C-130 Hercules

[Technodandy]

It is looking good, do you have C-130 wave file to go with it?

[Kamikaze]

The only wave files I have are from my MSFS C-130 model....

 

I need to look up who made available the project file with the expression for a prop rotation and thank them, I could have never figured the formula out..

 

Michael

[Odog2020]

Man, that looks like the real thing. I spent 4 years jumping out of the c-130 Hercules, c-141, and c-17. Nice work

[Kamikaze]

I "think " I mentioned it in a previous post, but I worked on the from 78 to 86. I would never jump out of a plane, unless my like depended upon it, then I still think Id have to pay someone to push me, Im just trying to say , your a very Brave soul......

Thanks for the compliment, I still have a long way to go before Im satisfied, well Ill never be satisfied, just content ,maybe.

 

Take good care,

Michael

[Odog2020]

I would never jump out of a plane, unless my like depended upon it,

Take good care,

Michael

Mike, sometimes when I was sitting in the planes, it felt like my life was in danger, I mean some of those pilots scared the crap out of me. Besides, most of the planes we were on always had some kind of trouble after we took off, so even if I was scared to jump, better to get out before it goes down. Anyways, I am ready to see the c-130 in action. Maybe you could use the current model you have and turn it into a c-130 gunship. Man those things are awsome.

James

[Rodney]

Michael,

I just want to say... your recent C130 animations are a real treat.

The accuracy and level of detail you've got in your C130 already is quite impressive. Kinda gave me shivers when I saw your model in action. Seeing your mini-movies really made me want to go out and share the files with everyone I know who works around them. I figure they would appreciate the effort you've put into it.

 

The designers of the C130 get a lot of respect from me. Those planes are tough and versatile to say the least. The ease of configuration allowing various cargo (whether PAX, rolling stock or pallets) to be transported is simply amazing. I hope you keep a version that isn't a gunship.

 

From where I sit the C130 as a transport Aircraft still is the workhorse of the U.S. Air Force.

 

Rodney

[Odog2020]

From where I sit the C130 as a transport Aircraft still is the workhorse of the U.S. Air Force.

 

Rodney,

The C-103 is the real deal, and I know that you like it alot, but most of the work load is now going to the C-17, and starting to go to the C-5. The main reason is because the C-17 can hold either more PAX, or cargo. In addition, the C-17 still has room for PAX while it is loaded with 3 vehicles, and a couple of CONEX's. The C-5 can hold a C-17, with the wings off, in the cargo bay, still having room for PAX on the upper deck of the plane. All in all, the designers of these aircrafts are master minds, and the Air Force is very resource full with these aircrafts. Sorry for getting off the subject, but just wanted to comment on the aircrafts.

James

[Rodney]

The C-103 is the real deal, and I know that you like it alot, but most of the work load is now going to the C-17, and starting to go to the C-5.

 

I don't disagree. That's while I qualified it with 'from where I sit'.

Where I am right now all I see are lots and lots of C130s. I get to fly on one every 3 days or so too.

 

I will admit though that for someone that has been in the Air Force for 17 years I don't know squat about planes.

 

I like em though.

 

Rodney

[Kamikaze]

Hey Guys,

 

Great posts, I really like reading your thoughts and stories, shoot, I have a few of my own. I just re read my last post and boy I missed spelled just about everything, thats what happens when I post after working (well being at work) all night.

Those Pigs , as we use to call em, turned 25 years old when I was in , so what are they now? 45 give or take, Im amazed there still going fairly strong.

I have some pics of the gun ships, I got to work on one just once at Little Rock AFB, other than that its been Cargo/Troop, Electronic Combat C-130, I did get to work on a couple DC-9's in Germany.

Once I get this Cargo/Troop 130 done I may have to see if I can make a second separate one a G.S....

This model wont be to specs but as close as I can get it without buying the blueprints, I see where Im off in the modeling,I want to keep the patch count down as low as possiable, I have tons of areas I want to rework but will have to say, "maybe later" and move on, Im playing with simple animations and modeling to give my brain a rest, Im affraid my mini animation tests will break the forums 1 mb limit with sprite smoke and sound, it does look and sound cool though..

