feedback
- re the crew heads, the FS9 model used tick18 animations which don't work (at least I don't know how to get them working), I am trying using ambient code instead, it works fine one way but as you see there is the jerk back to the start. I haven't done any hacking of the xml yet. When I did the F-16Cs I just froze the head animation, can do that if the jerking is too intrusive.

- re the flaps, they will stay down until the aircraft reaches about 2500 ft, I've seen similar results to what you are seeing when I do a simple take off and land where the aircraft doesn't climb high enough to trigger the flap retract code. They will retract once the aircraft climbs past ~2500 ft.

Gavin
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hschuit
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by hschuit »

Gavin, thanks for your explanation. I tried another flightplan where the aircraft takes off from EGVA with destination EGYM and like you mentioned, the flaps fully retract during the climb out when passing 2500 feet.
BTW: I would prefer the crew heads frozen just like the C model.
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by Weescotty »

Tick18.....FSX replacement -

As you are using XML, this code block will count 0-100 then reset back to 0 as long as the nav light is on.
So the start and end position (0 and 100) keyframes need to be the same.
When the nav light goes off the head will go to 0

<Code>
(A:LIGHT NAV,bool)
if{ (G:Var1) ++ 100 % (&gt;G:Var1) (G:Var1) }
els{ 0 (&gt;G:Var1) 0 }
</Code>

To change length of the animation, change the 100 in 100 % .

It will run at approx 18 frames per second. So using 180 with keyframes from 0 up to 180 would get you roughly a 10 second looping animation.
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John Young
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by John Young »

The "ambient" animation tag in FSX does the same thing Kev so long as the key frames in the model match the xml file animation header - I normally use 0-200.

John
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gavinc
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by gavinc »

John, Kev,
thanks for the tick18 replacement and the info on the ambient tag.
I am guessing that the jerk on the return is because the keyframes don't align with the ambient header.
I have 3 choices
1) extract the head model and re-animate
2) see if I can edit the keyframes directly in the xanim file
3) just lock the heads and move on

Thanks
gavin
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New model to test

Post by gavinc »

Hi,
thanks to Johns insight into how the ambient animation works I have updated the test model.

The heads only had keyframes 0 - 100 so they were only doing one direction of the animation. Using a bit of cut and paste editing of the xanim file I think I have the heads animated properly
I checked it out in my FSX install and it looked good to me (but then I'm biased)

Please test this version
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmOrUMU7XnTMhA6QygWVqq1FXpne

thanks
Gavin
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by Weescotty »

Gavin....using whatever you are doing can you get an FSX model to respond to the 15 min before taxi navigation light on?
At the moment it's a big hurdle for XML coding.
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by gavinc »

Weescotty wrote: 15 Sep 2017, 11:53 Gavin....using whatever you are doing can you get an FSX model to respond to the 15 min before taxi navigation light on?
At the moment it's a big hurdle for XML coding.
Hi,
Nope, that is the holy grail (note to self, must re-watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail soon) that is still to be cracked.

In fact I don't think it can be cracked. As far as I understand it in FS9 animation behaviours like the 15 minutes before nav lights were hard coded in the sim. In FSX they made everything run via xml to make it more flexible. The one big thing we appear to have lost is the 15 minutes thing. I have been racking my brain trying to figure some logic process that could be implemented but I haven't found anyway to schedule something to occur before something the lights go on.

The closest we get is cabin lights. They will come on about 10 minutes before pushback but they only work at night.

Gavin
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by Firebird »

gavinc wrote: 15 Sep 2017, 13:38 Nope, that is the holy grail (note to self, must re-watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail soon) that is still to be cracked.

Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony ...


Getting back to the 15 mins thing I am convinced that the only way it can happen is that somebody codes an addon module that uses simconnect to access the schedule of the chosen base. It then checks to see if an aircraft is due to depart in the next 15 mins and if it then the lights are switched on which would allow any animations dependent upon the lights to be activated.

Whether or not this is actually possible I don't know but hopefully somebody will try it some day and if it works they will immediately become an AI God.
Steve
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by hschuit »

Gavin, I just loaded the latest model (Sep 15) in P3Dv4 and the crew heads are moving smoothly, no more jerking on the return.

Henk.
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gavinc
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Re: HTAI F-16D conversion test

Post by gavinc »

Thanks Henk,

Just putting the last touches on the whole set and they will be ready for release

Gavin
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