SanFran Pylons

[Christopher Low 5,325]

Four screenshots showing more electricity pylons in the SanFran region.1. Pylons in the mountains east of Hayward.2. Pylons in the background as an AI Windhawk turns onto final approach at runway 30, Byron Municipal.3. The view from above Sausalito.4. New, smaller pylon model hugging the slopes near the Monticello Dam (Lake Berryessa).Chris Low.

[Guest R_Driscoll]

This looks great Chris. Its what I've said all along, nature is fine and all that but you need a bit of good industrial impact to bring out the best in a place. Why, take my petrochemical plants. I ask you who would come and listen to the terns and gulls if they didn't have to come and work in the place? And what is a skyline without a neat row of pylons creating order and precision in a messy treeline. After all, who could best admire a wonderful vista than the person commissioned to blow it up to make a dam? Tongue in cheek. Anyway the pylons Do enhance the realism, and the result takes away from the flatness of the base terrain (which I happen to know is a 64m mesh), adding a bit of verticality and making flying more enjoyable. Well done. Cheers,RobD.

[Hans_Petter 1]

Yes, the lines of pylons look great! I've certainly not discovered all of them but those that I spotted helped create more "verticality".

[adams 1]

Well done. Send me this package, when you finish it, please.B.Adamski

[Christopher Low 5,325]

Bogdan,Yes, I certainly will send you the package when it is finished. I still have a fair way to go, but I am making steady progress each day :-)Chris Low.

[Guest effyouthree]

All,"I still have a fair way to go, but I am making steady progress each day.."Chris didn't mention the substations which will be located adjacent to line ends ;)And we might have some other 'bumps' in the skyline...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107022.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107023.jpgMore previews soon...:-waveRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"

[Guest effyouthree]

From a bird's eye view...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107129.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107127.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107128.jpgRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"

[Guest glidernut]

That looks good jon, lights as well, briliant.That birds got a shadow, you must be flying it.glidernut

[Guest effyouthree]

Thanks, John!It took me 3 attempts over 2 years to get it right. I originally had the guy wires as a transparent mip but it looked kakky. The current ones have 'real' wires, that if you are small enough, you can fly between them :-eek I also did the 3D model a different way which makes the transparency work well on the complex struts and girders of the tower. I'm quite chuffed, actually ;)"That birds got a shadow, you must be flying it."Indeed I was and it does... I originally did it on your suggestion but I couldn't make the wings flap (well, I could but it does terrible things to the aerodynamics and you end-up ducking and diving) so I just use it as a tiny glider. With an average speed of 14kts at -50fpm, one can soar around all day. You only need the slightest thermal and it's real hard to get down! Oh, and don't dive over 50kts or you rip the feathers out...Perfect for checking out new models and airport layouts. Just don't fly too close to an active runway or it gets rather hectic :-lolDidn't I send you one? I know RobD got one. This was the 'Butcher Bird' you sent to me ages ago. I also have a seagull(??!), which is even smaller but it's a real handful to fly. I'll send you what I have if you'd like :-waveRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"

[Christopher Low 5,325]

Jon,I see that you have created a radio mast with a slightly "bulkier" central structure. It looks excellent.Chris Low.

[Guest glidernut]

Jon,I allredy hav the birds, but thanks for the offer.I may well hav a little request of you, but Iill put it in an e-mail.glidernut.

[Hans_Petter 1]

This radio mast looks superb :-) It should be fine for all regions and will certainly enhance the "verticality" aspect of the sim experience. It will be best suited for fairly flat areas since the mountainous areas would rather have a smaller mast placed on top of a mountain. I assume that the supporting wires are made with "solid" triangles that are transparent except for the outer edge. If so, it's no good idea to try to fly under the wires :-)Hans Petter

[Christopher Low 5,325]

Hans,One of the scenery packages that I intend to add to the SanFran region (after I complete the SanFran Pylons package) will add radio towers and masts (based on information that is on those DRG maps that I downloaded).Chris Low.

[Guest effyouthree]

Hans Petter,The tower height relates to the AM station frequency - this one's about 600kHz. Also, AM stations rarely locate on hilltops because, to get a good radiation pattern, they must be installed on flat ground which has good (i.e. low) earth resistivity. With a bad earth, 1/4 wave monopoles radiate somewhat upward, which is useless (unless you're trying to broadcast AM radio into space :-lol ).And indeed, the wires are individual 'wires', each made from 4 polygons. I start with a 3-sided 'tube' and cut the bottom polygons from it, leaving 2 faces facing upwards. If you go underneath a wire, it is transparent, because the polygons are single-sided (to conserve poly count).If your plane is small enough (ultralight?), or you fly birds for fun like I do, you can fly between the wires. In the last shot, I have just passed through the wires (or the bird did but I was flying it...)!Here's the 'before' shot, to go with that last one, just before I flew through:http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107263.jpgThe transparent mip concept just doesn't work well with sloping things, due to anti-aliasing. If you don't use it when resizing the graphics file, you get steps. If you do use it, you get fudgy, spotty black halos around transparent borders :-erksHere's a close-up of a wire:http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107264.jpgAnd yes, I DID hit it but still recovered OK! Here I am plummeting toward the ground (compare the IAS with the descent rate... birds are resilent ;) ):http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/107265.jpgIt's all fun :-hahHavagoodweekend all :-waveRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"