5 ms·

RcSim - A Model Flight Simulator

66 points by eggy 11y ago

fit2rule 11y ago
This is a fantastic example of Lisp, I'm really enjoying learning the details of flightsim as a Lisp'er would do it - a true bit of heritage software.. Thanks!
- eggy 11y ago
  Yes, I am not an RC hobbyist. I was interested in the programming aspect of it. I have been playing with PilOS, which is PicoLisp made bootable on hardware, or Qemu or KVM. Alex Burger has been developing and using PicoLisp for decades. It has built-in Prolog, database and other amenities. The Rosetta code examples are telling of the language. I love PicoLisp, since I can tackle learning everything from the ground up. It's also very small, and very embeddable.
atourgates 11y ago
Only tangentially related to the article, but if you're planning to get started with RC, a RC flight sim is a great option, and can save you $100s or $1,000s on crashed planes. One of the biggest early obsticles in RC flying is training your brain to know which way to push the stick when your plane is in various positions relative to you. E.g., "My plane is coming back at me. I want it to go to my left, which way do I pull the stick?" Obviously easy to figure out given a few seconds, but often you don't have a few seconds to figure it out. You have to train your brain to intuit it. RealFlight[1] is the 500lb gorilla in the RC flight sim space, and a good piece of software. But they also have a history of expensive and frequent upgrades, and charging for new models. I prefer Phoenix[2], which so far only has free (and frequent) updates, includes models from my favorite RC manufacturers and lets you download new models for free. Absolute RC[3] is the only current RC flight sim that runs in OSX, but I still prefer Phoenix in Parallels or Bootcamp. You're going to spend $100-$200 on a simulator and controller, but it's well worth it for being able to practice in a pretty realistic setting before you start flying real planes. 1. http://www.realflight.com/ http://www.realflight.com/ 2. http://www.phoenix-sim.com/ http://www.phoenix-sim.com/ 3. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/absolute-rc-plane-sim/id534915930?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/absolute-rc-plane-sim/id5349...
- Roboprog 11y ago
  Having something that works with a proportional joystick controller (e.g. - Logitech clone of Sony style game controller), if not an actual RC controller, is essential as well. Keyboard controls are horrible for practicing flying. (I believe the packages you mention come with an RC controller mockup, as well as usually supporting a PC-to-transmitter patch cable) Alas, the big boys are Windows-only software :-( There is at least one inexpensive RC simulator out there that runs on Android (and has pretty good glider simulation), which lets you use a PC USB controller for the sticks. You need a USB "On The Go" (OTG) adapter cable to plug the full size "PC end" of the controller into the micro USB socket. I had a free simulator that worked on Mac, but I forgot its name after it stopped working.
  - mbrameld 11y ago
    The FrSky Taranis transmitter can be used as a USB controller with a normal mini USB cable. It runs about $175, but you're not likely to outgrow it since it has tons of knobs and switches, runs an open source firmware, and can accept JR-style transmitter modules.
  - atourgates 11y ago
    I actually learned on an Xbox 360 controller originally, not nearly as good as a real transmitter, but much better than a keyboard. Both Phoenix and RealFlight come in packages either with a controller, or a cable to plug in your RC controller.
    - Roboprog 11y ago
      Interesting. Isn't the XBox controller "asymmetrical", in that the left joystick is above the D-pad, further up and to the side than the right joystick is? (much like a Nintendo Gamecube controller) transmitter vs controller images: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/280927693588-0-1/s-l1000.jpg http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/280927693588-0-1/s-l1000.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PlayStation3-Sixaxis.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PlayStat... http://gaming.logitech.com/assets/47832/f310-gaming-gamepad-images.png http://gaming.logitech.com/assets/47832/f310-gaming-gamepad-... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Xbox-360-S-Controller.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Xbox-360... http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/image/gc_controller_black.gif http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/image/gc_controller_black.gif

66 points by eggy 11y ago

This is a fantastic example of Lisp, I'm really enjoying learning the details of flightsim as a Lisp'er would do it - a true bit of heritage software.. Thanks!

eggy 11y ago
Yes, I am not an RC hobbyist. I was interested in the programming aspect of it. I have been playing with PilOS, which is PicoLisp made bootable on hardware, or Qemu or KVM. Alex Burger has been developing and using PicoLisp for decades. It has built-in Prolog, database and other amenities. The Rosetta code examples are telling of the language. I love PicoLisp, since I can tackle learning everything from the ground up. It's also very small, and very embeddable.

atourgates 11y ago

Only tangentially related to the article, but if you're planning to get started with RC, a RC flight sim is a great option, and can save you $100s or $1,000s on crashed planes. One of the biggest early obsticles in RC flying is training your brain to know which way to push the stick when your plane is in various positions relative to you. E.g., "My plane is coming back at me. I want it to go to my left, which way do I pull the stick?" Obviously easy to figure out given a few seconds, but often you don't have a few seconds to figure it out. You have to train your brain to intuit it. RealFlight[1] is the 500lb gorilla in the RC flight sim space, and a good piece of software. But they also have a history of expensive and frequent upgrades, and charging for new models. I prefer Phoenix[2], which so far only has free (and frequent) updates, includes models from my favorite RC manufacturers and lets you download new models for free. Absolute RC[3] is the only current RC flight sim that runs in OSX, but I still prefer Phoenix in Parallels or Bootcamp. You're going to spend $100-$200 on a simulator and controller, but it's well worth it for being able to practice in a pretty realistic setting before you start flying real planes. 1. http://www.realflight.com/ http://www.realflight.com/ 2. http://www.phoenix-sim.com/ http://www.phoenix-sim.com/ 3. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/absolute-rc-plane-sim/id534915930?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/absolute-rc-plane-sim/id5349...

Roboprog 11y ago
Having something that works with a proportional joystick controller (e.g. - Logitech clone of Sony style game controller), if not an actual RC controller, is essential as well. Keyboard controls are horrible for practicing flying. (I believe the packages you mention come with an RC controller mockup, as well as usually supporting a PC-to-transmitter patch cable) Alas, the big boys are Windows-only software :-( There is at least one inexpensive RC simulator out there that runs on Android (and has pretty good glider simulation), which lets you use a PC USB controller for the sticks. You need a USB "On The Go" (OTG) adapter cable to plug the full size "PC end" of the controller into the micro USB socket. I had a free simulator that worked on Mac, but I forgot its name after it stopped working.
- mbrameld 11y ago
  The FrSky Taranis transmitter can be used as a USB controller with a normal mini USB cable. It runs about $175, but you're not likely to outgrow it since it has tons of knobs and switches, runs an open source firmware, and can accept JR-style transmitter modules.
- atourgates 11y ago
  I actually learned on an Xbox 360 controller originally, not nearly as good as a real transmitter, but much better than a keyboard. Both Phoenix and RealFlight come in packages either with a controller, or a cable to plug in your RC controller.
  - Roboprog 11y ago
    Interesting. Isn't the XBox controller "asymmetrical", in that the left joystick is above the D-pad, further up and to the side than the right joystick is? (much like a Nintendo Gamecube controller) transmitter vs controller images: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/280927693588-0-1/s-l1000.jpg http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/280927693588-0-1/s-l1000.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PlayStation3-Sixaxis.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PlayStat... http://gaming.logitech.com/assets/47832/f310-gaming-gamepad-images.png http://gaming.logitech.com/assets/47832/f310-gaming-gamepad-... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Xbox-360-S-Controller.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Xbox-360... http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/image/gc_controller_black.gif http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/image/gc_controller_black.gif