RealAir SF 260 Alternate Panels

[Guest weeniemcween]

Hi,So this may appear to be a shameless plug - which it is a bit I suppose - but more important, it is trying to cater to the tastes of forum members:Like many of us, I tweak panels for fun but in this case I was also attempting to please those who were holding off on the sf 260 because they did not like the gray panel. I'm satisfied if I caused just 1 more person to buy the plane and no longer miss out on its awesomeness, as well as giving previous customers a happy variation. I uploaded a panel mod of the fsx RealAir Marchetti which is now available in the avsim library, vcmodsf260fsx.zip Here it is again:http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/we...creenshot-1.jpgHere is a new black one which is basically finished. Some people like black panels but some people really hate them, so cover your eyes if you know who you are:http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/we...n/blackvc-2.jpgI actually think that one looks good when whipping around, due to the great dynamic lighting of the aircraft. If people like it I will see if I can upload it. http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/we...psidedown-1.jpgSo what I'm asking for now is any suggestions for new options, what people would like to see. Perhaps a white panel? I've seen a couple fitted with custom ones.Thanks.

[Guest Mike94]

Thanks a lot for this panel mod. I installed it yesterday and i like it very much! I was waiting for this alternate panel background. For me, this makes flying this great bird even greater!Would be very interesting to see your black panel. It would be very welcome to see it uploaded as well.Thanks again and cheers from germany,Michael

[Tim Arnot 5]

I rather like your black one :) but yes, white would be good too... :D

[macwino 14]

Please do upload the black panel when it's ready. I used one with the fs9 version and really miss it.Thanks a lot.Robert

[Guest sunbear]

Awesome panels to go along with an awesome plane. Thanks...jack

[Guest]

May I add two fun ones?This one is for the ladies (don't forget to wear your sunglasses!):http://i11.tinypic.com/4t6dy5h.jpgAnd this one is for the bushflyers (TIMBERRRRRRRR!):http://i10.tinypic.com/5416rt1.jpghttp://i16.tinypic.com/6f4wcgz.jpghttp://i12.tinypic.com/64568mt.jpghttp://i16.tinypic.com/4ucu7uc.jpghttp://i18.tinypic.com/4vqoqps.jpghttp://i15.tinypic.com/63ws7l4.jpg(These aren't edited screenshots!):(

[Guest etheberge]

I'm using your gray panel and I like it. Good job. I would also try your black panel and I had a chuckle at your wood finish panel, interesting choice :-)You asked for suggestions so here goes. I love the SF260 but my only concern with it has been the feel of the VC. It looks too sterile for my taste. I'd love to see a few things added to liven it up. Things like a few scribbled notes stuck to the panel, charts opened on the seat to your right, maybe a back-pack on the back seat, little things like that. Maybe a few scratches to represent wear and tear, like there already is on the rudder pedals.Here's a few examples for the KatanaX and the BeaverXhttp://www.aerosoft.de/shop-rd/bilder/scre.../katanax_14.jpghttp://www.aerosoft.de/shop-rd/bilder/scre.../katanax_19.jpghttp://www.aerosoft.de/shop-rd/bilder/scre...aver_fsx_55.jpgI don't know if that's even do-able, I have no experience with modifying VC's. Maybe it's part of the model or something.Anyway, you should release them all, having choice is good. I guarantee you someone out there will love that red panel.*EDIT* Just realized that the red and wooded panels were from someone else. Doh! J Van E, you should release them too. I'd be curious to try them.-Erik T.

[Guest weeniemcween]

Thanks guys. It had been a while since I posted and my feelings were starting to get hurt :( . First of all, I got permission directly from RealAir for uploading the bluish panel mod, so anyone else would have to do the same. Most developers don't automatically condone interior mods like they do exterior repaints, some even prohibit them. But personally, I feel that they should be just as tolerated, namely because real aircraft are also modded, altered, and personalized in such ways. Flightsim avionics retrofits are, however, pretty common and sometimes made easier by developers, and I think we will see them often again when realityxp updates their products for fsx. That wooden look is wild, J Van E. I like it. Erik,Things such as bags and charts, anything 3d, has to be modeled and so is not possible without the source material. But a 2d note (so as long as it doesn't extend into space) on the panel is possible, as well as scratches and so forth. The beaver x's checklist is actually a 2d gauge bitmap (voice audio added in with the gauge programming). I'll see if I can upload that black panel - which incidentally is not as pristine as the bluish one - and will begin working on a white panel, and also test 2d notes.

[Guest etheberge]

Thanks for the clarifications. I for one will be looking forward to your future work.-Erik T.

[Guest]

Now for a more serious note (hope you don't mind me participating, weeniemcween!), here is a serious mod, which I quite like myself. Although the effect is of course a bit over the top (you won't see those scratches in a real plane!), the photorealistic metal texture does give the panel a more vivid, 'alive' and worn look. I also made the gauges and the leather a bit darker, for a more solid and suiting look.http://i18.tinypic.com/68hmkjc.jpghttp://i7.tinypic.com/67zhrhj.jpgHere is the exact same view as the first shot, but with the plane facing in the other direction, so you can see what the light does to the color and the effect.http://i14.tinypic.com/506ogty.jpgQuite a difference between the first and last shot when it comes to color! It's big fun turning this plane around and seeing the colors change. ;)Now if only I knew how to change the texture of the throttle quadrant... I can't find that one!

[Guest weeniemcween]

Of course I don't mind, the more the merrier ;). The metal look works well.For the black one, I used the texturizer (on the lowest setting) at one point, which I subdued by applying it only to a copy of the panel which I then repasted over the original, making the new layer mostly transparent before merging them. This resulted in a slight ridge effect, giving the panel more depth. You might try something similar with those scratches, if you find them too obvious, or maybe just lowering the contrast will do the trick. The throttle quadrant texture (I assume you mean the main white one and not the knobs) is the rightmost square in RASSF260_VC_2_T.dds, found in the individual texture folders. Personally, I have left this and the floor textures alone because they, not being in the main tetxure folder, don't transfer to all repaints unless you copy and paste the changed sections into each RASSF260_VC-2_T.dds. I just think restricting my changes to the main tetxure folder will make things easier for when exterior repaints come along. But that's no reason to stop you from experimenting.

[Guest]

I also tried a 'clean' metal texture, but the effect was too subtle, so... I rather have the big scratches. ;)Thx for the tip about the quadrant (indeed the main white one). It's indeed making things a bit complicated when you start to use aircraft-specific textures. (I did that for my timber-version, in which almost all files were edited, but that was merely for fun ;) ). But I might still give it a try myself: no one gets hurt when I fool around with my own textures here. ;)

[Mango 0]

Ohhh, this black panel is very nice :-cool !I am really looking forward to download this one :-wave Thanks for your great work.Heiko

[Guest weeniemcween]

I'm not sure if it was indicated, but I have uploaded the black panel and it is available, if you'd like to perhaps try it with the slew of repaints John Cagle did us the good service of converting for fsx; that is, when you're not flying the new scout package, which you should be :(. vcmod2sf260fsx.zip

[Guest Mike94]

Thanks a lot for the panel mods! I do like the black and the grey versions very much!Have you ever thought of modifying the panels of the Scout/Citabria/Decathlon package for FSX as well? I LOVE the planes, and my heartfully Thanks go to RealAir for this fantastic package! But as with the SF260, i always think that the panel-backgrounds look a bit too 'new', a bit too sterile. I dream of a panel with a bit of wear and tear, which would fit very well to an airplane like a Scout.Thanks again and cheers,Michael