FT Planes for RC Desk Pilot

[rcspaceflight]

If you don't know, RC Desk Pilot is a free RC flight simulator that lets you add custom planes to it. After many frustrating hours, I finally figured out how to 3D model into the needed .x format. After a few more frustrating hours, I also figured out how to fine tune the characteristics of planes within the simulator.

I don't think I got those flight characteristics perfect, but I do think I have them close enough to an actual FT Nutball. It might help if I ever actually flown a Nutball, but judging by Flite Test's review video, I did in fact get it close. I'm not super happy with the 3D modeling. Mostly because I still haven't figured out how to add materials/textures and I could only do solid colors.

Anyways, here is the FT Nutball for RC Desk Pilot. View attachment FT Nutball.zip

I plan on doing ALL of the FT planes. I also hope to do a better job with the 3D modeling and hopefully I'll take the time to better fine tune the flying characteristics. I may even re-do the FT Nutball. But I thought I would share what I have so far and let you know that more is on the way.

Oh, and if you don't have RC Desk Pilot, you can get it here: www.rcdeskpilot.com

 

[Foam Addict]

Woohoo! Nice!
I can't wait to fly this over Christmas break.

 

[rcspaceflight]

Yay! I figured out textures. Now I can have an actual paint scheme. This just re-literates that I should re-do the Nutball. But probably not until I get the ball rolling on other planes. I should probably get on that. I'm debating if I want to 3D model everything, then start putting them together. Or if I should just do one at a time, from start to finish.

Hopefully I can do the textures in a way that you, yes you, can edit the .png file and end up with a custom paint job. I know that currently you can edit the "texture" file for the FT Nutball I have done to change the plane to any color. But I'm debating if I should make multiples of the same plane with different paint schemes or just have one scheme per plane. I want to make the paint exactly the same, or at least really close, to the same as in the FT videos. But some have multiple paint jobs...

 

[rcspaceflight]

Wow I lied. The program I was using is weird and would save the texture in a way that RC Desk Pilot couldn't read.

BUT... and this is a big but. I found an even better way to make .x files than my crappy method that I was using. I was using Google Sketchup to make the 3D model, and then two separate programs to covert the .dae into a .x file. Turns out, there is a FREE plug in for the FREE Sketchup (which is super easy to use and I have to thank JasonEricAnderson for his tutorials.) that exports directly from Sketchup into a .x format. And this actually keeps the colors and textures.

Okay, so here is the free plug in so you too can create planes for RC Desk Pilot: http://www.3drad.com/Google-SketchUp-To-DirectX-XNA-Exporter-Plug-in.htm

I still plan on personally doing all of the FT planes. So don't feel the need to try and beat me to any of them. Hopefully I can get them done before Spring.

 

[earthsciteach]

I just started playing around with RC Desk Pilot tonight. I don't have the proper cord for my tx, so I've been using an XBox controller. Its pretty absurd with that controller. But, it is a fun program. MUCH harder than flying the real thing!

 

[rcspaceflight]

Yeah, the first plane is bad. I'll eventually try to redo the Nutball. I didn't have a firm grasp of all of the adjustments in the simulator.

Last night I 3D modeled the FT Flyer but I stuck to solid colors. I didn't stick to copying Flite Test's color schemes. I don't like the black and white of the first FT Flyer episode they did. I don't remember what other episodes had the FT Flyer in it, so I just went with a purple FT Flyer. I made my FT Flyer purple and I liked the look.

I couldn't get the high alpha I wanted because if I lowered the lift too much, then it would take a high speed to get the plane off the ground and it just flew bad as a result. I'm sure there is still some fine tuning that could be done, but I'm not entirely sure just how close to real I could get a plane with RC Desk Pilot and I'm not sure what to change. I do think I have it close. At least close enough. My main goal is to help people know what plane they would like to build. I almost want to make the flying characteristics exaggerated so the sim makes you that much better at flying the plane before you build one. But not too much.

Anyways, here is the FT Flyer for RC Desk Pilot: View attachment FT Flyer.zip

Feel free to try and get the sim settings closer to real if you want. You can always re-download it if you mess it up too badly. I thought about making the motor spin with the prop and I thought about having the servo arms move along with the control surfaces, but those seemed like details that no one would notice. Plus it might ruin the look of the motor if it's spinning. I did try to copy the "blue wonder" motor. So, this time I did add some more detail to the plane and I plan on keeping those details. Especially since I plan on using the same 3D power pod for every plane.

