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Tom Knudsen

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  1. PMDG Development Update Thread

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Tom Knudsen

    It is announced, PMDG will develop the DC-6 to X-Plane

     

    See pictures on below link

     

     

     

    Captains-

    Tonight I am going to solve two mysteries with one forum post...

    For the past couple of years, we have mentioned that we are working on our first product for XPlane, but that the product was being developed slowly, as a sandbox exercise so that PMDG's Xplane Development Team could learn to work with, and adapt our existing capabilities to make them function well in the popular Xplane flight simulator by Laminar Research. We have told you repeatedly that we were going to "keep this one in close hold" while we worked through the development and learning process, so as to give the development team the freedom they need to really dig deep and learn what is an entirely new platform to us in nearly all regards.

    During the same period of time, we have been rather mum on the progress forward after our January 2012 announcement regarding the DC-6 for FSX...

    So tonight, I would like to share with you the very latest on the PMDG Classics DC-6B by showing you images of this fine new classic airliner simulation in a platform for which PMDG has never previously shown a product: Xplane, by Laminar Research!

    Amazingly- in spite of the fact that I have deflected a few hundred requests for information on both projects, it apparently wasn't easy to put together 3+3 and came up with DC-6 for Xplane... (Which really is astounding given how many really whacked out conjecture theories there are out there about PMDG... one of the latest being that we apparently control AVSim? Yeah... Right... Has **anyone** in this forum ever tried to tell Tom Allensworth what to do? As we used to say at my line: "Good Luck with that.")

    Okay- back to the point of this evening's post.... :ph34r:

    To start with tonight, I would like to share with you some highly detailed preview preview images of the new PMDG Classics DC-6B for Xplane!

    The PMDG Classics DC-6B is the lead off product in a new breed of products for PMDG that will bring some "old school" aviation to our product lines for Xplane, FSX and Prepar3D. This product will drop for XPlane first- but shortly after will release for FSX and Prepar3D as well- making it the first PMDG product to appear on three different simulation platforms. (We count FSX and FSX-SE as a single platform...)

    With a couple of years in development, we have succeeded in bringing together a simulation of this magnificent and beautiful airplane that will satisfy even the most detail oriented classic airliner nut. From an exquisitely detailed exterior model, accurate sounds recorded using a live DC-6, a meticulously scaled and created virtual cockpit, authentic aircraft system simulation down to the finest and grittiest details- we think this simulation is going to give pure joy to anyone looking for something a bit different than the standard "Gear Up LNAV-VNAV" of modern airliners.

    Take a moment to soak in how much "stuff" us contained in this one panel view...

    In typical PMDG style- all of this works... and all of it works correctly and realistically.

    The fuel system in this simulation includes accurately modeled tanks, fuel scuppers, cross-feed and engine/fuel sourcing management... Engine behaviors will depend upon correct use of engine mixtures, temperature controls and throttles. Fuel consumption matches book values and the longevity and usefulness of those four powerplants will depend very much on your correct application of power, mixture and RPM! This is a sophisticated airliner poised with one foot in the golden era and another at the doorstep of the jet age... And she will make you earn her respect!

    Everything you see here is modeled... As usual, we haven't just mapped some switch movements to default actions within Xplane (and FSX and P3D) we have created a living, breathing simulation of the airplane in which actions and non actions have consequences. Our simulation of this classic airliner will teach you to listen to what your airplane is telling you- but from an audio experience, but also visually....

    Is there a sudden, slight vibration rippling through the panel? You may want to figure out why- and get the situation back into conformity before the airplane decides she needs to teach you a costly lesson in inattentive airmanship! (Because she will!)

    As with our modern airliner series, the PMDG Classics DC-6B for Xplane will come to you with a complete and accurate aircraft operating manual, complete with tips, tricks and techniques recommended to real world DC-6 captains by Douglas Aircraft in order to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the airplane.

    Rather than simply model a "from an old manual" DC-6, however, we sent a crew to Namibia to do our engineering survey, photo mapping and sound recording with the operation of one of the worlds finest passenger carrying DC-6s still in active operation. As such, ours comes with a "modern" stack of radios (okay... if you call the 80s modern....) and a WAAS capable Garmin GPS to help you navigate the complex airspace of modern VATSIM and IVAO... (I'm lost without GPS... I'll admit it... :unsure: )

    Once again, everything you see here works... Emergency and backup systems.. annunciators, indicators, needles, handles, lights... it is all there...

