A modelling question...and a project idea.

[EHM-1001 Robert]

Hi folks,

it is a question to qualified FS modellers.

Is it possible to create a landable runway above the ground, for example on top of a 3D object? For example I saw somewhere an add-on scenery, a helipad on top of the WTC towers. Is it possible to make with a long runway as well?

Why asking? I have a big dream...

It is a big dream in real life, which perhaps became reality, and also it is a big dream in FS. The project name is FREEDOMSHIP...

In the USA, some millionairs formed a group, and laid down the plans of a slowly moving luxury city on the sea. The ship would transfer about 40000 passengers, some of them would really live on the ship. There are hundreds of apartments for sold. It would be also a luxury liner, like "Carnival Destiny" or "Queen Mary 2", just to mention maybe the most famous ones. It would be a big city and also a fine tourist place. The ship would steam around the world every 2 years and stopped at famous coasts and metropolises. The ship is about 1 mile long and on the top there is a fully operational airport with double runways. It is equipped even with elevators for airplanes like the old WW1 aircraft carriers.

My dream is to make this ship as a static or dynamic object. I wanted to learn GMAX to create this add-on scenery, but it seems too complicated for me. The question is up for you, or for your friends. If somebody could make this scenery, I would support it with plans, infos and textures.

Just imagine some EuroHoliday or EuroBusiness flights to the Freedomship... Landing on top of the water ! And it is not Kansai Airport, but a real ship !

[EHM-1358 Tim]

Did you draw that? Very nice. Anyway, Yeah I think it would be possible to do that, even tough that might sink . It would just be like an aircraft carrier. I would have a try once I got the hang of gmax (thats when I finally get the darn code).

[EHM-1001 Robert]

I red at a crack site, that you can easily register your GMAX. It is a free program, so I do not know the developers why not published the solution. The main thing is tu run a REGISTRY key and then you can use your "ABSOLUTELY FREE" software. They say it is not a real crack, just a patch on a developer mistake.

Good luck.

And I did not draw that, it was up on the net, also there was a short movie about Freedomship in the "Extreme Engineering" or "Engineering the impossible" series on Discovery Channel.

[EHM-0001 Gergely]

I remember some giant UFOs as FS add-ons based on the film Independence Day and there were several runways on top of them and inside them (you could fly inside them through a hole), so I guess it's possible.

[EHM-0933 Richard]

Very nice! Looks top heavy though Sorry, don't have a clue how to make it.

Cheers
Rich

[EHM-0813 Guillermo]

You mean something like this?

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/475545/L/

[EHM-1343 Jonathan]

The great thing about the Freedom ship is that we could have it in various locations. I.E. Singapore, Seyschelles or in exotic locations that do not have an airport. i reckon that this scenery would be great. why dont you ask one of the freeware developers that you find on freeware websites if they could knock one up;D

[EHM-0240 Joe]

Well in FS2000 there was a helipad on top of the WTC that you could land on, so i would think it could be possible.

Why is everyone having a problem with gmax, I downloaded it the other day and had no problem registering. I downloaded it from here: http://www.discreet.com/products/gmax/, maybe people are trying something else.

[EHM-1358 Tim]

I have the gmax program I just need to register it, I know its free but I think they put the code on so they know how many people are using it.

[EHM-1001 Robert]

Oh yes, the aircraft carrier, the ID4 vessels, and Madeira airport are all good points that it is possible.

I also thought we could have the Freedomship on many locations at one time (it is not real though) and we could organize more flights to those destinations. I already contacted with the developer company (www.freedomship.com) if they can provide some raw material for the modelling. I do not feel they will provide anything, but who knows...

I have FS2002 pro, and GMAX is on the CD. I have installed it properly but could not register it, only with "legal" cracking mentioned above. But I felt it too difficult to me and then uninstalled. I am a mechanical engineer and this visual modelling philosophy is very far from the engineering modeller softwares I use every day. In the past I made 3D, texturized car models manually, but this GMAX or 3DSMAX thingy is too far from me...

[EHM-0641 Rico]

That thing would never float according to my dad.. he's an engineer..

He told me in order for that thing to float and be stable on the water, it has to be at least 3 times as wide, ant it would have to have an catamaran/trimaran design to keep it from tipping over sidewards

[EHM-1001 Robert]

I do not know, when I saw the document movie it was ver promising. The bottom of the ship is a huge steel structure that stores many air, so it decreases the overall weight. Also the shape of the body that is in the water is very similar in shape and scales to an aircraft carrier, which can float.

I think these projects seems impossible are really possible. As I see in the rich countries, some people have much money to cost on preliminary planning. It seems the engineers take many hours with thinking and planning before the result goes public. That is why the TV series got the name "Engineering the impossible" I believe these things could be real if there was enough money, time and material. And do not forget about the Freedomship that most apartments are already sold out. Or those people simply lost their money?

Oh, and one more thing...this image is just an "artist's impression" it looks more long than wide. In reality, according to the newest specs, the ship will be 4500 feet long and 750 feet wide which means 1/6 scale. I  think these are not so impossible numbers.

[EHM-0641 Rico]

Originally posted by SirRoberto
Also the shape of the body that is in the water is very similar in shape and scales to an aircraft carrier, which can float.

