Board index FlightGear Development Aircraft

A4K Skyhawk Development

Questions and discussion about creating aircraft. Flight dynamics, 3d models, cockpits, systems, animation, textures.

A4K Skyhawk Development

Postby SplitDecision » Sun Oct 18, 2015 3:51 am

I have started development on an A4K Skyhawk but my experience in developing aircraft is very limited and I have taken on this ambitious task which I am unlikely to finish on my own. I have made the model (mostly) and have reached a very annoying issue having accidentally exploded (ungrouped) components in sketch up (because that's the only software I have 3D modeling experience in) and are now having to re create them as components which I am finding highly difficult and frustrating to the point where I'm considering dumping this project altogether. Furthermore after the model work has been successfully completed I will then have to position the model, animate it then do heaps more stuff with .xml files which again my experience is very limited in.

For these reasons I need people who have experience with this sort of stuff to volunteer their time and skills to help me create this magnificent aircraft for Flight gear. You may ask, "why bother?" well the A4K Skyhawk was and still is one of the most up to date Skyhawk's in the world, with the equivalent of F16 avionics. It was the last fighter in the Royal New Zealand Air Force before our (yes I am a kiwi) prime minister in 2001 decided to disband the strike force. This aircraft has allot to offer to Flight Gear, I have done a tone of research on this type of Skyhawk and yes an A4E is apparently being developed by FG UK but why not have an A4K as well?

So, who's interested?
Last edited by SplitDecision on Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby LesterBoffo » Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:31 am

You mean like this plane...

Image

the Douglas A4 Skyhawk, ( already in the sim for quite some time now..)

Not to say your aircraft couldn't be an improvement on the old one. There are some old 2nd and 3rd gen Navy jets that could use some representation in FG.

Like the F4d1 Skyray? Image

Yeah I know probably not in the ENzed Air Service.. :oops:
User avatar
LesterBoffo
 
Posts: 2171
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:02 pm
Location: Oregon, USA
Callsign: LesBof
Version: 2018.3.2
OS: Win10 Pro

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby SplitDecision » Sun Oct 18, 2015 7:45 am

Yeah, but that first one is an A4F not an A4K
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby Martien van der P. » Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:31 am

Are there any differences between the airframe of the A4F and A4K?

Btw: If you need help with .xml files and your model I could help you a bit if you want.
User avatar
Martien van der P.
 
Posts: 334
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:09 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Callsign: MV-DP
Version: 2020.3.4
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby SplitDecision » Mon Oct 19, 2015 1:26 am

A4K has a squared off tail rather than a fin like tail and also has no hump. It also has very different avionics and cockpit interior from the other Skyhawk's. Do a search on Google and you will find out. My biggest problem and annoyance at the moment is re creating the components for the ailerons, speed brakes, flaps etc. The problem is mainly to do with the speed brakes because they are very difficult (being built in to the sides of the fuselage) to re group and make a component. .xml coding would be useful once I have the 3D model sorted out finally.
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby Johan G » Mon Oct 19, 2015 1:47 am

This archived December 1988 Flight International article is probably of interest: Skyhawk Soars Again (in-line pdf)
Low-level flying — It's all fun and games till someone looses an engine. (Paraphrased from a YouTube video)
Improving the Dassault Mirage F1 (Wiki, Forum, GitLab. Work in slow progress)
Some YouTube videos
Johan G
Moderator
 
Posts: 6629
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:33 pm
Location: Sweden
Callsign: SE-JG
IRC name: Johan_G
Version: 2020.3.4
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby wkitty42 » Mon Oct 19, 2015 1:47 am

why not take the A4F and rework it as needed? over half the work should already be done ;)
"You get more air close to the ground," said Angalo. "I read that in a book. You get lots of air low down, and not much when you go up."
"Why not?" said Gurder.
"Dunno. It's frightened of heights, I guess."
User avatar
wkitty42
 
Posts: 9148
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:46 pm
Location: central NC, USA
Callsign: wk42
Version: git next
OS: Kubuntu 20.04

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby SplitDecision » Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:16 am

why not take the A4F and rework it as needed? over half the work should already be done ;)


That's what I'm doing, but I have to remake the 3D model because its too inaccurate for an A4K I also have to remake the cockpit interior into the Kahu spec cockpit of the A4K which means lots more .xml coding to make the avionics work. Not to mention animation and all the usual stuff you have to do to stick a new model into FlightGear.
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby Martien van der P. » Mon Oct 19, 2015 7:47 am

When using Sketch-up you could give every component a different named-color like this:
Image
When importing the model in Blender every color is a object. And in Blender you could change the colors to normal. Hope this is helpfull for the air-brakes and ailerons.
User avatar
Martien van der P.
 
Posts: 334
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:09 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Callsign: MV-DP
Version: 2020.3.4
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby SplitDecision » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:45 am

Thanks, I am in the process of attempting that now.
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

What is the easiest way to texture the model?

Postby SplitDecision » Fri Oct 23, 2015 7:58 am

Ok, so I have finished construction of the 3D model and now I am moving on to texturing it. From my experience texturing an aircraft in google sketch up is quite hard and this was actually how I ended up with that component issue. I do have AC3D however the two reasons why I haven't used it and have been using sketch up is because I have more experience with sketch up and also my trial for AC3D has run out so all its really useful for is to view .ac files. I have exported my model to a .dae and imported it in blender and have come across a weird issue where only individual components show up and not all the components, again I am not very experienced with blender so perhaps there is something I should be doing which I don't know about.

But the main reason I have been importing and exporting into various programs is because I need to be able to texture the model easily and I am trying to find the best way to do this, would anyone know how I can achieve this?
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby VicMar » Fri Oct 23, 2015 8:07 am

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana
User avatar
VicMar
 
Posts: 2044
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:53 pm
Location: Lancing. UK (EGKA)
Callsign: VicMar
Version: 2018.3.1
OS: OS X 10.12.6

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby Martien van der P. » Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:58 pm

If you don't succeed, I could give it a try. Just PM the Sketchup file.
User avatar
Martien van der P.
 
Posts: 334
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:09 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Callsign: MV-DP
Version: 2020.3.4
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby SplitDecision » Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:04 am

I have easily managed to apply the main colour however I am having some difficulty adding stuff like the roundel's and various details. I have looked online for help however what I really need to do is to be able to wrap images like the roundel and squadron logo onto the model. How can I do this?
Developing the RNZAF A4K Skyhawk for FlightGear. Download: https://github.com/FGMEMBERS/A-4K
User avatar
SplitDecision
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:54 am
Location: New Zealand
Callsign: SplitDec, NZStrik
OS: Windows 10

Re: Need help to develop an A4K Skyhawk

Postby Johan G » Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:27 am

Search YouTube for "ac3d unwrapping", "ac3d texturing" or something close to that and you will find some tutorials.
Low-level flying — It's all fun and games till someone looses an engine. (Paraphrased from a YouTube video)
Improving the Dassault Mirage F1 (Wiki, Forum, GitLab. Work in slow progress)
Some YouTube videos
Johan G
Moderator
 
Posts: 6629
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:33 pm
Location: Sweden
Callsign: SE-JG
IRC name: Johan_G
Version: 2020.3.4
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

Next

Return to Aircraft

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests