The B737 Classic Project

[Dozer]

Aviatop - the custom datarefs/commands used in a 3d cockpit are plainly visible for cockpit builders anyway. The datarefs are all listed in plaintext in the aircraft's .obj file, and if the developer is naming them consistently like IXEG/737-300/...... it's very easy to find them all with a text editor. Then you can observe and manipulate them with DataRefEditor - possibly by adding them to the DataRefs.txt file (I can't remember if I tried this), or definitely by writing a plugin which sends the dataref registration message to DataRefEditor.

 

This is the beauty of X-Plane - the entire interface between the 3d cockpit and the sim/plugins is plainly available in the .obj files. If IXEG are able and willing to add new facilities to help cockpit builders, that's great, but if IXEG were all run over by a bus the day after release (please don't get run over by buses guys) it would still be possible to make a hardware cockpit which behaves just like the 3d one.

[Morten]

A couple of shots.  Still a bunch of exterior details missing, but we are getting there 

 

 

[guym-p]

Then you can observe and manipulate them with DataRefEditor - possibly by adding them to the DataRefs.txt file (I can't remember if I tried this)

 

This definitely works.  As long as a custom DataRef is functioning correctly within a plugin, all a developer has to do is to is to add the path for that plugin to his copy of Datarefs.txt.  Of course it would be over-written during an upgrade, so the way to make it visible to everyone is to register it with DataRefEditor.

[RojanTrojan]

A couple of shots.  Still a bunch of exterior details missing, but we are getting there 

 

That is looking great Morten.

Rhydian

[tkyler]

Only thing I'm worried about is the phrase "not decided yet" that showed up very often the last weeks...and sounds to me that we're still a couple of month away from release. That's a real pity - especially after seeing Jan flying around in public and teasing us!

 

Flo

Ok, the above quote came off the org, but of course I can't answer there and a lot of 737 questions I do have answers for.   Really really curious folks should ask here in this forum FYI.

 

"Not decided yet" means "we haven't decided because its probably easily done and we can wait till the end to think about it as higher priority stuff remains.    As far as months away from release, that is true no matter the "not decided yet".  We are not going to rush this thing out the door in a "hurry up and lets make some money" manner like I've seen other products do.  IXEG is, without a doubt,  of the "success through quality" mentality.  You no happy...we no happy!  One thing in this business that I have learned is that it easily takes several months AFTER the aircraft is "finished" just to do bug chasing, installation checks, finish up the documentation, get the marketing materials ready, set up the web sites, etc......so we are definitely several months away no matter what.  How many months?  I don't know.    We are moving along very well though as you can see and you should see more screenshots and the occasional movie along the way.  One thing is for sure....once it begins to look "finished" from the screenshots, then we will still be a few months away as we make final preparations....but at least on that day, it will be closer than it is on this day

 

TomK

Edited April 13, 2013 by tkyler

[tkyler]

so the way to make it visible to everyone is to register it with DataRefEditor.

All custom datarefs created in Gizmo are registered automatically during their creation. All of ours are prefixed with "ixeg/733/" and easily identified....but we will probably need to provide descriptions of many of them at some point.  That will be a dedicated effort after release when I start working with cockpit builders.

 

TomK

[aviatop]

Well, thanks for your replies according datarefs, it's a great pleasure for me that you pay attention on it.

Another thing I wonder if you have plans to simulate circuit breakers?  

Of course, not now with initial releases, but in nearby future.

[tkyler]

Another thing I wonder if you have plans to simulate circuit breakers?  

Of course, not now with initial releases, but in nearby future.

Not in their entirety, but maybe a few initially.  At least for some of the major busses.  There are some very interesting cases where one can disable a bus with a breaker and achieve a particular goal, especially with respect to the hydraulics as we simulate many electromagnetic relays that are attached to various busses, so disabling busses and setting switches in a specific combination can be used to accomplish things in emergency situations.

 

Our systems are coded such though that we can insert a breaker into the "virtual circuit" very easily for lots of things.  We are currently texturing the cockpit shell and as we come across each breaker label, we will probably make decisions about which ones to simulate based on how relevant they may be in our operations.

 

In normal operations you never mess with them of course so what will most likely transpire is we might simulate only a couple initially, but later write a failure module and perhaps we'll add circuit breakers then.

