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Unleashing the Power of Flight Sim Toolkit

Part 1 of a 3 Part Series


	In the February issue of CGW, Bryan Walker unveiled the latest 
simulation project from Domark entitled Flight Sim Toolkit (FST).  
Domark released the product after two years of intensive development by 
Domark's flight sim partners, Simis.  FST was created so that the sim player 
did not have to hope that his ideal flight scenario would be published.  Rather, 
he could use simple tools to create the sim of his dreams on his own.  Much of 
the later development time was spent perfecting the Windows interface to 
increase ease of use and flexibility while maintaining the inherent power of the 
Simis polygon engine. The end result being the ability to fly nearly any fixed-
wing aircraft including an F-111 Aardvark, a MiG-21 or even the Wright 
Brother's "Flyer."  The possibilities are virtually limitless.
	Released internationally in December of 1993, the product has seen a 
very warm reception by both consumers and critics alike.  CGW's very own 
Johnny Wilson commented that it was the most important sim product in 8 
years.  Domark refuses to rest on early favorable reviews, however, it has 
already conducted focus group studies to gauge the direction of future FST 
products.  Also planned for release this year, is a World War II Scenario Disk, 
a Helicopter Model Add-On Disk, as well as, several other undisclosed add-ons.  
Domark is committed to making this a staple in the library of every sim player.
	In this, the first of a three part series on maximizing the power of FST, 
we will examine the flexibility of the Color and Shape editors and will examine 
the other editors in ensuing articles.  By the conclusion of this series, you will 
have built your very own super-charged flight sim.

Heating Up the Cold War- The Sim Scenario
	It's 1980.   A Soviet spy has stolen a top-secret American U2 spy plane. 
The spy nearly escaped into Soviet Airspace before SAC noticed the outbound 
escape. Concurrently, a lone F/A-18 Hornet pilot was warming up his engines in 
preparation for a training flight, when he was ordered to take-off immediately 
to engage and destroy the outbound U2. Meanwhile, an increasing number of 
fishing trawlers have entered the Aleutian Island chain and U.S. Intelligence has 
pegged them to be soviet spy and missile boats. Since the U2 is flying at such a 
high altitude, the Hornet risks getting a SAM in his tailpipe when he attempts to 
engage the plane. 
	His mission is to engage the missile trawlers and destroy them, using his 
HARM (High- speed Anti-Radiation Missiles) ordnance. U.S. satellites have also 
detected Soviet cruisers and an aircraft carrier moving into U.S. waters. Enemy 
aircraft will most definitely be in the area. The F/A-18 will be armed with 4 
HARM missiles, 4 AIM-9M Sidewinders, and 2000 cannon rounds. If need be, 
the Hornet pilot could risk rearming at the Aleutian Island Airbase should he 
use up his payload before completing the mission.
	To create our scenario, we will use the following FST tools: 1) a color 
palette to get the right terrain colors for the Aleutian Islands; 2) a shape for a 
U2 spy plane; 3) a cockpit for the F/A-18 flight models for the Hornet and U2; 
4) sounds to enhance our sim; and 5) finally the terrain in which the combat 
scenario will take place.	
	In this installment, you will be introduced to two of the editors. The first 
is the Color editor, where you have access to nearly every color your sim world 
can produce. Second, we will take an in depth look at the Shape Editor, and 
build the U2 aircraft. After following the steps necessary to build the U2, you 
will have the skills needed to create virtually any FST object.
	To begin, click on the Project menu item, and select 'New Project.' The 
computer will ask you in a browser box what you want the new project to be 
called. Type 'COLDWAR.' This will create a new sub- directory, and will copy 
the files in the 'TEMPLATE' sub-directory into your new project.