I knew some one would say this...  

but also keep in mind that an ACC is like 10 time smaller, and 10 times less high  

Originally posted by SirRobertoOh, and one more thing...this image is just an "artist's impression" it looks more long than wide. In reality, according to the newest specs, the ship will be 4500 feet long and 750 feet wide which means 1/6 scale. I think these are not so impossible numbers.  

Sound promising indeed... but when tinking of it, I can't get the image outta ma head of a floating block of concrete..lol..weird but true.... I would realy like them to accomplish this procject and prome me wrong....  but with the measures u provided, there not  impossible numbers indeed.. :>

[EHM-1358 Tim]

Originally posted by SirRoberto

I have FS2002 pro, and GMAX is on the CD. I have installed it properly but could not register it, only with "legal" cracking mentioned above.

Could you give me the link to the legal cracking site. Cos they still havent replyed to my mail.

[EHM-1001 Robert]

I think it is not the right place to discuss it, but I can send it to you in email.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Originally posted by EHM-0641
I knew some one would say this...  

but also keep in mind that an ACC is like 10 time smaller, and 10 times less high  

Sound promising indeed... but when tinking of it, I can't get the image outta ma head of a floating block of concrete..lol..weird but true.... I would realy like them to accomplish this procject and prome me wrong....  but with the measures u provided, there not  impossible numbers indeed.. :>

Rico,

Displacement lovey, displacement... [shout "Eureka" and run down the street with the old chap flapping about in the wind]

I have seen a working concrete boat hull (just to prove it could be done, sort of thing...), it's all a matter of spreading the weight of the object across enough surface area.

Having said that, I too saw the Discovery channel program about Freedomship, and as "believable" as the renders were, I have serious doubts something shaped like that will float; I would guess they'll end up making it much wider (possibly even multi-hull) and not so tall as a result...

As far as my knowledge of FS modelling goes, it should be possible to do something like this in FS. The sides will need to be vertical, but clever texturing can lessen the obviousness of this. It will (of course) have to be static...

EDIT: In fact, just looking at the "artists impression" above, I can think of one way that might very well work. Do a runway on a big plinth, and rap it in a "building" with all the wiggly bits... would be a work of madness to make it look right though...

[EHM-0962 Zhen Yi]

As far as i know it is possible to create something like that........only that i'm still not good enough right now........still in training! but maybe Murray can try making one?

[EHM-1358 Tim]

I think Ive got an idea for this ship, you could make it so it has its of route travelling around the world and stoping off at some real world ports. I think it can be done. As ive seen small cars drive around the airport on a sceanery add-on I have.

[EHM-0641 Rico]

Originally posted by Murray Crane
Having said that, I too saw the Discovery channel program about Freedomship, and as "believable" as the renders were, I have serious doubts something shaped like that will float; I would guess they'll end up making it much wider (possibly even multi-hull) and not so tall as a result...

My point exactly     But it would be lovely to see it in FS  :]

[EHM-1001 Robert]

Another GMAX question...

In GMAX I cannot reach MAKEMDL plug-in, however it is in the plug-ins directory. No problem, I started from outside MAKEMDL, but I cannot convert the gmax file. MAKEMDL wants to have an X file for input, and it does not allow gmax extension. What is that X file?

Just to have an overview of the ship in GMAX:


Before you ask: I did the model in "Autocad Mechanical Desktop" and converted into GMAX. I did it today afternoon, it took about 4 hours. The model do not have any textures. The model is made by the current design of freedomship, after design specs and screenshots found on the official website. I think the accuracy is about +/- 2 meters. I left out those many small pylons from the model that keeps the floors on each other.

[EHM-1077 Emanuele]

..mmmm.. I'm a bit skeptical that
FS will be able to manage all those
polygons...

I.e., the flight deck, with all those
booleans cutout, seem to be a single
large polygon, but is likely to be in fact
an highly triangulated face.

And is it just my impression or the flight
deck even has bevels on the edges?
That's probably something you can get
away without...

Looks cool though. :>

Ciao ciao!

Manu

[EHM-0962 Zhen Yi]

A fairly detailed model but most systems should be unable to run it smoothly in FS.....i think.......somehow it doesnt look like the ship in the picture

[EHM-0744 Alex]

I was installing one of the new PAI package when I just remembered that PAI planes are scenery with a .bgl ending... and they do move, I believe with time-place coordination I think... such as LPPT-08:00:00. However maybe we could make this ship do something similar, and make it go really slowly, however I doubt we could have any ILS or any beacon of any kind on it.

Correct me if i'm wrong (which I probably am:>)

Cheers,

Alex

[EHM-0962 Zhen Yi]

The planes are scenery?

[EHM-1343 Jonathan]

Hi guys.

This freedom ship is 1 mile long right. This would not be much use to us. The only jets that we can use are the CRJ 200 and mabey the Fokker 70. All the other jets need 0.5 miles longer runway. Either the Freedom ship would be based closer to Europe, or the runway would have to be 0.5 miles longer. by the way, jets in other divisions are not included.

By the way Robert. Great work, i wish i could use GMAX to that amazing level, or any modeling program to that level