17 years Rodney, and counting? are you still there? gettin short?

 

 

Oh, and a little text update...

Ive got exhaust smoke with sprites and sound too, I added the Air Deflectors for the rear Door areas, and they open and close (darn I even modeled in the actuator, boned,constrained and all).

here's whats working now. (please excuse my spelling)

Flaps

Elevator

Aileron

Rudder

Landing gears and doors , Main and Nose.

Steering,

Prop rotation,

Propeller pitch, (I love the look of the prop changing pitch while running, I also modeled a propeller disk shape and decaled it with a prop in motion pic, then as the prop speed increases I fade (transparency setting in pose sliders) from the real prop blades to the prop in motion decal disks (actuall 2 decal disks boned separatly so I can get the prop pitch change even with the disks) makes for a nice transition)

GTC Door,

Cargo ramp/doors

Crew door.

One many of these the cockpit controlls work with the intended component, IE rudder w/ rudder pedals, elevator w/ yolk, not worried about exact positioning here though.

LOL

 

more later

 

Take care

Michael

[Odog2020]

Rodney, I may have spoken wrong for the AF as a whole, but the only knowledge I have of the planes if from Fort Bragg. When I got there, we were always on the C-130, and C-141, but before I could turn around we were all on C-17. I don't know how the rest of the AF does it, but at Bragg, C-17 just took over, it seemed like over night. Still we used C-17 when we had a mass combat jump, simulated combat. But when we deployed, they took most of the equipment on the 5's and 17's. Hell, I guess it doesn't really matter, all the planes are great, and it has been a while since I have even thought about the planes we used to jump from.

 

Mike, you know what I think would be the greatest animation, if you could make the your C-130 flying over a drop zone, and paratroopers jumping out. Anyways, enough of me bugging you guys, so take care, and keep up the good work. Have to go do more exercises. Peace out

James

[Rodney]

Michael said:

17 years Rodney, and counting? are you still there? gettin short?

 

Yes Sir, I'm still hanging in here. I'm not short though... I won't act it while anyone is watching at least.

I don't think I'm quite as old as the C130 but I'm starting to feel my age. I need to start thinking past 20 though because it'll be there before I know it. My how time flies... literally.

 

If you need some close ups of details I might be able to get the greenlight to send some to you.

You know the mundane stuff like the seating, general textures, barf bags etc.

Of course you could probably find more than I could provide out there on the internet though.

 

 

James,

I've never seen a single person jump from a C130 so it makes good sense that other planes are generally used for that task nowadays. I have seen the step extensions and gear for jumping out of C130 though so I'd guess its still done from time to time. Then of course there is always just running and jumping off the back ramp...

 

As for me... I guess I go down with the plane and crew.**

As the old saying goes, "No sense jumping out of a perfectly good plane".

 

**I have yet to see a parachute reserved for me on a C130 flight. This could be bad...

 

Rodney

[Kamikaze]

Rodney,

 

Sorry I have taken so long to reply, Haven not been feeling so good, but much better now,

Oh !! I would run you to death on pics I or lets say I think I need of the c-130, I think Ive downloaded just about every herc pic I could find over the net (bought two plastic models and bought a small picture booklet), yet never exactly what I want , someday I want to model in the cowls of the engines and model in the engines, but at least a nice pic square from the sides, top side and back.

So what I"ll say is if you find or take "any" pics of anything on the 130 I know I can find a use for it one way or the other,

Id be afraid to list what I think I need.

 

James,

Yea! !!! I want to do some animations of Paratroopers jumping out the back, I wonder if the cloth sim can handle the paracute material and the Newton plugin the simulation? and a sim of a lapes drop too !!!

I think that could look pretty cool,

 

Michael

 

To me as long as your not staying 17 or more years in, your short...

[Technodandy]

Hi

 

I have a funny story about a C 130 that I witnessed at Clark Air Base in 1970. I was parked on a standby hardstand in front of a C 130 when the engines were being turned over. A Step Van carrying the crew, backed up into the prop wash with it's rear doors open. I could see the hats fly off of the Airmen inside of the step van cab: they spun around like something being stirred in water. After a few cycles of the hat spinning around, the front winshield blew out and the hats and every loose object in the cab landed on the ground with the windshield in front of the van. No one was hurt just a little shook up. The hats spinning around in the cab looked like something out of a comedy.

