The concept
RC Pilot Trainer has already introduced a lot of people to the joy of flying R/C airplanes. Now I would like to introduce them to the joy of designing and building them, and then experiencing the rewarding (or disappointing) part of flying your own design.
Being a RC pilot and builder myself, I didn't have to look far for inspiration. Like many in the hobby, it's something I used to do together with my father, and I think it's the perfect hobby for young and old. It combines STEM, creativity and the relaxing power of standing in a field in the middle of nowhere completely focused on a tiny airplane.
What it does
Next to the 16 built-in airplanes already included in RC Pilot Trainer, there is now the option to choose a "built-your-own" airplane. You can start from scratch and add/remove/modify all the components that make an airplane fly, or not. At any time you can switch between build and fly mode to test out your design.
How I built it
Over the past year I had already developed a physically inspired flight model. Since my original target audience was (and is) actual R/C pilots, the accuracy is crucial and I was happy that it turned out to be good enough to be modified to dynamically calculate all lift/drag/thrust forces for any design you throw at it.
Challenges I ran into
The most challenging part was probably the procedural generation of the structural components (wing/fuselage/tail/control surfaces). Not only is the 3D model generated based on a bunch of parameters, but the forces and mass associated with them are also calculated dynamically.
It was also the first time I had to add any advanced controller interaction into the app. Being a stubborn developer I decided to implement this from scratch as well, and dynamically recalculated colliders caused me a few headaches.
Another big challenge was integrating the creations into the existing multiplayer sessions. Up until now, synchronizing who was flying which airplane was as simple as sending the airplane SKU to the other players. This time the whole design needs to be serialized, chunked up, and broadcast to all participants every time the design changes. So keeping the serialization as small as possible was very important.
What's next for Build & Fly
Currently the feature is being beta-tested by a small group of loyal beta-testers on our Discord. In terms of functionality I'm almost happy with it, but the UI/UX needs work. I would at least like to add an Undo function (utilizing the same serialization I use for saving and multiplayer), and the interactions when building could be a lot better. Instead of a series of sliders I would prefer to have the relevant controls on the airplane components themselves. Thinking ahead, I would like to add the possibility of sharing designs with your friends, or even on a central repository. And of course, more parts, including the option to add some extras that the built-in planes already have like retractable landing gear, smoke pods, balloon drops,... To end in a cliché: the sky is the limit!
Built With
- eos
- unity
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