[Shot- Browser Box showing creation of COLDWAR project]

	Dipping into FST's vast clip-art library we will choose the following 
objects: A-18.FSD (the player's Hornet), RUNWAY.FSD, AIRHANG.FSD, 
TOWER.FSD, TRAWLER.FSD, NIMITZ.FSD, KIDD.FSD, RAPIER.FSD, 
ZSU-53.FSD, SU-27.FSD, and TUG.FSD. We will also use the included 
AV8B.PCX cockpit for our Hornet cockpit. Copy these files using the Windows 
File Manager (or the Copy Item from the Project Manager) from the 
'LIBRARY' sub-directory, into the 'COLDWAR' sub- directory. You may also 
want to copy the .WAV files (for sound) from 'LIBRARY' into COLDWAR' 
(we will be changing some of these later).

The Many Colors of A Sim
	We begin building our sim in the Color Editor.  Open the default color 
file (COLS.FCD). Here you will see a standard color palette for FST. The sky 
is a common shade of blue, and the horizon and sea blend in a realistic fashion. 
The ground colors are all shades of green and eight colors determine the 
appearance of objects.
	When observing the sky/horizon/sea colors, you will see four boxes. The 
top box is what the majority of the sky will look like. The bottom box depicts 
the appearance of the sea and the middle two boxes represent the variants.
	The bottom box in the Horizon section is a color band that will be painted 
above the water. The box above it will be the next highest band above the 
horizon, and this color will blend smoothly into the Sky color you have chosen. 
There are five pre-determined shades as they are the shades used to blend the 
top Horizon box into the Sky color box. Most sims you create will have 
identical colors for the two Horizon boxes, but some interesting effects can be 
generated by varying the degree of the two colors located in the Horizon.
	The Ground colors are determined by height. The highest point of your 
terrain will have the color in the lower right box of the two columns, while the 
lowest point (next to Sea Level) will have the color in the upper left box. The 
"Spread" function will look at both of these colors and evenly spread colors 
between them creating perspective and horizon effects. 
	Since our Islands are to be frozen over in snow, we want our colors to 
enhance the 'Arctic' effect. Choose a dark shade of white for the lowest ground, 
and then choose a pure white (255,255,255) for the highest. Then click on 
'Spread' and the tool will spread out the levels to give you a clear indication of 
height definition. 
	As you can see, the color editor is very versatile. If we wanted desert 
terrain, we would choose shades of brownish-yellow. If we wanted to have 
snow-capped peaks, we could use the normal green shading, and change the top 
two or three levels to increasing shades of white. This would put patches of 
"snow" at mid-levels and bright white tops at peak levels.
	The Object colors presented here are primary. Each color has six shades 
associated with it which is utilized by the light source shading feature of FST. 
You may notice in the Shape Editor that there are six more colors with which 
one can customize object color. The first four colors here are primary colors-- 
true red, blue, green, yellow, and white. These colors have a unique feature in 
FST. When you change the Time of Day in the world editor to evening or 
night, these colors do not dim as do the other palette colors. This allows you to 
create runway lights, aircraft lights--  even sophisticated 'afterburner' effects!
	You can create a convincing camouflage effect on aircraft by setting the 
object colors to the same value as the Sky color.   You can still see the definition 
of the aircraft (due to light sourcing and shading), but the effect created will be 
a realistic blending into the sky. The same effect can be generated with ground 
and sea vehicles. Just set aside a few colors in 'Object Colors' for camouflaging 
your enemy forces. 
	For our game, we will change the color of the 'light blue' (fourth from 
the left) to match the sky colors exactly. In this case, we will make the color 
have the values of 56, 120, 156.
	Now that we have created a color scheme we will examine one of the 
most powerful editors in FST, the Shape Editor.

