A simulator very first drawing between 1980 and 1985 thinking about a Soaring Simulator Software. I use to play in C64 mode the game REVS and little programming my C128 using POKE (peek and poke) and a 3D tool inside Geos software but was so slow and I was very young.
[“Glider Simulator” over Pampa] Simulator very first drawing
I learned “Basic” code language in extracurricular courses around 1986/87. But the coding industry was too young so I decided to wait.
I learn 3D industrial design in Alias at the IED University.
And soon later I was making car designer for Pininfarina and sailboats for German Frers.
While making airplanes for Ruttan cannot be an option, I return back to the base.
Later in early 2009, I try UE3 SDK.
2010 A real first attempt was using AngelScript inside RAD game engine, I learn PhysX and Dx9.[Dell Inspiron 9200]
2011 Then U.D.K. attempt for 2 Yr. I learn how to make more complex material shaders and post process effects but I was not able to code it and the screenshot made in the awesome Unreal Engine shows well my depression. The school glider was not able to take off.[GPU GTX460]
2012 I was not able to pay 10.000 for Unigine so I jump also to CryEngine because it handles large worlds.
Later, in Sep 2013 using Unity4.2 I came up with the conclusion, it was the best option. Unity was growing fast, I was able to make the same visual aesthetic as my favorite Unreal and I was now able to understand and code in it [GPU 2x HD7970].
In 2016 as experienced Unity enthusiasts I pass my first Unity certification. Hoping to become a real Indipendente game developer I look forward to publishing my first game.
Listening to David Helgason talk, my slogan is: “A world that everybody wants to explore.”
Inspiring research board.
In 2011 using RAD I was able to make the first 3D ragdoll for the game that includes the camera on the head. The neck was flexible using a configurable joint to absorb PhysX accelerations and translate that to the camera.
The original idea was to have the normal of the camera direction pointing down (camera local Y) to CG of a pending plumb with some joint limitations. The plumb is under the joint. A collider is used to change the cg of the head. In this way is possible to simulate the accelerations forces that take place on an aeroplane.
From there comes the idea of incorporating in the video game the rotation of the camera in the acceleration phase made in RAD later UDK, Unity4 and Unity5. With the inclusion of VR using Oculus DK2 that was natural because having a fixed horizon (on acceleration) was causing nausea.
I think I wouldn’t play it, never played any flight simulators etc. But as far as I know, theres nothing like that and there are a lot of hobby soaring flyers who might be interested in it. But I would advice not to call it Simulator.
The word Simulator is so overused, there are a lot of people who are ignoring everything thats has the word Simulator in the title, caus steam is full of it (Rock simulator etc.)
Well in that case since is my first simulator… the name can fit…
Yes, it will look for a better name or take up the challenge to make a better “Soaring Simulator” I was thinking to change the name to “Flight Soaring”, later “Soaring Stars” (the same as my lab) and in the transition use the acronym of FSS18 for Flight Soaring Simulator 2018.
Good idea, I’d suggest going for VR as otherwise soaring is maybe a little too ‘minimal’ for a computer game. People often expect loads of stuff to be going on in the game all at once. But in VR you have the opportunity to really wrap the experience around them and make it feel more real.
flight simulators have always existed not like rock simulators. there is a lot of people awaiting for simulators of existing hobbies like hunting fishing, but watching rocks is not a very popular hobby indeed.
Yes, @Billy4184 I purchase an old and cheaper Oculus DK2 for testing it in VR. Here is a screenshot testing the landing gear suspension of the virtual J3 Cub. Nice idea @Damien-Delmarle , I will include the seaplane version as well.
2018 CFD Digital Airfoil Designer DAD CFD inside FSS User Interface for of airfoil wing section modification
When I was a child, my father Aimar Mattanó show me the book "Theory of Wing Sections"by Abbott and VonDoenhoff. It was the answer to so many questions. I was never able to fully understand it but if we make things fly better to use the correct tools. So I start designing a tool for making airfoils inside the simulator. Here there are some sketch ideas.
History: In Aprile after working in the new Unity AI I was hoping to include it int the game but I didn’t know well how. My first idea was that my Ai searches and make a good airfoil shape in any given Reynolds number. I ask @ for a formula but there was no formula I can use.
First I started by learning how to make a Bezier curve that we (Industrial Designers) usually use in Cad Nurbs applications. Thanks to the Youtuber NurFACEGAMES and his tutorial Bezier Curves in Unity: Linear Curve. Multiple line-renderer are now used for making the outline shape of the airfoil. And the airfoil is rendered in a render texture via a second camera and then used inside the UI.
I use 4 Bezier curves for making the airfoil. This idea was also documented
In the inspector, I create simple slider parameters for controlling the airfoil
Created a UI canvas for the Interface following the sketches layout
Thanks to @methos5k I was able to make the integration with old 77 Fortran
I was able to read data from xFoil file and import it into Unity.
May 2018
Pass the polar data to the Simple Chart
The Unity UI slider component move the Bezier control points
Include O.S. folder browser system “Native File Browser” purchase in the asset store
So I was able to import and export .dat airfoil files
and make my own .dad airfoil file for storing airfoil information
The UI handles the input information for launching xFoil
Mark Drela xFoil is used as a digital wind tunnel.
Since I will become a dad, I call this software Digital Airfoil Designer and DAD as the acronym.
@AlanMattano This looks very interesting. I’ve also been looking into soaring simulation, etc. for a few years. Have you thought about wind/thermal/ridge rift/etc. simulation?
