Leatherneck: F-14A/A+/B Tomcat

[Phantom88 3,287]

**** 2016 Will Be The Year of The Cat**** :smile:

 

Happy New Year :smile:

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Leatherneck F-14 Update Q1

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2729579&postcount=1

 

Dear All,

 

Welcome to Part 1 of our Q1 2016 update! 

 

In both parts of this update; we're going to be focusing on development progress of DCS: F-14A & B. 

These two updates will also be the last before we announce or other new projects. Woo!

 

MiG-21 Fixlist

 

Before we jump into the Kittykat; let's briefly return to the Fishbed. 

We've been splitting our focus between new projects as well as continuously updating the MiG-21. 

 

Below is the major item fixlist from the last couple of months-- including a few that are still pending to be released to a public build;

 

Corrected ASO-2 Randomly not working

R-55 & R-3S tone slave correction

Engine relight system lamp now lights up properly when launching missiles

Corrected various ASP issues (A2G range indicator, Aiming solutions) – WIP

Corrected BLC Gate RPM level

BLC now disengages at 400-420 km/h

Added joystick bindings for radio channel, radio on/off & radio volume

Added joystick bindings for NPP Course Set

Corrected initial position of the KPP

Corrected keyboard mappings for Afterburner (fix for afterburner not working unless assigned to axis)

Flight controls now affect hydraulic pressure

Added CAF/HRZ NATO livery (Thanks Matija Huzjak!)

Fixed mirrored stencils on wings

Fixed SPRD activation with button cover closed

Corrected moving pipper size limits

Corrected landing gear emergency extension

Corrected Oil Pressure indications

Corrected ADI/HSI test discreprancies

Added Nose cone extension with PO-750A Failure

Corrected Lock Target getting stuck with Target Lock On button

Adjusted maximum G Firing limits for R-3S

Corrected canopy ventilation handle functionality

Corrected various issues with the Fuel Indicator

SPS-141 Jammer Pod now works (again! Yay!)

S-5 Rockets now fire in appropriate order (If 4 launchers installed, only 2 fire at once)

Corrected brake pressure indicator

Fixed R55 & R3S tone slaved to radar

Head Ready and Lauch Authorized lights corrected

Corrected more instances of inverted radar symbols

Corrected KPP and NPP knob dependancies

Added joystick binding to Altimeter Pressure Set

Corrected animation of Emergency Transmitter Button

We'll have more information on various open MiG-21 issues, such as backer rewards, in pilot cockpit and other items ASAP.

 

MiG-21 Paintkit

 

The MiG-21 Paint kit is now available and can be found at the link below.

 

Apologies for the long time it's taken to get this to you all; but we wanted to 

make sure the aircraft was final before torpedoing all of your hard work (and for those of you who made it without a kit, sorry anyways!)

 

The .PSDs are backwards compatible up to Photoshop CS6 (possibly lower, untested!)

Feel free to ask for assistance should you need it.

 

www.leatherneck-sim.com/DCS_LNS_MiG-21Bis_Official-Template.rar

 

F-14 Development Update Part I

 

We've just come off the first hard and fast development sprint and crunch on this project-- which are (unfortunately for our sanity and health) to become more frequent as we move towards the end of the year and the (drum roll) inevitable release. 

 

The main focus of the art team still lies with projects other than the F-14; thus comparatively little demonstrable progress is found visually. 

However, all components of the aircraft simulation itself are beginning to come together and form a more cohesive package.

 

     

 

Primary focuses for the team currently remain with the flight model, associated systems (fuel, engines, controls and more) – but we've now also begun building some of the 

visual systems for the aircraft. These include the Heads up Display (HUD), Vertical Display Indicator (VDI) and HSD (Horizontal Situation Display).

 

We're of course maintaining the same refresh rates and accuracy which the real devices possess. You may find it a bit jarring at first to use the basic F-14 HUD; which updates rather infrequently. 

Of course, we'll be making sure all of these devices also look much closer to their counterparts, both in functionality, size as well as projection characteristics. 

 

They're still very much work in progress, so don't mind any misaligned, mis-scaled or in other ways incorrect elements. We are very likely aware of it already. 

