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X-Plane.at Team Interview Development When did you start developing for flight simulators and what got you interested in it? About two years ago, I moved from MS FS2004 to X-Plane 10. The reason being, because FS2004 was starting to look a bit dated and I wanted to be able to simulate aircraft to a higher level. After researching what other simulators were available, I came to the conclusion that X-Plane 10 did what I wanted it to. The other reason why I use X-Plane 10, is because it's still very much under development. The only slight downside is that compared to the Flight Simulator franchise there are not as many scenery add-ons available; especially for my home country of Austria. I like to fly helicopters and small aircraft under VFR so that I can see accurate landmarks and buildings and after getting bored with the rather plain default airfields with no buildings or objects, I decided that I would attempt to upgrade them. This was easier than I thought because I had two fantastic tools available to me: OpenSceneryX for the objects and X-Plane's very own WED (World Editor). It was not until later that I found X-Plane.at which Gerhard Scholz (oe3gsu) runs. It was here that I found many Austrian airports. They were of all fantastic quality; some being photo-realistic and of course, they were all...free! It was at Gerhard's site that I found many tutorials on how to build and texture objects. Once I had learnt how to do this, everything else kind of fitted into place. Originally I had been creating LOAS with just standard objects, but after seeing how easy it was to design your own objects, I decided to create my own. Gerhard, at the same time, was looking for some co-authors for his project, so I started with photorealistic, custom object building work. Spitzerberg airfield was my first project. Tell us about the nature of your designs and what you do? I try to create objects so as to be as close to reality as possible, without going overboard. It's a compromise between good looking and easy building. It's important to remember the smaller details, because it's those little details which make all the difference. It's always worth taking that little bit of extra time on something, because the scenery looks so much better when finished. Others whom I work with create aircraft liveries and build Austrian airfields. Whatever we create though, we always endeavour to make it as real as possible; within of course, the limitations mentioned. What do you consider your best or most popular work? I think we would all agree that our last created work is always the best. We are constantly learning as we go, so we try and incorporate our learning into our work. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of a project? The most challenging aspect of our work has to be the planning involved. Like I mentioned above, we always try and make our work as accurate as possible. This includes, what the buildings look like, the layout of the airport and what landmarks are present. A lot of research goes into our work, so I think it's fair to say that this is the most challenging part of what we do. What have been your favorite projects? I think the one which stands out for all of us is LOWS. A lot of work went into this scenery and the result was most pleasing. What software packages and tools do you use to develop? Most of us use only freeware tools, such as GIMP, PaintNet, SketchUp and Google Earth, but I do know that Photoshop has been used on occasion. We also use plugins for object building and texturing. Finally, we mustn't forget the WED (World Editor) from X-Plane, used to place objects within the simulator. Who would you consider to be your mentors or inspiration in the development world if you have any? For me personally, I think that the work of TruScenery and TruTech, who offer many freeware and payware projects in the Finland area are truly excellent examples and include many detailed objects. We also appreciate the work done by other authors and learn a great deal from their work. However, Gerhard from X-Plane.at has helped me a lot with his tutorials and tips. This came in very helpful when I modelled Spitzerberg airfield. Do you develop payware/freeware or both and why? Because of my abilities, and also to a greater extent, my free time, I can only work on freeware projects. Also, I do not wish to make money out of a project, as I enjoy the planning and building involved and it enables me and the rest of the team to give back to the community. By doing this X-Plane grows and so does the X-Plane community. The Team How many people work with you or your team? At present there are nine people in the team. It's a great team and we all enjoy working together. When you have a group of people with the same passion for something, it works well. What do the various members of the team do? Each team member is pretty much left to work on what he enjoys most. Some of us work on international airports, some on smaller airports and airfields, and a few on object libraries and liveries. Whatever we do though, it's always enjoyable and fun. What other developers or teams have you worked with and what were their roles? None at all. X-Plane.at was created in July of 2013 and since that time, we have worked together and helped each other. Since 2013 the team has to grown to its current number of nine and each member is aware of what the other is working on. This way we make sure that an airport or airfield is not done twice! Real Life Do you have any experience in real aviation? I don't have any experience as such, but I do know that one member of the team flies sailplanes and one has had experience working for Austrian Airlines. What started your interest in aviation? My interest in aviation (and also my team members) started when I was a child. For me it was standing in the garden of my grandparents house in Vienna and watching the aircraft come in to land. Their house was right in the flight path, so watching them come in to land on runway 11 was amazing. Hearing those 707's come overhead and shake the windows of the house is something which I still remember to this day. Any memorable flights in real life? Once when I was flying from London to Heathrow, I had the chance to visit the flight deck of a 747. It was a great experience as I got a chance to speak to the flight crew. It was funny, because he told me the flight physics weren't really that different from a glider! Would you like to share what you do in real life? I work for the United Nations Security and Safety Service in Vienna, as a dog handler in explosive detection. What other hobbies or things do you do for enjoyment? Personally I enjoy hiking, riding, working out and running. I know that other members of the team are really into computers and amateur radio. As well as creating scenery, some of us in the team have started to build their own cockpits, utilising the open interfaces and extensions offered by X-Plane. Have you ever considered doing flight simulator development full-time? I think it's safe to say that none of us have considered doing it full time. It's a hobby and is meant for enjoyment. Future How do you choose your next new design or project? Each project is usually tailored around our individual needs and wants, so for me I like to have helicopter platforms and hospitals nicely realised. If however the AXDG (Austrian X-Plane Designer Group) asked for help, I would participate in it. For others, I know that sometimes work is done on request, or by what aircraft or livery needs to be done. In terms of scenery, there are plenty of airfields left in Austria to create! What simulators do you design for now and what ones do you plan to develop for in the future? This is an easy question for all of us; X-Plane only of course. In what ways do you see development changing in the future? All of us agree that 64 bit is the future of flight simulation. As soon as you move to this higher level, a lot of barriers that were set in place before, are taken down. Your Thoughts What can sites like FlightSim.Com do to support you and the hobby better? Informing the community about freeware projects as well as payware as you already do is great. Having multiple sites discuss things X-Plane related is a great way of sharing information. How do you feel about the future of flight simulation in general? It's incredible when you think about it, but each day brings flight simulation, closer and closer to reality. Not only in regards to the flight performance, but in also in regards to the sceneries and aircraft models being created. All of this because of the increase in computer performance; which we all know, never stands still. If Prepar3D goes 64 bit, then I can see X-Plane and P3D as the only two pure flight sims available on the home computer. What would you like people to know about you or your team and work? If we could build Austria in its entirety for you we would! Many thanks! Gerhard Scholz X-Plane.at Team www.x-plane.at/ Download More Screen Shots
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