Kyle Cormier Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 So here is my proposition. I know Orbx wants to cover the USA (and maybe more countries) as quickly as possible while still making the scenery up to the standards that Orbx has been known for. With Ozx now being integrated into the Orbx development side, this still doesn't look like it is enough people to accomplish this so i had a thought. Would Orbx be willing to take a handful of customers who would like to get into the development side of FSX scenery, allow them to learn from the Orbx staff on how things are done, and let them then make small airports like Orbx has been doing all along. So what does Orbx get out of this and is it even really worth it for them? I say yes and here is why, using me as an example. I would be willing to sign a contract stating that I could not release any payware or freeware for any period of time independent of or which would compete with Orbx, as payment for my time I would think that other Orbx products is a fair trade, and i get to improve on my skills as a amateur scenery maker and Orbx gets to have its design team work on larger coverage area's while still having smaller GA airports made in a manner that meets Orbx strict design levels. If 6 people make 1 airport to the level that say, Bill Womack makes, then Orbx could release small GA airports for all the new released area's much faster then they can now. I mean how did Bill Womack get to make Cushman for Orbx if he isn't one of their employees? I mean aside from the fact that he is really talented and knows what he is doing and released a few other airports on his own first? Really, is that all!!!! Now I can picture John falling over in his chair as he reads this but I do think if the control was set up to keep everything in the hands of Orbx except for a few people who really want to learn and develop for a very small return, is it so crazy after all? Maybe but if I never asked then the answer is always no. kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Kane Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 My only thoughts on this is consider that in most development or design communities people have a demo reel or examples of their work and have spent years building up their skills before getting involved in large scale commercial projects. A demo reel or portfolio is proof of a persons ambition to get involved in development on a much larger scale. FSX has always had a SDK for anyone to access. Feel free to research this further:/>http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=10027 I would love to help ORBX out as well and I used to work with AutoCAD and 3D Studio MAX for many years in a manufacturing environment. But if I wanted to develop for FSX I would take the time to do small personal projects to develop my skills in this area before contacting commercial developers. When I had a series of airports or aircrafts that have proven popular in the freeware community then I would consider myself ready for commercial development. Just my thoughts anyways. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BionicCrab Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 I think the problem with going this route is very few ever end up following through on their commitments when it comes to open source or crowd source developments. Sounds nice in theory, but in practice it's very unproductive in many ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Cormier Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 @Matthew, I have actually gone that route, I have been using ADE to modify a bunch of airports and I did release some on them as freeware on another website, about 12 so far, now I am teaching myself Sbuilderx and sketchup and i have started to apply my own textures yo a couple of 3D buildings i am making for my local airport ( Which is in New England John ) because I do not want to use just default buildings and hangers at the airports any longer and I want to see the real land under my airport too. The local airport manager is letting me on the field soon to take pictures from the ramp side of the airport but we are just waiting for some construction to be completed first. The problem I always seem to have is there is lots of information out there but most just touches the surface and the learning curve can be steep. i am one of those types of learners who does better by seeing something done once then reading about it twice. just the way it is for me. I figured that by learning the Orbx way I could get my skills up to par, learn from some of the best developers out there, and help improve FSX for others. As for commitment as BionocCrab points out, it is 100% for me, but I can see it may not be for everyone. There are a few that I have done some work with over at Alpha India that were 100% as well, so I know what the time to dedicate to it is like. Tahnks both of you for your input though, always good to see. kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Kane Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 @Matthew, I have actually gone that route, I have been using ADE to modify a bunch of airports and I did release some on them as freeware on another website, about 12 so far, now I am teaching myself Sbuilderx and sketchup and i have started to apply my own textures yo a couple of 3D buildings i am making for my local airport ( Which is in New England John ) because I do not want to use just default buildings and hangers at the airports any longer and I want to see the real land under my airport too. The local airport manager is letting me on the field soon to take pictures from the ramp side of the airport but we are just waiting for some construction to be completed first. The problem I always seem to have is there is lots of information out there but most just touches the surface and the learning curve can be steep. i am one