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Standing at the brink (Read 1918 times)
Jul 27th, 2008 at 2:24pm

Boikat   Offline
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Okay, got Gmax installed, the SDK glanced through it, have "project 1" picked.  It's going to be relatively simple and slightly "different" from the usual.

(Steps up to the edge of the cliff, looks down, shudders..   Shocked  )

What's the best 'first step'?  3D model?  I already have 3 view drawings, and have played a bit with GMAX to try to get a "feel" for it.
 

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Reply #1 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:43pm

Alrot   Ex Member
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Boikat: make a dummy model , don't do as many that start by making a complex Real aircraft that never get exported ,This is the way I did YEEEEARS ago Cheesy

Try to make a tube with couple box as wing and elevator ,in LODtool set a friendly name ,and then try to export it as mdl model..if you succeed then start adding doors simple doors ,the animate ,animate elevator ,flaps everything All this in this dummy model ITS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SPECIAL IS YOUR LEARNING MODEL something like this:
     ...

once you got all the animation working ,in FSX that when you can start making a real aircraft ..

trust me buddy the most difficult is to succeed in the exportation,If you can export a real mdl as see in the FSX you have walk the 70% of the road my friend

...
 
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Reply #2 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:49pm

Boikat   Offline
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Thanks.  Even the finished "Project 1" is going to be very simple. Smiley
 

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"I reject your reality, and substitute my own" Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Reply #3 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:49pm

Milton   Offline
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Well, you could start here with your 3-views and calibration box.  Smiley


http://www.aerodynamika.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1184284524
 

Milton&&Dash 7, Aero Commanders, Howard 500, D18S, Spartan, XP47J, Beechcraft A28 (Grizzly)
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Reply #4 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:07pm

Alrot   Ex Member
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Milton wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:49pm:
Well, you could start here with your 3-views and calibration box.  Smiley


http://www.aerodynamika.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1184284524


Shocked


and BTW this Guy is one of the greatest designers, I ever meet  ,He made the Howard 500 among many other classic, Milton Shupe , Most of all he was / IS my first teacher...he just caught my surprised he shown so suddenly, and is an honor to see you again  Smiley    
 
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Reply #5 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:11pm

Milton   Offline
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{{{ running over to shake Alrot's hand }}}  {blushing}  thank you my friend ... great to see you as well.  Smiley
 

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Reply #6 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:40pm

Boikat   Offline
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Alejandro Rhodes wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:07pm:
Milton wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:49pm:
Well, you could start here with your 3-views and calibration box.  Smiley


http://www.aerodynamika.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1184284524


Shocked


and BTW this Guy is one of the greatest designers, I ever meet  ,He made the Howard 500 among many other classic, Milton Shupe , Most of all he was / IS my first teacher...he just caught my surprised he shown so suddenly, and is an honor to see you again  Smiley    


The Howard 500 is one of my favorites under the catagory of "twin engine prop"!  

I will, of course heed any advice given Smiley


Going with alrot's first suggestion of creating a simple object to start with, using GMAX, I made a simple sphere.  (I'll apply the "three view" technique when I get started on the real thing)

I see under the "file" an "export" function, so I should just asve the sphere (and shat sphere doesn't need saving/) to a folder?  I noticed that the GMAX file t this stage is called a .P3D, so slapping a fake panel, sound texture and cfg and .air and calling the p3d a "model" isn't all there is to it, I'm guessing, (just to see the shape show up in FSX)




 

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"I reject your reality, and substitute my own" Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Reply #7 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:54pm

Alrot   Ex Member
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I don't know if you installed the FSX-SDK is in the DVD1,then install FSX-SDK-SP1 then , install FSX-SDK-Sp2 thru downloading in internet

here:http://www.fsinsider.com/downloads/Pages/default.aspx

after you have instaled these two SDKs you will find a folder

C:\Program files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Modeling SDK\FSX_GmaxGamePack......)( then you will place FSX_GmaxGamePack inside the C:\gmax\gamepacks\FSX_GmaxGamePack...)( then open the game you will be able to see in export Clouds and MDL files.......once you be able to see this export a box a simple Box (remember to name guid a friendly name or will failiure) into your desktop and see IF it didn't gave you problem while exporting...there's a thousand reason COULD give you problems by the time you exporting ..this is not easy my friend Embarrassed
Something important :::YOU will not open gmax from the gmax .exe /Inside the FSX_GmaxGamePack there is FSX_GMax this is the real software you will use:Send a link to the desktop Double click in this icon and create an access to your desktop ,you will not open gmax from the icon in your desktop anymore
 
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Reply #8 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 5:14pm

Boikat   Offline
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Alejandro Rhodes wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:54pm:
I don't know if you installed the FSX-SDK is in the DVD1,then install FSX-SDK-SP1 then , install FSX-SDK-Sp2 thru downloading in internet


Have Gmax and SP1 installed.  Is SP2 *esential*?

here:http://www.fsinsider.com/downloads/Pages/default.aspx

Quote:
after you have instaled these two SDKs you will find a folder

C:\Program files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Modeling SDK\FSX_GmaxGamePack......)( then you will place FSX_GmaxGamePack inside the C:\gmax\gamepacks\FSX_GmaxGamePack...)( then open the game you will be able to see in export Clouds and MDL files.......once you be able to see this export a box a simple Box (remember to name guid a friendly name or will failiure) into your desktop and see IF it didn't gave you problem while exporting...there's a thousand reason COULD give you problems by the time you exporting ..this is not easy my friend EmbarrassedSomething important :::YOU will not open gmax from the gmax .exe /Inside the FSX_GmaxGamePack there is FSX_GMax this is the real software you will use:Send a link to the desktop Double click in this icon and create an access to your desktop ,you will not open gmax from the icon in your desktop anymore


Eeep!   Shocked

Okay, I'll have to poke that with a stick and see if I can set it up like that.

