Creating Aircraft forYSFlight: WINGS 3D:

Wings 3D Version 1.4 for Windows and Blender 2.49 with Python scripts to export to .dnm format.

2022 Update: Note: This is a tutorial on how to create 3D aircraft models for YSFlight. The tools used earlier are no longer available at the original website: Geopoly/x YSVRML, etc, as listed here at this topic. In 2022, the modelling tools used should be Blender (Version 2.49 with the relevant Python scripts to import and export YSFlight files, and possibly another 3D editor such as Wings 3D 1.4 for Windows or Google Sketchup, both can export 3D model files to lightwave ( .lwo ) format which can then be imported into Blender and exported into a .dnm.

https://forum.ysfhq.com/viewtopic.php?p=314

Open Wings 3D. (version 1.4 for Windows is what I used) Create a cylinder in Wings 3D .

Now click on the cylinder to select it. Right click on the cylinder and select Rotate-Z. Press the TAB key and enter 90 ( for 90 degrees). This will rotate the cylinder by 90 degrees in the z - axis so that it lies flat. The wing will appear very thick, this will be flattened later. Press the space bar to deselect all. Press the scroll button (a 2 button mouse has to be set up in settings of Wings 3d) and move the mouse to rotate the object so you can see the rear of the cylinder. Switch to the line mode and select the the rearmost line. Right click and select move, z direction and move the mouse so that the line moves outwards. Select the other lines in turn and stretch the cylinder as shown.

Once the airfoil shape is created, the cylinder can be flattened considerably to make it look like a wing,

The next step is top extrude the wing airfoil shape. Select the flat edge of the wing and move in the X- direction the wing outward.

Finally select the wing and scale in the Y direction until its thickness matches the 3- view diagram. Create the other wing by selecting the wing and selecting duplicate - X. You will need to duplicate the wing to create the other wing. Select the wing and select duplicate Z. Flip the duplicate wing and rotate it into the correct position. You need to select the outer faces of the wings and move them in the Z direction for the swept forward configuration.

Right click on the desktop and select image plane.

This will enable you to import an image of the aircraft 3-view and align the wings to match the shape of the aircraft you are modeling. Note that the Saab has a narrower root section so select the root face of the wing and scale it in the Z - direction and move it into place.

Creating the Fuselage

The fuselage can be more easily created by referring to a construction plan. the construction plan will consist of a few drawings and the editing that will be done to the 3d model - extrusions, bevelling and the like. The fuselage mainly consists of a cube, extruded, beveled and shaped into the required shape.

Import the 3 side of the aircraft by importing image plane. Right click and create a cube. Extrude the cube along the dimensions of the 3 view of the aircraft diagram. . Check the side view and top view of by pressing X, Y and Z and also SHIFT X, SHIFT Y and SHIFT Z the model to see if it is accurate.

A view of the several extrusions made and along the lines of the 3-View. After each extrusion the face is scaled in the Y direction to match the diagram.

Highlight the model edges and choose bevel to create a more rounded effect. To create the windscreen select the points around the windscreen area and move them down on each side.

Top view of the model superimposed on the 3 view. The model can be made narrower at the required sections by selecting the edge, pressing L to select the edge loop, then scaling in the X- direction.

Create the horizontal tail surfaces in the same manner, this time there is no need to create a special airfoil shape, the tail surfaces can be made symmetrical from a cylinder.

The vertical stabilizer or tail fin can be created in two parts, once again by using a cylinder and extruding it upwards, then tapering the cylinder and flattening it.

Make a drawing of the landing gear, including the parts that need to be modeled. Someparts may be left out entirely, however it is important to get the wheel details right and the various parts of the landing gear right, at least the more prominent ones. The landing gear will be on of the most detailed parts that are used by the model. Making retractable landing gear will be covered in a later section under animation.

Create the wheels by creating cylinders and then selecting inset and creating a the hub

in the middle of the wheel. The edges need to be highlighted and smoothed, but this will come to later, may need to be revised as the graphics detail may mean that the flight simulator will slow down due to the high amount of processing needed for the high polygon model. The wheel struts can be created out of cylinders suitably shaped by scaling and extruding and smoothing.

Once all the parts are created, open one wings 3d file and add the others as a merge.

The resulting objects will be all over the place and all different sizes, however you can easily move them and size them into place referring to the three view. Once the pieces are all in place, select all and combine the objects together as one. Rotate the model 180 degrees about the Y axis, so the nose is facing to the right and away from you in the default "R" view.

The SAAB Safari nearing completion in Wings 3D 1.4. Note this is a first pass basic model.

The wings and fuselage were created in about 1 hour. The advantage of this method is extremely quick model creation - less than 2 hrs total.

Coloring: for coloring we will use a material mode Select the faces you want to colour andright click on Material. Enter new material. Name the new material and adjust the color bars to get the right color.

Exporting the model

Once the model is ready, combine all the parts of the model by using the combine command. Save the model as lightwave (.lwo) Import the model into Blender 2.49 and then save as .DNM file. You will need the Blender YSFlight Python scripts to do this, these are available on Source Forge.

To have a quick look as to how the model looks, you can overwrite an existing DNM file of a similar airplane. This is a quick way to view and fly the model in YS 2000.

Open the YS2000 folder and select the eclipse.dnm. Make a backup of the file. Now save the created DNM file safari.dnm file as eclipse.dnm. You are replacing the 3D model of the eclipse with the Safari 3d model. The flight characteristics will be the same as the Eclipse for now.

Start YS 2000 and select the eclipse aircraft. The Safari should now be shown in the preview window. Take - off and do a few circuits or rolls and loops with the Safari.

The SAAB Safari in a steep bank. Looks like I forgot the wing struts!

There is a great sense of accomplishment in creating an aircraft and installing into the YS 2000 simulator program. The model is a basic one and there are several refinements to be made before it can be considered as a high detail model.