Kapper Residence - Flite Test Flying Site

tramsgar

Senior Member
(EDIT: This is a "build thread" for the simulator sceneries of this site. Johan made the Heli-X site linked below, the Phoenix flying site it's not done yet. The discussion was moved from the "Ask Chad" thread. Sorry for any confusion.)

So Chad provided two sets of scenery snaps of the original FliteTest site for use in simulators. Originals are here.

Johan derived these:
full rectangular 360 jpg (spring)
6 cubic images in one file
6 cubic images:
http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12474&d=1376053678
http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12475&d=1376053686
http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12476&d=1376053695
http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12477&d=1376053709
http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12478&d=1376053715
http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12479&d=1376053732

Also this:
For heli-x (the sim I used), here is the scenery file:

http://codewerk.nl/flitetest/aFliteTest.zip (unzip the aFliteTest folder to your heli-x environment/SkyboxHD/ or equivalent directory*)

Instructions for creating a flying site in Phoenix Creator: http://www.phoenix-sim.com/guides/PhoenixGuides_creator.pdf


(Deeply sorry for misspelling your name, Chad!)
 
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tramsgar

Senior Member
can you Explain how to add the scenery to phoenix ?

It's not done yet, this is a "build thread" =). The images provided by Chad, processed by Johan, can be used for building a flying site in Phoenix (and perhaps other simulators). I'll give it a go tonight. Someone may with more experience of Phoenix Creator may beat me to it, not very experienced with it.
 

Johan

Senior Member
Hi Tramsgar,

Thanks for taking the initiative to move this to a separate thread!
I was intending to, but work kept me from it.

I'll add another (summer) Flitetest scenery later today.

As for a tricopter BatBone model: I've created one for heli-x. I'll post the zip here so you BatBone guys can fly with it (provided you use heli-x, I don't have the specifics for other sims).

And surprise:
I contacted heli-x creator and the news is: the BatBone (a more detailed version 5 compatible version I created) will be available from the upcoming version 5 of heli-x. So it will be available from the sim itself, eliminating a separate installation!

;)
 

Johan

Senior Member
Summer Scenery

Chad was so kind to provide us also with a summer pano.

Although I could not get the sky and ground to stitch (I had to resort to cloning big parts of the image), the results are flyable:

full rectangular 360 jpg (summer)
6 cubic images in one file (summer)

6 separate cubic images (summer):
Left (summer)
Front (summer)
Right (summer)
Back (summer)
Top (summer)
Bottom (summer)

The full scenery file for hell-x:

Heli-x environment file (summer) (unzip the aFliteTestSummer folder to your heli-x environment/SkyboxHD/ or equivalent directory*)

Preview:
preview.jpg
 

Johan

Senior Member
BatBone Heli-X mode (version 4.2 compatible)

And as promised the BatBone model for use in Heli-X:

BatBone (unzip the BatBone folder to your heli-x resources/models/helicopter/ or equivalent directory*)

Note: A more detailed version will be available in version 5 (is not working in 4.2 yet)

Preview:

preview.jpg
 
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tramsgar

Senior Member
Chad was so kind to provide us also with a summer pano.

Although I could not get the sky and ground to stitch (I had to resort to cloning big parts of the image), the results are flyable:

Thanks! What SW did you use to convert the fisheye images to those panorama panels? I looked around, but...
 

Johan

Senior Member
I've been a long-time PTGui Pro user (http://www.ptgui.com) can stitch almost anything, best stitcher around IMHO.

Samples of what I did with it:

http://codewerk.nl/panoramafotografie/oudekerk.htm
http://codewerk.nl/panoramafotografie/beatrixlaan.htm

Once you've got a 360x180 jpg, you can create the 6in1 jpg's, the separate cube faces, QTVR mov files and a ready-made webpage with flash viewer for desktop and HTML5 for iOS devices.

The iOS option is nice, you can enable "look-around" mode, where the orientation of the device determines what you see, so by swooping around the iPhone/iPad, you get a 'window' on the place you're viewing
 

Johan

Senior Member
Here is a short batbone heli-x version 5 preview:

The model now has the (approximate) holes in the landing gear and the top/bottom plates and the ESC wires now don't stop mid-air, but actually connect to the motors and enter the fuselage on the other end :)
I've also refined the motors and props a bit.

 

tramsgar

Senior Member
I've been a long-time PTGui Pro user (http://www.ptgui.com) can stitch almost anything, best stitcher around IMHO.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Took a stab att the Phoenix flying site yesterday and made some progress. It's not very straight forward especially since the terrain is quite uneven. Had to rotate the sky, other than that the stitches worked fine except for a few places where the edges were visible or a bit misaligned. I'll work out the geometry and get a preview out, maybe get some help with the final stitching? (Do you own Phoenix too, btw?)
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
Aaargh this Phoenix Creator is soo buggy it makes me itch all over... The guide leaves a lot to wish for too. I'll give it a few more hours and see if there's a way to work around the kinks.
 

Johan

Senior Member
Hi tramsgar,

No, I don't have phoenix RC (if there is a trial I might give it a go) I do have FMS, which crashes on startup and I do have flightgear (open source) and rcdeskpilot.
They use yet another model for the environment (those are 3D, so no environment maps with panoramic photo's)

I found a way to solve my orientation issues though (only in the virtual world) :)

orientation.jpg
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
when the version for phoenix will done ?

When one of the following three occurs:

1. RunTime Games Ltd pulls its thumb out and releases a usable less-buggy version of Phoenix Creator.
2. I take a week off from work and someone pays me to plow through that ghastly thing despite its flaws.
3. Someone else does it =).

Sry, stupid reality. I'll give it a last shot soon, promise. All I got is the scenery, the geometry is limited to the ground - bushes, cell towers, trees, houses, play-thingys are ghosts until I figure out how to add geometry. And yes, I've done 3d-modelling before =). I'll be happy to hand it over to someone who's previously successfully done a flying site in Phoenix, or if someone has killer tips on how to add the geometry I'd take that too.

Don't get me wrong, I too would love this to be completed! Just that crappy SW makes a SW developer cranky.
 

Johan

Senior Member
Don't get me wrong, I too would love this to be completed! Just that crappy SW makes a SW developer cranky.

Thanks tramsgar for the update.
I sympathize, being a SW developer myself, recognize the feeling when that happens :) or rather :(

In the meantime I found out that there is no way to create your own flying model in Phoenix RC, you can change textures of existing ones, but that's it... There is no model 'modeler' so to speak ....

So, the batbone is not going to part of PhoenixRC soon unless they add it themselves...
 
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