CaptainSpaulding

SmartFlying
an extension to make formation flight using SmartCopilot.

SmartFlying is a Lua script for FlyWithLua that allows formation flight on X-Plane over the internet, without the need of a dedicated server (like IVAO, VATSIM, ect.).
It uses SmartCopilot to establish a connection between two remote users and share the data while it handles X-Plane's AI-Aircraft to show the position of the remotely connected aircraft.

Currenty it has been tested on Linux (primary development platform) and Windows, but it should work without problem on MacOsX.
SmartFlying uses AMS, an advanced package library for Lua included in the distribution archive, and it has been developed around FlyWithLua because unfortunately Gizmo is not currently available for Linux.
 
Current version: 0.84a (21 Jan 2021)

DOWNLOAD the lastest version of SmartFlying here: SmartFlying-LatestRelease.zip

DOWNLOAD SmartCopilot from the home page: https://sky4crew.com/smartcopilot/

DOWNLOAD FlyWithLuaNG here: FlyWithLua NG Download page

Please read "SmartFlying-Readme.pdf" for installation instructions.
 
 
GET INVOLVED
Do you have experience in programming languages and a basic knowledge of Lua?
Do you want to get involved in the development of SmartFlying, AMS and tools for X-Plane?
Please contact me (CaptainSpaulding) here on X-Pilot.com Forum 
 

 

 

 

 


LICENSE
SmartFlying, an extension to make formation flight using SmartCopilot.
AMS, an Advanced Library Package for FlyWithLua.
Copyright (C) 2020 Pasquale Croce.

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY ; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/ .

ACF Mesh Tools
for Linux, Windows and MacOsX

ACF Mesh Tools allows you to edit and modify the plane's meshes from the ACF file.
Be aware: those tools are not made to edit the OBJ8 files as they work only with the ACF file format.

HOW ACF MESH TOOLS WORKS

Let's take as example the default Laminar's Cessna 172, a great model very well done (aestetically and internally).
We know that in Plane Maker the fuselage is made out of cross-sections:

...and those cross-sections creates a mesh:

Those meshes, made out of cross-sections, are the ones that PlaneMaker uses as model for the plane and X-Plane uses for its physics calculations.
Before v.8 that meshes were used as visual and physics model. Now, in most cases, this meshes are hidded from view and X-Planes uses a dedicated file, in OBJ8 proprietary format, for the visual rendering.

Using the tool 'acf_mesh_extract', the meshes inside the ACF are saved in a standard Wavefront OBJ file, that can be edited with Blender or with any other software that supports the format.

Once converted, the mesh can be modified:


Then the edited mesh is converted back in ACF format, using 'acf_mesh_insert', and the resulting ACF file can be loaded in Plane Maker:

 
Everything shown here was entirely done automatically with a conversion script. Except moving the points to alter the shape, no additional task has been done in Blender.
I'm using Blender, but this method can be used with any 3D software.

A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
This is a quick reshaping that I've done on the fuselage of B-377 Stratoscruser made by Kauffmann.
I've found that the hidden fuselage doesn't match the shape of the plane model, the visual one, as we can see in Plane Maker and in the version imported in Blender:

(the wireframe in black, the unselected one, is the OBJ8 mesh for this plane; the selected object is the fuselage mesh from the ACF file)

After a quick reshaping, I've managed to make che ACF mesh match the shape of the OBJ8; then and I've reimported it back in the ACF file:

Loading the resulting ACF file in PlaneMaker we see that the cross-sections have changed from this:

to this:

 
THE TOOLS
In the zip file you'll get:
acf_mesh_extract acf_mesh_insert Launch those commands without options to get an help page.
acf_mesh_extract extracts all the meshes from the ACF file and converts them in a single (wavefront) OBJ file with multiple objects. You can import this file in any 3D software that supports the format, and alter the meshes as you wish.
You can not delete or add points nor change in any way the topology; you are just limited to move points. You'll find that some objects, like the engine's nacelles,  are not in their final position; that is because PM positions them with a translation value. You can not move those objects to their final positions, otherwise when you'll reimport them back in the ACF file, it won't work; You are allowed to delete objects that you don't need. Some objects, although they can be modified and reimported in the ACF file, once this one is opened in Plane Maker are reset to their original shape; this applies to those parts, such the wings, that are made out of airfoils. You can not alter the UV informations of the vertices, as they are used to store the ACF's topology informations and they are needed later to reinsert the meshes back in the original file. Make sure that your 3D sofware exports the UV informations, without altering them. acf_mesh_insert allows to reinsert the modified meshes back in the original ACF file. It can be used only with meshes converted with 'acf_mesh_extract'.
You can not overwrite the original ACF file; this command will save the output in a different file. Your original ACF file is always preserved. Inserting the meshes does not alter in any way the informations of other parts present in the file. You don't need to reinsert all the meshes; you can insert only the ones you have modified.  
DEVELOPMENT

This tools are under active development and their functionalities may change in the future.
The primary development platform is Linux.

