Overview Series – Module 4
Most flight sim enthusiasts enjoy flying different flight sim aircraft on a regular business. For them a new aircraft is as simple as downloading a free model or purchasing a aircraft from an online store. This desire for new and exciting products is what makes the flight sim development community a viable concept. Some enthusiast go even further and decide to develop their own aircraft, scenery or other assets. This desire is often followed by bewilderment when they begin to see all the steps needed to complete a X-Plane plugin.
Module 4 of this series begins the creation of the aircraft model. The first section focuses on creating the 3-D model within X-Plane’s Plane Maker application. This model is used to define the handling and performance characteristics within the main X-Plane application. Additional sections will then turn to the visual 3-D model, artwork, sound, custom programming and testing.
Part 1 – Introduction to Plane Maker
The first video provides and overview of the Plane Maker application and the creation of the fuselage for the X-Plane flight model.
Useful links:
Part 2 – Using Another Aircraft as a Reference
A short video on opening other aircraft models with Plane Maker as a reference or example.
Part 3 – Adding Aircraft Performance Specifications to Plane Maker
We begin to add some basic performance specifications to the aircraft. Most of these specifications can be found in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the make and model aircraft. Part 3 covers the “Author” and “Viewpoint” sections of Plane Maker.