 

Technodandy

[Kamikaze]

That was a good one, LOL....especially sense no one was hurt....I use to have to get up on a stand while the engines were running and look for oil,etc leaks scared the ____ out of me every time and right there in front of me was the ignition box with a radiation warning sticker staring at me....

 

Michael

[Odog2020]

Hearing storys of the C-130, make me think of Fort Bragg. I think that the funniest thing I have ever seen was when we were walking to the ramp to load the plane. Of course they already had the engines fired, and the hot stink air was blowing hard on us as always. But one guy, i can't remember his name, wasn't paying attention, and got his reserve handle caught on the back of another paratroopers shoot. It was like something off of Americas funniest videos, cause his reserve deployed, and the back blast of the props inflated it and drug him almost all the way back to the rigging shed. Of course our jump was delayed for a few minutes to make sure he was okay, but it was funny as hell. Well, cant wait to see some more animation of your plane.

 

There was also the case when our plane was about to take off, and a bird flew right into the engine, but that was on a C-17.

 

James

[Rodney]

Funny stuff for sure... as said especially if no one was hurt.

 

The other side of C130s of course I got to relive today.

Starting at 0400hrs local we unsuccessfully tried to launch on our mission.

We fly for about 20 minutes gauge goes into the red and we are headed back home. After repairs on the ground and subsequent delay find us taxiing for another takeoff.

No go. Back for more/different repairs.

Third times a charm right? Wrong.

Almost at the same place 20 minutes out the exact same gauge lets us know that repairs didn't quite get the the job done the first time.

 

So almost 10 hours after getting armed and ready to fly I'm home again... having never really left at all. So goes another day in the life of the C130.

 

Michael,

I don't board a plane without thinking of your work on your model.

I wanna see more animation too! Can we get a flying shot in the air? That'd be sweet.

 

Rodney

[Odog2020]

And you said you wouldn't jump out of a perfectly good airplane! See why I always wanted to be suited up, those things could go at any minute. Nah just kidding, when I was deployed, first and second time, we always had problems because of the sand, and if it wasn't the sand, the tarmak was too hot for the planes to land and take off, blowing the tires out and such. Any who, wish you the best, and get those techs to work on that plane, cant have someone as involved as you in a bad plane.

 

James

[Kamikaze]

I'm back,

 

As the sayin goes "life got in the way" not as if I was absent from the board for long, but if I dont get on the forum at least once a day I feel left behind...LOL,

James, Another good story there, well have to put together a book of C-130 tails. My probem is they only come to me when Im not trying to think of one...

That story made me laugh and smile, havent done either in a couple days.

Rodney, boy reading your post brung back memories, one of the first times I ever worked on a C-130 on the flight line was to assist my trainer on a trouble shooting run, to make it short, gauge reads we have a problem, we change and change part after part on the engine, finally someone gets the idea to swap out gauges just in case, sure was !!! gauge was bad, it was a nice early lesson to learn, no tellin how many time Ive been saved hours of maintainance R&R, just by swapping gauges first.(side note, also learned on that day to also check other gauges (if applicable) that my cooberate the malfunction)

 

Im working on an inflight animation , Im working on camera angles to show as much of the Herc in a short period of time, Im just not good at camera placement/movements, Ive finished re modeling the (exhaust) tail pipe, want to decal a disk model of the turbine blades to put back there, its going a little overboard I believe, ah!!! but it should look ok if I get a closeup ot that area...

 

More later,

Michael

[Rodney]

Michael,

Great to have you back!

 

I got the go ahead to share approx. 60 photos of a C130E.

I'm not sure how much good they might do you but I'll try to smash down the file sizes and get them to you.

I didn't take the pics so they aren't from the perspective of someone modeling in 3D but still might be useful.

 

Rodney

[Kamikaze]

Thanks Rodney !!!!

Yes any Pictures will help, and thanks to whomever took them and gave you the go ahead......Im still working away on that in flight scene,,,,,

 

Michael

[Stuart Rogers]

If you need some close ups of details I might be able to get the greenlight to send some to you. You know the mundane stuff like the seating, general textures, barf bags etc.

