USEC Maule M7 - WIP

[MachineMadness 0]

Yeah its pretty fun "mowing" people down :D

We have done some hilarious testing of it.

[Supah 0]

Very cool looking :) Do you have anymore plans for General Aviation aircraft like cessna's? If so I have quite a few walkaround pictures I've taken that I wouldn't mind sharing with you guys.

[Messiah 2]

stunning, simply stunning.

what are these new shaders and where can one find information on them? Like others have said, it really does look like a plane photoshopped into ArmA 2, and god knows I'd love to learn how to get those shaders working myself.

keep up the impressive work :)

[gms 0]

Good job, Rocket. steady as you go' :)

[soul_assassin 1723]

stunning, simply stunning.

what are these new shaders and where can one find information on them? Like others have said, it really does look like a plane photoshopped into ArmA 2, and god knows I'd love to learn how to get those shaders working myself.

keep up the impressive work :)

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=75489

[rocket 9]

Yeah its pretty fun "mowing" people down :D

We have done some hilarious testing of it.

We sure did, didn't we. I was actually in tears by the end of it, it was that funny.

[glynn0 0]

Not sure if Rocket posted this or not.

You folks do realize that this 3d Model and most textures are actually taken from FSX right.

[Inkompetent 0]

Not sure if Rocket posted this or not.

You folks do realize that this 3d Model and most textures are actually taken from FSX right.

TAKEN or IMITATED? Quite a huuuuuuge and very important difference.

[glynn0 0]

TAKEN or IMITATED? Quite a huuuuuuge and very important difference.

Taken, i.e. converted from FSX to Arma(2)

[soul_assassin 1723]

Please provide sources.

[glynn0 0]

Please provide sources.

What do you mean by sources.

[Supah 0]

What do you mean by sources.

Proof for your claim that this is a port from FSX. If you don't have them you shouldn't be making those claims.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

If you can be bothered to do the extra work, please include some makeshift weapons. During the Balkan Conflicts in the late 90's, people down there got VERY creative in what to do with aircraft. Makeshift gunsights, rocket pods (maybe from standard RPG rounds), bomb racks. And if nothing else, a guy in the rear with a gun or throwing hand grenades/explosive backs out the door).

Friend of mine wrote an article on those things - here it is.

http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_305.shtml

"Consequently, the HRZ even considered putting ultra-lights and museum pieces to service: an F-47D Thunderbolt, otherwise on display at the Technical Museum in Zagreb, was overhauled and camouflaged in preparation for being rushed into service, just for example."

Most recently the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka proved the effectiveness of makeshift "warbirds":

http://www.airforce-technology.com/features/feature1270/

This would great add to the possibilities of Guerilla and Counter-Guerilla missions in Arma2.

Edited July 1, 2009 by Helmut_AUT

[eble 3]

What do you mean by sources.

It's a quite a big statement to accuse someone like that.

Show us a link to the FSX aircraft it was converted from, or you think it was converted from.

Southy

[glynn0 0]

Proof for your claim that this is a port from FSX. If you don't have them you shouldn't be making those claims.

Just have a close look at the FSX model (in game) and his video from Arma 1

ALL rivets on the skin are in exactly the same spots , not close, exactly. All colours in cockpit, landing gear etc are exactly the same. Model is exactly the same shape including skin deformations where spars meet.

He claims he used FSX as inspiration, BUT, he claims to have used various 3d models YET his 3d model is exactly the same as FSX Model

---------- Post added at 12:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

It's a quite a big statement to accuse someone like that.

Show us a link to the FSX aircraft it was converted from, or you think it was converted from.

Southy

It was converted from the MAULE that comes with FSX itself

[Supah 0]

Just have a close look at the FSX model (in game) and his video from Arma 1

ALL rivets on the skin are in exactly the same spots , not close, exactly. All colours in cockpit, landing gear etc are exactly the same. Model is exactly the same shape including skin deformations where spars meet.

He claims he used FSX as inspiration, BUT, he claims to have used various 3d models YET his 3d model is exactly the same as FSX Model

---------- Post added at 12:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

It was converted from the MAULE that comes with FSX itself

That does not constitute proof man.

[rocket 9]

As said in the build notes, the aim was to achieve as much parity as possible between the FSX version and this one. We use both FSX and ArmA at USEC, and to achieve a seamless experience, we wanted to have them both as similar as could be managed. Unfortunately, fell a bit short of that. If you load them both up in their cockpits, this becomes very obvious.

Poly count for FSX is around the 60k mark, in ArmA - you can handle a maximum of 12k triangles!

