Guidelines for Modellers. Updated 27 March 2023

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OXO
Condor Team
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Guidelines for Modellers. Updated 27 March 2023

Post by OXO » Mon Dec 09, 2019 5:59 pm

Condor 2, enables enthusiasts to include their gliders into the sim. The process is however somewhat different from the other flight simulations which also enable user created planes.

The goal of Condor 2 is to have high quality 3d glider objects as well as high quality flight models. What is more, since the Condor is all about competition flying there must be a level playing field with gliders being identical and having realistic performances. This means that the only way to achieve the said criteria is with the moderated approach.

This is the Condor way:
  • Create 3d glider model.
  • Also gather flight model data (not required, however desired).
  • Send your work to the Condor Team for a review.
If we think that the project has value, it will be put on the queue for an official Condor plane release which is periodically released to the registered users.

Tools which can help you (we use them) with the development are as follows:

3D modeling applications:

Blender - http://www.blender.org
Wings 3D - http://www.wings3d.com
Other subdivision modellers are also possible, but Blender is preferred for new projects.

Image manipulation applications for texturing:

Artweaver - http://www.artweaver.de
GIMP - http://www.gimp.org

Modelling Gliders

For Condor glider 3d modeling the following guidelines must be followed:

There must be 3 models of it with decreasing LODs (Level of Detail):

LOD0 max vertices 130000, the most detailed; the completed model.

LOD1 max vertices 15000, less detailed than LOD0; you basically remove any handles, sticks, buttons, etc. from cockpit and simplify very rounded parts. The fuselage, wings, etc. can be also simplified.. you can easily remove any rod's housings, etc. And simplify the rounded parts if possible.

LOD2 max vertices 1000. the least detailed; while LOD1 could be created from modifying LOD0, its easier to make LOD2 from scratch. There is no cockpit here. There's simple fuselage (6 to 8 edged profile) and wings and tail (3 to 4 edged profile). This one also has no movable controls.

Contact us if you can't meet these limits!

The best way to operate is to first make LOD0, fully complete with everything included. Then make a copy of it, and delete all the parts not required to get to LOD1 vertices.

Model must have moving surfaces (ailerons, flaps, brakes, elevator, rudder, gear doors & gear; inside cockpit controls) modeled. The wheel is modelled in the retracted position (it will be manipulated by our animation parameters), while doors need to be modelled in the closed position as default (LOD2 does not have wheel doors). The fuselage and fin must be in one piece.

You do not need to make the pilot. We will add it after we have accepted your completed model.

We do the animations after you have submitted the model.

To get a good idea of what your model will look like in condor, export it to obj format, then import it to Object Editor which is part of Condor Landscape Toolkit, available on the website downloads page.

The canopy must be a separate object, and all the cockpit parts which are visible in RL with canopy open/removed should be modelled.

Where wings join the fuselage, on most modern planes it is smoothly radiused. Model must be done like this.

These objects must each be a single mesh, NOT a grouped object:
  • Fuselage and fin
  • leftwing
  • rightwing
  • rudder
  • horizontal stabiliser( tailplane)
  • Elevator
  • left flap(s)
  • right flap(s)
All curved parts, especially edges must have enough vertices used to look smooth.

Models submitted must be un triangulated. Quads only !

Textures

The Exterior has only one texture.

The Cockpit has 3 textures. One for the cockpit parts, one for any decals, and one for the panel when viewed from exterior.

The texture size is 2048x2048. You can submit 4096x4096 textures, but we will reduce them to 2048x2048 before release, so be sure they look good at this resolution first.

UV Mapping

All objects must be uv mapped, and must not be ovelapping in the map. It is not allowed to use material colour properties for objects. They must be unwrapped in the uv.

Skins

Ideally we would like a a minimum of 2 quality skins with different colour or design. Not more than 4 though :)

A skin template in bmp format should also be made so its easy for users to make their own skin designs. See the examples in the website downloads section for how these should look.

Towplanes

The same rules apply but with these differences

LOD0 20000 vertices
LOD1 7000 vertices
LOD2 1000 vertices

The cockpit has no moving parts, just a control column. We will add the pilot after we have accepted your model, but in the case of towplanes ONLY, you can make your own pilot if you wish to do so.

Recommendations
  • Try to get the flight manual before you start the model. If its hard to get, Condor Team will have problems making the flight model.
  • When using images and drawing from the internet, be careful of RC modelling sites. Quite often their information and pictures are inaccurate and can be mistaken for the real plane!
  • Contact us during your development, especially if you have difficulties. While we dont have time to teach you how to model, we do have a lot of experience and can show you some easy ways to make difficult parts. The contact points are the moderators of the Planes section in the forum. Usually we will give you our addresses on google hangouts so you can have real time replies.
  • Do not start texturing before we have checked you bare model for accuracy. Ideally, show us the model at each stage of the process. The most important checks are (a) when fuselage is made and (b) when cockpit is cut out of the fuselage.
  • Most modellers know what they wish to build and thats great, but if you dont know what plane to make, contact us - we have a list of planes we would like to have. We will only do this for experienced modellers though :) dont ask if this is your first project
  • For inexperienced modellers, as a first project, we suggest making a towplane, because its easier, and we can import it into Condor quite quickly so you will see results faster


Last bumped by OXO on Mon Dec 09, 2019 5:59 pm.
Chris Wedgwood,
Condor Team

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