Polygon Creation: As Easy As X-Y-Z
	FST uses shapes to define the appearance of an object to the player. 
These objects are created in the Shape Editor.  This editor consists of a CAD 
package designed specifically for FST players.  Though it doesn't take very 
long to gain proficiency with the Shape Editor, one may choose to select objects 
from the clip-art library instead.
	The Shape Editor interface consists of a 3/4 perspective grid (which 
occupies the center window) and three vertical windows to the right labeled 
XY, XZ, and YZ (which show multiple perspectives of the object). On the far 
left is a menu of point-and-click icons familiar to Windows or Macintosh users.
	In FST, you edit two dimensions at a time. The Edit Grid is your frame 
of reference as to the 2 dimensions in which you are currently working. The 
three vertical view windows will indicate the third dimension (ie: which plane 
the Edit Grid is on). The '+' and '-' buttons in the lower left on the toolbar can 
be used to move the Edit Grid.  With some practice, a player can edit in all 
three dimensions at once (as he can move the Edit Grid during an operation).
	There are two important "rules" in using the Shape Editor. The first is 
the 'Clockwise' rule. You must always select each point of a polygon in a 
clockwise direction. Failure to do so will result in an unbalanced object.	The 
second rule is: If You Can't See It, Don't Draw It (IYCSIDDI)! A common 
mistake is drawing polygons on an object that will never be seen in the sim.  As 
the computer must draw each polygon to the screen, unnecessary polygons will 
cause your sim to slow down.  At the bottom of the Shape Editor screen is a line 
that reads 'Polygons:.' This indicates the number of polygons your computer 
has to draw.  The fewer the polygons, the faster the object will move on the 
screen. 
	Drawing a boat is a good example of this rule. There is no need to waste 
processing power on drawing the bottom of the boat, as it would naturally be 
submersed in water. You might benefit from asking, "How many polygons 
should my objects have for maximum speed efficiency?" This will depend on 
what object you are trying to create.  A simple chart of the number of polygons 
a shape should have follows:

	Cultural (Aesthetic value only): 20-60p
	Target: 50-90p
	Enemy Aircraft: 80-140p
	Player Aircraft: 90- 200p

