Simviation Forum - Creating Aircraft in 3dsmax ?

Nov 17^th, 2004 at 6:56am

-sam- Offline
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Hi there,

Is it possible to create aircrafts using 3dsmax instead of gmax. ?
Anyone allready exported a working aircraft from 3dsmax ?

Well I´m just starting with all the aircraft modelling
so gmax i probabely suitable for me.
I know there is not much difference between gmax and max
but i would like to use max because of it´s "texture baking"
features in conjunction with "Global Illumination".
I think every aircraft could be made at least 5-10%
more realistic using these features.
So far I have not seen any aircraft using this technique.

Hopefully Discreet will update gmax
and implement some of these features
(gmax is still a max version 4).
There are so many little new features in max that would make your life easier.. like the symmetry modifier.

cheers

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Reply #1 - Nov 17^th, 2004 at 7:01am

-sam- Offline
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here I found a link that shows the Global Illumination Effect and how it could enhance a model.

http://www.mysticgd.com/projects/mystique/mystique.htm

scroll down to the tank and the UFO. This show pretty good the realism that GI adds. Thos little shadow details everywhere.
And with texture baking, you could bake this light situation to your textures...

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Reply #2 - Nov 17^th, 2004 at 7:46am

Mathias Offline
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Yes you can.
Export to x-file from within Max using the panda exporter available at http://www.andytather.co.uk/ ,
next load the so compiled x-file straight into makemdl and export to FS.
A guide on how to setup the panda exporter for use with FS can be found here:
http://www.oregon-coast.net/FS2002/3DSM-PandaX-FS.htm

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Reply #3 - Nov 17^th, 2004 at 5:58pm

Sterk Offline
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Posts: 316

sam.eddm,baking GI is already used for making textures for fs for ages.
But the problem is that you can see all the beauty only on complex models,having many small parts and complex geometry.Using GI baking for making textures for,say, regular plane like passenger jet is not always justified,cause it has smooth general shape.

And you cant use GI baking on moving animated parts,like flaps,because when it's moving,beautiful GI-shadows will move with it,wich will look not exactly realistic-just like dirty spots on part and not as shading.

I used GI baking for making textures for gears-it looks fine only very close,but in sim you dont see it at all because of distance.Sometimes its much faster and simpler to add just little dark brush strokes in appropriate places-in sim it looks all the same.

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Reply #4 - Nov 18^th, 2004 at 5:01am

-sam- Offline
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Mathias:

Thanks for the link !

Sterk:

I agree in all points !

So I assume you are using 3dsmax for creating your
aircrafts ?
Wich renderer do you prefer ?
(I´m using vray at the moment but Texture Baking is currently not really supported)
Can you show me a good example of an aircraft using this technique ?
Maybe with some interior baked...

questions over questions Wink

thanks

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Reply #5 - Nov 18^th, 2004 at 9:54am

Sterk Offline
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Look,I use 3dmax 5 for creating Tupolev TU-334 model ,I'm currently working on.I love very nice GI look that Brazil renderer creates,but as I found out Brazil daznt support texture baking,at list a version I have.I have no Vray,and as I see from your post it daznt supports baking as well
so I exported model into Lightwave and rendered a baked textures using Lightwave radiocity feature.

But now I have 3dmax 7 with Mental Ray built in, I havnt tried it yet,so I dont know how Mental Ray and baking work together.

Ok-aircraft interiror is completely different thing-here I think GI baking can and should be used,but since I havent reached stage of building interior in my working process I can say nothing about it.

As I said I used baking for creating textures for gears just for experimenting and it looks not bad when close,although GI shading effect a bit desappears because you cant use a high rez textures for such a small part as gear.So I think GI baking is really good only for interirors.

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Reply #6 - Nov 29^th, 2004 at 3:30pm

toposky Offline
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Posts: 2

Hi all,

may I bother you whit some questions?

I just installed 3dsmax 7 and I have the latest version of pandasoft x exporter but I cant import anymore any file I have created before (max 6 and panda version dated august 2004) nor the newest ones. ???
The only thing I can obtain is an error in makemdl (related to the geometry but with no sense because the part was already exported before and it worked nicely) or a makemdl crash to desktop. Embarrassed

I found that if I use the previous version of makemdl (2002 sdk) the import works but the animations dont.
Any clues? Sad

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Reply #7 - Nov 30^th, 2004 at 6:09am

Sterk Offline
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Posts: 316

I think the reason is simple- pandasoft x-exporter hasnt been updated yet for 3dmax 7.It's logical,because version u have was released before 3dmax 7 release.
So,we have to wait for updated version of exporter,thats all.

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Reply #8 - Nov 30^th, 2004 at 7:57am

-sam- Offline
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There exists a new version wich is available by e-mail request ! It fixes some max7 problems.

http://www.andytather.co.uk/Panda/directxmax.htm

haven´t tried it myself.. so far !

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Reply #9 - Nov 30^th, 2004 at 10:51am

toposky Offline
1st Lieutenant

Posts: 2

Hi,

thank you for reply, meanwhile I solved my problems.... and yes I'm using the version for max 7.
Btw everything was related to a incorrect merge of some materials in the scene.

thanks again Grin

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