Still poking.  I have Gmax installed on "C", and have C:\gmax\gamepacks, which is an empty folder.

in C:\program files\microsoft games\flight simulator X SDK\environment Kit\modeling SDK, I have no FSX_GmaxGamePack.  Just three folders and 16 files of various sorts.  But no "FSX_GmaxGmePack.   Am puzzled.
 

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"I reject your reality, and substitute my own" Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Reply #9 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 5:39pm

Felix/FFDS   Offline
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and, as you look through the "Learning Center"  in the FFDS Forums, you may chance upon a "sticky"  post, the text of which is repeated forthwith:

Milton Shupe consolidated a "How To" thread into an essay on the fine art of model production using a C162,
done with the novice in mind its a comprehensive tutorial done with Uncle Miltons legendary attention to detail and just the right level of complexity to get the message across without sensory overload resulting in reduced brain fps due to confusion.


http://www.flightsimonline.com/C162/


Kudo's to all involved , and most especially to Materfamilias Milton for his guidance and commitment .   


New Tutuorial: 2008-07-20
Here is another tutorial that addresses attaching wings to the fuselage for better smoothing and light effects.

http://www.flightsimonline.com/tutorials/fusewing/index.htm

==================================

The important thing is to familiarize yourself with gmax, export a basic model, and go from there.

I like the suggestion to first export a basic model.  If you get "something"  into FS, that's half the job.  PUshing vertices is "easy" ...
 

Felix/FFDS...
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Reply #10 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 5:48pm

Boikat   Offline
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Much thanks for that info.  Right now my brain is trying to go in two or five directions at once! (Is there a "smiley" for an exploding head?  Smiley )In the SDK, there's mention of a utility called XtoMDL, that looks like I'll be needing (unless it's in here somwhere, already)

I also suppose I should get that one little thing that I haven't got around to getting yet:  A Vista compatable printer.  Cheesy

Yes, and back to the "Learning Center in the FFDS forum...  Smiley
 

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Reply #11 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 6:09pm

Alrot   Ex Member
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Felix/FFDS wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 5:39pm:
and, as you look through the "Learning Center"  in the FFDS Forums, you may chance upon a "sticky"  post, the text of which is repeated forthwith:

Milton Shupe consolidated a "How To" thread into an essay on the fine art of model production using a C162,
done with the novice in mind its a comprehensive tutorial done with Uncle Miltons legendary attention to detail and just the right level of complexity to get the message across without sensory overload resulting in reduced brain fps due to confusion.


http://www.flightsimonline.com/C162/


Kudo's to all involved , and most especially to Materfamilias Milton for his guidance and commitment .    


New Tutuorial: 2008-07-20
Here is another tutorial that addresses attaching wings to the fuselage for better smoothing and light effects.

http://www.flightsimonline.com/tutorials/fusewing/index.htm

==================================

The important thing is to familiarize yourself with gmax, export a basic model, and go from there.

I like the suggestion to first export a basic model.  If you get "something"  into FS, that's half the job.  PUshing vertices is "easy" ...


Embarrassed I'm going to take this into my forum, is not easy for me in English Cry what I create is more confution..sorry just try to help but is impossible in english for me ,and this basic tutorials may be useful to give it to others..
 
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Reply #12 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 6:10pm

Boikat   Offline
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Slightly askew..

The XtoMDL tool hs this bit:

Quote:
To create Flight Simulator X models, aircraft or scenery, a new tool, XToMdl, has been introduced. The previous tool, MakeMDL, is now deprecated as are all models created from the ASM source. Models created with MakeMDL will still continue to function with FSX.  For backwards compatibility, XToMdl will read .x files from previous versions of Flight Simulator and produce a model for Flight Simulator X. Conversion of materials from pre-Flight Simulator X models may result in issues related to specular power and color.  This is usually due to these values being zero in the .x file.


Emphasis on the bold:  If I understand, that would correct the "cannot display visual model" error for some of the ancient add-ons?

If so, I will not have to make a new HL-10. Smiley

 

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"I reject your reality, and substitute my own" Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Reply #13 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 6:28pm

Alrot   Ex Member
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You do not need from now Xtomdl thing material to read at this moment(gmax will use it for you) and you will get more complicated,than what you really need ,Install FSX-SDK into Gmax    ,you are using gmax and gmax export direcly into mdl (Using XtoMdl) ,for your good Follow the gmax instalation in the SDK reading material , you need to install the package to gmax ,I will suggest you to look in the links Felix gave you ..
 
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Reply #14 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 7:09pm

Boikat   Offline
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Alejandro Rhodes wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 6:28pm:
You do not need from now Xtomdl thing material to read at this moment(gmax will use it for you) and you will get more complicated,than what you really need ,Install FSX-SDK into Gmax    ,you are using gmax and gmax export direcly into mdl (Using XtoMdl) ,for your good Follow the gmax instalation in the SDK reading material , you need to install the package to gmax ,I will suggest you to look in the links Felix gave you ..


Yes.  Let me reload that.
 

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"I reject your reality, and substitute my own" Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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