SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:31 am Post subject: My first Gmax model

Today I have made my first Gmax model starting from scratch.
It took me about four hours to complete.

Any help on how to get it into Flight Simulator will be a great help.

Fokker

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:53 am Post subject:

Dude... Seriously? Lego Wars meets FS? It's a great start though, least its not a flying teapot or something a bit more abstract.

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:54 am Post subject:

I thought my model looked neat and easy, so I tried it out.

Fokker

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:57 am Post subject:

Hey, it's a start.

Follow this link, locate the FS2004 SDK and get ready for some long reading. Print it out and keep a copy in the bathroom, makes for some good reading material.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555857/deu

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:00 am Post subject:

Thank you for your help Ricktobin,

But, I am running FSX.

Most FS9 models work in FSX, so could I mabey make
a FS9 model upload it to surclaro, and then download it for my FSX?

Fokker

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:19 am Post subject:

As far as I know, it's only with fully developed models that you run into trouble trying to get FS9 compiled .mdl files into FSX. In other words, keep your materials simple and don't use multi-materials. Doubtful that you have animations to your model at this point so that shouldn't hang you up, and there are new ways to do landing lights and stuff with the FSX SDK's. But if you are going to be wanting to export your stuff to FSX, why not do it right and set up gmax for the FSX .mdl compile? You'll just end up doing it eventually, so why bother making FS9 compiles with the FS9 SDk's to port into FSX, hoping for the best. Fight through the FSX way of compiling out of gmax, even if it takes you a while and seems frustrating. Once you've got the FSX SDK's installed on your system, have the plug-ins where they should be and subsequently have the proper FSX dropdown options available to export your model out of gmax, you're done, you never have to do it again for that sim and you can concentrate on modelling. Now, I don't have FSX, and have not done any of what I'm talking about for FSX, I'm still playing with FS9 exports...so you may find a few of the details above are spotty, but you get the gist. Also, it can get a bit goofy installing new sim version's SDK's over the old ones, so try to look ahead at what you want to do most, and keep it simple. I have a few interesting links bookmarked regarding all this crap, give me a bit of time and I can definitely link you up to some good threads on all this over at Freeflight. Hope this helps a little bit....and I hope what I'm trying to convey makes sense. Links to come.

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:20 am Post subject:

Do you have the FSX Standard or Deluxe??

If you have the Deluxe, the SDK is on the disk. There is also a patch for the SDK for FSX. You can get it here...

http://www.fsinsider.com/Downloads/Pages/default.aspx

It is the third from the bottom, and is called SP1A.

RD

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject:

I have FSX Deluxe,

But we can not get it to work.

Will the link fix it?

Thank you,
Fokker

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject:

It may fix a couple issues. But you must install it off the disk first. Otherwise it is no good.

RD

Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject:

Here's a start regarding developing for FSX...I'll see if I can find a few more links to info on getting the SDK's set up right, etc. I have a gmax links page in this forum section, but I guess most of the compile and SDK specific stuff is for FS9. Freeflight Design Shop and FS Developer are two wicked sites for this kind of info...and remember to be patient and not get frustrated - once you get this done right you can export for years without all the headaches. Crap, I almost had a meltdown trying to get gmax kicking out FS9 models...and I still have to address my scenery exports not working!

http://www.aerodynamika.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1195533510

EDIT:....Ooooh...ahhhhh... Wink

Buddy, you got some readin' to do.
http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:FSX

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:18 am Post subject:

Thank you Hark,

This is very helpfull.

Fokker

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:24 am Post subject:

Hark, expect a virtual case of JD.

That's a great link, THANK YOU.

RD

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:36 am Post subject:

My pleasure bud, I don't know what I'd do without those two sites...and the new FSDeveloper site has got to be one of the most attractive, cohesive, sh*t together sites for developers and customizers of FS I've ever seen. I'm never going to get a life with all this going on...and I'm still mired in FS9 - getting the hardware and brainpower together for the dive into developing for FSX is going to kill me! But oh, the possibilities....you have no idea the great stuff that's flying around in my head for FSX.

Fokker - I noticed that you rotated the model itself in order to show the top better. Not sure if you're aware but there is a 'rotate the view without moving the model' button down where your tools are. Getting comfy with the tools I've shown in the .jpg is a must.

A few more tips from a stumbling gmax newbie.

There's two known bugs in gmax;

Don't EVER group anything in gmax.

Don't EVER use the 'mirror' tool in the top toolbar...use a mirror 'Modifier' from the 'Modifier' stack on the right.

...plus;

Make sure your units of measure is set to 'Metres".

Oh, and watch which viewports you use when rotating the view around...try to stick to the 'Perspective' viewport - not the top, side or front view. I say this only because you need those views straight sometimes in order to model effectively, uh, and I have been too lazy to figure out how to get the straight-on view in those viewports back after slanting them. Pan them all you want but don't rotate them until you know how to put 'em back. Then tell me how. Wink

(Please)

EDIT: ...And for God's sake don't scale anything if you don't have to...well you often have to, but if you run into scaling errors upon export attempt - here's the fix;

http://www.aerodynamika.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1201107814

EDIT: I already took care of it Hark. rd

(lol)

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:17 am Post subject:

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:20 am Post subject:

And my brother showed me how to rotate, but thank you anyway.

Fokker