United3dArtists Archive

The image above shows that trueSpace is, without question, capable, without further refinement from other 3D software, of creating content for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Both the aircraft and the scenery details (the steel bridge and the water tower) in the image were created in trueSpace 6.6 (or the model side of tS7.6), exported as “X” format models and converted to the MSFS model format using the Microsoft MakeMDL SDK package.



Would any one like to see this tutorial? It doesn't discuss modeling so much as the steps necessary to converting a tS exported X format model to the *.MDL format for flight Simulator. It tells how to include simple and complex animations in the model file and tells how to include things like working taxi and landing lights, etc, and all this using STRICTLY trueSpace and the MS provided MakeMDL.exe conversion utility and SDK.

NO GMax involved .... AT ALL!!!!

Models made as this tutorial explains work, fully functionaly, in MSFS 9 and 10
PS I tried setting the poll time for 1 week but it keeps saying 1 day

All shared knowledge is helpful. Even if the specific details of a project or method are not used, viewers often gain inspiration from what is presented.

That's works in more recent FS versions? Also works with Combat Flight Simulator (Microsoft Game, I saw some planes of the FS 2004 on this one, so probably, right?)?

Thanks man

As far as my current information goes:

The MakeMDL SDK; MakeMDL.exe and instructions text was developed and released as a command line conversion utility for MS FS 9 (2004) before MS FS 10 (X).

About the time MS FS10 was still in the "Demo" stages, MakeMDL.exe was upgraded to a Window's based, tabbed options, program. (modul type program) One merely selects the X format (exterior) model, adds the interior X format model and any reduced resolution models (if any, mostly intended for scenery models), selects the various X to MDL conversion options and hits the "GO" button.

The exact same MakeMDL SDK was finally included on the MS FS X Pro CD set. A model that works in MSFS 9 (2004) does work in MSFS X and visa-versa.

If I'm not mistaken, development on Combat Simulator was stoped in 2002. It uses .MDL format aircraft models, but all the features of FS 9 and FS X were not yet implimented in the last CS.

The last I heard, which was some time ago, was that Microsoft has no plans to further update Flight Simulator past V10.

Would what you describe work for X-flight as well? I am guessing it would.

jeri3D; I don't think Flight Simulator models can be directly transferred into X Plane. The X Plane web sight has a "development" page that says that model development is much easier than for MSFS. It talks about program tools that will "convert" MSFS models, scenery and aircraft, to be used in X Plane so my assumption is that X Plane has it's own model format.

This is a good question, though, and the reason I ask if others want to see this tutorial. Personally, I have been trying to figure out how to build MSFS aircraft since I first downloaded trueSpace 3.2. I have finally figured it all out and am really happy with myself for accomplishing a long set goal, but it's kind of like jumping on the train ¼ mile before the end of the line!

v3rd3 wrote:All shared knowledge is helpful. Even if the specific details of a project or method are not used, viewers often gain inspiration from what is presented.

I agree with v3rd3 ,but there may be a commercial angle to this ? (just guessing)

Not on my part.

I just remember through the past years in the tS forums seeing other folks asking how to get their tS modeled aircraft into Flight Simulator. I wanted to find out if they were still around and if still interested, I'd be more than happy to show them what I learned.

There's quite a bit of information to this and I don't want to submit a huge tutorial if no one really cares about the information.

The poll is 8 to 1 for it so far ... so ....

JimB wrote:

v3rd3 wrote:All shared knowledge is helpful. Even if the specific details of a project or method are not used, viewers often gain inspiration from what is presented.

I agree with v3rd3 ,but there may be a commercial angle to this ? (just guessing)

I don't think there is a problem with ppl wanting something for the tuts they create.... some of us will be interested and some of us won't.

For example, a really good uv mapping tutorial would be worth some coin. Especially one that teaches us the decision making involved.

OK, there are 9 of you who would like to see this information. I suppose if even one person asked I would answer the call because I remember how frustraiting it was for me, and I refused to install GMax!

First of all I will present the following download links to the Microsoft Flight Simulator SDKs. I don't know how or in what section I'll go about presenting this tutorial just yet. I'm toying with the idea of creating full sections, ie, textureing, animations, DirectX display bug work arounds, etc, in downloadable HTML pages with an Index page to each section (like the trueSpace manual) and a brief discription and highlites of each section here in the forum.

Here are the links. I downloaded them all into a special folder called FS SDKs on an external hard drive and installed the ones I needed for modeling to my system from there. That way I have them all in zipped form and can always re-install them in case of a crashed system hard drive!

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Make Model:
This one is the important one!
This comes with the MakeMDL "X to MDL" conversion program. It also includes documentation on MakeMDL's conversion options and information on proper model part naming conventions for animations and effects like lights, wind-screen rain, animated gauges in the virtual cockpit, etc.

Without this download, this tutorial is pointless.
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BGL Comp:
This is still only available as a "command line" program
and must be run from a DOS prompt console window or from a customized PIF or shortcut link. It is used to compile an area's custom scenery models that have been converted from X format to MDL format into the add on scenery folders and files read by FS when entering into a new scenery zone.
This one is necessary to get scenery models into MSFS

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Aircraft Container:
Information on folder structure, locations and hierarchy for Aircraft, gauge, and effects folders, with descriptions of all allowable entries in "aircraft.cfg", "panel.cfg", and other cfg files

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Panels and Gauges:
Information on where to find, or how to address FS dynamic variables such as aircraft operation, global positioning, flight data, engine parameters data, etc for programing custom XML and .gau gauge files. small tutorial on XML gauges.

