Animation & Key Frames: FSX/P3D
Question;
As a rule, when animating, should all animations be collapsed in order for them to work, correctly?
Reason I ask is some of the animations are not working. Mainly the switches on the dash panel.
I know. Try it and see. I'm asking first. :mixedsmi:
OBED scaling problems and animations
You may get an error message when exporting a model to FSX:-
https://i.imgur.com/BSYGKsP.jpg
This has been a problem since the early days of FS modelling: if you have scaled objects up or down in size while building them, the exporter is going to cough. The model might export to FSX but animations won't work however many times you redo the animation, Animation Manager tagging or visibility attachpoints. It just sits lifeless in the sim.
Many times the answer is to select the objects and reset scale:-
https://i.imgur.com/NQadpuQ.jpg
You may have to click on this several times to get a result!
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If resetting scale does not work
Unfortunately there are times when this is not enough: despite resetting scale until your mouse is overheating, the OBED scale error warning still pops up. There is no escaping the nuclear option now – Reset XForm. This is an irreversible process, so save your work before doing this.
All links between objects must be Unlinked – prop discs to prop spinners, wheels to undercarriage oleos to wheelwells etc. Then select everything, go to Tools and click Reset XForm, then the Reset Selected button:-
https://i.imgur.com/Aqkrnev.jpg
This places an XForm modifier on top of each object's stack in the Modify tab. Right-click on each object's stack in turn and Collapse All. The result is Gmax now has an accurate handle on each object's actual size (and the object's pivot is aligned to World): any scaling error is gone for good.
You now rebuild the model's hierarchy and will almost certainly have to rebuild some animations - realigning each animated object's pivot to suit will often be enough.
This is a royal pain to do if you have built and animated an entire model before discovering the OBED scaling error, so your practise should always be:–
Export early, export often, test your work in the sim as you go along!!
OBED scaling error sources
If you have built geometry using spline cages - several splines in the shape of wing or fuselage cross-sections, Attached together with Cross-Section and Surface modifiers for example - then Gmax or 3ds Max may not have an accurate handle on your geometry. This might be even more the case if you've then used Lofting to form wingtips which are welded on to the Wing mesh and then further scaling of parts of the mesh to refine the shape. The geometry looks just fine to you, but apply a Reset XForm modifier before mapping or animating or Gmax/Max might have lost track along the way.
The biggest source of OBED scaling errors in practise is Groups. Groups are very powerful tools but should be used as donkeys eat thistles – very carefully! Grouping a bunch of objects, performing some operations on the group (especially scaling) and then Ungrouping will lead to OBED scaling errors. Exploding a group will do the same. Gmax/Max loses track of transform data when a group is ungrouped or exploded, which is where the problem starts.
In general, avoid Groups unless you genuinely know what you're doing.