Yes, I have thought for decades how to implement it. Here are some of the ideas
In draft: I recorded the wind sound noise in the city, flat countryside and sea at 1 meter (Different wind intensity). I use that recording stereo audio as a random wind speed and direction generator. The direction is made by the stereo and the intensity by the volume and frequency. This gives me a nice starting real-time parameter that I loop it over time. The atmosphere has a curve value multiplier in function of the altitude. It follows the indication of the Nasa records and is calculated in real-time in function of the glider altitude. It also gets the Re numbers that is used for selecting the correct airfoil aerodynamic chart. This is just for starting because then there are layers from 0 to 100m, 100 to 700, etc… that [layer*] can go up and down and has different pre-calculated aerodynamic properties like Nc (turbulence) rotors, waves, the thermal characteristics. So that at low altitude when landing the pilot suffers the big gust bursts. The variation and altitude are in function of the day conditions. Probably the pilot will be able to move the traditional soaring dew point atmospheric aerodynamic conditions chart. And the chart will be given by history data of that particular place. That on flat land. The LOD houses and trees game objects include a trigger collider in direction of the wind and trigger that learps to the turbulent city wind audio model. The intensity is in function of the distance. It also creates a rotor and wave that is calculated in real-time. In 2000 I made an Excel algorithm that simulates all that in 2D. My intention is to use a lot of this 2D calculation at start. So there are real-time rays from the glider pointing in the direction of the wind looking for obstacles, rays looking down for calculating the terrain locally as well as looking up searching for other layers*. These layers are meshes. There will be, also meshes where air temperature changes direction for the base of the clouds, rotor delimitation, etc… These meshes that mimic the terrain with the addition of the waves [or rotors] are pre-calculated at the start. And let me collect data for the real-time calculation. It will become more complex with mountains, change of atmospheric condition, enter of breeze and storm. But at the beginning will be just flat land, and obstacles. Thermals are calculated by temperature, and colour of the surface texture [point generator]. Also can at some point be move buy wind. Then the bubbles move in real-time inside that atmosphere and shift following the wind direction just like a ballon. It can contain an attraction to other thermals or it can be divided in 2 like a tree. I was also considering upside down tree meshes for this. When the glider is more close to the centre of the column (sphere collider media) the additional wind shift will follow the thermal chart’s curve[of the zone]. Data collected is use to define the size and intensity in function of the altitude. So that the mix with the atmosphere creates more thin and broken at low altitude.
The intention is to put the pilot in normal conditions and dangerous conditions. As for example landing with gust that makes the glider float, thermals that flip the glider, cumulus that sucks at the base, c. congestus that throw water decreasing the air Nc efficient value. Mosquitos or ice in the leading edge, spiders and serpents in the VR cabin!
Congratulations on progress so far- Love the airfoil design and indeed your overall approach to a sim in general. Thanks for sharing your work.
We have lots in common, I’m also from an Industrial Design background (Pininfarina would be my dream job! I used to own one of the 90s Alfa GTVs by Pininfarina), a new Dad, and creating a flightsim with weather simulation in Unity, although in my case it’s more of an excuse to design a sort of non-combat Crimson-Skies-esque setting for fantasy yet realistic aircraft. I simulate my wind using vector fields via Megaflow- it’s more manual and probably inaccurate, but it feels ‘right’ to someone who did a bit of glider time years ago…
Thanks! Yes, Working with Pininfarina family was and it is a dream job! Is important to dream it first. Is also important to have good mentors. And I try to be a good family member, here, in-house and at job as well. At the time of the GTV, I was a junior car designer and just author of the drawings and model 3D GTV restyling Pininfarina idea. The drawing intention was to bring back the old Alfa design style following a previous concept show car Dardo. Thanks to the old Pininfarina modellers and coworkers (really awesome people), that teach me to be simple, synthetic and surrounded by a nice curve. Co-author was Dr Cartia my Project Manager at the time and he used to finish the model and take me to the wind tunnel for testing this new style now included in all models.
[Pininfarina] 2002 drawing (Photoshop), 3D model (Rhinoceros and GPU Voodoo ) and the first prototype (Epowood).
But let’s continue, there is a lot to do…
Yes, Nicholas, Unity, in general, is a great platform to test wind turbine or TOROA “concept aeroplane”, the pilot will need a render texture screen VR camera showing the exterior in the cockpit that the designer can add-on and if one turbine fails, lets test if the thin airfoil rudder handles it! Is a good idea to push the ventral tail fin back or make it bigger? I choose Unity because Is possible to share content or purchase content plugin and models (aeroplane, instruments) in the asset store.
Game Sharing Content [FBX content, game: gps position, avatars, points, coins, etc] can be interesting for the players but is far away for now as well as other:
"Concept Show Designer" Later (far away) my intention is to give to a junior, a designer platform to test and show their own work. A lot of car junior designers make, for example, doors that cannot be opened properly. The game is just an introduction for junior designers since reality is complex and there is a lot to learn.
@AlanMattano Have you started implementing the ideas you related above regarding wind/thermals/etc.?
For effects generated by terrain I would still consider some type of vector field as @Karearea relayed. I’m not sure what manual labor he was referring to. These vector fields should be generated automatically according to the terrain and other wind factors, etc.
I assume a lot of tweaking can make it feel ‘right’ to a glider pilot like @Karearea mentioned.
I’ve been considering particle systems as a simple approach to some of these effects (for example, a thermal could be made of particle systems with varying speed and diameter, etc. their collision with aircraft will add forces to flight model and so on). I’m not sure this would give sufficient results but would be quite easy to prototype and test.
I was thinking to change the name to “Flight Soaring”, later “Soaring Stars” (the same as my lab) and in the transition use the acronym of FSS18 for Flight Soaring Simulator 2018.