    The needles providing you indication are modeled to accurately reflect the motion of their real world counterparts- which gives the cockpit a true sense of living- and can really give you something to work for if one of those big radials starts belching and backfiring and shaking the airplane like a tin can full of pebbles!

    The PMDG Classics DC-6B for Xplane will have something we have not yet put into any previous PMDG product to date: Circuit breaker level functionality accessible to pilots. (In FSX/P3D putting this many click spots into the airplane takes about 20fps... so we simply haven't bothered... Xplane, however- has no such resource connection to the click spots- and it has given us the freedom to give you the opportunity to really mess up your afternoon!)

    Some of you may know- all of us at PMDG are classic airliner nuts. We just love the smell of avgas, hot oil and well run radial engines- so it seemed like a great idea to make the DC-6 our first full project for release in the Xplane platform.

    (Speaking of oil... your engines will consume oil at realistic rates during flight...so take care of those engines and mind the pressures and temperatures, because abuse causes oil consumption to go up- and you do not want to pay for any more of that stuff than you have to, trust us!)

    Okay- so there you have her... PMDG's first project for Xplane, and a full update on progress forward with the DC-6B!

    We are in the process of prepping the Xplane edition for beta testing- which we anticipate taking a bit longer than our normal beta process simply because we are going to be discovering some things with Xplane that I am sure we won't run into with FSX and P3D, since we know those platforms pretty well already.

    Once we have the Xplane version into beta testing- we will cut the beta team loose to show you as much or as little as they like- but be prepared for some enthusiasm because this old girl is a four-throttled-fist-full-of-fun that brings all new meaning to "don't get behind the airplane!"

    Okay- let me go see if we can convince henning to bring the flight test ship back from the air-to-air photoshoot.... Another guy you cannot tell what to do. B)

     

    https://www.facebook.com/pmdgsimulations/posts/890658097640642

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  5. PMDG Development Update Thread

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Latest news from PMDG

     

     

    Xplane Development Update:

    We have begun to discuss (at last!) unveiling our first preview for our first Xplane development project.  (That sounds frighteningly like we have started to plan to plan for a planning meeting....  I don't mean it to sound that way.  LOL)

     

    I thought we were close to a preview on this about 8 months ago and I was mistaken- but we are close enough to completion now that I think we have something worth showing....

     

    This project has been our "sandbox" exercise in order to get a development team up and running on Xplane- and many of you will recall that the Jetstream 41 was our sandbox exercise for what became the NGX and 777 product lines- so I think you will be pretty excited about this if you are an Xplane user!

     

    http://forum.avsim.net/topic/463279-27feb15-latest-newsrelease-planning-notes-etc/

    • Upvote 1

  8. So, erm.....seasons?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Ugh thats a tough question to answer for any project it all depends on a lot of variables...

    External influences

    Project size

    Bug killing

    Life events

    X-plane limitations and work around

    Optimization and texture refinement

    Marketing

    Documentation

    So on and so on.....taking those things into account you can see how difficult it is to put a time on it....

    Take it you miss freeware then John ;)

  18. The B737 Classic Project

    in Aircraft Development

    Posted · Edited by Tom Knudsen

     

    I couldn't say at this time.  We will be discussing it however in the next few weeks.  Certainly we want our 737 to be fully representative of the real aircraft.  Nearing 4.5 years of development though, we are about ready to concede a few things for our initial release, especially less frequently used features.  Now that being said, we do not plan to rest on any laurels should we receive any after the release.  There is a "line" that we have set for ourselves prior to release.  We'll just have to wait and see.

     

    Tom, in any way you see it there will be major bugs reported after public release. Not even a beta test can reveal everything.

    But thats why god created service packs :)

     

    Good luck, even if you enter another year of developments (or is 5 year an even number he he) :)

     

     

    is the clouds display in the weather radar is tested with SkyMaxxPro also?

     

    Don't think Sky Maxx Pro is a weather engine, for all I know it just modifies the default clouds, x-plane renders the weather.

  22. Light2015

    in Plugins and Utilities

    Posted

    One could only hope Chris, I do however belive that Tessellation will come in the near future.

     

     

    Sorry, excuse my stupid... what is this exactly?

     

    Script to change art controls within X-Plane. This manipulates how light behave with the use of Fly With Lua plugin.

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