[glynn0 0]

As said in the build notes, the aim was to achieve as much parity as possible between the FSX version and this one. We use both FSX and ArmA at USEC, and to achieve a seamless experience, we wanted to have them both as similar as could be managed. Unfortunately, fell a bit short of that. If you load them both up in their cockpits, this becomes very obvious.

Poly count for FSX is around the 60k mark, in ArmA - you can handle a maximum of 12k triangles!

So then you are telling me you spent all that time getting all rivets on skin to look exactly like FSX model, including size and position, all areas where spars meet skin and all colours exactly same as FSX model.

And of course you have never heard of 3dripperdx.

[MehMan 0]

Nah, you can handle more. 32k polies or verts, whichever comes first.

[rocket 9]

As noted in the build notes, used the tried and true method of taking a shitload of screenshots. 3D reference libraries of extremely high polygon models of the Maule and variants was used, and the lower resolution model was created over the top.

The FSX texture, along with any screenshots and photos required, were then painted onto the model using the "clone" tool in Body Paint.

The following contains a shrunken version of the ArmA texture, along with a shrunken version of the main FSX maule texture. Ignore the red, because multiple source images were used to clone and combine to get an entirely white model:

As you can see, they have clear areas of extreme similarity. FSX was THE major source of information and imagery for this project, by its very design. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), FSX models... regardless of ripping programs, would be completely useless in ArmA. The normal maps were a bit harder, had to bake them out from the high resolution 3d model, and then fudge them (converting them back to bump maps using CrazyBump) by making them an overlay on the diffuse. Then moved the parts, used the clone tool, to get everything to lineup correctly. Specular was easier, more fudging required, but similar approach to the diffuse. Then trial and error till she looked right in game.

Cockpit, took quite a few design liberties. Ran out of time to do all the gauges, so opted for a much simpler panel after researching on the net showed that some aircraft were produced with the bare minimum of panels.

[glynn0 0]

As noted in the build notes, used the tried and true method of taking a shitload of screenshots. 3D reference libraries of extremely high polygon models of the Maule and variants was used, and the lower resolution model was created over the top.

The FSX texture, along with any screenshots and photos required, were then painted onto the model using the "clone" tool in Body Paint.

The following contains a shrunken version of the ArmA texture, along with a shrunken version of the main FSX maule texture. Ignore the red, because multiple source images were used to clone and combine to get an entirely white model:

As you can see, they have clear areas of extreme similarity. FSX was THE major source of information and imagery for this project, by its very design. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), FSX models... regardless of ripping programs, would be completely useless in ArmA. The normal maps were a bit harder, had to bake them out from the high resolution 3d model, and then fudge them (converting them back to bump maps using CrazyBump) by making them an overlay on the diffuse. Then moved the parts, used the clone tool, to get everything to lineup correctly. Specular was easier, more fudging required, but similar approach to the diffuse. Then trial and error till she looked right in game.

Cockpit, took quite a few design liberties. Ran out of time to do all the gauges, so opted for a much simpler panel after researching on the net showed that some aircraft were produced with the bare minimum of panels.

You are absolutely wrong about the ripper program being useless and you know it. 3dsmax has great ways of getting the polys down to manageble sizes for Arma , I converted the Bell Griffon by Tim "Piglet" Conrad with his permission to Arma 1 and in the process of getting it into Arma 2.

[rocket 9]

You are absolutely wrong about the ripper program being useless and you know it. 3dsmax has great ways of getting the polys down to manageble sizes for Arma , I converted the Bell Griffon by Tim "Piglet" Conrad with his permission to Arma 1 and in the process of getting it into Arma 2.

Well, I for one would like to know what those are! Also, I wasn't aware that 3d ripper works with DirectX 10/Vista?

[glynn0 0]

Well, I for one would like to know what those are! Also, I wasn't aware that 3d ripper works with DirectX 10/Vista?

It doesn't work with DirectX 10/Vista but FSX also runs in XP/DX9 so it works great for that.

[soul_assassin 1723]

glynn.are you trying to settle some score?

[rocket 9]

It doesn't work with DirectX 10/Vista but FSX also runs in XP/DX9 so it works great for that.

Because of the way video cards break up a model to render it, I wouldn't imagine that much useful could be gained from such a model for Armed Assault. What works with Armed Assault is very, very different from what works with FSX, Battlefield 2, and games like that. Personally, from what I can tell the output wouldn't be much use beyond reference material - but I could be wrong. For me, it was much easier to use the variety of 3d library models that exist, of varying polygon complexity.