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[WxTech]

UPDATE #1, Nov 30, 2023: See the updated readme file contents below...


Note that this mod contains ALL resources for the cockpit, and is thus is a fully self-contained cockpit folder. If you have some other cockpit mod for this plane, this mod must reside above the other in your folder. Of course, this will mean that any files in common between the two mods will have mine here given priority. If this should apply to you, and you wish to keep only the critical files in this mod, do let me know.





Get it here:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/0ofsr0yz0mevgxr/%2521%2521%2521_SpitfireMkI_MkII_cockpit_fix.7z/file

From the included, updated readme file:

Spitfire Mk I and Mk II cockpit fixes, by WxTech


This is a WIP dealing with some of the main issues of the early Spit cockpit. Here are the fixes in this first release:

- To the cockpit classes I've added code to incorporate the external skin for the cowling and dorsal portion of the empennage immediately after the cabin, and created the mesh.
- The interior after cabin has been added (the great emptiness that permitted a rear view 'cheat' was awful).
- Replaced the gun sight with my own, having a higher resolution reticle, proper reticle mask and collimating lens reflection.
- I've given the armored glass a green tint.
- The perspex has been given a different texture, and the surface normals have been reversed so as to make the shmutz more visible in the up-Sun direction.
- The gun sight sits a wee bit higher, and the view hooks have been raised to suit (as well as moved a little farther forward).


The fixes added for the first update (Nov 30, 2023):

- Incorporated the AnglesFork method for the compasses; no more sudden spinning when passing through azimuth 270.
- Separated the gyro and magnetic compasses; now the gyro has instantaneous response and no bank/pitch limit.
- The stock gyro compass card had an ellipticity of 70X86mm(!); now it's circular with a diameter of 86mm.
- The gyro compass interior is now pure black.
- The gyro compass face has been improved.
- The gyro compass horizon bar has been made slightly thinner, and its alignment has been corrected.
- Smoothed the edge of the sight's reflector plate.
- Rounded the sight mount clamp ends.



CockpitSpit1.class
------------------
  395CD4505D644EDE
  A171C5E473EB2724
  B39E9DC877CF56B6

CockpitSpit1vroeg.class
-----------------------
  9E27B590CB028D3A
  84B307F8B08B68A4
  4892CAF80856144C



WxTech
Nov 21, 2023
Nov 30, 2023

[WxTech]

If you find the armored glass tint to be a bit dark for your taste, in GlassArmorFace.mat make this change:

  ColorScale 0.1 1.0 1.0 0.07  //0.1  //lower opacity for 6 faces

The first 3 numbers are the RGB values, which you should leave as is. The 4th is the opacity (alpha channel), which you will alter. I had it as 0.1, and have just tried 0.07, which is a good reduction for those who prefer a more subtle tint.

Incidentally, the comment about 6 faces derives from the following.

The game engine cannot apply a subtractive process to create a tint for glass, which would be SO ideal! Instead it is based on an additive one. It uses the .mat file parameters of Diffuse and/or Ambient to do this, and one is limited in the degree to apply a tint without also causing an awful, contrast-robbing 'milkiness' at the same time, AND not have the tint go almost fully opaque at night.

Moreover, because of the use of Ambient in this scheme, the direction from which the Sun shines has an impact on the degree of density as the plane manoeuvers and hence the direction from which sunlight falls on the surface varies. You may recall, for example, the stock yellow tint applied to the reflector plate face on the Buffalo's gun sight. As you fly about in a twisting dogfight, the prominence of the tint changes very markedly, from nearly colorless to rather strongly yellow. This is supremely objectionable to me.

To overcome this, I create 6 copies of the surface to be given a tint. Each has its own surface normals, like this:

1 0 0
-1 0 0
0 1 0
0 -1 0
0 0 1
0 0 -1

This means that the surface behaves as one, but which simultaneously has surface normals oriented mutually orthogonally on the three axes (+ and - directions make for 6 normals.) This in turn renders the surface as nearly immune from any density variance for any lighting angle, thus retaining an essentially constant density.

[Peter Lynn]

Thank you WXTech!

[WxTech]

I've long wondered why the gyro compass card has a variable offset as it spins, causing a cyclical change in both depth with respect to the window and a lateral offset. It turns out the mesh has an elliptical, not circular form. The major and minor axes are 70 and 86mm! I'm just about to fix that.

