The Biff Diaries lives on with changes on the way

I was considering changing the focus of this blog and moving to a new blog at MS Live Spaces. However I did not like having banner ads at Live Spaces. I did post earlier that I was changing the scope of this blog and moving virtual aircraft creation elsewhere. I have now deleted that post and this blog continues on in its original scope in the short term.

However change will come. I would expect any change of scope to be gradual with some overlap. I intend to gradually introduce more general posts on early aviation topics of interest, as distinct from 3D modeling and virtual aircraft creation.

I will still create a new blog as Live Spaces at that has some cool features (despite having banner ads).

cheers

Rob

Aeroplane Art

I originally established the Aeroplane Art web site with the intention of promoting and supporting both future payware & freeware add-on aircraft projects for the Microsoft Flight Simulator and Combat Flight Simulator franchises. Unfortunately during 2007, cancer was diagnosed in my right leg, an advanced myxoid liposarcoma, which is not very nice to have (understatement). This of course, meant that aspirations to produce payware aircraft were placed on hold, hopefully on temporarily. However creation of virtual aircraft as a hobby activity continues, albeit fairly slowly at times. Thus Aeroplane Art will have a freeware focus in the short-term. Aircraft will be made available from the major download sites.

Aircraft produced will largely reflect my interests in aviation, which as most readers of this blog know, lie in the area of vintage aviation and warbirds, especially World War 1 aircraft. I do however have interests which span the entire gamut of aviation history including modern aviation. Current endeavours focus on the Sopwith Snipe for FSX and later for CFS3. I am one of those modelers who like to create new meshes frequently, to keep my skills up to date, thus there are a number of possible aircraft that could follow the Sopwith Snipe. An update of my earlier Bristol F2B, to FSX SP2 standard is in progress also.

I hope to commence updating the site sometime between now and late February. Early to mid February is going to be taken up with further radio therapy treatment. I will post WIP pics in my blogs in addition to the Aeroplane Art site, which will also feature galleries and perhaps articles also.

Cheers

Rob

Taking Shape.

The new WIP at one day's work, looking a bit cryptic. It's summer here, and after a week of rain comes the steamy heat.... slowing me down now. Tomorrow some texture work on the Snipe. Hopefully the heat will ease up. Phew.....!!




cheers

Rob

New - WIP

Along side the Snipe I'm doing other stuff, when I can. Doing new things keeps one fresh & existing skills intact.

Here's a WIP pic... just the wings so far, but I am able to use the Oberursel & UC parts from the Dr.I. I haven't decided on the target sim for this as yet...probably FSX, maybe CFS3. Largely a RT modeling exercise for now.



cheers

Rob

Satisfaction - Snipe Cockpit WIP pics.

At last the fruits of my labours are delivering satisfaction as the Sopwith Snipe cockpit takes shape. These are WIP pictures taken in cockpit in FSX at different times of day. Many of the textures are just templates and much work on the materials remains. This is just the groundwork.

Cheers

Rob

Happy New Year & Update

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2008 be rewarding to you all. (PS - Slightly late as it's 2nd January here in Oz.)

I'm now back with 3DS Max & Photoshop and slowly making progress.

A few posts ago in my post 'Time to down tools', I posted a list of projects I hope to tackle during the course of 2008. There's others in progress too that may join that list.

Anyway first up will be the Sopwith Snipe. The Snipe has been an on & off project since 2005. The external model, sans textures was actually completed in the space of one week in July or August 2005. Since then there have been a couple of fuselage revisions. The cockpit and Bentley BR-2 engine were largely modeled in 2006/2007. There have been changes in goalposts with FSX now being the primary target, although the CFS3 version is still planned. Much has happened during that time. My modeling skills have developed and approach changed, and the FSX SDK has been through 3 iterations in addition to the betas. Thankfully everything has now settled down. It's now known that FSX can support 2048 textures. Whether I further mod the Snipe to accomodate 2048, I don't yet know, apart from 1 cockpit texture which I have already changed. I use a full set of specular textures on the external aircraft and increasing these to 2048 may cause FSX to croak on older cards. I'll experiment. I am working on the cockpit textures and rendering ambient occlusion maps, working my computer overtime (I have a break or get on with household chores while the computer renders away.)

Next it will most likely be the Sopwith Baby, once my Clerget model is complete. After that or in parallel it will be the F6F-3, then followed by the Albatros DVa. There's one other possibility that I won't reveal just yet..... Now that Gennadich have released their freeware Dr.1 I have re-scheduled my Dr.1 way down the list (yep I was doing one of these too - for a payware project - that's the way the cookie crumbles LoL). Anyway the parts will be useful for another Fokker aircraft - freeware for FSX, which I might start today, just for the challenge and a refresher - my first all new aircraft for 2008 :) It won't delay the Snipe. I'll try and include the Junkers D.I into the mix too, in the next few months.

Cheers

Rob