 

TomK

[aviatop]

Not in their entirety, but maybe a few initially.  At least for some of the major busses.  There are some very interesting cases where one can disable a bus with a breaker and achieve a particular goal, especially with respect to the hydraulics as we simulate many electromagnetic relays that are attached to various busses, so disabling busses and setting switches in a specific combination can be used to accomplish things in emergency situations.

 

Our systems are coded such though that we can insert a breaker into the "virtual circuit" very easily for lots of things.  We are currently texturing the cockpit shell and as we come across each breaker label, we will probably make decisions about which ones to simulate based on how relevant they may be in our operations.

 

In normal operations you never mess with them of course so what will most likely transpire is we might simulate only a couple initially, but later write a failure module and perhaps we'll add circuit breakers then.

 

TomK

Wow, if it's true it will be another bomb from IXEG team!

[mike10]

Not in their entirety, but maybe a few initially.  At least for some of the major busses.  There are some very interesting cases where one can disable a bus with a breaker and achieve a particular goal, especially with respect to the hydraulics as we simulate many electromagnetic relays that are attached to various busses, so disabling busses and setting switches in a specific combination can be used to accomplish things in emergency situations.

 

Our systems are coded such though that we can insert a breaker into the "virtual circuit" very easily for lots of things.  We are currently texturing the cockpit shell and as we come across each breaker label, we will probably make decisions about which ones to simulate based on how relevant they may be in our operations.

 

In normal operations you never mess with them of course so what will most likely transpire is we might simulate only a couple initially, but later write a failure module and perhaps we'll add circuit breakers then.

 

TomK

 

 

 

All I need  is a time machine so I can get to release day now

Edited April 14, 2013 by mike10

[Morten]

I offcourse had to make thisone for myself

 

[Tom Knudsen]

Very pretty

[Michael_Chang]

The reflections on the fuselage, or the paints of the reflection on the fuselage, is very impressive! might I ask how it was done?

[tkyler]

There are two ways to do it.   One is to use blender (or any 3D program that supports baking)  to bake a reflection map.  You need a little experience with "environment mapping" to get the best results and there are also some camera angle considerations as reflection calculations are camera location dependent. 

 

The second way...the one we use is  more customized for our needs.  We use a combination of normal maps and our own specialized environment maps and we have written our own program (Nils did actually) to merge the two into a customized reflection map that gives superior results than blender's basic baking. 

 

For basic exterior reflections though, blender is more than adequate.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflection_mapping

 

TomK

Edited April 14, 2013 by tkyler

[Nicola_M]

Impressive. One question though, would that viewpoint alter at all if you changed camera angle?  Just wondering, as what looks good in one static photo has a habit of suddenly going "out of shape" once the item moves, or you move the camera.

[Michael_Chang]

There are two ways to do it.   One is to use blender (or any 3D program that supports baking)  to bake a reflection map.  You need a little experience with "environment mapping" to get the best results and there are also some camera angle considerations as reflection calculations are camera location dependent. 

 

The second way...the one we use is  more customized for our needs.  We use a combination of normal maps and our own specialized environment maps and we have written our own program (Nils did actually) to merge the two into a customized reflection map that gives superior results than blender's basic baking. 

 

For basic exterior reflections though, blender is more than adequate.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflection_mapping

 

TomK

 

Thank you! I shall be sure to try this trick out when I get a new laptop

Edited April 14, 2013 by Michael_Chang

[Dozer]

I have fond memories of watching glider pilots dodging a Norwegian 737 at Lasham airfield during a gliding competition a few years back. I hadn't encountered that airline before. A very distinctive and attractive livery!

[GrahamH]

very nice. 

[Morten]

Couple of new pics in the gallery

 

http://www.ixeg.net/gallery

 

M

[Tom Knudsen]

Oh my lord, it's like looking at pole dancing, you now it's there but you can't touch it

[john82088]

Okay - I must ask - is the projected date for completion 2013 or 2014? I need to be ready to purchase this plane when it becomes available!

[tkyler]

Projected 2013.   Mid fall is my best guess, but that's an unofficial guess, not a company statement.  My wife is going to get pretty angry if it isn't darn near close by then.

 

TomK

[john82088]

Thanks Tom.

[whraven]

My wife is going to get pretty angry if it isn't darn near close by then.

No matter how loud potential customers, employers, or bosses scream, the angry wife still gets the fastest response...

[JimboG]

Agreed.