 

[FeWolf]

Very nice thanks

 

[rcspaceflight]

FT Delta: View attachment FT Delta.zip

I ended up fine tuning the FT Flyer some more. I think I have it better, but not sure. I'm probably being picky about what is "good enough". I know I could never get them perfect because it's a sim, not real life. I'm happy with where the FT Delta is at. At least for now.

Currently my plan is to redo the FT Nutball and then publish an article with just those three planes for now. I thought it would be nice to give people a chance to at least fly a few of them during the winter. With the more complicated planes, it might take quite a bit longer just to model one of them. Hopefully I can settle on how to have the flying characteristics set before I write the article. I want the very finished versions there. But, I've gotten better at adjusting the flying characteristics and I have simple goals. Like keeping the FT Flyer easy to fly and not very maneuverable, the FT Nutball I want exactly the same but more maneuverable. The FT Delta I want to be a simple bank and yank without too much throw. Just basic goals.

 

[Gryf]

Funny, I dropped in to ask if anyone had modeled the FT planes for the ClearView simulator, and I see you've been doing exactly that with Desk Pilot. Thanks! I'll install Desk Pilot and give it a shot. This is a frustrating time of year... Temps are in the single digits, and I have an Old Fogey and a Bloody Wonder down on the workbench gathering dust. I may get brave and try 3D modeling some of the FT planes myself.

Cheers,

Gryf

 

[rcspaceflight]

I re-did the FT Nutball, tweaked the FT Flyer, and I have those updated versions on the article I just published: http://www.flitetest.com/articles/flite-test-planes-for-rc-desk-pilot

So, if you want the FT Flyer, FT Nutball, and FT Delta, please download them together from the article. Those are the final versions.

I hope to continue to update this thread with planes as I make them. I also plan on writing a second article once I have finished with all of the planes. Just as a big dump and as a nice, neat package that has them all.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I probably had better things to do, but I started to 3D model the FT Baby Blender. I wasn't sure how to make the open seats, so I left it just a tube. I figure that you're not going to see in there that well once the wings are on anyway.



Clearly I decided to go with black and yellow. I think it's a good look. I plan on making the wings black with yellow stripes.

-----

In other news, my computer chip/box that lets me plug my Rx into my computer took a crap. So I currently can't use my Tx for RCDP. Even though I really liked the thing, I don't want to buy a new one if they're going to only last for so long. I have no idea why it stopped working, it could be a laptop problem, not a box problem. Technically I still have a jet fighter type joystick that I can use for RCDP, but I'd rather be able to test the planes out with a Tx, not a joystick. I haven't decided how I'm going to replace my set up. I'm considering buying a USB controller that looks like a Tx.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I ended up ordering this: http://www.amazon.com/Volantex-Simu...&sr=8-1&keywords=flight+simulator+transmitter

I don't think $20 for a Transmitter shaped USB game controller is bad. According to some of the reviews the flight sim it comes with doesn't work, but I don't plan on using it. This route costs about as much as any other route.


... I don't know why I'm still awake.

 

[Brandon_G]

Omg thanks SOO much for doing this. Im 15 and just getting into the hobby. The only plane I own is sitting in my basement waiting to be completed. Im limited in my money. so im using RCDP to learn. I love the fact I can use Flite Test planes in the simulator!!! Thank you so much!!!

 

[rcspaceflight]

Omg thanks SOO much for doing this. Im 15 and just getting into the hobby. The only plane I own is sitting in my basement waiting to be completed. Im limited in my money. so im using RCDP to learn. I love the fact I can use Flite Test planes in the simulator!!! Thank you so much!!!

You're welcome. It's actually kind of fun to 3D model the planes. It takes about just as long, maybe a little longer, to 3D model as it does to actually build one from scratch. But figuring out the flying characteristics can take a lot longer. I'm partly doing this for others, but also doing it for myself. It's nice to know that I'm building planes that I can't destroy. They may take longer to build, but I can fly them as much as I want, crash as much as I want, and never have to re do them.

