Cooper LeComp

BN-2 Islander Update 1.1.0

X-Aviation and TorqueSim are pleased to announce the release of the BN-2 Islander v1.1.0 update. A massive revamp of the 3D, textures, sounds, and systems on the Islander! We have integrated customer feedback to perfect the Islander, providing the most realistic X-Plane 11 Islander experience.

To Update: Download your installer here and re-install!

Here’s what’s changed in version 1.1.0:

Improvements / New Features:

RealityXP GTN 750/GTN 650 Integration
Revamped FMOD Sound Pack
- New engine/prop noises
- Revamped switch and internal noise
- Custom “headset” simulation with adjustable noise cancellation
[IS-351] – Panel Shake/Vibrations
[IS-309] – Mechanical Hobbs meter/tacho in 3D
[IS-346] – Placard with flaps speeds
[IS-332] – Add ability to open plugin menu from plugins bar at top instead of only side tab
[IS-295] – Avitab integration

Bug Fixes:

[IS-241] – Carb Temperature Gauge animation jumping
[IS-264] – Gyro CW/CCW switch motor should play until switch is released
[IS-265] – Gyro Slave/Free switch has no sound for ‘slave’
[IS-282] – Landing light fix
[IS-285] – Radio channel selector lights fix
[IS-286] – Bose A20 Headset improvements
[IS-312] – [AFM-114] VOR and HSI behavior
[IS-320] – VOR 2 Glideslope reversed
[IS-326] – Mags / Door Interlock
[IS-327] – BN-2 VR bugs
[IS-329] – Stall alarm not audible when the headset is worn
[IS-333] – KFC225 ARM and VS buttons correct order
[IS-342] – Exterior lights issues
[IS-345] – Autopilot working with avionics off
[IS-347] – HDG / NAV flags reversed on HSI
[IS-352] – o-540-e4c5.obj reduction
[IS-353] – furnishings_2.obj reduction
[IS-321] – Brake Lines missing proper normal data
[IS-331] – Create .snd file changes for new manipulators
[IS-343] – Change annunciator brightness to run from 0-1 rather than 0-2
[IS-350] – Add utility light power commands
[IS-354] – animated prop governor control arm
[IS-361] – Smoothed datarefs for the sunshades on the overhead panel
[IS-291] – Add cockpit utility light (moveable)
[IS-294] – Update manual with cruise data, fuel flows, etc
[IS-306] – Add brightness switch and test button to annunciator panel
[IS-322] – Set flight model CHT min/max
[IS-323] – Change cowl flap lock
[IS-337] – Add persist to Ammeter knob
[IS-338] – Hide-able interior glass to remove reflections
[IS-357] – Update GUI
[IS-289] – Make custom audio panel datarefs
[IS-299] – Optimize 3d vertex counts
[IS-300] – Optimize textures
[IS-315] – Cabin light can turn on without battery power
[IS-316] – Pax notices can turn on without battery power
[IS-319] – Utility lights
[IS-334] – Add Door Interlock Sound
[IS-349] – Make avitab datarefs persist
[IS-358] – Switch wording for glass reflections

As always, thank you for supporting TorqueSim and X-Aviation. We appreciate your feedback and support!

Pocket Rocket 1.1.1 Update Released

We have released the version 1.1.1 update for the Pocket Rocket! All customers who have purchased the Pocket Rocket up till now have been sent an e-mail by X-Aviation with complete instructions on how to obtain your update. We have made this a very simple process! For those that purchase the Pocket Rocket from today forward, your purchased download will already be updated to version 1.1.1 for you.

What if I didn’t get the update e-mail?

1. Login to your X-Aviation account here: https://www.x-aviation.com/catalog/account_history.php

2. Find your original Pocket Rocket download and re-download the file. It will download as the latest version!

What’s New / Changed:

X-Plane 11.50 Vulkan/Metal Compatibility

As always, thank you for supporting TorqueSim and X-Aviation. We appreciate your feedback and support!

Enjoy these latest updates, and stay tuned to the forum as we continually announce the latest happenings.

Islander Screenshot Contest Results

We would like to thank everyone who submitted for their great entries! The three winners will get their choice of the TorqueSim Pocket Rocket, AFM M20 Collection, or both of Attitude Simulations “Gate to the Great Lakes” sceneries (Custer and Fox Islands). It was a close competition – we are also featuring our three runner up screenshot choices and three honorable mentions. We look forward to running more of these competitions in the future!

Winners:

Runners Up:

Honorable Mentions:

SR22 Development Update 6

We are excited to share what we have been working on behind the scenes for the last month and a half! We last shared about how we are integrating the many unique aerodynamic features of the SR22 into the model, this has been further refined along with our custom engine model (which was discussed here). While refining our custom systems has been a top priority for the development team, our 3D artist Steaven has also been hard at work, making one of the best 3D models for an X-Plane aircraft to-date!

