#1 - You NEED to have FS2002 Professional Edition to get a model from gmax to FS2002.

From Firestrikers recent post:

If you have FS2002Pro and have done a full install, you should have a file named FSModelExp.dle. This is the export plugin. Copy it as well as makemdl.exe from your
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\FS2002\gmax\Flightsim\plugins
folder to your
C:\gmax\plugins
folder.
Of course, if you are using the makemdl.exe from the SDK you would only have to copy FSModelExp.dle over but you MUST have FSModelExp.dle to export at all.

#2 Dennis Simanaitis'  12-steps  (TIPS Section of FFDS)

FROM GMAX TO FS2002 IN 12 1/2 EASY STEPS

First, let's make sure we're "on the same page." When I installed FS2002 Pro, its GMax elements got scattered around a bit, but here's what I have now: a separate GMax folder in the computer's root directory (in mine, C:/GMax). Among other things, this GMax folder has a subfolder called Flightsim (containing one file, gmax.ini). It also has a subfolder called Gamepacks, itself with subfolder FlightSim (containing two crucial files,  imagetool.exe and makemdl.exe).

The example which follows uses the P38 tutorial, accessed from the Help menu of GMax.


1. Make sure your folder and file structure has the items noted above, namely GMax/Flightsim/gmax.ini and GMax/Gamepacks/Flightsim/imagetool.exe and
GMax/Gamepacks/Flightsim/makemdl.exe. You may have to move these files from your FS2002 folder; that's where I found them after installation.

2. I fire up GMax and bring up my final version of the model.

3. In the File pulldown, I click on Export.

4. I navigate through the destination to get it exported to FS2002/Aircraft, and name it P38.

5. The software sets up the p38.mdl in FS2002/Aircraft.

Still to be done is setting up the necessary  folder/subfolder/file structure for the plane. I follow the pattern for any other plane there.

6. Set up a p38 folder in FS2002/Aircraft with two of the four required four subfolders, Model and Texture.

7. Copy/Paste any similar aircraft.cfg file into the p38 folder. Open this aircraft.cfg file using Notepad and change its model and sim name to p38.
(Other changes can be made for description and flight dynamics as well, but they're not necessary to get the p38 appearing in FS2002. It'll just behave like the other plane.)

8. Copy/Paste an .air file from any other appropriate plane. Rename it p38.air.


9. Copy/Paste any appropriate model.cfg file. Open it with Notepad and change its name to p38.

10. Copy/Paste any appropriate Panel and Sound folders into the P38 folder.

11. Check that the format has been followed: p38 folder, four subfolders, Model, Panel, Sound and Texture.

a. Model contains p38.mdl and model.cfg.
b. Panel and Sound are "as-pasted."
c. Texture is empty (and hence the plane will appear with default GMax colors).

d. Also in the p38 folder are p38.air and aircraft.cfg.

That's it. The plane "appears" in the sim (with two oddities that are sort of fun and easy to remedy on future projects).

12. As they say in textbooks, "The solution is left to the reader." If you're like me, you'll get two laughs out of these. Hint: One has to do with the Calibration Box; the other has to do with the P38 Tutorial's Background Top
View.

12 1/2. If you're done laughing, the Calibration Box should be deleted in GMax before you Export (hiding it is apparently not enough). Second, the tutorial has the plane's Top View pointed downward and this seems to make it appear flying backwards in FS2002. To fix, return to GMax and rotate the entire plane in Top View, Save, reExport. To fix permanently, always show your plane pointing up in Top View.

FELIX WHEN I EXPORTED IT DIDN'T MAKE A .MDL FILE IT MADE A P3D FILE WHAT HAPPEND.

if I download the makemdl sdk from the microsoft website can I do this in standard edition

Hey Felix,

     Every time I try to export my model, it tells me that it can't convert the file or it can't find makemdl.exe. HELP!

                                     -ALBASIC Dude

Hi all,

   I have had this problem also but I found that if you look at the text file that is generated and I think that it is called log.txt, it will tell you why it could not fine makemdl. I found that in Gmax that error is in error. It did find it but could not convert your model do to some issues that you might have in making it. Generally I find that a model will not convert because of too many vertacies.

   As an Added bonus I found that the makemdl.sdk has a new version of Makemdl. I was having some problems with adding lights to my model and found out that the version that I was using did not support it.

Quote:

I ve got  problem Makemdl does not work well and gmax doesnot expot my model
what soul dido

Hi, I have bought MSCOF which has GMAX, are all the nessesery files included in the game CD, or do I have to get something else?

Ok, this is the short short version of the story...   Talked to Microsoft yesterday about the fsmodelexp.dle file (I have 2002 std & 2004 full).  The rep said that I should check forums for the file and that it was ok to download it.  Rep also said that he was not certain that 2004 version of sdk would be released.  .    Don't know who's it is, but it's out there, prob for a limited time.