Tutorial: Converting Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft into props

[ardecila 124]

You may only upload things to the STEX which you have permission from the creators to redistribute.  If you upload something that is not yours without permission, it will be removed, and you will be warned.

This thread is a useful resource for those who have made planes, or have permission to use planes from Flight Simulator, and would like to convert them for SC4 use.  If you do not have permission, the models are limited to your personal use.

If you encounter a shady STEX upload, please report it to a STEX moderator.  Include a link to the website (specific page is preferable) where it was taken from, if you can, to make it easier for the STEX moderators.

-Jasoncw

---

1: download your aircraft from a site such as http://www.flightsim.com or http://www.simviation.com . Take care to avoid planes created with gmax. If you're not sure, download an older plane that was made for FS2000 or FS98.

2: download MDL2DXF .

3: install both MDL2DXF and the aircraft.

4: Open MDL2DXF. Press Open and go into the Model folder of the place where you unzipped your aircraft. click the MDL file. Then press convert.

5: Now go into BAT and go to File>Import and import your new DXF file, which is also in the Model folder.

6: Texture the aircraft using the BMP files in the Texture folder of the place where you unzipped the aircraft.

7: Export using the BAT.

8: Make your exported model into a Prop using the Plugin Manager.

Voila!

[xiziz 11]

Thanx Ardecila, i will try this one out. ^^

Cheers
//Sim

[Gemika 6]

That is awesome information! Thanks for sharing this info with us. I hope this means more people will make more aircraft specially Airline Props we'll be needing those soon to go with all the new custom Airports in development.

 

GE

[dzignguy 0]

Hi,

 

I am new to Sim City but have been working in Flight Simulator for awhile and am a developer that has a current FS9 (Century of Flight) model that I created in MAX/GMAX.  That aircraft is the FSDZigns L-049a Constellation.   I would particularly like to see many of the high resolution features that Sim City displays, on the ground, be available in FS....  However I would probably be just as happy to have an avenue in SC4 to do what we do in FS.  In any case I think that soon both simulation technologies will come together and we will all be playing in the same virtual sand box......:-)  Sim City will have the L-049a Constellation soon as I am working on its conversion now..  I have a litte bit of a learning curve to go before I'm porficient in this format.....

 

Now, having said this, I would like to say that most if not all of those MDL files are copyrighted.  Mine certainly are and I will defend that right if it is infringed.....  I consider any decompiling or converting to DXF formt, of the model, as not COOL.  At least NOT without the permission of the original author....  I intend to start developing for Sim City also and will not tread on others work without permission or following porper protocol.....  I would suggest that anyone reading this thread, along with anyone interested in having good, well developed aircraft come into SC4, .... do the same and consider this issue.  I dont mean this reply to be harsh but just a friendly reminder that there are many other legal things involved in such a conversion.....  However, the courteous things are just as important....IMHO   

There are other ways of getting good aircraft models into SC4 and some would be sanctioned by the FS authors and developers.  So,  When in doubt, I would say that you should ask first!!!!  Who knows, you might be surprised..........

 

Nuf said on this issue......

 

Best Regards.

 

John

dzignguy

[masher 3]

Awesome!!
Do you know of any other game we could use to do these kind of things?....
Like starcraft or AOE?

[ardecila 124]

Date: 7/4/2005 6:49:31 PM
Author: dzignguy

Hi,
I am new to Sim City but have been working in Flight Simulator for awhile and am a developer that has a current FS9 (Century of Flight) model that I created in MAX/GMAX. That aircraft is the FSDZigns L-049a Constellation. I would particularly like to see many of the high resolution features that Sim City displays, on the ground, be available in FS.... However I would probably be just as happy to have an avenue in SC4 to do what we do in FS. In any case I think that soon both simulation technologies will come together and we will all be playing in the same virtual sand box......:-) Sim City will have the L-049a Constellation soon as I am working on its conversion now.. I have a litte bit of a learning curve to go before I'm porficient in this format.....

Now, having said this, I would like to say that most if not all of those 'MDL' files are copyrighted. Mine certainly are and I will defend that right if it is infringed..... I consider any decompiling or converting to 'DXF' formt, of the model, as not 'COOL.' At least NOT without the permission of the original author.... I intend to start developing for Sim City also and will not tread on others work without permission or following porper protocol..... I would suggest that anyone reading this thread, along with anyone interested in having good, well developed aircraft come into SC4, .... do the same and consider this issue. I dont mean this reply to be harsh but just a friendly reminder that there are many other 'legal' things involved in such a conversion..... However, the courteous things are just as important....IMHO

There are other ways of getting good aircraft models into SC4 and some would be sanctioned by the FS authors and developers. So, When in doubt, I would say that you should ask first!!!! Who knows, you might be surprised..........

Nuf said on this issue......

Best Regards, John

quote>

First of all, welcome to Simtropolis!