 

Worth pointing out is that the cockpit on these images is nothing but a placeholder used to enable our programming staff to execute their work.

Once the cockpit is textured; we then do a full merge together with our codebase. 

 

         

 

While these systems are still quite basic; they will begin to shape up in the next couple of months and be expanded to include all of their relevant modes (lots of inter connectivity here!)

We generally keep all of these types of visual systems, even gauges, and implement them at the very end. 

The systems and flight modeling functionality that lies beneath it all, are far more complex and time consuming.[/indent]

 

Flight Model

 

Since the last update, we have implemented all of the aerodynamics tables we had previously digitized. We currently use around 60 000 data points in a total of about 80 tables for e.g. aerodynamics and control schedules. This gives us a very dynamic feel to the flight model. The Flight Model is already able to accurately replicate well known characteristics of the F-14 such as wing rock, dutch roll, and flat spins. 

 

Another focus lately has been the advanced implementation of flight control logic like trimming, spoiler control and the AFCS. We currently model the pitch, yaw, and roll SAS systems of the AFCS, with the automatic carrier landing system and other auto pilot modes coming later. The SAS system not only stabilizes the airplane, but also augments, for example, the roll rate, allowing for faster maneuvering.

 

Last but not least, we have continued the work on the guts behind the simulation; like for instance our dynamics simulation system. Put simply, we've basically implemented a simulator within the simulator (inception.wav) that allows us to simulate physics and control logic in real time (for you control theory interested people we use state space systems and transfer functions for a lot of the autopilot and control modes).

 

We're glossing over a lot of smaller things that we’ve been working on-- (did someone say wing flex? Hello mass-spring-damper systems!) but suffice to say we’re all really excited about now having a flyable, high fidelity flight model in the simulator.

 

The next major focus area will be further improving the engine model, and we’re currently developing the underlying modeling strategy and data (e.g. various engine maps and logic)

 

 

 

 

 

Model Iteration Pass

 

Our development process is built upon iteration upon iteration; as we consider this to be the best and easiest way to attain accurate and high quality results. 

 

Earlier this year; we began the final revision pass on the F-14 interior and exterior models. Most of the focus ended up on the exterior; which was plagued with various inaccuracies and inconsistencies which needed to be solved. 

Some of these still remain; but we're now much closer to a final model, that can be unwrapped and textured.

 

One of the biggest items on our list, was rebuilding the entire wing from the ground up; re-doing all of the linkages, hydraulics and control surfaces inside of the wing as well.

 

 

 

 

All of the animations have also been redone and appropriately linked with their assigned hydraulic systems. 

In the future, we'll also use bones to appropriately bend the sealant panels on the top and undersides of the wing root, as well as dynamically inflate and deflate the wing sealant bag.

 

 

 

Most of the fuselage and various other parts have been adjusted, the biggest changes have happened in the front fuselage section, including the entire canopy and crew compartment, as well as the vertical stabilizers. 

The aircraft is now far more accurate – but there are several issues that need to be cleaned up (you can see the skewed fuselage hatches, for example)

 

   

 

We've also begun rigging and animating our pilot models for the F-14. 

Of course we try to maintain parity in our rigs to be able to quickly transpose animations between all the pilots we create, be it for the Viggen, F-14 or Pacific aircraft in development.

 

The images below show the low polygon pilot without applied normalmaps, thus the flat look.

 

 

 

  

Forrestal Carrier Update

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2729580&postcount=2

...cont due to image limit

 

Forrestal Class Carrier

 

A couple of weeks ago we began development of a Forrestal Class carrier to go with the F-14. We don't have any plans for this to be a payware module; and thus hope to include it either in the base simulator or bundled with the F-14 package itself.

 

We're aiming for a roughly mid 80s Forrestal Class carrier. 

We don't currently plan on going into too much detail below deck, including the hangar deck; but that is subject to change. 

Minimum carrier functionality and integration into the carrier operations of DCS itself is of course, a given!

 

It's still early days (a few weeks in, after all), but enjoy some renders below. 

We have a number of techniques in mind to maximize texture and model fidelity while ensuring excellent performance; but as always-- we build our artwork to be downsized, rather than the other way around.

 

 

  

 

We've also begun in creating all the required props, crew and other assets required for a full carrier complement. 

The deck crew will of course wear appropriate equipment and colours for their assigned role.

 

We hope to add a library of animations to our deck crew as well; to keep the flight deck lively and interesting.

 

 

We'd like to thank all of you who contributed photos and research to help us build this storied class of carriers. Many thanks!

 

 

That's all for this part of the update!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the second part coming up sometime during next week. 

 

 

And as always, thanks for your support, patience and excitement! 

 

Best Regards,

Leatherneck Simulations Team

 

 

[Phantom88 3,287]

First Multiplayer tests complete

https://www.facebook.com/leathernecksim/posts/1714757075413630

[Silver_Dragon 411]

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Good Days by Leatherneck

https://gfycat.com/ConstantWateryFox

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Leatherneck May, 2 update, carrier deck crew and CV-70/1/2 progress.

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2764182&postcount=1

Hi All,

 

Many thanks for all of your support and excitement for the last update and additional images we posted! 

It's always exciting to share what we're working on; and pretty soon we'll be coming close to sharing years of hard work with you.

 

As we move into May; the team progresses into a hard, month long crunch on the AJS-37 Viggen project. 

Refrain from drawing any conclusions from this cursory information- but we're excited about growing closer to completing our second product and follow up to the MiG-21bis. 

 

We'll soon be stuck neck deep in the superficial polishing stage.

 

In the meanwhile; we continue to work hard on the F-14A / B as well as the accompanying CV-60/1/2 Forrestal class carrier. 

We've completed modeling of our flight deck crew; and will be modifying this base to suit all of the various crew you'd find on a busy carrier flight deck. 

 

Smell my finger

 

We've also already created the low poly version of this particular character; baked him down and rigged him. 

Generally, all of our characters will appear just as detailed in the game as they do in these renders.

 

 

As mentioned in the last update, our goal is to try and include as many deck animations as we possibly can. Of course, it's quite possible that this particular feature will not launch together with the carrier or aircraft. 

However, that has not stopped us taking our first steps with Motion Capture. 

 

Here's a rough capture (pre-cleanup) of one of the many animation sequences we'll be looking to recreate

 

 

The past few weeks have been spent shaping the hull and major structures of the vessel, as well as more detailing on the island and associated components.

 

It's still early days; and while our team has had significant experience in modeling naval vessels in the past months- the Forrestal class is certainly a challenge. 

We'll take another pass at our new base, make sure it is correct, and then move on to detailing the hull and major hull components.

 

 

In the last couple of weeks, we posted a few images and .gifs in various places around the forum. 

On the off chance that some of you missed these; here they are again. 

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record- keep in mind that these are still very early.

 

 

We still have lots of cool F-14 related stuff coming up before we wrap things up and unveil the Viggen, but in the meanwhile, many thanks for reading this short update and for all of your support.

 

 

Thank you!

LS

 

[Pugilist2 878]

Hope to see some Viggen shots soon!

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Foreign Relations by LeatherNeck  XD

 

https://www.facebook.com/leathernecksim/?fref=nf

 

Keeping up Foreign Relations is an important milestone in the development process!

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Other pic of the Leatherneck F-14

 

https://www.facebook.com/leathernecksim/?fref=nf

 

Carrier qualifications underway!

 

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Leatherneck AIM-54 Phoenix flight model on develop to F-14 Tomcat

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=172708

 

Dear All,

 

For the F-14 project, we realized that we'll need to spend considerable time and effort with the development and research for the AIM-54 Phoenix missile. 

 

Not only due to this weapons' unique place as a weapon designed specifically for the AWG-9 radar system, its' role as the tip of the spear of the USN air-to-air capability or even it's amazing range and performance-- but also to ensure that any advantages and disadvantages of the missile are accurately reproduced and respected.

 

It's quite likely that the AIM-54 will change the players' experience in the DCS multiplayer environment. 

Thus, we consider it of the utmost importance to have a wide breadth of open and readily available research available to the community. 