I can thoroughly recommend NATO grade barf bags - plenty of room, no leaks, and when sealed can stand the weight of a 200 pound loadmaster. The things are bomb proof. A colleague of mine used to use one to carry his sandwiches.

[Rodney]

A colleague of mine used to use one to carry his sandwiches.

 

Oooo. Good Idea! I don't think these are NATO grade but that just might work.

 

Michael,

For a limited time only I'll post the pics as I'm abusing Hash Inc bandwidth.

These images are cut down in size to 40% so if you need any of them full rez/quality just say the word and I'll grab the original.

 

Sorry... I don't think there are any barf bags (NATO or otherwise)...

 

www.hash.com/amtutes/Temp/C130DetailCleared.zip

 

Rodney

[Kamikaze]

Hope you dont mind hearing "Thanks Rodney" I know I sound like a broken record......LOL..

Downloading as I type this.....

Im still chugging away at the inflight scene, Its taking me forever to get the Sprites for the exhaust the way I want..there are so many settings to work with....but thats a good thing.....

 

Ive been feeling like I need one of those barf bags, not a pic..the real deal, I think the wife gave me something, she's a nurse and brings home all sorts of sicknesses...

 

Michael

[Kamikaze]

Just to let ya know Rodney, those pictures are FANTASTIC!!! excellent, a great big thanks to you and whomever took them, they are already comming in handy,.....

 

Michael

[Rodney]

On behalf of the USAF Public Affairs office I say, "You are very welcome".

 

Rodney

[Kamikaze]

Here my inflight clip,I ended up going for the cheesy look, it was taking me to long on the original attempt, I want to do some takeoffs and landings, or Ill just combine them with a touch and go.

I have a little short in mind I want to try with the C-130 and other characters, and some sort of a story line.

Oh, and the clip looks funky and the very last frame, I ment to go 199 frames but rendered 200, or something like that.

It also has sound, but not sure what youd actually hear up there.

 

Michael

InAir_Showcase_2_S3m.mov

[arkaos]

I like it a lot, so far, Kam. I really like the environment too. I can't wait to see it in action.

[Technodandy]

Cool, the Video looks and sounds good. I am getting more and more impress by this program. The learning curve is seems a lot shorter than Truespace and Poser. The tutorials avalible are very helpful.

[Blackjack_Davie]

Invert the camera path so it starts at the front and ends at the back, that way we can see why the door opened up. Or, if you want the cammera to start at back and end in front, have the door open sooner. and maybe a parachuting Thom fall out.

 

Heh, there's one for the image contest, Thom in a Hash Parachutte with the C-130 behind it. kind of like a dynamic down up view.

[Kamikaze]

Thanks Fellow Hashers,

 

More action to come, Im getting more and more ideas thanks to the replies, Ill just have to wittle them down somehow, or Ill never get anywhere...LOL.

 

My only problem with learning AM is that Im the type thats needs to do the same thing over and over and over to have it stick in my brain, so what Ive done is make a small notebook with tips/tricks/howtos, that I forget when not used consistantly. AM is fun and impressive and will becomes easier as time goes by....such a great tool...

 

Yes, good idea camera front to back, thanks for the suggestion, and yes I do have something planned that will jump out the bacl......

 

Michael

[Stuart Rogers]

Looking good so far. It looks a bit odd to me, but that's probable because the one I worked with had an utterly different colour scheme (mostly grey with a white top). Once you get a grunge map on it, and all the decals showing where the doors are and where not to stand and where emergency services should hack their way in, it'll look really nice.

 

I realise the movie was just a test, but a couple of little things might make it look more realistic:

a) some jitter on the C130 position and/or on the camera, to give the impression of light turbulence;

the occasional particle zipping back, to give the impression it's flying *through* the sky, rather than flying in front of an image of the sky. Having spent many hours looking out of aeroplane windows (I was working at the time - honest!) such particulates are only apparent in or near clouds, but I think it would help sell the image.

 

Does anyone know if the wings on a real C130 bowed up noticeably during flight? These things can carry a lot of weight, so I wouldn't be surprised if the wings flexed a lot under the load.