--Copyright Issues--

The MDL files are indeed copyrighted - which is part of the reason I haven't distributed my props/U-Drive-It aircraft to the general public. I have emailed several of the people whose models I used; some have granted me permission, others not.

For instance - I have converted quite a few models originally made by the MSFS designer Shigeru Tanaka. However, I can never release that SC4 content, because Mr. Tanaka expressly forbids distribution of his copyrighted works.

However, as far as I know, it is perfectly legal and fair to take an MDL which you download, and import it into SC4 for personal use, as long as you do not distribute it.

Also, a great deal of 3DS and DXF models are available in the public domain, which means I can spread them all over the internet if I want to, and no one can stop me. I highly suggest that someone search for one of these models before trying the above method.

PS - the B-1B shown above was obtained from a public-domain model and textured by me; it's just as much mine as it is anyone else's.

One more thing - the MDL2DXF tool is not compatible with any MDLs created in GMAX, because it does not have the programming to understand such models. But, the newer, more detailed, higher-quality aircraft are now made with GMAX. So I and everyone else are limited to the older, less-detailed aircraft. Of course, those aircraft are STILL the copyrighted works of the creator, of course...

--SC4->MSFS?--

Nearly all of the buildings, both in the game and available on the internet, have been produced using the BAT, which uses an irreversible conversion process.

SimCity 4 has 5 camera zoom levels and 4 camera rotations. The BAT renders 20 views (5x4) of the model in question, then applies each one to a seperate box for each zoom/rotation combo.

Since the buildings and props in SC4 are just made of rendered pictures with an alpha channel, overlayed, they really cannot be ported to MSFS, which requires a 3d model.

However, many people enjoy MSFS; I'm sure at least several BATters here would be willing to donate their models to be put into MSFS.

masher: I'm not too clear on isometric games like Starcraft and AOE, but I believe they use sprites for ships, vehicles, and other craft.

Sprites are bitmap animations (little movies) that contain 4 or 8 different rotations of the same animation, not true 3d data. If you want to import things from those games, you'd have to use a completely different method of importing.

If the game is a full-3d game, and a program exists to convert its models into a common 3d file format, than its models can be placed into SC4.

[ardecila 124]

Oh, BTW - I'm looking forward to seeing the Lockheed Constellation in SC4! That really is a beautiful aircraft.

Please contact me if you have any technical questions about setting up a prop, or even making a UDI.

The BAT is meant for making buildings and props. If you want to make UDI models, you must go under the hood of SC4, so to speak, using a modding program such as DatGen or iLive Reader.


The funny thing is, I often use Microsoft's scenery textures when I model a building. I never use them in the finished product, but they work great as an overall guide ot the modelling!

[dzignguy 0]

-ardecila- 

Thanks for your appraisal of the Constellation and your clarification, especially those opinions about the Copyright issues involved.  I don

[mntoes 270]

Where do we get meshtools 2.5 from please? An what do the do?

Thanks.

 

Edit.... Ok think I found them. How do we instal them. Followed instructions but can't seem to be able to add them to my menus. (they do show up in the edit menu area though).

[dzignguy 0]

I will do a video tutorial on how to install Meshtools, tonight...  I will post the link to download the tut tomorrow....  Will that be OK? 

Hope this helps......

 

John

dzignguy

FSDZigns.com Lockheed L049a Constellation for MSFS Century of Flight

[mntoes 270]

Thank you very much. That would be Great.

 

[dzignguy 0]

-mntoes-

 

I did a short Video tutorial last night on installing a Meshtools 2.5 toolbar within the MAX/GMAX user interface.  It is available through the following link:  http://fsdzigns.com/Public_tutorials/Meshtools2.5_Installation.zip

 

The zip file contiains the AVI file and two TechSmith codecs required for either Windows or Mac users....to view the AVI.  

 

Note:  Meshtools works primarily with Editable Polygons and most of the icons that install via the tutorial will NOT be available if your model or object remains a primative or editable MESH.  This is very important to remember as I have seen many people complain about them, not knowing that these tools were designed Primarily for Editable Polygons. 

 

Ok, Hope this will help.....

 

John

 

PS

I will gladly post more tutorials, especially some that will show how to use these tools in modeling, If there is enough interest. 

 

 

[mntoes 270]

Thanks again. I'm so glad that you decided to join this community. I didn't want to be too cheeky and ask how to use these tools, especially of a new member. (you never know how much spare time people have). But yes there is interest here.

[6459978. 106]

dzignguy:  I followed your installation tutorial and am eager to see what it is these meshtools can do! I've tried everything I can think of but I haven't gotten them to do anything at all yet.... so I'd be very interested in a tutorial on how to use them!

 

<EDIT>

 

Actually, I think the only question I need answered is how do I make an editable polygon! I can't find that anywhere!

 

<EDIT AGAIN>

 

Ahh, I found it! For anyone else who doesn't know, to convert an object to an editable poly, right click on it and select convert -> editable poly. Simple.

