Here are some images from my World Playground Scenery Model Project that uses Ilan Papini's Vehicle Simulator Program.
This is a "Not To Scale" scenery model project and is only about 35 nm miles wide -- but it includes all the major islands and some
primary rivers of the real world.
What this scenery model project lacks in fine coastal detail and harbors of the real world, it more than makes up in the incredible
realistic water waves and landscape detail that Vehicle Simulator is capable of -- especially the water waves reacting with the atmosphere.
Capable of real time GPS navigation for real pilots and sailors, Vehicle Simulator is also a great simulator for creating environmental
entertainment. For more information regarding this unique simulator program and add-on models, please visit the hangsim.com website.
WORLD PLAYGROUND Scenery Project V1 by Duane McCullough
Late in 2011, I took time to explore Ilan's new Vehicle Simulator program and created a "World Playground" scenery project model of the
real world.
This WORLD PLAYGROUND scenery project for Vehicle Simulator is a "Not To Scale" add-on model for the program.
Located in the North Atlantic of the Vehicle Simulator mapping system, this project is only about 35 nm miles wide -- but it includes
all the major islands and some primary rivers of the real world.
The mountains and depts of this scenery project have been scaled to fit the width of a 35 nm mile map -- which translates to several
500 ft mountain tops and some 500 ft deep underwater canyons.
However, as you can imagine, most detail of the real world had to be sacrificed to model and "squeeze" some popular reference sites into
such a small place.
The moonlight views of some tropical coves with 3d palm trees along the shore and underwater plants showing through the water surface
reflections are absolutely outstanding.
Another example of landscape detail within this scenery model project is that while viewing from a virtual porch of a North Carolina
mountain cabin, one can see the Andes Mountains of South America and even the coast of Africa.
Using the Matrix Map Editor tool that comes with Vehicle Simulator, I "dreged a few world rivers" and, for example, players can now
navigate up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico aboard the cargo ship Barken all the way to the Great Lakes and out the
St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean.
Numerious navigation markers and beacons are placed throughout this scenery model project so that sailors and pilots can travel in all
kinds of weather. The scenery also includes many roads between some 30 model bridges and over 30 strategic model airports.
Using the free Anim8or CAD program, I rebuilt a few of my CAD objects from some of my old Virtual Sailor and Micro-Flight scenery projects
and placed them into this new scenery model project. Many new model objects were also added such as big bridges, marine lighthouses,
pagodas, pyramids and landmark tower sites such as the Eiffele Tower, Seattle's Space-neetle tower, New York's Freedom Tower, and the
Washington Monument.
A 35 nm wide virtual map of the world may seem small but can take some time to explore all the interesting objects and islands of the project.
Discovering a small campsite on some tropical Island under the stars with a burning firepit and a hammock amoung the palm trees is a virtual
experience not to be forgotton anytime soon.
A virtual drive from Ireland to Japan or from New York to Patagonia is possible in this scenery project. Even a train track from Alaska to
the Great Lakes region is available for train simulation.
I realize that the Vehicle Simulator program can be serious computer simulator program for designing and testing all kinds of planes, boats,
cars and even trains -- but the program comes with a scenery creation tool program that can be used to create virtual 3d dream worlds.
Although capable of real time GPS navigation for real pilots and sailors, Vehicle Simulator is also a great simulator for creating
environmental entertainment. I would rather spend time designing beautiful virtual 3d scenery projects than waste time simulating the
destruction of objects found in the many expensive and popular nightmarish 3d player shooter games.
The bottom line is that I'm having fun working and playing with with Ilan's Vehicle Simulator program and that apparently others are too.
As of 8/2014, the project has been downloaded over seven-thousand times from the hangsim.com website.