140 replies to this topic

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

S!

I think that finally I can share some work with you. This is the Austro-Hungarian Albatros D.III equipped with the 225HP Austro-Daimler engine.
The model was built two years ago for the Targetware sim engine. However we did not finished it. Only external model and internal ribs were done. The instruments were added from the other planes.
Some time ago me and 1PL-Fatman, the author of the 3D talked to each other and we decided to finish the plane by making proper instruments. Fatman did the geometry and also corrected few things in the existing model by adding few details to the 3d. Then he sent it to me and I started to work on the uv mapping. Currently I am slowly finishing the last one and then I am going to start painting the plane from scratch because the external model's texture differs a little bit from the original one.
The software we are working in is the freeware Wings 3D. Later, Iam going to export the plane into GMax to create animations, etc.
The model is for the Flight Simulator X. I am pretty sure that it could be used here, too, but the goal is to make it for the MS sim.
I would like to thank J2 von Huetz and J2 Wallenberg who helped us a lot with the aircraft systems and translations. S!

regards,
Lucas

Attached Files

•  snap1.jpg   133.17KB   4390 downloads
•  snap2.jpg   161.16KB   4387 downloads

[NewGuy_]

Wow! This Albatros looks like it would be a big hit in ROF. What a awesome model you are working on there! One mean looking Albatros! A 225hp engine on an Albatros! Impressive, most impressive… (Vader voice) S! We are going to have to work under the hoods of our Scouts and SPADs to make sure we can outrun that one!
MJ (NEWGUY)

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Thanks Newguy!
This is a really powerful plane with top speed close to 200kph and a very good climb ratio.
In any case, here is a screenshot of the older model captured in the FSX showing how does she actually look in some graphics engine better than Wings 3d As I wrote above, the texture has been reworked and I will be painting the plane from the scratch.
Lucas

Attached Files

•  2011-4-17_20-26-39-133.jpg   170.84KB   4360 downloads

[GBrutus]

Beautiful model, well done.

[Millst0ne]

Thanks Newguy!
This is a really powerful plane with top speed close to 200kph and a very good climb ratio.
In any case, here is a screenshot of the older model captured in the FSX showing how does she actually look in some graphics engine better than Wings 3d As I wrote above, the texture has been reworked and I will be painting the plane from the scratch.
Lucas

Make a video of that thing I want to see it.

[AB1Vasek]

Nice job Lucas. The propeller on the Albatros looks cool, is it any particular type?

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Thanks!
This propeller carries a Jaray logo if Iam not wrong.

[J2_Wallenberg]

Yes, it carries the Jaray logo :)

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Yestreday I managed to finish uv mapping and I have the textures ready to paint. There are three at the moment:
- 4096x4096 pix for the external model
- 2048x2048 for the cockpit ribs
- 2048x2048 for the cockpit equipment (gauges and levers)
I will try to send the 3d and textures to my friend who promised me to bake Ambient Occlusion for the model.

There will be additional ones later:
- pilot texture
- propeller disk texture
- glass texture (for the windscreen and gauges)

In the meanwhile I am going to split the model into components which will be animated in the future. Then I will export it into Gmax and finally to the FSX to see how the model looks like.

[Interloper]

That is looking Fantastic!

Would love to see it in action.

[EclecticRazor]

Wow, I admire your talent. She is a beautiful bird. Out of curiosity, about how many hours do you think will be into it by completion?

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Thank you, but this is a teamwork. Iam not a modeller at all. Iam just working on the raw 3d, never had enough patience to play with the 3d, although I made some plane for the FSX some time ago.
I'd say, I will need a month to make the 2D textures and another month or so on the animations and systems in Gmax. The last thing will be the most complicated for me, because I'd love to model some aircraft systems, if possible. However, I will need to learn some basic scripting in the xml :/

[J5_MULLER]

Will this plane be able to work in Rise of Flight eventually? That would be very cool!! Awesome job!

