Scenery object texture question

[jmfabio]

Hi all! I am currently creating signage for the major commands and bivouac areas of my Morotai scenery. My question is Must I save my texture sheet(s) as DDS? And if I need to should they be flipped in the vertical as my aircraft repaints are? Sorry again for the way this looks as I can't figure out why the return is not working in this window. Thanks in advance for your help, Joe

[ian elliot]

Its ok to us BMP for small objects in FSX scenery, i do it all the time. But if your saving to DDS, then yes, your texture sheet has to be flip'd.

[jmfabio]

Its ok to us BMP for small objects in FSX scenery, i do it all the time. But if your saving to DDS, then yes, your texture sheet has to be flip'd.

Thanks Ian, That is what I kind of thought. On Both counts. Thanks again..................Onward and upward. Learning continues. Joe

[jmfabio]

Its ok to us BMP for small objects in FSX scenery, i do it all the time. But if your saving to DDS, then yes, your texture sheet has to be flip'd.

Hi again Ian, I am using Sketchup to make the models. If I use DDS textures and the are flipped, do I texture the model in Sketchup with the texture upside down. Or must I rotate my texture sheet to pin it to the model? Thanks, Joe

[falcon409]

Hi again Ian, I am using Sketchup to make the models. If I use DDS textures and the are flipped, do I texture the model in Sketchup with the texture upside down. Or must I rotate my texture sheet to pin it to the model? Thanks, Joe

I also use Sketchup for modeling and then MCX for compiling to a bgl. I let MCX handle the texture sheets and conversion to DDS as it does the flip automatically. . .so you texture in Sketchup normally, save as a dae (3D) file and import to MCX and let that program convert your texture sheet to a dds file (the flip is automatic).

[jmfabio]

I also use Sketchup for modeling and then MCX for compiling to a bgl. I let MCX handle the texture sheets and conversion to DDS as it does the flip automatically. . .so you texture in Sketchup normally, save as a dae (3D) file and import to MCX and let that program convert your texture sheet to a dds file (the flip is automatic).

Thanks for the reply falcon.
These are the first models I am attempting to make. The first ones lookeed good in MXC. But that was only with one sign made and textured. I didn't compile it into a library to test it in the sim. I will proceed as you described. Thanks again, Joe

[ian elliot]

I use FSDS, but i use pretty much the same procedure as Falcon

[falcon409]

Thanks for the reply falcon.
These are the first models I am attempting to make. The first ones looked good in MCX. But that was only with one sign made and textured. I didn't compile it into a library to test it in the sim. I will proceed as you described. Thanks again, Joe

One other note, when I do a large number of objects for a scenery I'll save them as "mdl's" (Export Object) and then combine all of them into an object library. If I'm only doing a few I'll save them as "bgl's" (Export Scenery).

[jmfabio]

One other note, when I do a large number of objects for a scenery I'll save them as "mdl's" (Export Object) and then combine all of them into an object library. If I'm only doing a few I'll save them as "bgl's" (Export Scenery).

That's what I have done. Tried a trial run of several models compiled into a library. In the sim the posts of the signs were there but not the signs themselves. On closer inspection the signs were transparent! I traced this to ( I think) that when converted in MCX, the textures called for were different sheets called materials, materials_3 etc.

Two questions :

1. If I don't texture my objects all at one time, how do I keep Sketchup from renaming it each time I open the program?
(I remember seeing a message saying that my texture sheet must have an unique name each time.)

2. I have to texture every surface of every element Correct? Even though they show as white in Sketchup?

Thanks again in advance for any advice and help,

Joe

[Dimus]

Untextured surfaces in Sketchup will show transparent in MCX and the sim as well.

Even though MCX converts textures to dds automatically, I follow a process that may be more complicated but I feel that allows me to have more control over it.

First of all, when modelling, I try to define from an early start what kind of texture sheets I will need. I then start creating these sheets in photoshop, allowing for space on them to add additional things in the process. This saves very much in draw calls as one may be able to cover a complete object with one or two textures. I save this texture in jpg format as well as dds format from within photoshop. I also ask photoshop to create mip-maps when saving in DDS. This reduces the shimmering effect when the object is seen from a distance. I import the jpg texture only in sketchup, I give it a material name that I can recognize (not just material1 etc) and use it for detail placing it and adjusting it on the object. Then, when I read the dae export in MCX, I manually replace the jpg textures with the equivalent dds textures on the object and convert to mdl or directly bgl. In MCX I could go further and also assign bump maps, spec maps, and other material properties like reflectivity etc.

