Introduction
The purpose of this tutorial is to help the beginner design an aircraft for FS98. This aircraft is dubbed "Ugly100", it is compatible with CFS and FS2000. To achieve that, will will use most of the features of
Aircraft Designer 2000 :The "Ugly100" is powered by a single reciprocating engine. She is fitted with a tail wheel and a main retractable gear. She is a fictitious aircraft. Her shape is simple : the only purpose of the "Ugly100" is to help you learn how to use
Aircraft Designer 2000.The 3D model of the "Ugly100" could be stored in a single file but we shall use three of them for a learning purpose : a master-project and two assemblies. The master-project is composed of the fuse, the stab, the rudder and the tail wheel. It is stored in the "Ugly100.3DM" file. The right wing and the right gear (a retractable one) are stored in the "ritewing.3DM" file (it is an assembly). The left wing and the left gear are built through a "mirror" operation and stored in "leftwing.3DM" file (it is an assembly too).The "Ugly100" fuselage is built on the basis of a template class of the section type which is called "fusetemp". The canopy is built on the basis of a half-section template class called "canopy", the intersection of which with the fuselage will be automatically computed by the program. The right wing uses a profile template class called "wing". We shall import the "fusetemp" temp in the "ritewing" assembly and then automatically generate the intersection of the wing with the fuselage (the "karman").
The full design of the "Ugly100" is a tedious process. You may wonder if its worthwhile, especially if you look at the result. The "Ugly100" is really... ugly. If you do not want to enter hundreds of data which will not tell you more on the intrisic capacity of
Aircraft Designer 2000, you will find in the "tutorial" directory a set of files (Ugly101.3DM, Ugly102.3DM.. etc...) which represent the model at various stage of the design process. This will allow you to jump over the boring process of entering points and yet follow the tutorial. To do that, you just have to copy the "Ugly10x.3DM" files in the "Ugly100" directory (see below how to create this directory).To take fully advantage of this tutorial, I suggest that you read the "Aircraft Designer 2000", "Project name and file names" topics of the help file of
Aircraft Designer 2000, as well as the tutorial chapter in this help file.To start with...
new concepts : the working directories window - create a master-project - the F1 key |
Run
Aircraft Designer 2000. Select the Options|Working Directories menu option... A window is displayed on the screen. The Program Directory sub-panel of this window must display the directory which contains the Aircraft Designer 2000 program. If not, click on the browse button and select the appropriate directory in the window which displays the directory tree. Click on the select button to validate. Then create the "Ugly100" directory (it will contain the files you are working on) : write "Ugly100" in the Create new project directory field and validate by clicking on the create button. "Ugly100" is now the current selection in the Project directory list box.If you want more information on any menu option, select the related menu and bring the cursor on the desired option. You just have then to click on the F1 key.
Go to the Aircraft directory sub-panel. It must display the "Aircraft" sub-directory of the Flight Simulator 98 directory (or Combat Flight Simulator, or Flight Simulator 2000). If not, click on the browse button and select the appropriate directory in the window which displays the directory tree. Click on the select button to validate. Then create the "Ugly100" directory associated with the model : write "Ugly100" in the Create new aircraft directory set field and validate by clicking on the create button. "Ugly100" is now the current selection in the Current Aircraft list-box. This operation automatically generates the "model", "panel", "sound" and "texture" sub-directories in the "Ugly100" directory.
Save by clicking on Save to exit the Working Directories window.
Select the File|New menu option (or click on the button showing a white sheet on the left of the tool bar). A fixed window is displayed on the right of the screen. Write "Ugly100" in the assembly name field, click on the master project check-box and validate by clicking on the OK button.
The project called "Ugly100" is now an
Aircraft Designer 2000 master-project. It will be composed of the fuselage, the stab, the rudder and the tail wheel. Before you begin the detailed design, it is worth to have an idea of the general arrangement of the master-project. An aircraft such as the "Ugly100" will have most of the time three main sections :Each section is composed of several sub-assies. There are
JUMP instructions which allow the flight simulator to sort the sub-assies during the display process.A last thing before we begin : use the Windows explorer to select all the "*.BMP" files which are stored in the "Tutorial" directory and move them into the "Ugly100" sub-directory that you have just created within the "Aircraft Designer 2000" directory. We shall need these files to assign textures to the sub-assies.
the aft section
The aft section is built around a sub-assy called TAIL composed of the aft part of the fuselage (generated on the basis of templates of the "fusetemp" class) and the fixed part of the rudder. A
JUMP instruction allowing the flight simulator to draw the fuselage and the rudder in the right order during the viewing process will be inserted in the TAIL sub-assy.The aft section also contains a sub-assy called AFTWHEEL (tail wheel and gear with a
JUMP instruction to draw both parts in the right order), a sub-assy called RSTAB and a sub-assy called LSTAB (fixed parts of the right and left stabs).The moving part of the rudder and the moving parts of the stabs are stored in specific sub-assies : RUDDER, RMSTAB and LMSTAB. Indeed, the
RUDDER et STABILIZER instructions, which make the surfaces move, apply to a complete sub-assy and cannot be used from within a sub-assy.the fore section
It is composed of four sub-assies :
the medium section
The medium section is composed of 7 sub-assies :
Actually, there are three sub-sections in the medium section : the fore sub-section (one fuselage sub-assy and one canopy sub-assy), the mid sub-section (one fuselage sub-assy, the pilot's head sub-assy and one canopy sub-assy), the aft sub-section (one fuselage sub-assy and one canopy sub-assy).