RealSimGear Integration

Our rendition of the SR22 aircraft has designed from the onset with the hardware customer in-mind. Our aircraft will integrate perfectly with the RealSimGear Perspective Hardware, providing the ideal home flight simulator.

The RealSimGear Cirrus Perspective hardware package will work out of the box with the new aircraft providing a fully integrated and easy to configure home training solution for people wanting to learn and practice flying real Cirrus aircraft. The PFD and MFD screens will automatically display the screen contents when the aircraft is loaded, all buttons and knobs will be pre-configured. This makes it possible to practice the exact same workflows and procedures you would normally encounter during a real world flight, including full checklist operation, flight plan loading and instrument approaches. This coupled with the extremely realistic engine and system modeling means that flying with the simulated aircraft combined with realistic hardware provides an incredibly effective home training platform.
Learn more about the RealSimGear G1000 + Cirrus Perspective Package here.

3D Modeling and Texturing Update

We have also nearly completed the 3D model and texturing process for the aircraft! The model has full 4K PBR texturing, with accurately replicated materials throughout (Even down to the style of fabrics and leathers used)!

Engine Model Update

The SR22 IO-550-N engine will be the most accurately replicated piston engine for X-Plane. The engine is simulated down to each individual component! Over the past few weeks, the engine model has been further refined and extensively enhanced in order to represent the proper behaviors of the IO-550-N as authentically as possible during normal, hot, cold, flooded and false starts. This is now supplemented by an extensive oil system and other features never seen before on piston engines in X-Plane, such as engine knock (detonation) based on real data as well as some unique characteristics pointed out by real Cirrus pilots on our testing team. The entire component-based simulation of engine, fuel, TKS and oxygen systems has also been integrated into a novel maintenance concept which organizes maintenance intuitively in the form of inspections.

Our custom FMOD sound pack also benefits from the advanced physics-based system simulation. For example, when flooding the engine you will hear fuel dripping from the cylinder drain port. On the SR22TN you will hear the sounds of the turbochargers depending on their speeds.

Electrical System Update

We originally discussed the Electrical System back in February, detailing the level of depth of the system. We have further refined, tested, and validated the system in all of its various modes! We have developed an internal physics model simulating the lead-acid battery and its various behaviors. The behaviors of the Alternators and the Master Control Unit are also all simulated. The electrical system is a low-level physics simulation, when a switch is flipped on the plane, instead of simply checking for power on the bus, the SR22 simulation actually connects the “switch” tying the individual electrical item onto the power bus. This new logic allows for the many different states of the SR22 to be dynamically simulated at runtime.

New Website!

TorqueSim has a new website! Visit torquesim.com to check it out, our goal was to make everything easier to find and for the website to load quickly across the globe. We have split off the development blog from the main website, you can now find our development blog at blog.torquesim.com with our update blog posts and more.

Discuss this Development Update at X-Pilot!

In Development: BN-2 Islander

For all your bush-flying passenger-carrying cargo-hauling air-taxiing needs, TorqueSim are proud to present the legendary BN-2 Islander for X-Plane 11!

Initially started independently of TorqueSim, the inclusion of this beautiful bird into the new TS development pipeline has allowed for rapid progress and the seamless integration of custom systems, as well as boosting the quality of the 3D models and textures significantly!

This aircraft will feature a high quality model, PBR textures throughout, a full custom electrical system with working circuit breakers, support for the AFM G5 avionics on launch, and of course the fantastic roar of its O-540s will be rendered in beautiful FMOD!

All that, and more to come as we plan to update and improve our product throughout its lifetime!

To stay up to date with what’s going on, don’t forget to follow this blog, the AFM Discord, and keep a close eye on the various X-Plane forums! Stay tuned for more dev updates, screenshots, and insights, and of course for the big moment when our plane is available to fly on X-Aviation!

For any questions, suggestions, or just to chat: Hit us up @Random’93 (models/textures) @Coop (systems) and @Not_Steaven (FMOD sounds) on the AFM/TorqueSim Discord (Join at afms.im/discord)!

To learn more, check out the page on our website: https://torques.im/islander

We hope you’re as excited as we are to finally fly this plane!

SR22 Development Update 3

It has been a few weeks since the last update and we are excited to share all the progress we have made!

First off, we now have the SR22 3D model integrated and flying in-sim! This is a huge milestone for us, as this means we will soon be entering our closed beta stage.

We are also excited to announce that another developer has joined our team, Marius Bohn! Marius has been working on an engine model for the IO-550 for over a year, and we are in the process of integrating the custom engine model, custom oxygen system, custom anti-ice system, and more.

We have put together a preview of our current progress on the FMOD sound pack here:

SR22 Development Update 2

It has been another week of work on the SR22!

This week, we will show previews of the interior and demonstrate the many features of the electrical system that is being simulated, even beyond the individual circuit breakers.

