FlightGear Newsletter March 2012: Difference between revisions

 

=== Flightgear goes to Space, Part II ===

 

Coded in less than 8 hours, the Earthview orbital terrain rendering engine is an addon to Flightgear which allows to use orbital phototextures (such as the NASA Pale Blue Marble) on top of the default Flightgear terrain. Combined with the skydome scattering shader, this improves the realism of the visuals of orbital flight in Flightgear substantially.

With some additional patches, finally Vostok-1 is free from the 150 km altitude restriction and can enter high orbits of several hundred km above the planet.

(development discussion and download is found in the [http://flightgear.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15754 Forum ]).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(by far the easiest option to populate the newsletter with contents is copying/pasting stuff from the forum and the mailing list)

 

 

 

''In each edition we have an interview with a contributor. Suggestions for possible questions are available on [[interview questions]], you are invited to come up with new questions and interview ideas obviously! Anyone is free to write an interview (with him-/herself or others) for next month's newsletter! If you'd like to help interview a contributor or get interviewed, please do consider adding yourself to the [[list of interview volunteers]]! To keep this going and less awkward, we are currently trying to come up with the convention that former interviewees become next month's interviewers.''

 

 

 

 

 

The snapshot can be download via the links at the bottom of this page: http://www.flightgear.org/download/. Updates and feedback can be found [http://flightgear.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=10488&p=144233&hilit=snapshot#p144233 at the forum].

 

 

== FlightGear addons and mods ==

All the way back in May 2011, we addopted a new status-rating system for aircraft. So far, only a few have actually been rated, as can be seen in the list 'hockenberry' set up at [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApzphjA4w05ndF94Y2F0bzJTbHQ5QTJXZXJRcUVRbWc&hl=en_US Google Docs]. If you're an aircraft developer and your aircraft is/are not on the list, please consider rating their status. All you'll need to know/do is described at [[Formalizing Aircraft Status]]. If you'd just like to get started contributing to FlightGear, this would also seem like an excellent way to get started.

The [[Airbus A320neo]] have suffer a deep redesign.

=== Liveries ===

 

 

Andyramone has returned from a 1 year Flightgear hiatus to work on modelling the Miami International Airport (KMIA.) There is a basic model already built for the main terminal, which will be available via Terrasync mid-march.  

The plan is then to work on improving the model by adding more accurate textures, night textures, movable jetways, and a more accurate airport layout, with the potential to move to a 8.50 airport layout. The surrounding hangars, buildings and Cargo hangar to the south will also be added as they are built.  

All models will be GPL compliant and available via Terrasync.

Over the past months, the [[TerraGear GUI]], a graphical interface that allows you to generate FlightGear scenery, has been updated to version 0.9.0. This latest version brings support for X-Plane's (and future FlightGear's) 850 apt.dat format. This format allows airport designers to create curved  taxiways, accurate lining and lighting, a custom airport boundary and much more.

The improved A320 ([[Airbus A320 Family]] and [[Airbus A320neo]]) are the Aircraft of March.

[[Warsaw Chopin Airport]] (EPWA) is the busiest airport in Poland.<br>

Chopin Airport is included in the [[Poland]] scenery, which is available at [http://code.google.com/p/custom-scenery-roztocze/downloads/list?saved=1&ts=1314341645].

EPWA scenery contains:

*custom airport layout (v.810)

*signs

*terminals, hagars, tower models

*day/night photorealistic textures

*details like custom lamps

*airport service vehicles(ot-666 models)

== Aircraft reviews ==

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1_TPWimv6o ATC Session at Schiphol] by Omega - 1 hour of ATCing into 4 minutes of video.

 

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsmUFrd3kXs FlightGear HowTo #23: Installing Aircraft (Revisited) & GIT plane downloading!] by Osjcag - How to download aircraft for FlightGear 2.0/2.4/2.6

 

This exposes the SGInterpolator subsystem to bindings in xml animation  

files. The SGInterpolator allows the interpolation of property values  

over time and has so far been used via Nasal in aircraft.door.

For an example, start the Hansajet from git (fgfs --aircraft=Hansajet)  

and zoom to the gyrosyn heading indicator left of the HSI. Locate the  

black/white knob with "VOR" and "ADF" written on it. Click it (it swaps  

the assignment of the needle-driving sources) and notice that it does  

rotate smoothly to its new position (it's a 2-position toggle knob).

Now, look at the overhead panel, either by paning the view up and right  

or by pressing shift-v on the keyboard. Locate the six rotary buttons  

GEN.1, GEN.2, ALT.1, ALT.2 and the two between the AC and DC  

instruments. Move them by clicking their left/right edges. Notice they  

move smoothly instead of jumping to the new position.

Thats done completely without Nasal but from just a few lines in the  

animation files. Basically, you have to add two bindings to the <pick>  

animation:

1. property-assing the target value describing the state of the button

    (that's what you are used to do)

2. property-interpolate the position of the model to it's new state's value

    (that's the new binding to add)

3. Animate the model's rotation from the position property, not the  

state property

    (that's what you have to change)

4. done.

(see the animations for the object SyncKnob and SyncKnobPick.[LR] in  

Aircraft/Hansajet/Models/Sperry-C-6d.xml as an example).

Change the value of /some/target/property to the constant value of  

100.0 over 3 seconds.

Change the value of /some/target/property to the value of  

/some/source/property over 0.5 seconds.

[[Category:FlightGear Newsletter]]