Yah , sounds very simular to the way I look at flightsim also now. Bascially to learn how the design, impacts knowledge and became just more interessing. In other words I lost intrest and became distracted. Although it's very important to me as I want to become a  aeronautical egineer, it does take time away from just playing and doing flights on the sim.  As I'm stilll working on many project's with very few time doesn't help much. But yah welcome to the unqiue designers "group".. lol

I can't speak as a modeller, since I've never modelled for FS, but as a repainter, I feel it's affected the way I look at FS as well. For example, I've become more "anal-retentive" when I fly. Basically, rather than enjoy the flight, I'll be spending my time scrutinising a paint job, and wondering how/if I can improve/change it, or what I can repaint that particular plane into.

I know exactly what you mean.  But for me, I've begun to start spending more time actually in the sim.  I get a little done with one of MY aircraft, and then load up a random aircraft and start a flight from scratch, just cruising around and taking a quick look at things.  Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in a flight that I'll look over and discover I've spent three hours just zooming around, and it already time to get to bed!

Just give it a few weeks of intense creation, and the magic starts to return.  If only for the sake of some rest between the aggravation that is aircraft creation!

Keep at it!

An interesting and correct observation Alrot.  I have experienced this and it is as everyone says here.

When the Dash 7 is released, I will retire from design work and hopefully go back to flying multiplayer (MP) with the alpha team.  I miss flying with the guys every night.   These are leisurely flights always navigating the world's most beautiful places.

The hi-energy project work makes "just flying" seem boring and a waste of time.  You feel like you need to be on 16X so you can get done and get back to project work.  That is work-a-holic tendency, or obsessive-compulsive behavior, almost a requirement for me to do a project of 2000 hours. lol

I think you need a break from the project work.  Try something different like Classic Airliners or AI involvement.  The problem is that artists must be creative to be happy, and sharing your work is part of the fun. 

You have many interests that have probably been gathering dust since you started modeling.  Go back and revisit some of that.  Rejuvenate yourself.  Take a month or three off.

Good luck, have fun.

I'm not the only one

When i was child i used to fly for hours, i still remember the flies since Bogotá to Santa Marta, or Bogotá Miami 

When i started to design i thought that i'll be the happiest boy (i was just 16 years old) in the world, and that was true with my first all made plane, a byplane, she is really ugly and the size is not right but i was really happy flying that bird, and then i started the MiG-29, ONE YEAR doing that plane, every day i generated the mdl and see the plane since every angle as possible, when the model was done i knew a lot of FS, how to make the aircraft, textures, panel, xml's gauges, scenery, effects, etc, etc, etc.

And since the mig-29 was released i dont have make a normal flight, i'm in fsds all the day I only go to the fs to check what i'm doing in the fsds, i see the plane, take some pics and come back to work.

And as many people had said, in the middle of the night i wake up with the answer to some design problem, and the next day come back to work

I used to enjoy almost all the planes, i remember a FS98's F-18 i really loved that plane, but now when i see a plane i check it from every angle (again) and i start to think what i could do for her if i could modify that plane.

I think that this is like a relationship, at the begining you're lost in love, however when you know everything about her you're tired of her because she cant surprise you

I have a question for all the designers, do you remember and still fly your first plane, the truly one own, the 100% made by yourself?? i'm loking for my fledling when i'll find her i'll show you some pics of that ugly bird

Regards

Berserk

I miss that fantasy

,Milton Is a wisdon man proud to learn everything I know from his teaching
But I hope,that Fantasy come back again,see the problem at the begining was all the planes I used to download didn't have VC or where very heavy to my pc ,I got fustrate it when I began I said ,Ill make them capable to run In not too powerful pc as mine with a great VC ,perhaps that's the reason why the planes ive done are better in vc that the exterior
But Make planes Is not an easy cake there's amillons things you have to know as my last(I hope trouble) with DTXBmp and MIP saving,all the models before the727 if you whach them  far theyll ge blurry,thats why I ignore to take out the option "saving Mip Maps "in DTXBmp theres a thousands thing like light in the oposite Sun side, the mirrow tool wich is unuseful,among thousands of many things,Is a pleasure to see them finish and share with all the people and see their joy ,I use to be a part of those people,now Im not or I can't,to be honest,is not that Im Playing as if i am the cleaver guy who won't fall in a game of simulation,Im over that,..WELL NOT is not ,hell not!!

I wish to go Back in time and someone else NOT ME! makes the same planes I did ,as the citation of a boeing with the vc that runs in my machine and began to fly in this works made by a stranger I would be now flying hour in those planes,and avobe all Ignoring all about *.mdl maping animation ,and be  like I use to be before,Does any boddy remember when I claim that FS9 was a simulator and not a game? all that discuss?;was because I use to Ignore FS9 functions,

I even get to Hate Nexus In the past (Today I consider him one of my best friend and a very smart ,someone call him a walking enciclopedia Im agree, and he had help me in my design) why I hate him? because he told me that FS9 wasn't  realistic in flight Dinamic ,and for me was insulting.. I was so stupid ,oh man he was totaly right,so I see as sort of magic,when I read the Gauge VIB I swear guy I realy though or imaginate that the engines vibrate as if where Real

Perhaps this all Im saying here will sound a crazy could be because I can't express what I want due my english limitations, or even because we all have a child,and I was playing like a child when I sat in my chair just to flight in FS9,Ill put what you had Said Milton,Ill leave this for a while and wait to see If I dear to flight again and feel in at least my Old Def. Lear45 and dream again & playing as a child

I'M A virtual Pilot Proudly!!!

Hmm, i have found that my interest in both modelling and actually flying the sim seems to have it's ups and downs over the course of time.

Then i find myself not looking at Fs for a few weeks because i'm doing a home-movie with pinnacle studio 10 (which is nearly as frustrating and tedious as learning to use Gmax, but in the end very rewarding also). It's just a matter of just doing something else for a while.

After that i find myself being very keen to get some Gmaxing done and am thinking about future projects etc...

It's a balancing act i suppose, but it comes very naturally to me because i have a lot of other interests outside of FS as well.

By the way, my own F27 is virtually the only aircraft i use in FS. Sometimes i check out some interesting releases especially if they were made by people i know from the FFDS forum, but i always find myself going back to my own work.
That to me is also rewarding, the amount of pleasure i had designing it (while learning Gmax) and now flying it as well.

Oh and lest we not forget the repaints... Also nice to do that every once in a while. In my head i have tons of repaint plans (for the F27 of course), if only i could find the time to actually start them... 

That's the way i look at it.

gr
Willem