of those types of learners who does better by seeing something done once then reading about it twice. just the way it is for me. I figured that by learning the Orbx way I could get my skills up to par, learn from some of the best developers out there, and help improve FSX for others. As for commitment as BionocCrab points out, it is 100% for me, but I can see it may not be for everyone. There are a few that I have done some work with over at Alpha India that were 100% as well, so I know what the time to dedicate to it is like. Tahnks both of you for your input though, always good to see. kyle That is awesome. I would love to get into scenery development more myself but recognize the amount of time it would take. I fear I wouldn't be able to see projects through. I started a Beechcraft Starship project in GMAX and got most of the way through a 3D Model when I stopped working on it. The same reasons you are facing as it is working alone and figuring things out for yourself. That can be frustrating. Keep chatting with the developers on here and share your work with everyone as you develop. Hopefully you can get some great advice from people. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie P. Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I know nothing in regards to any of the development side of things here, but love to see encouragement given to those who try to step up and help contribute to bettering the virtual aviation world we all love to experience so much. I think its great that your trying to better your skills and hone in on detail. I can hardly wait to see what you come up with as your "initial freeware releases" in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Womack Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I mean how did Bill Womack get to make Cushman for Orbx if he isn't one of their employees? I mean aside from the fact that he is really talented and knows what he is doing and released a few other airports on his own first? Really, is that all!!!! Most of the airports are done by developers who aren't technically employees of Orbx. We're a bunch of rogue devs who love what we do, and have found a home in our affiliation with Orbx. Anyone can do work to this level, you've just got to have the determination to learn how, and to keep whacking away at it until you've reached a certain level of proficiency. I have been building FS scenery for 9 years now, and when looking at stuff I did as recently as a year or two ago, I just shake my head at how much I've learned since then. It helps to have a background in graphics, 3D modeling, or some other scenery-related specialty. For instance, I've been building 3D models for about 14 years now, and working with Photoshop to do digital design for 17. The secret: practice, practice, practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Goff Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I started doing this exactly a year ago... prior to this my only experience was an obsession with Google Sketchup and MSFS. Once you get going all it takes is asking questions and getting answers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Womack Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I started doing this exactly a year ago... prior to this my only experience was an obsession with Google Sketchup and MSFS. Once you get going all it takes is asking questions and getting answers Did I mention that it helps to start young? Good onya, Alex. I wish I'd been more active with computers when I was in college, but they weren't as interesting then - pretty much limited to making some pixellated black squiggles on a gray screen. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Hall Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 To elaborate on Bills and Alex's comments, When the current crop of OZx developers returned to Orbx, they all signed agreements to protect the intelectual rights of Orbx, very reasonable as there are some amazing things happening here and naturally these inovations need to be protected. If you are interested in becoming a developer then the place to start is now here as a Freeware developer, Orbx encourages developers to improve there skills and provides an excellent environment for learning, so if you want to learn then youve come to the right place. Be warned, if you have the aptitude and the free time then it is addictive, an understanding partner also helps. It does require a certain level of commitment so if you don't have a min of 5 hours spare a week, (feel free to correct me any developer that reads this) I would say I spend more like 20+ hours a week but in the early days a lot less, as I said it is addictive. Anyone interested in learning to develop can PM me and I'll be happy to go into more detail, but please consider the above comments carefully It's not for everyone but you won't know till you give it a go, for me personally It has enriched my FSX hobby beyond all expectations, Ive made some really great friends and the satisfaction of creating is special. I'll still never forget my 1st airfield, it was imperfect in so many ways but still holds a special place in my FSX world. cheers Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Cormier Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 PM sent, thank you taking the time to give me some more information. Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brooks Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Ken, PM message sent, thanks. Tom B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Goff Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I'd also be willing to help out anybody with questions. I'm not as experienced as Ken is (he was my teacher back in the beginning) but I can give a helping hand to anyone who needs a little help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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