de Havilland DH-106 Comet for X-Plane

[guym-p]

It's not as if the Dan Air Comets were really very old, either in terms of flying hours or years in service. It's quite sad to find a Comet in a museum in Britain, because they look very beaten up, especially the interiors. I suppose the easy-wipe, moulded plastic of the Boeing 707 (and everything that followed) was so much more durable and easy to clean.

I'm very keen to see the real XA-NAR in Seattle when it's finished, because Bob Hood's team are doing everything they can to get it back to factory-fresh condition. That's how I'd like to think of them, although, I agree, I should really have a special interior for the Dan Air livery, and a cockpit with odd-sized instruments, strange-shaped blanking plates, or holes that nobody had bothered to cover at all.

Guy.

[Garry Russell]

The best Comet in existence will be G-APYD at Wroughton.

The Comet at Seattle has already had it's belly reskined and other extensive work such was the corrosion for the museum years ago before the crime of painting it in BOAC livery was committed.

[guym-p]

I've not seen G-APYD. Do you mean its condition is the best, from having been kept inside, or is it also very original?

Guy.

[Garry Russell]

G-APYD was flown in, put under cover and remains as such

It was never stripped dismantled or left to corrode.

It is preserved as was and is not restored

It could probably become airworthy without too much trouble

Wroughton also houses the Worlds only complete Trident.

As with the Comet, it is pretty much as it was when flown in

[guym-p]

Some new screenshots, showing completion of revisions to the exterior meshes. Largely as a result of knowledgeable feedback on this forum, so thanks, chaps. It's helping to make it better and better!


The fuselage used to have 32 vertices per cross-section. This caused an unsightly crease 2/3 along the window line, so I've increased it to 64.


The new, smoother, appearance, without construction lines. These screen shots are from AC3D, having just completed shadow-baking in Blender. Quite restrained settings, so it doesn't clash too badly with the position of the sun in the sim., but enough to add definition around details, for example, the windscreen reinforcement.


The smoother fuselage helps with the door skins, too, which looked very rough and jagged before. The passenger door skin is shown slightly ajar. Note also the remodelled exhaust "silencers".


Smoother nacelles, with shadow baking clearly evident on the intakes. I spent some effort on the fillet between the wing root and the fuselage.


A slightly awkward view, but showing split flaps fully extended (60 degrees). The main gear mechanism has been extensively revised - apologies for the yellow lines, which are AC3D animation axes. The main wheels now show the aerodynamic covers fitted to Comets with Dunlop Maxaret anti-lock brakes.


Flaps at 20 degrees, air brakes fully extended, showing the mechanism in shadow.


Nose wheel shock strut, with new mechanism and shadow effects.


Nose wheel. All wheels are smoother, at a cost of more polygons, of course, but the wheels were extremely coarse before. Note how the lighting rig was different for these, using a non-directional source, so there isn't a high-spot that rotates with the wheel.

Changes to the meshes required changes to UV maps, too. The next job is to update textures to this spec., and to improve the look of seams and shut lines. That's why these screenshots are not in-sim. shots. After that, final testing, which will be an excellent excuse to make some new videos!

Guy.

[DispatchDragon]

The best of Dan Airs Comets were the 4Bs -- the rest were such a hodge podge - and you also have to remember in the 70s and early 80s They were operatin up to 6 legs a day with the bucket and spade brigade which were not know for being kind to aircraft, you have to realise that Dan Air bought the aircraft for a song and wished to make as much profit from them as they could.

Anyway its a gorgeous model Guy, I just may have to reload my copy of X Planes.

Leif

[guym-p]

I've been experimenting with baked reflections to give a more convincingly metallic look, using Blender 2.5. Of course, nothing will do justice to highly-polished aluminium until simulators can calculate actual reflections in real time, but our computers and graphics cards will have to be an awful lot more powerful before programmers can grant that wish ...

The results of my experiments look much better than my first attempt, and pretty good until the aircraft does a seriously steep turn or barrel rolls. The results are here:

http://dh-aircraft.co.uk/news/files/5ca ... ca-85.html

Guy.

[DaveB]

That's very impressive Guy as is the rest of the model

ATB
DaveB

[guym-p]

I've just finished adding new textures to the improved Comet model, and checked it in the simulator for the first time this morning. The latest screen shots are here:

http://dh-aircraft.co.uk/news/files/ade ... 2a-86.html

Guy.

[DaveB]

I remain impressed Guy. Thanks for the update

ATB
DaveB