How do you do it?

[Guest skydvdan1]

Hello all, Well I finally decided to try to start giving back to the flightsim community and began on building my first plane but I have some questions? First let me say that I'm using FSDS 2.xx. My first question is when you guys design your planes, do you build a part then texture it, then move on to the next part and texture it? Or do you design the whole plane and then texture it when completed? What do you do and why? Also, texturing buildings seems pretty easy but rounded objects, like fuselages seem a lot harder, is this true or not? Next, where can I find the best newbie tutorials? Though my project is coming along I feel like I'm re-inventing the wheel with most of the things that I'm doing. I'm sure there's an easier way. Next, can FSDS aircraft be used as AI aircraft? Finally, I've been told by some that FSDS designed aircraft performance (FPS) is not as good as GMAX built planes. While others have said that they are the same, they just do the same thing in different ways. What is the truth? Thanks for any help guys. I'll post some screenshots in the near future. Dan RelfeC-130 Flight EngineerUSAF

[Guest Valid_Andy]

Hey Dan,First of all I'll say its good for more designers to keep coming, so keep at it:PBasically I'll say what I do in processes to make an aircraft:Build the WHOLE model, appart from the odd detail which you don't have enough info for at the moment, I mean small things, such as Spoiler hydraulics/jacks.Then, I start the Animate most things in the model. I do this before texturing because sometimes animations can screw up, or they have weird problems which makes them hard to animate.Then, I will eventually start texturing the model. I do texturing last because when you begin to texture the model, it rapidly reduces the speed of which the program will run at, atleast it does for gMax which I am using.Next bit - I'm not sure on the texturing, the way I do it it's all the same, but I do not map the textures professionally, although mapped accurately for me, I don't do it the same way some tutorials show it - but then again I'm not sure what the differences between gMax and FSDS2 are for texturing.Don't worry about howlong it takes you to learn to model. I have been going possible 1 and a half years to 2 years, and I haven't released any models! There is no STILL in that sentence for a reason, It doesn't matter when you release your first one. What matter is that it looks how you want it to, and don't let anyone pressure you. I have never textured before about 2 months ago, and yet I have made quite a few models, none of which ever fully finished. I chose to model until they matched MY needs, MY quality. My next project after this one will have some features which I don't believe anyone has ever done before, but they have touched on it with different parts of the aircraft using the same technique.About FSDS and AI, my basic answer would be YES, but how far they can go i'm not sure. I've never fooled with FSDS, so I do not know if they can have LOD models, but if you make a basic model it can be used for AI, You can use any model for AI, it's the frame rates and techniques to make it have good performance which I am not sure about, but i'm guessing it can, you'll need someone with a bigger FSDS knowledge than me to answer that.The section about performance from FSDS and gMax. As far as I know, the performance should be identical if you have two identical models. From my experience of going in many forums, the people who complain about FSDS having lower performance generally have no idea what they are talking about what so ever:P People don't realise the difference between FSDS and FSDS2. FSDS DID have lower performance than FSDS2 as far as I know, but what we have to rembmer is FSDS and FSDS2 now have different model formats, and different animation methods. Either way you shouldn't have any problems with performance designing with FSDS2.Tutorials I know for FSDS/FSDS2 (Same modelling techniques?) can be found at www.freeflightdesign.com, and they have a forum for any thing else needed. I haven't really gone into looking for tutorials for FSDS, as I've never touched the stuff:)I hope my babbling helps, and any one who wants to correct me about anything please go on to do so:7 Good luck with designing my friend, and I hope we see something from you some time, whenver you feel you are ready! Remember: Do not let people pressure you into anything:9