	On the other hand, the Player's aircraft can be made with more polygons 
as the outside view does not require the processor to clip around the cockpit, or 
generate the data for the instrument displays.  This increases the speed of the 
player's plane.
	In our scenario we will be creating the U2 spy plane.  A good source of 
information on aircraft can be found in 'Jane's All The World's Aircraft' books 
that are available at your local library. 
	A hidden feature in FST, which enhances its ease of use, is that you can 
select various editing views just by clicking on the three vertical windows to the 
right of the main edit window in the Shape Editor. This bypasses the 'Switch 
View' icons on the toolbar.
	Our first step in creating the U2 will be to create the Fuselage. We can 
use the 'Create Cuboid' tool to create a long rectangular box 18 meters in 
length, and 2 meters in width (remember to click your polygon points in a 
clockwise direction). Since your grid size is set at 1 meter, the box will be 1 
meter in height. Switch to the YX view and select the top polygon. Lift the top 
polygon 1 meter more off of the box. Now you have a basic shape 18m x 2m x 
2m. We want to 'curve' out the sides of the fuselage, so we'll use the 'Enter 
Tetra' tool. Select the YZ view of the fuselage and then change your Grid Size 
to .5 meters (using the 'Other Size' in the Grid Menu item). Draw the short side 
of the shape first (to ensure that the center line is going from front to back as 
opposed to bottom) and follow through on the points to complete the shape. 
Select the ZX view and use the 'Select Object', 'Copy' and 'Paste' commands to 
copy the Tetra you just created on the other side. 
	Two other handy functions are the 'Lock to Grid' and 'Mirror' functions 
located in the Group menu. The 'Lock to Grid' function takes a shape that 
doesn't currently rest on the grid lines (i.e.: whenever you paste an object), and 
locks the points of the polygon to the closest grid points. Sometimes this may 
result in distortion of the object, but that can easily be fixed by Selecting the 
Points that are in the wrong place and moving them to the correct coordinates. 
	The other key function is 'Mirror.' Mirror flips an object 180 degrees 
along one axis of the three dimensional work area. This is great for creating 
perfectly matched wings and tails, and in this instance, copying the other side of 
the fuselage.
	Once you have both of those Tetra's on the sides of the aircraft (look at 
all three views on the right, make sure they all look correct), we can start with 
the wings and tail. Since we want our wings to have some thickness, we'll set 
our grid to .25 meters. Now use the 'Enter Cuboid' tool and (in the ZX view) 
create the right wing of the aircraft. Since the U2 wings are long and thin, 
you'll want to simulate this by drawing your wing to exemplify this. When 
completed, use the 'Copy,' 'Paste,' 'Lock to Grid,' and 'Mirror' functions to 
create the left wing. Do the same for the tail, always making sure that the 
polygons you are creating line up with the fuselage in all three dimensions 
(observing the three view windows on the right).
	Now change your grid back to 1 meter and we'll create the engine nozzle 
and nose piece. Select the YX view of the aircraft and move the 'Edit Grid' 
(using the '+' and '-' buttons on the toolbar) so that the Edit Grid rests on the 
back of the U2. Now create a box the same width and height as the original 
fuselage block. From the ZX and YZ views the block should extend 1 meter 
from the back of the fuselage (as we had our Grid Size set to 1 meter). You 
want the nozzle to 'cone' shaped, so move your grid size down to .25 meters 
and then move the end points of the nozzle one step (one quarter meter) toward 
the center.  Do this in both the ZX and YZ views. This will make our engine 
"nozzle" shaped.
	For the cockpit, we are going to use the 'Enter Penta 'tool in two 
different ways. First, to create the nose piece, we need to select the YZ view 
and move the Edit Grid to the front of the aircraft. Now use the Enter Penta 
tool. Draw the four points for the "base" of the pyramid. The point for the 
pyramid will appear in the center of these points. If the center looks like it's 
going into the aircraft instead of going out, just 'Undo' the function and enter 
the points counterclockwise.  You shouldn't make this shape as tall as the engine 
nozzle, as it will interfere with the cockpit view.
	The cockpit involves creating the shape and placing the instruments.  We 
want to start with a basic Penta shape. Start in the ZX view with a .25 meter 
grid. Center your view around the nose of the plane and draw a diamond shape, 
with longer sides towards the front. Now select the YZ view. If need be, center 
the Zoom on this piece. Move the furthest back point so that it runs along the 
same Z plane as the middle two. Then you want to move the tip of the pyramid 
a bit further forward. Take the entire shape and move it so that the back of the 
cockpit rests against the fuselage. Now grab the forward point and bring it 
down to rest on the nose of the aircraft. You can add various little details to the 
aircraft (like external fuel tanks) by using what you have learned thus far. 
	Since your aircraft will be primarily one color, you can quickly color 
multiple polygons.  Simply click on the 'Select Group' button in the toolbar, 
then select 'Select All' in the Edit menu. Now in the Group menu, select 
'Group.' This will put all of your polygons together in one group. You can 
scale, rotate, or mirror in this mode and it will effect your entire shape. Also, 
you can color the entire object at once. Just select the group, then select a color, 
then select the group one final time. Now select 'Ungroup' in the group menu 
and select the Penta you used for the cockpit. Color this a shade of blue. Now 
use the 'Select Polygon 'tool to select the surface of the back of the engine 
shape. Finally, for a little flare, color this polygon red to create engine exhaust.

More To Come...
	In this article, we have evaluated FST's Color and Shape Editors and are 
well on our way to creating an exciting modern flight simulation- one you 
cannot find anywhere on the market today.  In the next installment of this 
series, we will discuss the Cockpit and Flight Model Editors and in the final 
installment will put the finishing touches on our simulation using the Terrain 
Editor.  By the conclusion of the series you will have gained newfound insight 
into the behind-the-scenes world of modern day flight sim creation and will be 
invited to test your skills in a major FST contest sponsored by Domark and 
CGW. 	