[elephant]

Thumbs up from me and I would like to see it in RoF too!
I could also give a hand with the pilot textures if needed…

[Gimpy117]

oh if this plane makes it into game I'll be one happy camper. 225 H.P Alby? Might be a very nice plane to compete with some of the better allied aircraft.

[gavagai]

What's more, the Austrian D.III did not suffer the lower wing weakness of the German type. They actually had the good sense to diagnose the problem and fix it.

[duz]

great job guys this albie is wonderfull… hope to see it flying very soon in ROF..
Since I'm italian I've a dream: spad VII, hanriot. sva 7 and caproni bomber….

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Thanks Guys!

@Elephant, a friend of mine, who works as a 3d modeller will create a pilot figure for it. I will ask him for a master texture, once it will be ready

Again, I am not sure if she would fit the RoF requirements. The external model is splitted into parts, but it would require some additional modelling of scratches and bruises. She would also need internal wing and fuselage ribs just like the other planes have.
So, at the moment our intention is to complete the model and then to try to export it to the flight simulator x, because it is a good platform for such things.

Iam attaching a screenshots taken in the Wings 3D. The textures are ready to paint and they have the Ambient Occlusion layer applied which gives all those shadows.
Lucas

Attached Files

•  Oeff_vc.jpg   107.33KB   585 downloads

[J2_Wallenberg]

You guys can be really proud of modelling in this quality!

[Karma-Police]

Woooow !
The Albatros D.III(Oef) 253 series !!!!!!

Excellent work !

Just a thing.
If it's the 253 series it should have raised guns.
I know that some planes have burried guns like on 53. and 153. series.

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Thank you very much!
I am afraid that is is too late to rework the entire model. Yes, this is 253 series and, again, there must had been different versions - the one which you presented on the screen and the ones with the buried machineguns.
For example, my country used Oeffags Ba.253 after the WW1 and I have never noticed a plane having raised guns. The drawings which we used also had buried guns, however, I will repeat again, we are aware of that version. On the other side, we had no drawings for that one, nor plans for the cockpit. Moreover, we used pictures of the Oeffag replica being built by Mr. Koloman Mayrhofer.

Best regards,
Lucas

[ImPeRaToR]

Very nice guys!

[Huetz]

Woooow !
The Albatros D.III(Oef) 253 series !!!!!!

Excellent work !

Just a thing.
If it's the 253 series it should have raised guns.
I know that some planes have burried guns like on 53. and 153. series.

On a quick correcting note, 253. batch D.IIIs never saw wide use with "raised" guns. There were afaik 2 machines converted to this standard for evaluation, but never entered production. I will look for the serial numbers of those two machines when I get home.

[J2_Adam]

Are those sea sponges on the ends of the machine guns?

[Karma-Police]

Woooow !
The Albatros D.III(Oef) 253 series !!!!!!

Excellent work !

Just a thing.
If it's the 253 series it should have raised guns.
I know that some planes have burried guns like on 53. and 153. series.

On a quick correcting note, 253. batch D.IIIs never saw wide use with "raised" guns. There were afaik 2 machines converted to this standard for evaluation, but never entered production. I will look for the serial numbers of those two machines when I get home.

That's true but for the 153. series. Three plane were send to the front with raised guns for evaluation (153.161, 153.162 and 153.181) The other had burried guns.

The 253. series was designed with raised machine guns because pilots asked for this modification. Later, some pilots complained that "blowing gases and oil interferd with aiming". So up to 253.116 planes leave the factory either with raised or burried guns apparantly at random.

[Huetz]

Woooow !
The Albatros D.III(Oef) 253 series !!!!!!

Excellent work !

Just a thing.
If it's the 253 series it should have raised guns.
I know that some planes have burried guns like on 53. and 153. series.

On a quick correcting note, 253. batch D.IIIs never saw wide use with "raised" guns. There were afaik 2 machines converted to this standard for evaluation, but never entered production. I will look for the serial numbers of those two machines when I get home.

