Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'leen de jager'.
Found 2 results
-
Interview With Leen de Jager Development When did you start developing for flight simulators and what got you interested in it? I first started painting liveries for aircraft about 13 years ago. This was whilst I was using MSFS. When FlyII came out, I was really impressed by what this sim could offer, and so decided to start painting for that simulator, with the PA19 being my inspiration. After returning to MSFS for a short time, I started painting liveries for X-Plane. For me, personally, I found painting for different simulators, pretty much the same. There are a few differences of course, but the tools and techniques I use for each are almost identical. Tell us about the nature of your designs and what you do? The first thing I must tell you is that designing whole aircraft is not really my thing. My main skill is creating new paints for aircraft. As a rule, I don't use paint kits as I far prefer to create my own base textures. Some aircraft don't come with normal files, so for those planes that do not have them, this is something I particularly enjoy. What do you consider your best or most popular work? I am constantly learning as I go, so like many of the developers you have interviewed, I would have to repeat what many of them have said, and that is, my latest work is always the one I like best. At the moment I am working on an ATR 72 livery for the McPhat ATR (X-Plane) and it's quite a challenge to improve on what McPhat have already done...but it will be done! Sometimes it's not so hard to improve on what others have done, whilst in the case of McPhat, it is a definite challenge. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of a project? When I create a livery my first aim is to try and make it more attractive than what's been previously made. This way I am always challenging myself to reach the next level in detail. Being asked to create liveries is a great compliment for me, especially when it comes from the author of that particular aircraft. What have been your favorite projects? There have been quite a few favorite projects. For example, years ago I made a series of liveries (about 20) for the Project Fokker F28. This was for FS2004 and was really enjoyable. More recently I have worked for McPhat Studios on their ATR 72 and also with Leading Edge Simulation. Working on Leading Edge Simulation's Saab was really very interesting because I entered the project at an early stage and was able to have some influence over the mapping of the textures. What software packages and tools do you use to develop? As a painter, I use a variety of tools. These include PaintShop, DXTbmp, convimx.exe and a dozen more. Choosing the right tools is vital for a texture artist and you will find that many artists use completely different tools. It's a very personal choice. Also, some liveries might require you to use tools which you wouldn't use on another. This goes to show you how different the painting process can be and the importance in knowing and understanding more than one program. Painting liveries is a very time consuming process and one which has taken me many years to master. I have been painting for years and still there are things I am learning. Just because you can pick up a Steinway, doesn't mean you can be a concert pianist... Ah...I forgot to mention some other vital tools. There are: Classical music, a glass of Claret and a piece of Dutch cheese. Without these important items, nothing gets painted! Who would you consider to be your mentors or inspiration in the development world? I can't really think of one specific name as there are so many talented painters out there. What I would say though, is that I have always admired the work of some of the 'big guys' and try to learn as much as I can from their work. At several flight simulation forums, I run the painting groups and help other (starting) painters get up and running. These include AVSim and DutchFs. Do you develop payware/freeware or both and why? In general I am a freeware guy but have frequently been asked to participate in various commercial products. I have to always keep in mind that I started all this as a hobby and that my perspective should stay that way, but sometimes it's hard to refuse profitable offers. Maybe when I retire I will think differently! The Team How many people work with you or your team? It really depends on the project, but in most cases with painting, I work alone. What other developers or teams have you worked with and what were their roles? I have worked with quite a few talented developers. These include: McPhat, Leading Edge Simulations, ROTW, Simvol, XPFR, XP-France, plus others. Real Life Do you have any experience in real aviation? My experience in real aviation stretches as far as assembling Super Cubs at EHRD. This was fun as it allowed me to get up close to the aircraft. When you see aircraft up close, you really start to appreciate all the little details which go into making an aircraft frame. What started your interest in aviation? What started my interest in aviation? That's an easy answer. As a young boy I lived near an airport and I used to watch aircraft fly over over the house. It must have been every ten minutes. A young boy's dream, and an adult's nightmare! Any memorable flights in real life? I think it has to be my very first flight. This was with my mum and dad in a Fokker Friendship and something I will always remember. A few years ago I had the opportunity to make a trip in a Max Holste Broussard. This too was really exciting. Naturally, I have made many flights as a passenger in airliners but I don't really enjoy that. I like it as long as it's small and preferably old; very old. Would you like to share what you do in real life? Years ago (after my automotive career) I opened a cycle-store. So now my primary business is selling bikes and doing repairs. What other hobbies or things do you do for enjoyment? I really enjoy cycling and shooting when there's time, but as always, spending time with my family is my first love as they always come first. Have you ever considered doing flight simulator development full-time? Time will ultimately tell but for now, it's just a hobby. Like I mentioned before, if I retire maybe I'll think about it. Future How do you choose your next new design or project? I would like to say that it happens after a great deal of research on my part, but it doesn't, it just happens. Not very exciting I know, but that's the truth of it. What simulators do you design for now and what ones do you plan to develop for in the future? At present it's X-Plane. In what ways do you see development changing in the future? Speaking as a painter, I don't really see things changing that much. Of course, the quality of aircraft will continue to improve, and as such, so will the liveries that come with them. As the aircraft become more detailed, it will enable painters to go that little bit further, but the techniques used will no doubt stay the same (more or less). Your Thoughts What can sites like FlightSim.Com do to support you and the hobby better? I really like how you do things at the moment. So as long as you don't change, I'm happy! How do you feel about the future of flight simulation in general? In my opinion, there are too many old guys with state of the art computers (just like me) overpopulating many flight sim events. Most places look like old folks homes. There's nothing wrong with old folks, but it would be great if we had more youngsters! What are some of the most important things a site or community can do to help the developers? I'd really like to see a lot less useless discussions, such as which sim is the better sim. It gets tiring and sounds immature. Speaking about facts, and to not make assumptions, is a skill a few could learn. And lastly, I hate bashing. It makes me leave a topic instantly. What would you like people to know about your work? I hope flight simmers enjoy the liveries I make as much as I enjoy making them. Regards Leen "Flybike" de Jager (Leen: pronounce as "lane") www.flybike-paints.nl -
View full article