 

We have no horse in this race except for historical accuracy, and with Tom and Márton at our side, we're confident that we'll get as close as anyone ever has.

Please enjoy their initial development report on the AIM-54 below;

 

Basic Overview

 

Since the inception of the F-14 project, we have been working closely with Leatherneck to provide our expertise in providing the most accurate simulation for the AIM-54 that can be reasonably developed on a flight simulation game development budget. The iconic nature of the AIM-54 deserves this level of attention, especially due to its long range and advanced guidance systems; systems that were later incorporated into the AIM-120. It's also very important to maintain strict accordance with real life performance parameters, so that historical advantages and drawbacks are accurately simulated and have the appropriate effect on the multiplayer environment.

 

As it stands of writing, we are currently simulating drag effects at different velocities and altitudes to ensure accurate drag curves. This is perhaps the longest part of the process as each simulation takes hours to run.  

 

This simulation is based off of a 3D CAD model from which has been created based on reliable source material as well as high resolution imagery. The model has been imported into Fluent where a mesh creation, testing and validation process began and has now been completed.

 

Once all the simulations have been run, we are able to take this data and then use it to create velocity/time diagrams. These will be matched against literature estimates to revalidate the model. 

 

Once established, we will then be able to write DCS code which will mirror the in-game missile’s performance to that which has been simulated. The final step is to then assist Leatherneck with their work in guidance and radar algorithms. The missile has the range it does, not just due to its huge motor, but also its advanced lofting profiles. These exist in the game at the moment, but will be significantly expanded, as their simplicity often leading to worse performance than level flight.

 

Research

 

The first step in the process was to data mine as much as possible about the missile. Fortunately, due to its age and public interest, quite a bit of information is available. The most important information for us was the missile’s motor performance and dimensions, the latter being a relatively easy task if taken just from high resolution photographs.

 

As for the motor, there have been a lot of questions raised across the internet about the Mk-47 vs the Mk-60 motor, and which version of the AIM-54 received which- and why? 

 

In summary, the first motor produced for the prototype was the Mk. 47, which yields 364lbs of propellant. The Mk-47 was produced from the mid- 1960’s up through and until ‘92. 

In parallel, the Mk-60 motor was produced with 459lbs of propellant, obviously a much larger motor. However, due to rising costs, this motors' production was cancelled in 1978.

 

What this basically means is that the AIM-54A had the choice of either motor, and by the time that the AIM-54C was available in the late 70’s/early 80’s, the Mk-60 was no longer in production. The motors were not retired, however, and some were still in service in limited number. As the years progressed, the Mk-60 was removed from service as service life came to an end and the AIM-54C and C+ exclusively used the smaller Mk-47 motor. 

 

CAD

 

As mentioned previously, the CAD model for the AIM-54 was created from reference material providing exact dimensions, with more specific details (e.g. angles, radiuses) taken from photographs. 

 

We omitted details that would be otherwise masked by the resolution of the numerical mesh (small protrusions)

 

Figure 1. CAD Model used for the simulation

 

CFD

 

The simulation of the supersonic regimes was carried out using a density based solver with all compressibility effects and SST turbulence. 

 

The mesh was created in a way so that it gives good shock resolution in the necessary velocity regions (M1-M4) and damps possible reflections from the boundaries.  

The mesh uses hexahedral cells to reduce computational costs and improve accuracy.

 

The preliminary simulations managed to reproduce all expected shockwave behaviour and interaction phenomena. Currently, we are testing the mesh to make sure it produces the necessary mesh density convergence. 

 

After this step is complete, we can begin the accumulation of data based on the simulations.

 

Figure 2. Unstructed mesh with refined shock regions

 

Figure 3. Oblique compression and expansion waves along the missile

 

Figure 4. Shockwave interaction along the missile, the image shows constant pressure lines

 

Figure 5. Bow shocks at low supersonic velocity, the image shows the density distribution (lighter = higher density)

 

Future Developments

 

Once the simulations are complete and we are happy with their accuracy, we will create a DCS AIM-54 based on this data. 

Iterative tests and benchmarks will be run at altitude to ensure that it meets the CFD modelling.

