SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:23 am Post subject: plane creating software

Although I am looking for someone more qualified to create some planes for me, I would like to get into that myself. Being a high school student,Cash is a little short. Does anyone know of a good easy to use program for relatively little cash

Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:47 pm Post subject:

gmax
Turbosquid.com

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 12:58 am Post subject:

Gmax (Freeware) is widely used to create aircraft and scenery for Flight Simulator. It's the baby brother program of 3dsMAX, which is a really expensive program.
For less than fifty bucks you can go to 'Abacus' on the net and find their FS product 'Flight Simulator Design Studio', or 'FSDS' for short. It's said to be a little easier to work with than gmax, but gmax is some powerful for freeware, and once you're used to it, it's a blast.
There's another pretty sweet looking 3d program out for around 80 bucks, but I'll have to find the thread I posted pointing to it, 'cause I can't remember what it's called.

Also, don't overlook 'Anim8or' if you want to start 3D modelling aircraft, etc. for the flight simulator. Anim8or is much easier and straightforward to use for the new modeler, and it kicks out a .3ds file, which is very easily imported into gmax. In gmax you animate your gear and control surfaces, etc, and map and texture your model before exporting a .mdl file, through a MSFS app called 'MakeMDL.' Look for the thread 'Ultimate gmax tutorial' in this section of our fine forums to find a post by me with lots of links for all this sort of stuff. Mr. Green

EDIT: 'Anim8or' is freeware, and easily found with Google.

EDIT: Here's the other 3D modeling program I was referring to. $80 usd I think.
It sure looks like a wicked program from the descriptions.
http://www.inivis.com/

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:59 am Post subject:

in my opinion Anim8or is the easiest, i couldnt use Gmax to save my life lol

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:06 pm Post subject:

Yeah, gmax will make your head hurt for a while, then , if you spend a lot of time in there, after a while you know where everything is, and how to use it.
There are enough tutorials around to help, you just have to look in many places for the right ones, gather a bunch of info, and stay in gmax until you're pounding your head off the desk.

And still, if you use Anim8or, you only have to texture and animate in gmax, you can do all your building in Anim8or. This way you slowly get used to importing and exporting meshes, placing and rotating objects, and all the ways to change views in gmax.
And a few good work throughs of a few good tutorials will have you doing basic texturing and animation in gmax before you know it.
Don't forget, what seems like a scary process becomes child's play after working through a tutorial successfully a few times. (Or many times Twisted Evil

)