Interior Previews

Electrical System

The electrical system is complex, but important to be accurate. We have simulated many different aspects of the system:

Electrical Sources
- Battery 1 and 2
- Alternator 1 and 2
Electrical Distribution Busses
- Main Distribution Bus 1/2
- Essential Distribution Bus
Electrical Busses
- Main Bus 1/2/3
- Avionics Bus
- Essential Bus 1/2
- Non-Essential Bus
- A/C Bus 1/2

With the accurate representation of these many different busses (and associated circuit breakers), we can ensure a proper simulation of the avionics/systems in all the many different potential configurations imposed by mismanagement or failures – providing a robust platform to train upon.

Here is a diagram we are using in the system’s development, where the connections between distribution busses and general busses are shown in different colors.

SR22 Development Update 1

After another week of hard work, we are excited to show some new screenshots and provide some more information regarding our development progress of the SR22 G3 GTS.

First off, we are excited to announce that the SR22TN G3 will come bundled with the SR22! The turbocharged variant of the SR22 will allow the option for faster cruise speeds and higher cruising altitudes.

G1000 Perspective System (Work in Progress):

In Development: SR22 G3 GTS

TorqueSim and RealSimGear are excited to announce our next aircraft for X-Plane 11 – the SR22 G3 GTS!

The SR22 will be entering internal testing in the coming weeks, with a release to follow currently forecasted to be in late Q1 2020. The SR22 is the culmination of months of work to revamp all our development practices to ensure the highest level of fidelity and accuracy!

We will be posting more information about the SR22 weekly until release, make sure to follow our website to stay up to date!

Features

G1000 Perspective customizations to the Laminar X1000
- Synthetic Vision (using Saso Kiselkov’s Synthetic Vision, as implemented in HotStart’s TBM900 and TorqueSim’s Pocket Rocket)
- Custom engine page and engine sidebar
- Lean-assist functionality
- Checklists
- Top-bar customizations (% Power, Distance, etc)
- Custom boot sequence including “Know Your Limits” and fuel adjustments
- Designed to interface with RealSimGear’s G1000 hardware, especially their G1000 Perspective Package
Fully-custom electrical system
- Dual-battery and dual-alternator simulated
- All 11 electrical busses individually simulated
- All 48 circuit breakers functional
High-fidelity flight model created by Austin Meyer of Laminar Research
Insanely detailed 3D model
Full PBR 4K Texturing
Highly immersive custom captured FMOD
Custom Tail-Number configuration utility
Persistant systems
Fully custom C++ plugin using the X-Plane SDK for maximum performance
….And many more features to be announced soon!

TORQUESIM is hiring!

TORQUESIM is excited to announce that we are looking to expand our team! TORQUESIM is a joint-venture between Advanced Flight Modeling Simulation, LLC. and Attitude Simulations. All submissions will be privately reviewed by these companies. There are multiple positions open, with multiple openings. If you have experience in multiple fields, you may apply to multiple positions on the same application.

If you have any questions, email cooper@torquesim.com and steaven@torquesim.com and we will get back to you.

Apply Here: https://torques.im/CUwsoH

Assistant 3D Artist

Responsible for creation of 3D mesh, exporting, and interfacing with X-Plane manipulators.
Experience required in field, not necessarily in X-Plane related modeling.
We use Blender for 3D modeling. Experience with this or similar tools is required. Must be willing to learn and use Blender.
Candidates are expected to be driven to learn and become better through the help of the team as a whole.
At least 10 hours per week required availability.
Commission pay determined based on projects worked on.

3D Animator

Responsible for animations of our 3D models for our aircraft
We use Blender for animation. Experience with this or similar tools is required. Must be willing to learn and use Blender.
Candidates are expected to be driven to learn and become better through the help of the team as a whole.
At least 10 hours per week required availability.
Commission pay determined based on projects worked on.

Systems Programmer

Responsible for creation of systems for aircraft. These may include: fuel, electrical, engines, hydraulics, etc.
Experience required in programming field, X-Plane programming experience recommended.
Our aircraft are coded in C/C++ using the X-Plane SDK. Experience with this is recommended, but not required.
Candidates are expected to be driven to learn and become productive with C/C++ within a reasonable time period.
At least 10 hours per week required availability.
Commission pay determined based on projects worked on.

Avionics Programmer

Responsible for creation of avionics for aircraft. These may include digital displays, flight management computers, and menu interfaces.
Experience required in GUI programming, X-Plane programming experience recommended.
Our aircraft are coded in C/C++ using the X-Plane SDK. Experience with this is recommended, but not required.
Candidates are expected to be driven to learn and become productive with C/C++ within a reasonable time period.
At least 10 hours per week required availability.
Commission pay determined based on projects worked on.

Sound Engineer

Responsible for creation of sound profiles in X-Plane.
Experience required with sound creation and FMOD or similar tools.
Our aircraft use FMOD. Experience with this is recommended, but not required.
At least 5 hours per week required availability.
Commission pay determined based on projects worked on.

Marketing and Customer Support

Would help create marketing graphics and materials
Would help moderate and expand our social media presence
Knowledge of our aircraft is required to provide initial customer support
Commission or flat-rate pay determined on a case-by-case basis