 

Once the missile matches like-for-like, we will begin to look at the guidance and lofting algorithms. 

There are a number of sources that already provide clear examples of efficient intercept and guidance laws that include lofting, one such source is directly from the US Navy Academy, for the then new AIM-120A.

 

Beyond literary sources, there are SMEs' willing to share their own accounts and insights into how the weapon is employed, and what we’d expect to see at different launch parameters. 

 

There will be a lot of work and co-operation together with Leatherneck to ensure that the missile is expanded past current DCS guidance parameters. 

This is the second most challenging part of the AIM-54's development, but I am confident that together with the Leatherneck team, we’ll recreate this iconic weapon to the utmost realism and standards available outside of military contracts. 

 

Many thanks to everyone for reading. The team is hard at work on all aspects of the simulation!

 

Thank you for your patience and support, always,

 

Sincerely,

Leatherneck Simulations

 

 

[Phantom88 3,287]

From Cobra..............

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=172708

 

 

Dear All,


For the F-14 project, we realized that we'll need to spend considerable time and effort with the development and research for the AIM-54 Phoenix missile. 

Not only due to this weapons' unique place as a weapon designed specifically for the AWG-9 radar system, its' role as the tip of the spear of the USN air-to-air capability or even it's amazing range and performance-- but also to ensure that any advantages and disadvantages of the missile are accurately reproduced and respected.

It's quite likely that the AIM-54 will change the players' experience in the DCS multiplayer environment. 
Thus, we consider it of the utmost importance to have a wide breadth of open and readily available research available to the community. 

We have no horse in this race except for historical accuracy, and with Tom and Márton at our side, we're confident that we'll get as close as anyone ever has.
Please enjoy their initial development report on the AIM-54 below;

 Basic Overview
ResearchSince the inception of the F-14 project, we have been working closely with Leatherneck to provide our expertise in providing the most accurate simulation for the AIM-54 that can be reasonably developed on a flight simulation game development budget. The iconic nature of the AIM-54 deserves this level of attention, especially due to its long range and advanced guidance systems; systems that were later incorporated into the AIM-120. It's also very important to maintain strict accordance with real life performance parameters, so that historical advantages and drawbacks are accurately simulated and have the appropriate effect on the multiplayer environment.

As it stands of writing, we are currently simulating drag effects at different velocities and altitudes to ensure accurate drag curves. This is perhaps the longest part of the process as each simulation takes hours to run. 

This simulation is based off of a 3D CAD model from which has been created based on reliable source material as well as high resolution imagery. The model has been imported into Fluent where a mesh creation, testing and validation process began and has now been completed.

Once all the simulations have been run, we are able to take this data and then use it to create velocity/time diagrams. These will be matched against literature estimates to revalidate the model. 

Once established, we will then be able to write DCS code which will mirror the in-game missile’s performance to that which has been simulated. The final step is to then assist Leatherneck with their work in guidance and radar algorithms. The missile has the range it does, not just due to its huge motor, but also its advanced lofting profiles. These exist in the game at the moment, but will be significantly expanded, as their simplicity often leading to worse performance than level flight.
CAD
The first step in the process was to data mine as much as possible about the missile. Fortunately, due to its age and public interest, quite a bit of information is available. The most important information for us was the missile’s motor performance and dimensions, the latter being a relatively easy task if taken just from high resolution photographs.

As for the motor, there have been a lot of questions raised across the internet about the Mk-47 vs the Mk-60 motor, and which version of the AIM-54 received which- and why? 

In summary, the first motor produced for the prototype was the Mk. 47, which yields 364lbs of propellant. The Mk-47 was produced from the mid- 1960’s up through and until ‘92. 
In parallel, the Mk-60 motor was produced with 459lbs of propellant, obviously a much larger motor. However, due to rising costs, this motors' production was cancelled in 1978.

What this basically means is that the AIM-54A had the choice of either motor, and by the time that the AIM-54C was available in the late 70’s/early 80’s, the Mk-60 was no longer in production. The motors were not retired, however, and some were still in service in limited number. As the years progressed, the Mk-60 was removed from service as service life came to an end and the AIM-54C and C+ exclusively used the smaller Mk-47 motor. 
CFDAs mentioned previously, the CAD model for the AIM-54 was created from reference material providing exact dimensions, with more specific details (e.g. angles, radiuses) taken from photographs. 