I've just converted the compasses to the AnglesFork method, to be rid of the sudden spinning when passing through azimuth 270 degrees.

I've separated the magnetic and gyro compasses. Formerly both were treated with both a sluggish rotation and a bank limit to free movement (both of which still apply to the magnetic compass). The gyro now has instantaneous response, as it should, and there is no bank/pitch limit to rotation.

At some point an update will be forthcoming; I'll see how much more I might be willing to change...

[Brother B.]

Thanks a lot!
What a wonderful surprise to see you back in this section.
Spending most of time in the cockpits, these are particularly eagerly awaited and welcome improvements (not to detract from your other projects, of course, like the Effects Pack and other fixes).

[WxTech]

To show a couple of the subsequent fixes that'll be in the next update, take note of the gyro compass and the artificial horizon. The left image is the stock MkV, which is largely the same as the MkI as far as the instruments go.

Gyro compass
==========
As noted in a previous post, the stock compass card is made non-circular, with an ellipticity where the minor and major axes are 70mm and 86mm, respectively. This results in the face of the card going deeper inside the instrument when flying roughly north or south. In the screen grab on the left, the SpitV is heading north, and the card face has moved deeper inside; when flying east or west, the card face is outward so as to be just about flush with the window.

The mapping of the card's texture had the scale vertically compressed; I've increased the height of the markings via a re-mapping.

The stock interior of the instrument is made as a rather small box, and the texture has properties which cause it to be brightened by the Sun shining in from impossible angles. This is seen on the left, where the interior is a fairly light grey. I've made the interior larger and pure black for all illumination angles.

Artificial horizon
============
I've given the horizon bar the early Sperry type, which is a double line. I also lengthened it so as to fill the aperture. And I've aligned it better. I'm debating painting the matching horizontal reference fiducials, which look like a letter 'C' on the left and its mirrored reverse 'C' on the right. When the plane is level and horizontal, the bar's lines align with these markings so as to form a completed 'racetrack'.

Conspicuously missing is the bank angle caret! This is a small lozenge-shaped indicator which rotates about the perimeter of the circular aperture as the plane banks, the angle being read from the numerical fiducials. I don't know if I'll get around to adding one...

[Kelso]

I downloaded - installed - it works! Thank you so much for your hard work WxTech.

[pied]

Aloha Glenn!

I really like the cockpit fixes but the view from the pit at the same FOV seems very different.






The  amount of the panel visible in the fixed cockpit seems much less.

Pied

[WxTech]

As I mentioned in the readme file, I moved the view hooks a little farther forward. And up a tiny amount to match the slightly higher sightline for the new gun sight. Even though the forward shift is small, the tight confines of the cockpit make forr a noticeable difference in the perspective.

For most cockpits the placement of the CAMERA view hook, which sets the 'normal' virtual head position, is too far back, often nearly resting against the headrest. In reality the pilot tended to be perched with his head farther forward. If the player is not using a head tracker, or otherwise availing of the available head movement, the view toward the rear can be significantly worsened.

If anyone wants to set the viewpoint to taste, open Body.msh with any text editor and alter the relevant X, Y or Z value for the CAMERA view hook. I have a notation that tells you what the last 3 numbers do. If my note has "F L U", then those numbers, when increased in value, move the viewpoint Forward, Left and Up, the units being in meters. The original values are left in place, the line being rendered as not read by the game via preceding "//" characters. The other characters I assign as reminders are "B R D", meaning Back, Right and Down. I do this for all of my cockpit mods.

You now have the power to do your own modding; it's dead easy!

[pied]

Got it! Thank you for the explaination, I'll give it a try.

Thanks again for all you do!

Pied

[Knochenlutscher]

Thanks, perfect.
Waited long for a good rework. It's awesome.

The shade of tinted Glass in my eyes is cool.
In fact I hate it when Folks complain about such Details added.
It is a Cockpit Mod, and since Day 1 we can adjust stuff ourselves,
Tint, POV Position, Naked Pictures or whatever.

Brings back memories when Tom and me fiddled up P-51 Cockpits.

Best wishes
Tobias

[pied]

Worked a treat and I can see how making these small changes could become addictive!

Pied