new material in model converter X
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 49

Thread: new material in model converter X

  1. #1

    new material in model converter X

    Hi again,

    Seems like I'm getting deeper into playing with models. Is there any way to have an object utilize a new material with model converter X?

    Thanks,
    LouP

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Thank you Manfred but it only lists the textures that were in the original model to begin with. I'm trying to add a whole new texture for the glass. I applied the "default transparent" using the texture that the model part originally applied to but it's not vey transparent using that texture, so I wanted to reference a whole new texture and see how that worked.

    LouP

  4. #4
    Loup, you can go through a material's parameters line by line and change whatever is needed including texture file names. Then export the model and test, and try again etc. as much and often as necessary?

  5. #5
    You can definitely do this. If you click on the file name listed for the diffuse texture in the Material Editor, you can see on the right side a little button that allows you to browse to a different file, if you want to change it.
    For making glass clear, I usually I swap in a different texture that works well for me......and I usually don't even have to change any other parameters. It just works.

    Quote Originally Posted by LouP View Post
    Thank you Manfred but it only lists the textures that were in the original model to begin with. I'm trying to add a whole new texture for the glass. I applied the "default transparent" using the texture that the model part originally applied to but it's not vey transparent using that texture, so I wanted to reference a whole new texture and see how that worked.

    LouP
    Current System Specs :
    FSXA & P3Dv4 | Windows 10 Professional for Workstations (x64)
    Motherboard: Gigabit Z390 Aorus Ultra, LGA 1151, Intel based
    CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz | RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 3600
    GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme (6GB GDDR5)
    HD: 1TB SanDisk SSD Plus | PSU: KDM 750W ATX Power Supply

  6. #6
    Thanks all,

    I think I have the steps down but whenI get to the final step, I see New Template 1 through 3 listed but not the texture I want to use that is in the texture folder.

    LouP

  7. #7
    If a new texture is all you need (what awstub suggests), just change the texture name. From glass.dds to glassnew.dds for example. You can even type that directly into the Material Editor's slot.

    Naturally, you must make sure a) to export the model from MCX using a name that complies with the plane's model.cfg, b) that you have copied glassnew.dds to the texture folder of the target plane and that that is the livery you are actually flying, d) that your FS is actually using the updated textures (re-loading may not be enough), and e) that the replacement texture is a suitable glass texture to begin with. Hopefully you made a backup of the original model in the first place.

    For awstub's scenario you do not need any Templates. You shouldn't have "New Template 1 thru 3" either - the first thing you do after creating a new template from an existing material is giving it a meaningful name such as "glass from Cessna" or whatever. Oh, and a new Template will not become active unless you pick it from the Templates dropdown list and hit 'Apply'.

  8. #8
    There are people here who know much better ways to do this than me, but I have been having a good bit of success lately with converting FS2004 and FSX jets to work with P3Dv4.5.
    I'm definitely no expert though and what I know is mostly from trial and error, or accidentally finding a post someone wrote somewhere, but what I do process-wise, once I open the model with McX is:

    I first open Animation Editor to check them all and find out if any need to be taken care of.
    To better see the animations as I go through them, I switch to mesh view. If I still have trouble finding an animation, I open Hierarchy Editor and type in the animation name. Once selected, it will show up on the mesh in red. Some animations need to be reversed, which is done through Hierarchy Editor by right clicking on the animated parts "SceneGraphNode" and selecting "reverse animation".
    If I can't get an animation to work properly, and it's not a "must have", I'll "fix" it in whatever position I'm OK with freezing it at.
    Sometimes you'll need to use a specific modeldef.xml file in order to get animations to convert properly.

    I then open Material Editor and check for missing textures.
    I check to see if the canopy glass can be made clear by setting it to Default Transparent. If it works, great. If it does not, then I swap in a different texture. My go to texture is "Glass_T" ..... I don't know it's true origin, but it works 99% of the time for me.
    Something to note... unless the texture files are in the same folder as the model, the aircraft.cfg controls what textures will display in McX. So, if the textures files seem to be in the correct places but not displaying on the model, check the cfg file.

    Once I'm satisfied with everything, I re-compile the model.....saving it with a new name, so that I don't overwrite the original model. You need to be able to start over, since sometimes things don't recompile the way you expect.

    For exterior models, I usually just add "_P3D" to the original name.

    For interior models I add "_Int" to end of the name instead of _P3D.

    I then modify the models model.cfg file by changing "normal=" to the new exterior model name and add the "interior=" line with the interior model name.
    This should allow the models to display textures properly when I re-open them in McX to verify that they compiled OK.

    There are definitely others here who can do McX magic with material settings, etc... but I haven't figured out how to do any of that yet and unfortunately it seems that there isn't much in the way of tutorials that explains what can/should be done in this regard.
    As wonderful as McX is, it's documentation is less than comprehensive and unless you know what you are doing it can be difficult to know what values control what.