We omitted details that would be otherwise masked by the resolution of the numerical mesh (small protrusions)


Figure 1. CAD Model used for the simulation

The simulation of the supersonic regimes was carried out using a density based solver with all compressibility effects and SST turbulence. 

The mesh was created in a way so that it gives good shock resolution in the necessary velocity regions (M1-M4) and damps possible reflections from the boundaries. 

The mesh uses hexahedral cells to reduce computational costs and improve accuracy.

The preliminary simulations managed to reproduce all expected shockwave behaviour and interaction phenomena. Currently, we are testing the mesh to make sure it produces the necessary mesh density convergence. 

After this step is complete, we can begin the accumulation of data based on the simulations.

Figure 2. Unstructed mesh with refined shock regions

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1325x814.

Figure 3. Oblique compression and expansion waves along the missile

Figure 4. Shockwave interaction along the missile, the image shows constant pressure lines

Figure 5. Bow shocks at low supersonic velocity, the image shows the density distribution (lighter = higher density)

 

Future Developments

Once the simulations are complete and we are happy with their accuracy, we will create a DCS AIM-54 based on this data. 

Iterative tests and benchmarks will be run at altitude to ensure that it meets the CFD modelling.

Once the missile matches like-for-like, we will begin to look at the guidance and lofting algorithms. 

There are a number of sources that already provide clear examples of efficient intercept and guidance laws that include lofting, one such source is directly from the US Navy Academy, for the then new AIM-120A.

Beyond literary sources, there are SMEs' willing to share their own accounts and insights into how the weapon is employed, and what we’d expect to see at different launch parameters. 

There will be a lot of work and co-operation together with Leatherneck to ensure that the missile is expanded past current DCS guidance parameters. 

This is the second most challenging part of the AIM-54's development, but I am confident that together with the Leatherneck team, we’ll recreate this iconic weapon to the utmost realism and standards available outside of military contracts.

Many thanks to everyone for reading. The team is hard at work on all aspects of the simulation!

Thank you for your patience and support, always,

Sincerely,
Leatherneck Simulations

:smile:  :smile: Dragon beat me again!!!! :smile:  :smile: LOL

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Bunyap show a pre-Alpha develop version of Leatherneck F-14 Tomcat.

 

Actually F-14 Team has centred on develop functionality. The F-14 Team has separate of other LN project teams.

 

This is early development footage of the DCS: F-14A/B Tomcat module being produced by Leatherneck Simulations:

 

Check here for the latest updates:

http://www.leatherneck-sim.com/f14/

https://www.facebook.com/leathernecksim/ 

https://forums.eagle.ru/forumdisplay....

 

F-14 Tomcat Design Evolution:

 

One correction: The F-14 development team is completely separate from the Viggen team with programmers working on the Tomcat full time. It is only Cobra who is moving from one to another as I noted.

 

 

Update de Cobra

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=2902732&postcount=1

Dear All,

 

Bunyap was awesome enough to take the time and help us with releasing some very early carrier physics trapping and mechanics footage! 

 

We've made a lot of progress over the past few weeks in implementing appropriate physics forces and other mechanics that allow for extremely accurate carrier trapping mechanics. This also brought with it a lot of work on the suspension of the aircraft.

 

Big thanks from the LN team to Bunyap and his awesome work to the community

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[cenkcnk 24]

delayed to end of 2017

[Silver_Dragon 411]

Correct, Leatherneck delayed F-14 Tomcat to Mid / Late 2017 on Hoggit.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/hoggit/comments/5fdkal/we_just_announced_the_dcs_ajs_37_viggen_now_were/dajdo0l/

Development is progressing very well, with a slight dip in production speed due to the impending Viggen release. Mid to late 2017 is looking very likely, but we’ll keep you well informed until then. A HUGE amount of FM and systems work has been developed in the background for this Aircraft, and we are really excited to show it all off starting very early next year.