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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:31 am

That sounds familliar, actually, I remember an issue like that - are you using the dedicated Typhoon Autopilot dialog?
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby redneck » Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:26 pm

I'm using the only AP dialog I know of - the one that I get when I press F11. Btw, I found out my snapshot of Git is from 12/19 if that's any help to you.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby almursi » Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:08 pm

Hi, yes, I also usually have problems to adjust altitude, but on both menus (or maybe is that I mix use :) ). I hope that Algernon can be polishing these details little by little, meanwhile took advantage of what works, and correct it by hand what not, even when using a version 2 is preferable to use the custom menu, since it includes options that do not appear in the standard autopilot.

But I write because I was planning to give a boost to the task I have before Friday, but I see that I run out of time, so I will put at your disposal than I have for that date, though they are still half. (If you look, each switch is different, which is very well thought, especially when you can not look away and need to activate the dark, but it is a nightmare when you have to tweak more than fifty minute objects in blender - well at least most of them are not inclined, when it gets interesting :mrgreen: ). So I was thinking of taking time to get a first draft of the textures (which simulate the plates where the buttons are), make the animation of the four buttons that have assets now (lights, radar and few more) and try to unite the last contribution of D. Faber.

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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:28 pm

Now that Christmas is pretty much over, so is my company's busy period and thus I'm able to get back on with my work on the Autopilot. I'm hoping that I'll have it polished up sufficiently for the time FGFS V2.1 comes out, though I have a few conundrums to work out so I'll be posting more about this shortly. In common with a lot of other aircraft with custom autopilots, it will get to the point where the standard autopilot dialog won't do anything (it writes properties to the wrong place) and will be replaced in the menu with the custom Typhoon one in the Autoplot menu.

The main difference is that the altitude setting for the AP is a property called ind-altitude-ft or something, to separate it from the generic autopilot one - I hate it when the route manager's altitude setting re-writes the AP altitude hold setting.

Almursi, it sounds like you're going down the right route with the panels, I'll be excited just to be able to switch in the nav lights :) When I was looking into this some time ago, I tried to make the electrical system operate using switch properties in /controls/switches, where the EXT LIGHTS button is the master and individual lights can be controlled with the correct switches, but it doesn't work - I'm planning to attempt this in Nasal instead, and will add it to my task list to see what you think.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby planetacancun » Wed Jan 26, 2011 5:27 am

I have tested this airplane doing carrier landings and the plane it's pretty good. It got me 2 crash landings to understand that the plane doesn't have flaps, just some slats on the front and the huge brake! But pretty cool, I have tested it and I also would want to make a small video of it. I hope the GIT version is the most up to date.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby redneck » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:38 pm

AFAIK, it's just a latest fully-working release, and the one with all the bells and whistles (like the FCS and whatnot) is still in development. I think I have version 1.4.3 or something like that. At least that's what the splash screen says.

I actually haven't flown this plane in a while. I think my landing trick was to approach at 200 KIAS, and then when 2 or 3 nm out (or when you cross 1000 AGL) cut the power and glide in. I know the FDM gives it an approach speed of 130, but visibility gets bad at such a slow speed. You actually want to touchdown at more like 180, I think.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Mon Feb 07, 2011 12:29 am

I'd agree with Redneck about the landing speed. A typical landing speed for the real aircraft, with a medium-heavy fuel load, is 160kts at 12 units of alpha. I'm not convinced the current FDM is bang on, but we're working on it. In the real aircraft, you have no control over the flaps or slats, it's controlled automatically and that's something I'm building into the Flight Control System (when I get some more time to work on it) - the slats don't really do much, and emulating the effect of flaperons hasn't yet yielded any satisfactory results. The airbrake does need work, though, the nose-down effect is way too brutal for my taste!

I'm on the very edge of getting an absurdly busy work month out of the way and getting back under the bonnet of the plane, so I hope to have some updates for you all soon - before Christmas I tinkered with a Nasal script to automatically dim the LCD/LED elements of the cockpit automatically, so I'll try and finish this and commit the changes before I resume work on the FCS :)

I haven't flown the damn thing for a month, I reckon. I miss it!
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Re: Eurofighter Typhoon

Postby Algernon » Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:27 pm

My laptop has returned, and I intend to spend some more time in the hangar with the panels off the Typhoon. In order of attack, here are my tasks:

1. Automatic MFD/LCD/LED dimming. Something just to ease me back into it, but it's a satisfying little effect. Most of the work is done, I'm just tweaking it now.
2. FCS - there is still a lot more work to do on this before it operates the way I'd like, so I'm planning to release a basic version utilising the bits I have got right and the autopilot, to be compatible with the new version once it comes out. Then I'll continue working on the clever bits.
3. Sounds - there's a bit more tweaking to be done, some custom sounds to be made for both interior and exterior
4. Radar & Weapons - hopefully, by the time I get around to this, some other contributors will be able to help out (I know DFaber has been very RL busy, but I love his work on the MFD so far).

