X-Plane (simulator)
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| File:XPlane9SampleScreenshot Cessna172 AttuIsland.jpg The simulator's default Cessna 172 at Attu Island, as of X-Plane 9 | |
| Developer(s) | Laminar Research |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Android iOS Linux Mac OS X Windows |
| Type | Amateur flight simulation |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
X-Plane is a flight simulator, designed for Mac OS X, but also available for 32/64-bit Windows and Linux produced by Laminar Research. X-Plane is packaged with several commercial, military and other aircraft as well as basic global scenery which covers most of the earth. X-Plane also ships with other software to build and customize aircraft and scenery. X-Plane also has a plugin architecture that allows users to create their own modules, extending the functionality of the software by letting users create their own worlds or replicas of places on earth.
As of October 2012[update], the most recent version is X-Plane 10.10. The most recent beta is "X-Plane 10.20" with 64-Bit support. Mobile versions of the game are also available for Android, iOS, and webOS platforms.[1] Version 10.03 comes in a metal case on 8 dual-layer DVDs, most of which comprise the global scenery, which is 78 GB uncompressed. X-Plane allows flight from 70 degrees south to 74 degrees north. Switching the planet to Mars is an option that comes with X-Plane 9 only, and although the atmosphere is thin, flight is possible.
Flight model
X-Plane differentiates itself by implementing an aerodynamic model known as blade element theory.[2] Traditionally, flight simulators try to emulate the real-world performance of an aircraft by using lookup tables to find known aerodynamic forces such as lift or drag, which vary with flight condition. These simulators do a good job of simulating the flight characteristics of the aircraft they were designed to simulate (those with known aerodynamic data), but are not useful in design work, and do not predict the performance of aircraft when the actual figures are not available.
Blade-element theory is one method of improving on this. It is a way of modeling the forces and moments on an aircraft by individually evaluating the parts that constitute it. Blade-element theory and other computational aerodynamic models can be used to compute aerodynamic forces in real time or to pre-compute aerodynamic forces of a new design for later use in a traditional lookup table type of simulator.
With Blade-element theory, a wing, for example, may be made up of many sections (1 to 4 is typical), and each section is further divided into as many as 10 separate sections, then the lift and drag of each section is calculated, and the resulting effect is applied to the whole aircraft. When this process is applied to each component, the simulated aircraft will fly virtually like its real counterpart does. This approach allows users to design aircraft on their computer quickly and easily, as the simulator engine will show immediately how an aircraft with a given design might perform in the real world.
X-Plane can model fairly complex aircraft designs, including helicopters, rockets, rotor craft and tilt-rotor craft. Famous real-world aircraft modeled in X-Plane include the Zeppelin Hindenburg, V-22 Osprey, the Harrier Jump Jet, the NASA Space Shuttle, and Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne.
Blade element theory has shortcomings, as it can sometimes be difficult to design an aircraft that performs precisely as would real-world aircraft. However, as the flight model is refined, the simulator can better resemble real-world performance, and aircraft quirks and design flaws.
Extensibility
Users are encouraged to design their own aircraft, and design software is included with the program. This has created an active community of users who use the simulator for a variety of purposes. Since designing an aircraft is relatively simple and the flight model can help predict performance of real-world aircraft, several aircraft companies use X-Plane in their design process.[3] The CarterCopter uses X-Plane for flight training and research. X-Plane also contributed to the design of the Atlantica blended wing body aircraft.
Through the plugin interface, users can create external modules that extend the X-Plane interface, flight model, or create new features. One such feature is the XSquawkBox plugin, which allows X-Plane users to fly on a worldwide shared air traffic control simulation network. Other work has been done in the area of improving X-Plane's flight model and even replacing entire facets of X-Plane's operation. Scaled Composites, for example, used the X-Plane rendering engine on top of their own simulator while designing and testing SpaceShipOne.[citation needed]
X-Plane can communicate with other applications via User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Through a relatively simple interface, third party developers can control the simulator and extract data regarding the simulation state. Companies like Scaled Composites have used this tool to use X-Plane as a rendering engine for their in-house simulators.[citation needed]
Maps and scenery are fully editable. While no tool is provided to edit the 3D mesh objects, there are tutorials for using the third party 3D modeler AC3D.[4] Once built, editing landscape elevation and 3D object placement is done easily with the scenery editor. Much of the world's detail, including that in airports, such as ramps, buildings, and taxiways, is provided by end-users. Users can also subscribe to a mailing list, receiving regular updates of the airport and navaid database.
Map imagery and aircraft paint can be created and modified with any paint program able to manipulate Portable Network Graphics (PNG) images. Laminar Research has released a 7 DVD "Global Scenery Package" containing imagery of a much higher quality than the default information. This package covers close to 85% of Earth's surface. The release of X-Plane 9 (Jan 2008) has introduced much improved areas of high ground relief (especially mountains) and a plethora of other improvements.
Community
The community for X-Plane has evolved rapidly over the last few years. A major factor in community growth has been thanks to the iPhone and iPad releases of X-Plane, the closing of ACES studios, which produced Microsoft Flight Simulator, and also the discontinuation of the short lived Microsoft Flight. There are several forums and sites including www.x-plane.org and www.x-pilot.com where X-Plane users can talk about X-Plane and share any aircraft or scenery they may have designed and made themselves. On the iPhone and iPad version there is a multiplayer interface although you can only play with people who are connected to the same LAN network as you. On the PC version of the game there is an online server where users can play with friends and other people connected to the server. X-Plane allow users to design their own aircraft and scenery. This means there are many freeware and pay ware extras available.
Version history
Compatibility
X-Plane is currently compatible with Windows, Linux, and the Macintosh. The Macintosh version is a Universal Binary, running on both PowerPC and Intel Macs. X-Plane is not compatible with Solaris or chrome OS. X-Plane Mobile is a downsized version of the game available on Android, iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch), and Palm Pre devices.[1] Laminar Research claims the flight model for mobile versions is 85% to 95% as accurate as the desktop version.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Meet X-Plane Mobile - X-Plane". Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ How X-Plane Works
- ^ "Apple - Games - Articles - X-Plane". Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ "X-Plane 8 Scenery Tutorials". Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ "Chapter 1: Introduction to X-Plane Mobile - X-Plane Wiki". Retrieved 2011-01-31.
External links