[dzignguy 0]

As I said earlier, I will be happy to explain the use of the tools via video tutorials.  First and foremost I'm not sure how these should be handled here on the forums and where to host the files....  My site at FSDZigns is pretty limited as to how much I can keep and as to bandwidth.  Perhaps some of you old hands can give me pointers as to how this should be handled here at Simtroupolis....I dont want to over reach my welcome and step on toes....  My intent is to hlep, not hinder or step step into someone elses territory.

I have noticed in some of the tutorials about modeling in GMAX, on this forum or even many MSFS forums for that matter, very little has been said about Polygonal modeling, (Quad) techniques and its advantages to the 3D gaming world....  I have only recently prescribed, the last couple of years,  to this method of construction and have found it has added much to my understanding of the process.  Perhaps some discussion of this should be started also. Especially the discussion of Sub-D modeling in general....  All of these things can and will aid in the eventual skill and understanding of how to create things via editable splines, vertices, and polygons. 

 

Perhaps we should settle the venue issue first and then work on the rest....  Any guidance will be welcome!

 

Best Regards,

 

John

dzignguy

fsdzigns.com

 

 

[mntoes 270]

I fully agree with your comments, it is never good to step on anyones toes but we are a very welcoming community here. Also we are keen to learn

The guy that you need to talk to is Dirk (The Webmaster or one of the Admin staff). Point them to this topic and they will understand what you would like to do.

Look to the left under Site staff and you should be able to run your Ideas past him if you PM him. I know that bandwith can always be a problem.

 

Hope this can be acheived as I am sure we could all benefit.

 

Once again thanks (very clear tutorial by the way)

 

Mntoes

[dzignguy 0]

-mntoes-

 

Thanks for the advice!  I did send a private email to Dirk and am awaiting a reply.  I started a tutorial on meshtools this morning and will have it ready in a couple of days...  Sorry for the delay but I have several other projects including a MAX class that I teach on the weekends to prepare for. 

 

I have already started my first lot for SC4 and will offer it up for comments next week....  This is really fun stuff!

 

Thanks again for the help!

 

Best Regards,

 

John

dzignguy

fsdzigns.com

DZigns Architectural

[ardecila 124]

Date: 7/5/2005 2:32:30 PM
Author: dzignguy

[mntoes 270]

^^^^^

Quote:- EDIT - After thinking it over for a bit, I added a 3dcafe credit to the STEX description.

 

 

That is probably the best solution if the original modeller's name is not given

[dzignguy 0]

 

-ardecila-

I understand your point and certainly don

[SHADD0W09 2]

IS THERE A VERSION FOR TRAIN SIMULATOR AS WHELL TO CONVERT THERE MODLES TO GMAX

 

[cameron1991 0]

Do you have to have Flight Simulator installed to do this? When ever i try it stops converting the file in MDL2DXF about half way through and makes the dxf file but when I try to open it with gmax it says 'File open failed'. Is there anything im doing wrong?

[SHADD0W09 2]

 

 

Date: 1/30/2006 12:20:32 AM Author: cameron1991 Do you have to have Flight Simulator installed to do this? When ever i try it stops converting the file in MDL2DXF about half way through and makes the dxf file but when I try to open it with gmax it says 'File open failed'. Is there anything im doing wrong?

quote>

 

you have to import them in look under file then import make shure you have allfiles selected so you cant find the dxf file

bu be warned you will have to shrink them a lot to make them props

[cameron1991 0]

SHADD0W09: Ive tried importing the files with BAT, But when I go to the folder that has the dxf file in it, I cannot find the file in there.

 

PS: What do you mean by having all files selected?

[cameron1991 0]

SHADD0W09: Ive tried importing the files with BAT, But when I go to the folder that has the dxf file in it, I cannot find the file in there.

 

PS: What do you mean by having all files selected?

 

Sorry for the doublepost

[SHADD0W09 2]

Date: 1/30/2006 6:49:18 PM Author: cameron1991

SHADD0W09: Ive tried importing the files with BAT, But when I go to the folder that has the dxf file in it, I cannot find the file in there.

quote>

 

on the select files for inport page when you press import form the file menue a box appears below where file name there is files of type pick the All files (*.*) the the dxf file will appear

 

hope it helps

[joeynymets 19]

wow this is a good tutorial!

[cameron1991 0]

Thanks SHADD0W09 I think ive finally figured out how to do this

[Cell.Phone 0]

I know this thred ended ages ago but i need to know how to get the texture onto the model. I have the model and when im on gmax i can't seem to texture it

help!!!

[The Big Z 103]

I know this will bump this thread from obscurity, but I can't get MDL2DXF to convert. I can start it, and everything, but soon after I click 'convert', I get a message from windows saying the programs stopped working...Is there something I should change? I tried running it with XP compatibility, but it did the samething.