FSDS animated platform

[lazarus]

Allrighty. It is doable, folks have done it, and the procedure isn't complicated. The explanation is a little unclear, hoping you kids can help me get that squared away.
Cimogt has a loverly bit of code written to control this thing, now the thing is needed. Working up this...
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An '80's SWATH sea control ship, all well and fine (despite working from a 2 inch thumbnail, and memories of the painting in a larger size in a 1987 issue of ICA-before that journal turned into a policeman posterior osculating propaganda rag...)
Separated the elevator model, pared that down to a textured poly, animated it in FSDS- so far, so good.
Here's the bit I ran aground on, from JP Fillon on FS developer....

....You have to work with an attach object. Here what I done :

1. I build a first platform.
2. I copy and paste the platform to make a second platform.
3. I rename the second platform.
4. I make the second platform children of the first platform.
5. I just keep the surface of the second platform (I delete all polygons except those where the aircraft have to land).
6. In the ParDateDef.txt file (located in FSDS root folder), I add this line :

helizone <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?> <FSMakeMdlData version="9.0"> <Platform name="helizone" surfaceType="CONCRETE" > </Platform> </FSMakeMdlData>

"helizone" is the name of my second platform. Note that between "helizone" and "<?xml..." there is ONE SPACE THEN ONE TAB.



OK. ParDateDef.txt file? What ParDateDef.txt file? I've a PartNames txt file, no 'ParDateDef'.txt file

But, I added the helizone code line in that txt.file under the FSX parts section, and the app didn't crash. Loaded the animated poly, went into the properties box, renamed things, viz: steps 1-5, step 6 done at the outset. Exported an FSDS file, mcx read that fine, the animation exported, but I'm not seeing a platform.
Where did I fcuk it up? does the helizone name assigned also assign the material(platform) definition?
Any ideas or some illumination of the manifold ways I've made it pear shaped would be a godsend.
I know this is doable, and cracking this breathes life into a number of stalled projects (hoisting a seaplane aboard...)
If y'all want the working files to give it a go, just shout. Shoveling paper with the other hand to placate the airworthiness inspectors today, so I'll be hanging about.

[TiAr]

Create a PartDateDefs.txt file with editor and save it in FSDS directory. Important: ParDateDef.txt is not workíng - take care about right name: PartDateDefs.txt (with t and s)

In that file you write your helizone xml.

Example for a light

attachpt_landing_1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?> <FSMakeMdlData version="9.0"> <Attachpoint name="attachpt_landing_1"> <AttachedObject> <Effect effectName="fx_landing" effectParams=""/> </AttachedObject> </Attachpoint> <Visibility name="general_light"> </Visibility> </FSMakeMdlData>

Thomas

[lazarus]

Ah. So, the description was missing a critical datum, thank you!
FSDS suffers from that all too common ill, want of decent documentation, support and a user interface that 'stone age counter-intuitive bollux' fails doing descriptive justice to.
I shall give that a go forthwith. Seems a simple enough procedure.
I am assuming that skipping several steps in FSDS- the modelling steps, which are done in SKUP to aid preservation of my remaining three grains of sanity- and going right to animating and naming conventions should not affect the process?
What I wouldn't give for a 3D program with FSX animation features in a glorious UI such as SKUP...a problem for more agile minds than the one I'm saddled with!

[Bjoern]

Blender is the only option for a futureproof, free and flexible modeling tool.

[Essex]

It should be possible to do this using MCX alone.
Since this discussion
http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/carrier-animation.16061/
MCX has been updated to allow platforms to be moved around the hierarchy, so it should be much easier now!
Untested.

[lazarus]

My first thought was to assign a platform to the animated poly in MCX, which fails miserably. Interesting, as it's an elderly thread, and I'm using the next to newest service release. Have to go through that again, as the process I arrived at is similar to the FSD thread, viz: animated bits are grouped to allow cut and past in position, exported, converted to FSDS and animated. I thought, if the platform has a unique material, the auto platform feature should do it. The platform failed to attach, or was a snarl of lines somewhere below the elevator, or the elevator moved and the platform didn't. There is then, several different methods to pull this off. Cool! Off to give these a try, Will report back the findings.

[lazarus]

An initial report...using the method put forward in the FSD thread by Essex, I was indeed able to attach a moving platform in MCX using the auto-platform feature(so it will fit in the hole on deck) However, the platform attached to the ribs under the platform. But, it was a platform tagged to the keyframe animation! It shows in MCX, it can be moved around. I'm going to peel apart the elevator and run that again with just a bare, single-side poly. Looks encouraging and it's very easy.

[lazarus]

Closer and closer. Actually got the platform on the deck, and the platform following the animation. Where I'm loosing the thread is putting the x-file back to get the thing to export.


...

I've managed to implement this on a carrier I'm converting using ModelConverterX.
It's not straightforward;

1. Separate out the animated platform with MCX
2. Export as .X / .Xanim
3. Open the .X file with notepad, delete
AnimLinkName {
"nodeX";
}

4. MCX should now let you add a platform to the lift. Export as .X
5. Using a program such as aptdiff compare the new file to the original, add back AnimLinkName etc, correct other changes.
6. View the new .X / .Xanim in MCX, you should have an animated lift and a platform. But not a an animated platform, this is due to the platform being on the wrong node.
7. Edit the .X again by moving a
}
from before
Frame frm_part2 {
to the end of the file.

8. View again in MCX and export as MDL.
9. Merge the functioning lift back into the main MDL.




Ok. Which animation link name do you remove? I've got three or four...
It looks like it works, it's fairly simple except for the second part of the method to get a clean mdl file export.
Essex, could I impose on you to run your technique on this thing and post back the x-file at each stage of the process. It's much simpler to read through the Xfiles and note the changes at each point of the process when one has all of the xfile stages to compare.
I note a number of sections missing in the hard deck xfile export, but I'm not certain how you put it back together. Then a detailed 'how to' can be put together.
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[Essex]

Lazarus, I've sent you an email.

[lazarus]

I'd just like to shout out to Thomas and Essex for the invaluable and educational help on this. Though FSDS is still fighting tooth and nail, I am certain the problem is with the human end of the UI. I've pestered Essex endlessly and finally got his method working, which adds a hard deck to a pre-existing animation sequence using MCX- It's actually reasonably simple once I fixed the errors and unfeatures I'd built in:banghead:
So, I've just to assemble the barge, now: it should be available shortly.
Essex, Thomas and Cimogt, you guys are the bomb. You've added a whole schwad of possibilities to the game, and conquered issues that many said impossible.
A b-i-g B-Z is also in order for Arno, who's MCX has become a wonderfully powerful and flexible tool that I cannot go with out, and would otherwise still find even the poor 3D crappola I chum out impossible.
:applause: This is a very happy camper.