[Kamikaze]

Stuart,

 

I keep a note pad of all suggestions and tips so when I get further along I wont forget them, so thanks for the help ,it will help as I move along with this project, and if you think of more please post em...

 

Michael

[Mr. Jaqe]

Two suggestions:

 

1. Motion Blur!

2. Shake the plane a little!

 

Great plane, btw, relaly like the form and the texture.

[Kamikaze]

Ohhh!!! more good suggestions, thanks,

 

Ok heres the setup, Im using the 3ds runway/airport that was posted to this forum a little while back and I intend to have this Herc take off and land ,but for now just getting the scene setup. so here's a sneek peek, I know the lighting is terriable, I keep telling myself Ill set up a chor. with those light rigs or sky domes or whatever works...LOL..

and the runway seems alittle shiney to me.....

 

Michael

[Kamikaze]

Here is my 1st attempt at a takeoff...the c130 is on a path and I use the ease settings to try to start off slow and pick up speed, its a little hard to tell from the camera angle, Im working on another takeoff clip with multiple camera positions, if I get it ironed out it should look pretty cool if I say so myself , of course I get to see the non compressed version...

 

Michael

C_130_Takeoff_1_s3_40_trim.mov

[Odog2020]

Dang I must have slipped into a black hole or something, cause I missed alot on this thread. Anyways, good as always, I haven't got to watch the videos yet, but I will when i get home today, CPU at work doesn't have quicktime Anyways, I know you said the runway wasn't yours, but it is the cleanest, glossiest, most reflective runway I have ever seen, and I have seen alot, from Hawaii, to Iraq, and inbetween. Anyways, I will check out the videos later, and i don't think Tom should fall out, maybe shaggy, or what we talked about before in the thread, well see ya, I will start working on a Paratrooper for you, if you like, may take a while though, not to good a moving splines

[Technodandy]

I like it! Two things; as the plane passes adjust the audio track's speed so you can hear the doppler shift. The turn is a little too tight. I think it should bank a little more as ir slides a little more into the turn.

 

Technodandy

[Mr. Jaqe]

It's a bit "twitchy", and the backwheels usually stay on the ground longer than the front wheels(if I remember my "take off"-stuff right). Other than that, it was great! (didn't notice any motion blur though, tsk tsk)

[Stuart Rogers]

... and the backwheels usually stay on the ground longer than the front wheels

That's right. Once the plane gets up to speed the pilot pulls back on the controls (the term for this is, I think, 'rotate') and the nose pulls up. The plane pivots on the rear wheels - I think the pivot point is in the wheel gear, above the wheels, so that all the rear wheels stay on the ground, rather than pivoting about the rearmost wheel. I've no idea how far the rotation angle is before the wheels leave the ground.

 

I don't know how far a C130 typically goes before its wheel actually leave the ground, but I know from experience that even for a fully laden plane it's far shorter than one would expect.

 

It's just occurred to me that I've never actually seen a C130 take off from the outside - the only times I've been near a flying C130, I've been in it (about 350 hours in total). Usually I was one of the cargo down the back, but on a few occasions I did get to ride in the flight deck.

[Odog2020]

I just watched the videos, my first question is was the plane moving or just the camera?

 

I did think the take of was really cool, but just like it sais higher in the thread it does take longer for the back wheels to come off the ground, and the turn was a little sharp, probably would have caused the plane to go into a stall.

 

All in all, you are doing great, can't wait to see more

[Kamikaze]

More good suggestions, Thanks everyone.....

I made a new clip last night that has the C130 banking in the turn..I had forgotten to make a pose slider for that move, I had made one for tilt/sway wing tip to wing tip but it worked independantly of the nose and main landing gear to wheel assy, I have alot of functions built into the C130 that Im not utilizing yet.

I also have some work to do on the main Landing gear doors, I noticed in the clip I did last night that the MLG gears go through the belly doors.

Ill have to research the doppler shift audio mentioned Im not sure what it is, would I be able to get that effect in an audio utility? I think Ive see it under effects in my audio utility, not sure if it means the same, the difficult thing for me is I have to check the clip Im working on then try to match the audio with cut n past in an external audio utility,

Ill work on those back wheels keeping down longer, Im going to have to see if I can find some C130 video clips of takeoffs and landings, I had some I recorded when in the AF but Ive lost them. I do know alot depends on the payload.

