Mosaic File Editor for CFS3 in Windows 7

This thread is by way of an FYI since gecko gave me the lowdown on getting this working. I can now do all my development work in Windows 7, which suits me very well! :jump:

The MOS file editor can work in Windows 7. It needs the following:-

1. the Microsoft .NET framework: this is already included in the operating system.
2. DirectX 9.0c: yes I know Win7 has a later version of DirectX included, but you need 9.0c to run the MOS editor and Win7 will allow it to coexist with later versions. :isadizzy:
   http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35
3. Managed DirectX. This is buried in the middle of the multi-megabyte DirectX 9 SDK, but you can find it as an individual download elsewhere. Look for "mdxredist.msi download" on Google and you'll find it. Hopefully on a site that doesn't want you to register before you download, giving away your inside leg measurements etc: always scan such downloads with AV software before using.

Install these in the order given so it's DirectX 9.0c first, Managed DirectX second. The MOS editor will now run as desired.

The final gotcha - and for this I really want to thank gecko - is telling the editor where the .dds files referenced by a .mos file are:-

Quote:

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you do have to show the editor where to find the .dds files or it won't load. To do this click the options tab and click directories from the dropdown menu. Under the texture directories box click add and then navigate to the directory where the textures used by the mos are stored. If they are in more than one folder you will have to do this for each folder that contains textures called by the mos file

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You should now be able to edit .mos files under Windows 7. Note there are two .mos editors available for CFS3 and the one to go for is part of the Terrain SDK for CFS3: it includes limited help files.

The same solution may also work for Vista and I'd really like to hear from anyone who has a try at this: please note that .NET framework is also included in Vista.


PS: if anyone is leery of downloading mdxredist.msi from alternative download sites, drop me a PM with an email addy and I'll send you my copy.

Hi Hairyspin, I've been installing an tweaking CFS3 on my new Win 7 machine and want to get the mos editor working. I didnt' quite get your process right at first. The Dx9c link you posted just went to an update, and then the Managed dx didnt' do a whole lot. Dx9c told me it didnt' need to update the first time. The download for the full 9c version i found (microsoft) asked me where to put it. I chose the sdk folder. Reinstalling didnt work and the mos editor still says it has an initialization error. Can you help me? I've got a massive array of modded files, and some scavenged ETO files and I think the .lso and .mos files are not matching properly. I have tree lines in the wrong place and lame densities of trees in some forrest tiles. Most are good but others look like tree nurseries and thin ones at that. I have a stoked new I7 system, nVidia gtx 570 classified card so i am ready to crank it. I want to see where the problem is. Maybe I should just bag it and install eto. I can handle the facilities now.

Not about Windows 7, but still about the Editor - If you have a horrifying number of installs, you end up with the Editor going into "I can't find" mode, which can be rather annoying, as you have to click and click on OK until it decides to co-operate - and then goes funny again each time you try to change something. If you create a reference folder outside CFS3, and put copies in there of all the dds damage, bullethole, artwork, letters and so forth, and use that as the single designated directory (in preferences) then it'll stop getting confused between all the different installs, and use just the reference folder. All you need to do is remember to add any supplementary files you may need to use to the reference folder as well as to the install you plan to use the mos file in.

Funny, the link for DirectX 9 takes me to a Microsoft page which has a download link to the DX9 update. I think that's where I got my install from.

If you're getting an initialisation error on starting the MOS editor, it will also say you need Managed DirectX, so you haven't installed it yet.

Captain Winters has a download for Managed DirectX in a recent post. Download his file, extract mdxredist.msi from it (it's there, I just checked) and run it to install Managed DirectX.


The DirectX sdk, despite its many megabytes, does not install Managed DirectX for you::banghead: you have to find it in the sdk for yourself and manually install it.