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Font, era, location, size

Discussion about creating 2d and 3d cockpits.

Font, era, location, size

Postby Valafenn » Tue Jun 25, 2019 6:09 pm

Hello

I really appreciate to design instruments, for the moment I use the process above :

Model : Freecad (cad model) and blender (texture and export to ac3d)

Texture : gimp (thx to Helijah for his description of simples practices)

Figure : the dedicated image to specific instrument (graduation, numbers, green, yellow, red bars, etc...) : mathplotlib (svg exit)
The figures are svg files in order to be accurate in every scales (the not so accurate instruments are perfectibles i think)

Flightgear : xml files are created in the same time than svg figures

I got three questions :
1 - what can be the adequat texture resolution for flightgear (by now, i use 1024x1024 for no screen instruments, and 4096x4096 for big screens) ?
2 - which fonts should be used for dedicated era ('20s - '30s, WWII, '50s and '60s, '70s and '80s, first screens, now) and obvioulsy it depends to countries (alphabets in use)
3 - where can it be released for the flightgear users ?
Valafenn
 
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 7:23 am

Re: Font, era, location, size

Postby abassign » Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:27 pm

Developer of the program https://wiki.flightgear.org/Julia_photoscenery_generator
FDM developer of the G91R1B aircraft https://wiki.flightgear.org/FIAT_G91R1B
JSBSim collaborator
abassign
 
Posts: 947
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: Italy (living 5 Km from airport LIME)
Callsign: I-BASSY
Version: 2020.4
OS: Ubuntu 20.10

Re: Font, era, location, size

Postby Valafenn » Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:23 am

Hello

Sorry for the delay.

This article is very good, it was searching for something like this without found it. So many thanks.

My current process is barely the same, but following the advice, I will take care about the ressources required.

The process i use (i.e. to create the gauge background image from a python matplotlib svg) permits to keep the svg process for characters too.

I also think that the instrument brightness can be defined in the xml command file, as the light effects also.

Hereafter you can see the asi model made with this technic, and the different brightness colors tested. The test is made on the MC-15 MC-15 ri-cri.

The "new" ASI in the panel, during day.
Image

A zoom on the new ASI
Image

A night view
Image

I will purpose the how to method as soon as it can be released.

Many thanks

Cheers
Valafenn
 
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 7:23 am

Re: Font, era, location, size

Postby abassign » Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:22 am

Valafenn wrote in Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:23 am:


Congratulations, it seems like a great job

http://wiki.flightgear.org/Howto:Build_graduate_dials_with_LaTeX

Hi, I point out this link to build dials through a high level language called Latex, so I avoid the use of a generic programming language.

However, lately, I'm using a 3D cad (freecad) to build the quadrants, I find it very convenient and powerful and you can make python macros, which I don't use, which allow you to directly build 3D instruments with a much lower load
Developer of the program https://wiki.flightgear.org/Julia_photoscenery_generator
FDM developer of the G91R1B aircraft https://wiki.flightgear.org/FIAT_G91R1B
JSBSim collaborator
abassign
 
Posts: 947
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: Italy (living 5 Km from airport LIME)
Callsign: I-BASSY
Version: 2020.4
OS: Ubuntu 20.10

Re: Font, era, location, size

Postby Valafenn » Sat Jul 27, 2019 8:21 am

Many thanks abassign.

I will take a look on your link asap !
Yes latex is very good for written item, i used Texmaker, but since two months i run latex directly via python interface (spyder in anaconda).

Concerning Freecad, after e few tests, i come back to Freecad driven by spreadsheet for parts families (instruments bodies), python is not very useful for managing parts parameters.
It is possible to make a svg from freecad to integer into instrument, i do not test this solution by now, maybe i should have a trial especially for the graphics instruments (ai, pfd).
Valafenn
 
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 7:23 am

Re: Font, era, location, size

Postby abassign » Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:28 am

From my experience with the G91R1B I believe that for the visual characteristics of analogue instruments, in the end it is better with the freecad 0.19 functions. Switching between SVG and then CAD or blender is not very practical and the final result is better and the ac file product is more compact. Unfortunately, at least for now, there is no direct La-Tex freecad converter, so we have to switch to an SVG and SVG does not help to make the ac file more compact. In the end, when I created the G91 gauges, I noticed that the time spent building an instrument is still a few days (10-20 hours) as a good XML is built by gauge, defining the colors and effects for the details and sometimes have a JSBSim code that makes it realistic in the movement. The good thing is that XML used in FGFS is very convenient, so if your first gauge is well configured, the next ones take half the time. However, I always repeat, never use picture, but only XML commands and effects, in order to have light tools for the 3D card and well visible for the pilot of the plane.

Thi is the example of G91R1B TACAN gauge:

Developer of the program https://wiki.flightgear.org/Julia_photoscenery_generator
FDM developer of the G91R1B aircraft https://wiki.flightgear.org/FIAT_G91R1B
JSBSim collaborator
abassign
 
Posts: 947
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: Italy (living 5 Km from airport LIME)
Callsign: I-BASSY
Version: 2020.4
OS: Ubuntu 20.10

Re: Font, era, location, size

Postby Valafenn » Fri Nov 29, 2019 7:45 am

Hi

Many thanks for your example, it is very nice.

Sadly, the hangar i get doesn't match your plane version. May you can transmit a download link, please ?

Cheers
Valafenn
 
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 7:23 am


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