Special thanks to @xraydelta1 for compiling the Mac version.

Feedbacks, reports, suggestions or ideas are strongly welcomed: feel free to send me a message with your thoughts.

X-Pilot's forum is the primary and sole forum for support, announcements and new releases.

PLEASE DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE THIS TOOLS THROUGH OTHERS FORUMS OR PLATFORMS

OBJ8 to Wavefront OBJ Converter
for Linux, Windows and MacOsX

OBJ8_convert allows you to convert 3D meshes from X-Plane's proprietary format to a standard Wavefront OBJ.
This tool converts only the meshes, discarding all the other informations such as: materials, animations, dataref.
 
HOW IT WORKS
OBJ8_convert is a command line tool. The syntax is quite simple:
obj8_convert <xplanesfile.obj> [<output.obj>] Once converted, the file can be opened in Blender or in any other software that is able to handle a standard Wavefront OBJ file.




EXAMPLE
Just for the sake of test, let's convert one of the standard objects in the library of X-Plane, the small fuel truck:


The file can be found here:
Resources/default scenery/airport scenery/Common_Elements/Vehicles/Small_Fuel_Truck.obj  
Once converted with:
OBJ8_convert 'Resources/default scenery/airport scenery/Common_Elements/Vehicles/Small_Fuel_Truck.obj' test.obj  
...can be opened in Blender:

All the measures in the OBJ8 file are in meters, thus the resulting Wavefront OBJ file uses the meter as a unit base.
Infact, is clearly visible from the snapshot, the truck is 6 meters long, meaning 6 squale, thus it is compatible with the real life truck which is 6.12 meter long.
 
APPLICATIONS
OBJ8_convert can be used to add extra elements to an airplane. For instance, if one wants to add the pilots (or some passenger) to a plane that is missing them, he can convert the cockpit file and use it as template to place the pilots in the proper position, making sure that the hands are in the right places.
The sames applies to additional parts, such as winglets on the tip of the wings. OBJ8_convert can be used to get a reference to make the winglets perfectly fit the wings.
Or you may want to model a ladder or a stairway to your plane's door.
OBJ8_convert can be very useful also to make the files need by librain.
 
DEVELOPMENT

This tool is under active development and its functionalities may change in the future.
The primary development platform is Linux.

Special thanks to @xraydelta1 for compiling the Mac version.

Feedbacks, reports, suggestions or ideas are strongly welcomed: feel free to send me a message with your thoughts.

X-Pilot's forum is the primary and sole forum for support, announcements and new releases.
 
IMPORTANT NOTICE
OBJ8_convert must not be used to convert copyrighted material.
Please respect all intellectual properties and copyrights.
 

PLEASE DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE DI TOOLS THROUGH OTHERS FORUMS OR PLATFORMS

This is a conversion from v9.60 to v11.41 of the Ilyushin IL-14 made by Andrey Kozyaruk (Felis, felisleopard@gmail.com) and Alexaner Babichev (Asso).

This plane has a fully functional 3D cockpit, interiors, static elements, working doors and complex avionics.
It comes with 7 additional liveries and the paintkit.

The original plane has been released as freeware to the public domain.
Here follows the text of the original license file that comes with the plane where there is no restriction to update the plane to the latest release of X-Plane:
This pack contains model IL14P for X-Plane9.30 simulator This model is freeware and can be distribute by any way with notice auothor's name Comonents in directories /plugins/ и /Custom Avionics/ are free and ditributes under the GPL license and can be used in every way you want, in case of all autority and licks are reserved. See for plugin updates on http://code.google.com/p/sasl/ Autor of model, phisics and gauges - Andrey Kozyaruk (Felis) felisleopard@gmail.com Autor of plugin and its standard components - Alexaner Babichev (Asso)
Enjoy.

Here is the complete checklist for Laminar's MD-82, to be used with Xchecklist.
Special thanks to Kev (unrealaviation) for the help and contribution.

Enjoy.

 


...and so on.