Another quick update, this is how I decided to do the wings. It's more true to the FT planes and will be easier to draw lines onto the wings to add stripes. Plus, thinking ahead, I think this is the way I'll have to do the Versa.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I think I hate the paint scheme.









Since I can't currently test fly anything on the simulator until I get a new Tx/controller. (It's supposed to come Monday, but with how cold it's supposed to be then, I probably won't get it until Tues or Weds.) I will probably start 3D modeling the next plane before I work on the FT BB anymore.

I'm going to look around for inspiration for a good paint scheme for the BB, but if you have any suggestions, I'm open to hearing them. I'm going to stick to solid colors with all of the planes but I"m not opposed to drawing lines onto surfaces to add stripes and/or circles. I'm thinking of changing to the white and blue that Josh had his, but I want to try to avoid too much white.

 

[Foam Addict]

Hey RCSF!
I've been flying your aircraft on BMI flight sim for a while, and would like to suggest a quick tip for those who down loaded your excellent planes.
First, go to RC desk pilot's editor program, go into Physics, then Flight parameters, and on the FT Delta increase its aileron authority by 150%

That said, I am extremely impressed with these aircraft. When I popped the flyer into high alpha, and it just sat there, I was blown away, the same for the nutball. The delta needed a tweak on the ailerons, but aside from that it flew great. I'm eagerly awaiting your FT 3D to try, but then again, I need to build it first...

 

[rcspaceflight]

First, go to RC desk pilot's editor program, go into Physics, then Flight parameters, and on the FT Delta increase its aileron authority by 150%

The only one of the FT planes that I've actually flown was the FT Flyer. I think the Nutball turned out a bit twitchy, but I've heard that the real one is, so that's what I was going for. lol. Anyways, I do encourage tweaking the planes. Since I haven't really flown any of them, I'm guessing on the flying characteristics based on the Flite Test videos of them. I figure that if I can fly them in the sim the way they appear in the videos, I must have them close.

I just finished the FT Baby Blender and I probably should spend more time adjusting the flying characteristics, but I don't think there are any changes to make. I'd hate to play with them to the point that I screw it all up. I don't like how the plane flat turns with rudder and you don't have to touch the ailerons, I think that's because I have the wing surface area set so high. I have no idea if that's a characteristic of the real FT BB, so I'm just going to leave it. Although, I see the Cessna that comes with the sim does the same thing. It's probably a RCDP thing.

FT BB: View attachment FT Baby Blender.zip

By the way, the paint scheme is supposed to be a solid yellow fuselage with a blue triangle, I don't know why the .x file ended up with a white and yellow fuselage. But it looks good to me.

Next is the FT Versa. Then I think I'll do the FT 3D due to demand. By the way, for the Versa I'm doing a tracker, a pusher, and the Kraken version. I'm thinking of keeping the throws low on the tracker version and then higher on the pusher. The tracker is supposed to be more of a beginner version, so I think it's fitting.

 

[Foam Addict]

Release the Kracken!
Yeah, sorry in advance, but I'm a wing addict, so I maybe pming you with my "opinions" lol.
Thank you very much for doing the 3d modeling, that is something Most of us could not easily do.

 

[rcspaceflight]

Release the Kracken!
Yeah, sorry in advance, but I'm a wing addict, so I maybe pming you with my "opinions" lol.
Thank you very much for doing the 3d modeling, that is something Most of us could not easily do.

The Kraken version should be good because I think I'll put too much "rudder" on it so it can do tight flat spins like the real Kracken. I actually already did the majority of the 3D modeling for the Versa and it was a pain to get the angles right for the different pieces that make up the airfoil. It's one of those things that looks great from far away, but if you get in real close, it don't look quite right. lol. I'm just glad that the .x format files don't have the black outlines on the different rectangles that make up the planes. The Versa wing would look horrible with those lines. Just like the back of the seat on the Baby Blender looks horrible in the pics I have posted in this thread. But in RCDP, it doesn't have those horrid looking black lines.

I should probably actually 3D model a prop and a prop disc instead of stealing the one from the Cessna. It would be nice to have green props on the Kraken, since it's the only color on the plane. But I'll probably stick to stealing the engine sound from the Cessna.

 

[Foam Addict]

Have you downloaded BMI Flight sim? It's a variant of RCDP with better planes and a lake. It has some significantly better components to choose from.