Weird Model Prob

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi,I'm using the default C172 aircraft but with my own model of a similar size as I'm learning the various parameters of FS with respect to aircraft design.The model and all animations are fine, however it will not sit on the ground. It seems to lack a rear right wheel (which I have conirmed is there in FS), and falls over, into the ground, where it proceeds to flat spin! It flies fine if you slew upwards, but the second any of the wheels contact (you hear the associated noise and the model appears OK), but the second the gear touches the tarmac/whatever, it slows down very rapidly as if you landed with the brakes applied (but in 2ft), and again disappears into the ground!!!!!! If you slew downwards, it sits just above the tarmac as I would expect, only crashing when I resume the sim.Any ideas? I'm trying to learn how contact points are calculated, but this is getting frustrating!!!!!!!!I am prepared to write a complete new aircraft.cfg file if required, but if possible, I'd like to only include the parts pertaining to the the contact points so it will sit on the ground, should this be the case.I have attached the gMax file with the hope someone can advise where I have gone wrong! Presently, the settings I'm using for the contact points are:point.0 = 1.000, 1.000, 0.000, 0.000, 1500.000, 0.000, 1.000, 22.000, 0.000, 2.500, 0.700, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000point.1 = 1.000, -3.000, -3.200, 0.000, 3500.000, 1.000, 2.000, 0.000, 0.000, 2.500, 0.700, 0.000, 0.000, 2.000, 0.000, 0.000point.2 = 1.000, -3.000, 3.200, 0.000, 3500.000, 2.000, 2.000, 0.000, 0.000, 2.500, 0.700, 0.000, 0.000, 3.000, 0.000, 0.000Many thanks in advance!Best regards,VulcanB2.

[Guest Firestriker]

The first thing I saw that was wrong with your model is that is sits with the bottom of the wheels vertically at 0. This is fine for a static model but doesn't work for one that is flyable. Position your model vertically so that the gMax Y axis runs thru the "virtual crankshaft" of the engine.Next is the front to back position. It looks like your wing has a cord of 4.436' so the leading edge of the wing should be 1.109' forward of the gMax X axis.It looks ok for centering side to side.Once you have it positioned you can take measurements directly from your models and put them into the aircraft.cfg file.I have attached a modified version of your model so you can see what I am talking about.Lou

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi Lou,Thanks for your reply! :)I understood what you were saying regarding the placement of the model and taking measurements, so I did that, entered it into the aircraft.cfg file and... it is still sinking and spinning around (backwards).It is fine flying - it is when it contacts the ground that I have a problem. :(I'm strongly suspecting the FDE as this seems able (from what I've read) to override the .cfg file and/or contain other data (including model details). Apart rom this, can you see anything wrong with the model? I did try earlier another, 3rd party freeware model that is also used in a freeware package (www.ifdg.net) with the C172, and it exhibited exactly the same characteristics. If there isn't anything wrong with with the model itself, I will carry on and hope it fixes itself with a new FDE! :)Again, many thanks for your help! :)Best regards,VulcanB2.

[Guest Firestriker]

Any values that are in the aircraft.cfg file override values in the *.air file. The *.air file mainly contains flight characteristics now and not so much how the vehicle is placed.Anyway, here is a complete model that sits properly on the ground. The air file has not been modified at all and only the aircraft.cfg file has been modified to get it to sit properly, these being the reference datum, static gear heights and gear contact points.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/120599.jpgLou

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi,Thanks! I'll try that later today! :)Do you know where I can find a near-complete (complete would be great!!) of all animations for FS? I did read on here somewhere that Arnie (?) wrote a list of working animation "hooks", but when I do a search, I get nothing in the results box! :(I've been trying to animate a basic exit, but can't get it to work. I just drew a box primitive and named it the following:* exit* exit0* exit_0* main_exit* mainexit* passenger_doorbut none of the above worked. It was animated using key frames (key frame zero started with the box low relative to the aircraft, with the box rising above the aircraft by frame 100, where the second key frame was. It seemed animated within gMax, so the problem is lying with the name for the main exit animation.I'm aiming to get a model that has the key components working so I can see how it works, and have an example to look at in the future.Thanks for your help again - it is greatly appreciated! :)Best regards,Vulcan.

[Guest Firestriker]

Get and read the MakeMDL_SDK here:http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimul...wnloads_sdk.aspYou should find the answers to most of your questions in it. Also get the other SDKs that pertain to aircraft design.Lou

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi Lou,Thanks for the link! I've already downloaded read those. I forgot to mention that I also tried F_Canopy (are these case sensitive BTW?) and R_Canopy without success (these are mentioned in the SDK). I'm going to try instead FCanopy and RCanopy, but I suspect this will not work. :(Best regards,Vulcan.

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi Lou,Regarding the updated aircraft.cfg: FANTASTIC!! :D THANKYOU!!I'm taking plenty of notes off this one! :) I can make some further progress now! Great! Thankyou!! :)Best regards,Vulcan.

[Guest Firestriker]

F_Canopy (Shift+E) and R_Canopy (Shift+E>2) are the proper names and are key frame animated. Key 0 = Closed, Key 100 = Open. FS2k2 used Door_Passenger and Door_Cargo and they still work in FS2k4, at least they did for me on a recent model I was working on. Also you must have the proper entries in the aircraft.cfg file like:[exits]number_of_exits = 1exit_rate.0 = 0.4 ;Percent per secondHave you gotten the TagTool scrip by Bruce Edge. It is real handy for naming parts quickly. http://www.fsalpha.comLou

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi Lou,Ahhh!! OK! I missed the key-framed animation bit. Great!! :)Thanks for the link, too! VERY useful! :DBest regards,Vulcan.

[Guest VulcanB2]

Hi,I've been examining those contact points, and I think I can see where I went wrong.I noticed you have gMax set up with FEET as the units of measure? Do you export like this? I'd prefer to work in feet, however I was finding that in so doing, the models were *bigger* than they should be! I know those measurements for the .cfg files are in feet, and so was converting the units from gMax accordingly. Odd.Best regards,Vulcan.

[Guest Firestriker]

There are 2 different settings.First and MOST important is the System Unit Scale...and is set on the General tab under Customize > Preferences. These are the units that the model is stored in. This is what MUST be set to 1 unit = 1 meter for all versions of makemdl except the one that shipped with FS2002Pro which used 1 unit = 1 inch. Just remember that when you are building your model, you are working in Real World measurments reguardless of what the scale is set to.The other is Customize > Units Setup. This is what units are displayed when working on the model and has nothing to do with how the model is stored. It is there as a convienence to save you from having to do the math and you can simply put in values in what ever measurment system you like to work in. In fact, if you like to work in decimal feet, like I do, and I need a value in plain inches, all I have to do is type in say 1" and Max will automatically convert my input to 0.083'. You could even type in a metric value, 1m, and Max will convert it to 3.281'. Lou