That's true but for the 153. series. Three plane were send to the front with raised guns for evaluation (153.161, 153.162 and 153.181) The other had burried guns.

The 253. series was designed with raised machine guns because pilots asked for this modification. Later, some pilots complained that "blowing gases and oil interferd with aiming". So up to 253.116 planes leave the factory either with raised or burried guns apparantly at random.

I am still looking for the serial list, don't hold your breath though. Way too much information on my computer.

It appears that factory standard as burried guns and just as with the 153. evaluation, the modification prooved unpopular. Maybe it's a "field" modification conducted at FLARS and not at the factory? Will definately be back shortly with the serial list.

[Gimpy117]

im sure somebody on here would do the ribs….I want this plane now!!

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Small update
I was working hard on the cockpit textures. They still are not completed, but I will finish them in a day or two. Then, I am going to create a specular texture and normal map for the interior which should give much better visual effect from what we have now. After that, I am going to start painting the external model.

Lucas

Attached Files

•  2011-5-19_0-34-10-270 copy.jpg   262.08KB   706 downloads
•  2011-5-19_0-36-5-554 copy.jpg   623.04KB   705 downloads

[J2_Wallenberg]

Lucas, I'm amazed! The cockpit looks great and does not have to hide behind 1st-party stuff!

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Thanks But it will look better, once I will add those "shiny" specular textures. It looks very flat now, especially the metal parts look ugly.

Edit: By the way: I have already got the field mods for the Oeff. Note the cockpit light in the upper left corner

[NewGuy_]

Thank goodness Central did not fly that thing in our area of operations. I would hate to have to face that naughtiness.

[J2_Wallenberg]

I was always wondering what specular maps/textures are…

Newguy, as much as the 253 series shows impressive performance data in theory, the Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppen were confronted with major shortages of important resources. Even wheelcaps were often missing, inflatable rubber tires sometimes not delivered or replaced by steel spring ones, the fuel quality was very bad (pilots complaining that the engines can't exceed 1100rpm in level flight instead of the prototype's 1400rpm), exhaust pipes were burnt through after a few sorties, and so on.

Still I'm eager to see the outcome of this project!

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Regarding the specular maps, I must say that RoF is much better, because everything is on one texture, hidden in the alpha channell. The various alpha values depend on the transparency, reflection, specular. Well, everything is described in the document attached to every PSD master texture availble to dowload from the RoF website. In the FSX you have regular texture (diffuse) which alpha channell can work as a transparency map or reflection map. Another one is specular, where the basic layer gives the color and the alpha gives the strenght of specular shine. You can also apply fresnel ramp, but i have not played with it yet. I may also experiment with chrome texture on some cockpit parts. Finally there is a normal map for a "3d effect" on the texture.

[J2_Wallenberg]

Thanks! I only experimented with alpha channels in RoF yet, the first sim ever I could produce skins I really are fond of.

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Just a small update. I have almost finished the cockpit textures and now I am working on the external texture. The panel lines are done, some riveting, too. I have a plywood texture almost ready as well as the swirl cammo texture But it is not ready to show. There are many small details to be added - Oeffag logo, metal parts, some weathering, canvas structure, etc. When I will get those things ready along with some specular texture, I will try to show some screenshots.

L.

[J2_Adam]

Cool can't wait!

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

OK, some small show off with the almost ready external texture along with the specular map. Still, no normal map…

Attached Files

•  2011-6-3_19-48-59-672 copy.jpg   363.66KB   350 downloads
•  2011-6-3_19-49-51-811 copy.jpg   325.12KB   348 downloads
•  2011-6-3_19-50-12-934 copy.jpg   462.96KB   350 downloads

[FlyingShark]

Looks great.

Notice how nicely that seat is designed. Real great attention to detail.

[ImPeRaToR]

Very cool you guys must be proud

[Sensenmann]

Looking good!