Project Do228

Dear project228 visitors!

Once again months have passed - time is running! I have almost completed my flight training and will soon start my typerating on Airbus A320 or Boeing 737NG. Real life is “progressing well”, so how about the project?

I’m really glad to be able to tell you some good news. We now have another BIG partner, who is helping us with drawings, photos and system describtions. I’m not telling which company this is, yet! We are working together closely - helping each other. This really pushes the project forward and motivates us.

After one of our team members has left, I had to redo big parts of the aircraft. Now I’m once again finishing up the external model and will afterwards move over to the virtual cockpit. And here’s the next good news. We have a new guy in the team, who will be doing the scripting and animation of the virtual cockpit. He’s an expert in this field, so be ready for some interactive VC action!

I also did promise some new pictures. Once the spec / reflect / bump maps are finished, you will get to see those. That should happen soon. Stay tuned!

Dear Do228 fans!

Once again I’m really happy to see, that we have so many great supporters! I am aware, that you are desperately waiting for updates and new pictures. And I would love to give those to you! However it’s not as easy, as it often seems. We are both quite busy at the moment, although we thought, we’d have more time by now - it’s totally not the case at the moment.

I have passed the theoretical exam and moved on to IFR training at my school. Now flying the Piper Seminole with Avidyne flightdeck - really nice! Tristan is somewhat busy with private life at the moment too. Please, keep in mind, that this is a developement blog. It’s our intention to show you how this project is coming along and offer some “behind-the-scenes” information. We will not make predicitons on when everything will be finished.

BUT, here’s actually some project news for you guys: We have been thinking a lot about how to develop and release this bird, so that the project in the end is worth the time, that we are spending with it. Tristan and I have decided to go FSX, since it opens a lot of new possibilities to us. We have been playing a lot with specular and bump maps. Guys, as soon as you see our 228 with those new textures, you will understand why FSX!

Also, we have started to develop a completely new, high detail 3D cockpit, which will be professionally rendered to give it a photo-real look. As soon, as there is something to show, you will see it!

Finally we have some new renderings to present. They show a part of the pedestal with the autopilot on the right.

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I’m glad to announce that we have solved out problems and are now back in full strength. New pictures of the cockpit to come in the next days! Stay tuned!

Hey everyone!

As there are many questions inbetween the comments, we have opened up the section “FAQ”. Below you can post your question as a “comment”. We will answer it here.

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It’s been more than a week since the last post. This doesn’t mean we are not working though! Here’s a little preview of the panel. As soon as there is something worth showing again, I will let you know of course!

Hey everyone!

When we posted those screenshots of the gauges (”Details baby…”), Tristan from Soleluna Airways asked us, what those pictures actually show. Are those the modelled gauges for the VC? Or just photos of the real panel? I gave a short reply in form of a comment. Now André suggested to create a short post on this topic, so you guys know what we are actually working on at the moment and what our work looks like.

So, what is needed to create a gauge? First of all, we need pictures of it. As we don’t have our own Do228 (not yet…), we have to rely on our partners. We request a picture - the next day we usually have it. Nice service, that is. The pictures we usually get look like this one:

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If you are wondering what we are doing all the time, except writing blog entries about prototypes and demonstrators, I have an an answer:

Details! Check out, what André is working on at the Moment:

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The idea of “project Do228″ was already alive in January 2004. Back then, we had the vision to create a highly realistic simulation of the Dornier 228 aircraft, based on Microsoft’s Flightsim 2004. Working together with OSS, we soon found the people to form a team.
In April 2004 we went to Nordholz Air Base in northern Germany to meet Markus,  active Do228 Pic, flying for the German Navy and Frank, technical engineer, also working for the German Navy. The meeting was successful, several GB of photos and videos were taken and we were very well provided with all the information that was needed to finally get the modelling started.
After a few months, first screenshots of the model and the panel appeared in the OSS forum, showing two models, the Do228-200 and the shortened version, the Do228-100. In 2005, finally the paintkit was finished and we started to create the first liveries.
Unfortunately, since then there have been many problems with the team and OSS. So, in September 2006, when OSS went offline, we decided to finish the project on our own.