Introduction

RC Flight Replay can animate control surfaces on your custom 3D models based on your recorded RC channel data. When you upload a properly rigged GLB model, you'll see your ailerons, elevator, rudder, flaps, landing gear, propellers, and rotors move in real-time during flight playback.

Supported Aircraft Types

• Fixed-Wing Aircraft: Airplanes, gliders, bi-planes with traditional control surfaces
• Helicopters: Single and coaxial rotor configurations with main and tail rotors
• Multi-Rotor Drones: Quadcopters, hexacopters, and octocopters

How It Works

The animation system looks for specific node (object) names in your 3D model. When it finds a matching node, it automatically animates that part based on the corresponding RC channel data from your flight log.

• Node detection is case-insensitive - "Aileron_L" works the same as "aileron_l"
• The system auto-detects which control surfaces your model has
• Missing nodes are simply skipped - no errors occur
• Your model type (Airplane/Helicopter/Drone) is set in the RC Flyer App

Overview

Fixed-wing aircraft include airplanes, gliders, and bi-planes. These use traditional control surfaces that deflect to control the aircraft.

Control Surface Node Names

* Flaps and Gear require manual channel assignment in the Transmitter Panel settings

Pivot Points (Origins)

Each control surface must have its origin (pivot point) set at the correct hinge location:

• Propeller: Center of the propeller hub
• Elevator: Leading edge where it attaches to the horizontal stabilizer
• Ailerons: Leading edge where they attach to the wing trailing edge
• Rudder: Leading edge where it attaches to the vertical fin
• Flaps: Leading edge where they attach to the wing
• Landing Gear: The retraction pivot point

Animation Behavior

• Propeller: Spins continuously, speed based on throttle (0-8000 RPM)
• Ailerons: Move in opposite directions (differential) for roll control
• Elevator: Deflects up/down for pitch control
• Rudder: Deflects left/right for yaw control
• Flaps: Deploy proportionally based on channel value (0-45°)
• Gear: Smooth ~1 second transition between extended and retracted

Overview

Helicopters use rotating blades instead of fixed wings for lift and control. The animation system supports main rotor and tail rotor animation.

Rotor Node Names

Pivot Points (Origins)

• Main Rotor: Center of the rotor mast, at the hub
• Tail Rotor: Center of the tail rotor shaft

Animation Behavior

• Main Rotor: Spins at helicopter RPM (up to 12,000 RPM at full throttle) - faster than airplane propellers
• Tail Rotor: Base speed from throttle, with ±30% variation based on rudder input for anti-torque

Overview

Multi-rotor drones (quadcopters, hexacopters, octocopters) use multiple motors spinning at varying speeds to achieve flight and control. The animation system simulates realistic motor speed variations based on control inputs.

Motor Node Names

Motor Layout (Top View)

    FRONT
      ^
      |
  FL     FR
    \   /
     \ /
      X      <-- Center
     / \
    /   \
  RL     RR

For Hexacopter:
      FL    FR
       \  /
    ML--X--MR
       /  \
      RL    RR

Animation Behavior

• All motors spin at high RPM (up to 15,000 RPM)
• Roll (Aileron): Left motors speed up, right motors slow down (or vice versa)
• Pitch (Elevator): Front motors speed up, rear motors slow down (or vice versa)
• Yaw (Rudder): CW motors speed up, CCW motors slow down (or vice versa)
• Diagonal motors spin in the same direction to counteract torque

Overview

Blender is a free, open-source 3D modeling software that's perfect for creating or modifying RC aircraft models for RC Flight Replay. This guide covers the essential steps to prepare your model for animated control surfaces.

Troubleshooting

Overview

Some control surfaces (like flaps and landing gear) need to be manually assigned to an RC channel. This tells the animation system which channel controls that surface.

Primary Control Surfaces (Automatic)

These are automatically linked to their standard channels:

• Aileron: Uses the Aileron channel assignment
• Elevator: Uses the Elevator channel assignment
• Throttle/Props: Uses the Throttle channel assignment
• Rudder: Uses the Rudder channel assignment

Secondary Control Surfaces (Manual Assignment)

These require manual channel assignment:

• Flaps: Assign to the channel that controls your flaps
• Landing Gear: Assign to the channel that controls your retractable gear

How to Assign Channels

1. Open a flight in RC Flight Replay
2. Click the gear icon on the Transmitter Panel (or in the panel header)
3. In the Channel Assignment modal, find the channel that controls your flaps or gear
4. Select "Flaps" or "Landing Gear" from the dropdown
5. The assignment is saved automatically to your model

Flaps Animation

• Flaps animate proportionally based on channel value
• Channel value 0 = Flaps at 0° (retracted)
• Channel value 255 = Flaps at 45° (fully deployed)
• Any value in between gives partial deployment

Landing Gear Animation

• Gear uses a threshold at channel value 128
• Channel value < 128 = Gear extended (down)
• Channel value > 128 = Gear retracted (up)
• The transition is smooth (approximately 1 second)

Model Optimization

• File Size: Keep models under 5MB for best performance (max 10MB)
• Polygon Count: Aim for under 50,000 polygons for smooth performance
• Textures: Use compressed textures (JPEG) and reasonable resolutions (1024x1024 or smaller)
• Materials: Keep material count low - combine where possible

Origin/Pivot Point Best Practices

• Place the main model origin at the center of gravity
• Control surface origins should be at the hinge line
• Propeller/rotor origins at the center of the hub
• Gear origins at the retraction pivot point

Naming Conventions

• Use underscores or periods as separators: aileron_L or aileron.L
• Be consistent with your naming style
• Names are case-insensitive
• Stick to the documented names for automatic detection

Testing Your Model

1. Upload your model via the Dashboard
2. Open any flight with that aircraft
3. Check the browser console (F12) for "Control surface nodes discovered:" message
4. Play the flight and verify each surface animates correctly
5. Adjust origins/names if something doesn't work as expected

Where to Get Models

• Create your own: Blender (free), SketchUp, Fusion 360
• Download: Sketchfab, TurboSquid, CGTrader, Free3D
• Convert: Use Blender to convert OBJ, FBX, or other formats to GLB
• RC-specific: Search for "RC airplane 3D model" or specific aircraft names