[falcon409]

lol, listen to Dimus. . .he has the correct procedure. Not that mine doesn't work also, it just happens to be the way I taught myself to build and texture. As most of my building textures are tiled then doors and windows added after the fact, I end up with odd texture sheets and more draw calls than necessary. . .but MCX still does a decent job of arranging the sheets and I've never noticed any drain on the system even where there have been a lot of models built for a particular airport.

What my technique doesn't allow though is some of the night lighting effects on buildings. Since they are tiled, I can't do lighting on the exterior or interior of hangars. . .things that would really add to the overall experience. I compensate for that by giving the windows a "lights on" appearance that at least makes it seem that there is life down there, lol

[Dimus]

Nothing wrong with tiled textures Ed. I use them a lot also for covering hangar walls and roofs. They are also very FPS friendly as their size is small. One drawback is the ,well, tiling effect you may have. The combined texture sheets are handy to use to collect many little details in one sheet.

Night lighting is much easier now in P3D with dynamic lights, regardless of the textures used. I also use the "lit window" trick you mention, it shows life inside.

[jmfabio]

I want to thank you for having devoted time to answering my questions, But something is wrong and I can't figure it out.

1. I am using the free Sketchup.

2. In sketchup I make my model and texture it. I shows well, all textured.

3. I export the model as a Collada file DAE.

4. I open the Collada file in MCX and I see the model from all sides. I check info and make sure there is only one BMP file called for the textures.

5. I export as an FS MDL file.

6. I reopen the MDL file in MCX just to make sure nothing went wrong when converting.

7. I compile that MDL file into a library file xxx.bgl this bgl only contains one object.

8. I open the bgl with MCX and see if the model looks as it did in STEPS 4 and 6. All good

9. I copy my bgl and my texture sheet to their respective folders in my Morotai folder.

10. I open ADE and add the bgl file via the Library object manager and save it.

11. I place the object in that library into my airport. (Right next to one of the runway starts so there is no chance that I will miss it.)

12. I compile the airport.

13. I COPY the new files to the scenery folder in FSX: the 3 ADE file for the airport, terrain polys and the objects: the texture sheet called for the object, and the new library bgl.

14. I open FSX, the new scenery files are compiled, I select the airport and the runway start close to where I placed the object AND

15. It is not there.

This is seemingly to me a simple procedure. I can't figure out what it is I am doing wrong. But it is obvious to me that something is amiss. I am worse off than when I first started creating my signs: at least parts of them showed.

Perhaps I need to step away for a day or two and the start again.

Perhaps one of you can point me in the right direction as right now I think that I am too close to the problem.

Thanks again in advance for all the help.

Joe

[jmfabio]

I want to thank you for having devoted time to answering my questions, But something is wrong and I can't figure it out.


4. I open the Collada file in MCX and I see the model from all sides. I check info and make sure there is only one BMP file called for the textures.


13. I COPY the new files to the scenery folder in FSX: the 3 ADE file for the airport, terrain polys and the objects: the texture sheet called for the object, and the new library bgl.


15. It is not there.


Thanks again in advance for all the help.

Joe

After I posted this, I went and reread the previous replies. Then it dawned on me what Dimus and Ed said about MCX converting the texture sheet to DDS. the texture sheet in my scenery texture folder was a BMP. After flipping the BMP and converting to DDS, the object showed up in the scenery.

Now, one more question. Some of the objects I made in Sketchup show several textures when loaded into MCX. ie.: signs, signs_1, signs_2 etc.

I think this happens sometime during texturing an object with many surfaces. How do I keep this from happening?

If I can figure this out, I will have this licked.

Thanks,
Joe

[Dimus]

This happens in Sketchup when the textures are warped. For warped textures sketchup exports single different textures under other names. If you did not warp them intentionally, it may have happened during placing or rotating. To clear this you may follow this procedure:

- use the highlight feature in the material editor to find out which are the faces with the warped textures
- repeat the texturing in the offending faces, making sure that the textures are not warped.
- export in mdl or bgl and reopen them in MCX to make sure only one texture has been exported.

[jmfabio]

Thanks Dimus,

I do recall that on some objects that the textures did get all out of whack when I was trying to position the texture sheet. I will keep that in mind as I proceed.

Thanks again, Joe