Anybody been flying the Typhoon recently?
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Fri Apr 08, 2011 5:43 pm

Something tells me this is a good time to post the stuff I've been working on for the GIT-compatible version of the Typhoon. This is:

Flight Control System/Autopilot: These integrated systems are completely Typhoon-specific, and the default autopilot in FlightGear won't work. This was necessary, I'm afraid, because the default AP can fly you into the ground and I wanted to explore more intelligent AP functions. If you miss stuff from the default dialog, we can try to work it in. Anyway, it's working now (except for redneck for some reason) in a basic form, and has some nice touches, such as computerised speebrake drag compensation. One improvement I hope you'll like is that the FCS now operates the flaperons in the pitch axis (this didn't happen before), generating lift from the wings as well as the canard - I think the aircraft is more agile as a result, although the effect is quite subtle as I've balanced out the craziness with some filtering between the two surfaces. All settings are adjustable - and not yet tweaked, so expect it to be a bit rough. The AP is a bit violent, as I haven't yet tweaked it to take account of the improved handling. Also, the "hands free" system has been disabled for now, as it requires pilot effort to configure it to their particular joystick. Apologies, but no G-restrictions yet - it's proving quite difficult to do.

Cockpit: Well, I did the cockpit dimming - LEDs and LCDs now dim according to the ambient light, as they do in the real aircraft. And I've added to dfaber's lovely MFD pages with some OSGText instruments (including groundspeed, which I find nice to know). Also, the HUD has some warnings about speedbrake extension, gear position and parking brake - these are text because that's all the FG HUD supports at the moment, other than stuff like ladders - I'm looking into where we go to make the HUD more realistic.

I'm just going to test all my changes on a clean Typhoon, on the snapshot, and if all goes well, I'll post my changes here.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:29 am

I didn't quite get all my recent work bundled up as quickly as I'd planned, half because work got very busy, and half because I've been devouring the flight manual. I've done it now, and the link is below, but I'm away from my Joysticks until the weekend so I cannot test on the snapshot as I'd planned. I'd be grateful if somebody could give it a go - I've tested by downloading a clean Typhoon from the mapserver, and pasting/overwriting this package in, and it all works as I expect it to... in GIT. Redneck reported some serious flight problems (as to make the aircraft unflyable) when last I made this available, but it works perfectly (dare I say beautifully) on my GIT FGFS so I'd like a third opinion.

Please note, the models directory is full and complete - it was beyond my brain power at the time just to upload the things I'd changed, as the model system is integral to a lot of stuff (particularly the cockpit). So apologies for the size of the download on that account.

One other change you may notice - I've redesigned the reheat texture to look more like the real thing, with predominantly yellow flame and the shock wave patterns. I prefer this, but I'd appreciate feedback. Also, apologies for the broken MIDS panel - this is being rebuilt to be much more realistic (and to not have annoying 2D panel-related problems caused by my inexperience last year when I made it).

Find the package here.

While I'm away from my sticks and therefore can't really do any flight stuff with any accuracy, I'll be working on improved sounds, particularly the voice alerts which will now be realistic thanks to the detail given in the flight manual.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby redneck » Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:06 pm

It's flyable now :D
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:23 pm

Yaay! :D I'm glad - something weird must have happened with the copy I sent you before, redneck, as I haven't made any significant changes.

Question is, do you like it? The principal change is the independent flaperon/canard control - it makes the aircraft crazily agile, and the FCS has been programmed to bring it back to a sensible level, but you should notice some increased agility, and you'll now see the flaperons moving when the stick is moved on the pitch axis, which didn't happen before. The increased agility is evident in the autopilot, which now makes lateral adjustments rather too violently, as I haven't yet adjusted it to take account of the new handling - I'll be making this a priority when I'm back at my sticks.

I've said all this before, sorry to repeat myself but I'm a bit nervous, hehe...
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby almursi » Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:24 am

Well, the truth is that I could just try it, but it seems to be going well. In principle, it seems it needs some work are the navigation screens, since I just get to see the TACAN and the first NAV. I do not know if I can tell you more, or get some work done, I fear that until the next month I'll keep pretty busy. Great contribution.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:59 am

The screens are a little odd at the moment, you can only navigate through them using certain pathways as the <pick> animations for the soft buttons are not done yet. This is something I was working on yesterday, and will do more on today - it's not actually a big job, just copying and pasting with concentration. :) I hope by next week I'll have posted at least my updates to the central MFD, with accurate WPT and FREQ pages (these will look as much like their real life counterparts as possible, although will work slightly differently because of the limitations of FG and my coding) and all the buttons working the way they should.

With these jobs come a couple of decisions to be made regarding navigation and communications, which I'd like Almursi's opinion on (well, I'd like everyone's opinion, but devs particularly). According to the manual, the aircraft navigates using its LINS (Laser Inertial Nav Sys), GPS and TACAN - there is no NAV radio capability for ILS like you'd find in an airliner: effectively, it does not use civilian solutions. Also, it has ACTive and StandBY TACAN settings, which default FG Radio dialog does not have, and the radio comms is totally different. I therefore suggest a dedicated Typhoon Comms dialog, like the dedicated AP, with only realistic options.

This dialog would NOT feature NAV1 or NAV2 radios, but it would have two TACAN entries, active and standby, and channel selection similar to that in the real aircraft - eight preset radio channels (editable in an .xml file in the aircraft's directory) and two manual channels (the equivalent of COM1 ACT & SBY). These channels are available to both radios (called RAD1 and RAD2 in the Typhoon, instead of COM1 and COM2). I'm going to make a demo of this to show you, and I hope you'll agree it's more realistic within the existing FG framework to omit the things the real aircraft doesn't have.
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Re: eurofighter typhoon

Postby Algernon » Fri Apr 15, 2011 9:15 am

almursi wrote in Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:24 am:I fear that until the next month I'll keep pretty busy. Great contribution.

No problem about being busy, by the way, but do you think, if you're happy with the FCS for the moment and you have a little free time, you could commit it to GIT on my behalf? I still haven't worked out how to do this without making problems!! :oops:
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