I noticed some twitchyness but cleared most of it up when under quicktime I clicked on show all frames (I believe thats what its called) and it was smoother than.

Doesn't motion blur use multi pass at high settings to look realistic? if so Ill have to wait to add motion blur in a render, it sure should look better with it.

Boy it sure would be good to know the takeoff distance for a C130, loaded and unloaded...Ill have to research that, I was just slapping things together for this clip. I had a hel..l of a time with the path and path ease in the chor....for the logest time I at one point the C130 would go below the runway...LOL...had I toned down that rather shiny looking runway..Ill have to model my own airbase one of these days, or borrow an aircraft carrier and land it there.

Ive seen plenty of 130s takeoff and land just never paid much attention, durring all the prayin.....

The best way to see a C130 takeoff is from the outside and from a distance...

Yep!! this one the C130 is moving along a path in the chor. with ease set to try to simulate slow to faster movement, but I played to much with the camera focal length/dietance and one looses the effect.....Im learning, I hope.

 

Thanks once again all,

Michael

 

When I get the new clip trimed and compressed, Ill see if I can get it under 1mb, thats gonna be tough.

[gre03]

Could you please post the airport/ground model so that i can use it with my 747

[Dhar]

Could you please post the airport/ground model so that i can use it with my 747

 

 

I too could use an airport model.

[Stuart Rogers]

Ill have to research the doppler shift audio mentioned Im not sure what it is, would I be able to get that effect in an audio utility?

The Doppler effect is the shift in frequency due to relative speed. The simple answer is that sound emitted from an object that's approaching is higher in pitch than it would be if the object is stationary. Similarly, the pitch is reduced when the object is receding. (This is due to the speed of sound in air being constant. Think of it as sound waves bunching up.) Stand next to a road of fast moving but sparsely spaced traffic and listen carefully - as well as the volume increasing then decreasing as each car passes, you should be able to detect a pitch change too. As the Doppler effect depends on the *radial* velocity, from the point of view of the camera in your animation, I don't think the Doppler effect would be as noticeable as the volume variation. If the camera was placed right next to the runway, then the Doppler effect would be significant.

[ddustin]

Here is the link to the post with the airfield.

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showt...hl=airfield.zip

David

[Dhar]

Many thanks

[Kamikaze]

So that was you who posted the airfield, Thanks a bunch David, It sure is a handy prop.

 

Stuart,

My new scene will Have the C130 going by the camera at close range and high speed, so should I make the pitch of the aircraft sound higher as it gets nearer and gradually get lower the further away it gets.

Hope Im understanding you correctly, and thanks for the explaination, Im working on understanding it .

 

Michael

[Stuart Rogers]

My new scene will Have the C130 going by the camera at close range and high speed, so should I make the pitch of the aircraft sound higher as it gets nearer and gradually get lower the further away it gets.

Hope Im understanding you correctly, and thanks for the explaination, Im working on understanding it

Yes. Higher pitch as it approaches, low pitch after it's gone past. As the plane will be accelerating towards you, it'll actually be increasingly higher pitched (a constant approach speed would give rise to a constant higher pitch).

 

However... I think this is more attention to detail that you need. I would stick to a simple increase/decrease in volume and see if that seems realistic enough. Besides, messing around with pitch can give rise to phasing problems.

[gre03]

thanks for the airfield

[Kamikaze]

Well, I had to compress this one without sound, it was over the 1mb limit with sound, and just as I was perfecting the sound quality , ok, so not perfecting, just more realistic.....darn if I dont need a web site.....

Im trying to learn camera placement and shots and thats mainly what this clips is about, trying to make things look more interesting by camera shots, The main landing gear still lifts off to soon after the nose rises, Ive watched some c130 takeoff clips and even though mine is a little sooner than what Ive watched there is just a second or two longer contact than what Ive got, but it is a noticable difference, so thanks again for mentioning it all.

 

Small and highly compressed clip.

 

Michael

Takeoff_Triple_Cameras_s3_.mov