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A few other handy SDK downloads for the custom aircraft modeler.

Traffic Toolbox:
Tools for adding AI traffic to airports and areas. Use this to include your custom aircraft into an area's AI traffic.

ATC Voicepack:
Tools for editing the ATC voices heard in FS. By "snipping" pieces of words from other pronunciations one can build a library of new words to include aircraft model names not standard in the standard MSFS voices

Autogen:
Tool to develop auto generated scenery objects

Weather Themes:

SDK to develop large scale weather themes.

FSEdit:
This one is of limited use in my opinion. It's purpose is to set up the folder structure for a new aircraft as explained in the Aircraft Container SDK, but it tends to crash ... a LOT!

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These last links I can tell you nothing about. I never downloaded them and so have no information on their purpose.

I speculate that the Special Effects at least has information on how to construct and include aircraft and scenery special effects (such as "con-trails" for aircraft or "chimney smoke" for scenery) Many visual effects in MS Flight Simulator are based on particle emitters and I suppose this deals with that subject.
Special Effects:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... _setup.exe"

This one is primarily intended to be used to pack all gauge files for one aircraft into one compressed .cab file.
CabDIR:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... _setup.exe"

Netpipes:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... _setup.exe"

Terrain:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... _setup.exe"

ABL: No Idea (or even speculation) what this one is for!
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... _setup.exe"


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GMAX SDK:
Any one who knows me knows my feelings about GMax! I will comment no further except to say it is (thankfully) totally unnecessary in the process of converting tS models to working FS aircraft.
I have left the URL text here simply because it was included in the list of these links supplied by Microsoft. This is only the SDK plug-in for GMax. to use it you still must download and install the latest version of GMax .... but why on earth would you DO THAT?.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... _setup.exe"

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I'm adding a couple of extra links on this page. These are third party programs and one's I have found most useful in modeling my own aircraft.

DXTBMP
A program by MW Graphics

This is a small image converter utility. It can load and save in extended bit map (32 bit) format, DDS (which at one time was the DirectX native texture image format), TGA, and ACEDXT.

You may or may not find this useful. If your image editor can load and save a 32 bit bmp image without loosing the alpha channel then you probably don't need this. Otherwise this program will load all the above image formats, separate the alpha channel and allow you to send either image or alpha to your chosen image editor and then re-save the image in the above mentioned formats using your choice of compression schemes DXT 1 through 5.

This program is also handy for those of you who may be creating game content for older DirectX based games that still rely on DDS format textures.

cfgEdit (freeware version)

This free version download is still available at the above link but I couldn't say for how long! The creators have replaced the program with a free-to-try for 30 days payware version here:http://www.fspanelstudio.com/
Cfgedit is a panel configuration file (panel.cfg) editor. It's a good place to start creating your custom panel as it writes the skeleton panel.cfg file needed to display panel windows. With it you can set view window sizes, where the horizon sits relative to your view over the panel dash board, you can load and position existing *.gau gauges that are listed in your MSFS gauge folder, ect. As your panel becomes more complicated and filled with XML gauges it becomes more advantageous to edit the cfg file in a simple text editor such as WordPad, but this is a good place to start.


AFCAD221

The link above is a Simviation.comdownload link

AFCAD221 is an airport facilities editor. Use this to add extra parking to an existing airport, create default parking for your and other custom or existing airlines, add taxi ways, add runways, etc. You can create completely new airports, but since this is a facilities editor, what you can't do with this program is add scenery objects like buildings and such.

If you intend to include your custom aircraft into an area's AI traffic the airport from which it leaves or arrives must have the proper class (size) parking for your aircraft otherwise the AI aircraft will simply disappear after it lands. A runway not long enough for your aircraft will also cause it to disappear in mid flight!

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Download and install at least the top 4 SDKs on to your system and begin browsing through the information provided in the MakeMDL and Panels SDKs.

NOTES for early browsers:
* Don't get bogged down with X file format "templates" associated with GMax export. This is NOT something we have to do in trueSpace.

* Animation Labels: trueSpace does write rotational and translation animations in the X format export. However, tS does not export X format animation data with custom named labels. MakeMDL recognizes "expected" animations (such as Landing_Gear_L) by the label for that animation data section in the X file. The tutorial section on custom animations will cover the techniques on finding and re-labeling these animation data sections within the X format file.

* Creating XML gauges is simply a matter of learning the XML language, reverse logic math, and the XML key words recognized by Flight Simulator and following some simple image file format rules to create alpha images and masks. I don't really intend to go into too much detail with gauges since most of it can be accomplished in your 2D image editor but there are some good tutorial downloads to be found available at some of the MSFS third party download sites on this subject.

Thanks for posting this 3DPDK.

In the previous "download link"page (page 1 of this thread), I added a few third party utilities and tools I find very usefull in creating a complete and professional aircraft. You may want to download these also.

Be sure to go back and look at the bottom of this previous post for these three added links!

Thanks for doing this

Just downloaded everything, but the GMax sdk link is bad. Maybe it has something to do with your feelings about GMax?

Looking forward to the tutorials. Thanks.