Create the "fusetemp" template class
new concepts : create a template class - create and edit a template - align templates
Once you have declared the "Ugly100" master-project, you need to create the "fusetemp" template class. The "fusetemp" template class will help us generate the fuselage. Templates are sort of shapes on which the aircraft skin is virtually "riveted".
Select the Template|New class menu option. A fixed window is displayed on the right of the screen. Write "fusetemp" in the name input data field. The default option is a 12-side section class parallel to the xOz plane (Oz is the vertical axis and Ox the transverse axis). This is fine : we are just trying to get accustomed with
Aircraft Designer 2000, we do not want to create a very detailed model.The other parameters define the first template of the class. Let's begin with the template which is closest to the tail. Enter :
x = 0.000 | y = -15.000 | z = -0.900 |
as coordinates of its origin (origin of the first template input data fields), then click on the big green dot just beside the set parameters label. The fixed window now displays the template parameters editor. The template shape is displayed on the white panel on the top of the window. Just below the white panel, there ar two bars with vertical lines inside them. If you move the mouse over these vertical lines, the cursor will change. Click-and-drag one of these vertical line : the template shape is modified. The position of these lines reflects the value of the kn parameters that you have access to in the Upper parameters and Lower parameters panels just below the bars. You can select either of the two panels by clicking on its thumbnail. At the moment, we shall keep the default values of the parameters :
Upper Parameters | Lower Parameters | ||
k0 = 0.2679 | k0 = 0.2679 | ||
teta1 = 30 | k1 = 0.5359 | teta1 = 30 | k1 = 0.5359 |
teta2 = 60 | k2 = 0.5359 | teta2 = 60 | k2 = 0.5359 |
At the very top of the window, two input data fields allow you to enter the height and width of the template. Enter :
height = 1.8 | width = 0.800 |
Click on the OK button to validate.
Aircraft Designer 2000 clears the template parameters editor window and brings you back to the class creation window. Click again on the OK button : the "fusetemp" class is created and its first template is drawn on the Graphic Editor screen with Aqua color lines.To create any one of the other templates of this class, select the Template|New template menu option. A window will be displayed to select the class you want to work with and to set the main parameters of the template you want to create. Enter the coordinates of the origin of the template, its height and its width (see the list just below) and then click on the edit button to launch the template parameters editor. We must launch the template parameters editor though we do not want to modify the templates default shape. We just have to click on the OK button to exit the template parameters editor and come back to the previous window, and then click again on the OK button to validate the template creation.
The list of the templates to be created is shown hereafter. The lazy guys may just create a few of them and then load the "Ugly101.3DM" file...
x = 0.000 | y = -8.000 | z = -2.200 | height = 3.600 | width = 2.600 |
x = 0.000 | y = -6.400 | z = 0.000 | height = 6.000 | width = 4.000 |
x = 0.000 | y = -3.700 | z = 0.000 | height = 6.000 | width = 4.000 |
x = 0.000 | y = -2.400 | z = -2.500 | height = 4.000 | width = 3.500 |
x = 0.000 | y = 2.400 | z = -2.300 | height = 3.800 | width = 3.500 |
x = 0.000 | y = 7.300 | z = -1.700 | height = 3.000 | width = 2.500 |
You will notice that the templates located at the y = -6.4 and y = -3.7 coordinate have the default height and width. We shall align them with other templates of the class. Select the Template|Edit Template menu option. A fixed window similar to the template creation window is displayed. To select the template you want to work with, click on the Up/Down arrows beside the data fields displaying the three origin coordinates (we shall call this kind of configuration a 3-coordinate row). Select the template the origin of which is located at (0.0, -6.4, 0.0) and click on the tie button. Two new 3-coordinate rows and a set of check boxes appear at the bottom of the window. The tie button allows you to create links between the current template and two other templates of the selected class : these templates will be the parents of the former one (which therefore becomes a child template). Select the templates with the following origin as the parent templates :
x = 0.000 | y = -8.000 | z = -2.200 |
x = 0.000 | y = -2.400 | z = -2.500 |
To do that, use the Up/Down arrows beside the 3-coordinate rows associated with the parent templates. Ckeck all the check-boxes (top, bottom, offset, width). You will notice that the z coordinate of the child template as well as its height and width are updated to reflect the link. Validate by clicking on the confirm button.
Select now the template the origin of which is located at (0.0, -3.7, 0.0) and click on the tie button. Select again the templates with the following origin as parent templates :
x = 0.000 | y = -8.000 | z = -2.200 |
x = 0.000 | y = -2.400 | z = -2.500 |
Check all the check-boxes and validate (confirm button). Exit the window by clicking on the OK button.