Second World War Airfield Buildings
The new British Airfield Buildings pack (version 1) is now available for CFS2, FS2002 and FS2004. When I get the chance I will expand it to include new buildings (when made!). Currently on www.simviation.com. Will upload it to flightsim.com and netwings.org when I get more free time.
In the search for authenticity in my early sceneries I was amazed at the lack of authentic buildings for British airfields in WW2. I know only of three designers who have tried to plug this gap; Paul Mitchell who created a large collection of RAF hangars in *.scm format for the Abacus Airport and Scenery Designer a couple of years ago, Mike Rennie whose famous Duxford Watch Tower can be seen on many British airfield add-ons for CFS2 as well as his recently releasd B1 hangars and C-type hangars plus Duxford huts etc. and recently Ralf J. Triebel who has created several photo realistic buildings such as Barrack blocks, Armory, Operations block, huts etc.
At the moment new 3D design programs are being used to create more detailed 3D objects that the latest generation of 1GHz + processors can cope with and the latest Flight Sims can handle because of the disappearance of the scenery buffer restrictions like there was in FS98 and CFS1.
FS2002 comes with a 3D design software produced by Discreet called gMax this can be used to create 3D objects in a fixed position in FS2002 and it can also be used to create flyable aircraft. This is available as a free download from the Discreet website. I recommend that designers who wish to make aircraft for CFS3 download this as I have read that the team have designed the game to use gMax created aircraft with the new 3D cockpits and as a helpful starting point will be putting the gMax source files of the stock game aircraft on the CD with the game. There are many useful object design tools on the internet, amongst some of the more noted ones were the VOD (Visual Object Designer) and DDay programs by RG Sanchez (available from the flightsim.com file libraries) and EOD (Easy Object Designer) by Matthias Brueckner. RG Sanchez updated his DDay program quite significantly in 2001 to make NOVA but it is now only available as shareware. EOD features a wire frame display layout and 3D object preview, functions that VOD and DDay do not have.
I however am now using FSDS Pro (Flight Simulator Design Studio) a very powerful 3D design program rather like gMax. This has one advantage over gMax in that you can create a 3D object file for use in your scenery design program so that you can use the object anywhere you like!
At the moment I have two projects here for preview and a few more in the pipeline:
Blister Hangar (includes download of first completed version)
The following appear on RAF Oulton:
British Hangars, T2 type
Barracks, based on Dinghy store
Nissan Huts
Miscellaneous (bomber gun turret trainer building, bomb stores)
Last revised: December 10, 2005.