    Edited to add: there are a lot of other things not mentioned, such as dealing with attached effects, etc... but my intention for this post was to offer some "starter" info to help others who might be thinking of trying to convert something. Some conversions seem to be very easy and some seem to be very difficult.... but very enjoyable once you experience a little bit of success.
    Last edited by awstub; March 30th, 2020 at 08:29. Reason: more information added
    Current System Specs :
    FSXA & P3Dv4 | Windows 10 Professional for Workstations (x64)
    Motherboard: Gigabit Z390 Aorus Ultra, LGA 1151, Intel based
    CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz | RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 3600
    GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme (6GB GDDR5)
    HD: 1TB SanDisk SSD Plus | PSU: KDM 750W ATX Power Supply

  9. #9
    Thanks guys, finally got it to work. :-)

    LouP

  10. #10
    Hey Awstub, I need to reverse some animations but nothing comes up when I right click. What version of MCX do you have?

    LouP

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by LouP View Post
    Hey Awstub, I need to reverse some animations but nothing comes up when I right click. What version of MCX do you have?

    LouP

    I use the latest development release, which you can find here http://www.scenerydesign.org/development-releases/
    Current System Specs :
    FSXA & P3Dv4 | Windows 10 Professional for Workstations (x64)
    Motherboard: Gigabit Z390 Aorus Ultra, LGA 1151, Intel based
    CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz | RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 3600
    GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme (6GB GDDR5)
    HD: 1TB SanDisk SSD Plus | PSU: KDM 750W ATX Power Supply

  12. #12
    That's the one I have, also but can't see the option to reverse anumations.

    LouP

  13. #13
    SOH-CM-2022
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Back in the land of maple syrup
    Age
    62
    Posts
    737
    Hi,
    Find the animation that you want to reverse in the Hierarchy Editor and then right click on "Animation" in the right hand panel.
    You should see this.

    Gavin

  14. #14
    TY, was in the left panel.

    LouP

  15. #15
    First, Thank you, you guys have been a wealth of information and I am having a blast tweaking stuff. I have an aircraft where the guages seem to be hiding just behind the bitmap of the vc panel. I need to either nudge the gauges a little further in or move the vc a little back. I was playing with the transformations and don't know if that's where I should be looking or not. Any more help will be appreciated.

    LouP

  16. #16
    I'm not sure what you mean. Normally, if you are not seeing instruments, it's because you need to set the background $ textures to be transparent..... otherwise they are just black, with no instruments..


    Quote Originally Posted by LouP View Post
    First, Thank you, you guys have been a wealth of information and I am having a blast tweaking stuff. I have an aircraft where the guages seem to be hiding just behind the bitmap of the vc panel. I need to either nudge the gauges a little further in or move the vc a little back. I was playing with the transformations and don't know if that's where I should be looking or not. Any more help will be appreciated.

    LouP
    Current System Specs :
    FSXA & P3Dv4 | Windows 10 Professional for Workstations (x64)
    Motherboard: Gigabit Z390 Aorus Ultra, LGA 1151, Intel based
    CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz | RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 3600
    GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme (6GB GDDR5)
    HD: 1TB SanDisk SSD Plus | PSU: KDM 750W ATX Power Supply

  17. #17
    Right, but in the case of this model, It looks really bad without if there. I was trying to move that piece back a bit or the guages forward. Maybe it can't be done. Learning so much with this thing.

    LouP

  18. #18
    What model are you working on? Maybe someone here has already taken a look at it and can offer you a tip.

    The only way you can really move a model part would be to isolate it in McX and then export it into a format that you can then open in a modeling program.

    For instance, you could isolate the part and export it into the .obj format (Wavefront, I think?) awhich will allow you to then import it into Blender.
    You can then make your modifications and (after re-registering it with the texture map) export into .mdl format (if you have the free Blender2FXS add-on... and Blender is free too).
    Once the part is back into a .mdl format you merge it into the model .....after removing the part, since you are replacing it with a modified part.

    It sounds very complicated, but once you do it a couple times it's really not so bad. you can add/change pilots, VCs, gunsights, rockets, bombs, etc... this way.

    Quote Originally Posted by LouP View Post
    Right, but in the case of this model, It looks really bad without if there. I was trying to move that piece back a bit or the guages forward. Maybe it can't be done. Learning so much with this thing.

    LouP
    Current System Specs :
    FSXA & P3Dv4 | Windows 10 Professional for Workstations (x64)
    Motherboard: Gigabit Z390 Aorus Ultra, LGA 1151, Intel based
    CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz | RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 3600
    GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme (6GB GDDR5)
    HD: 1TB SanDisk SSD Plus | PSU: KDM 750W ATX Power Supply

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by awstub View Post
    The only way you can really move a model part would be to isolate it in McX and then export it into a format that you can then open in a modeling program.
    Hi,
    It is not correct.
    If you just want to move an existing model part, use the "transformation" settings to move the model part in the desired direction, or even rotate it.

    You should only isolate, export or delete a model part if you want to replace it with another.

    Best
    Jean

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by D5turbi View Post
    Hi,
    It is not correct.
    If you just want to move an existing model part, use the "transformation" settings to move the model part in the desired direction, or even rotate it.

    You should only isolate, export or delete a model part if you want to replace it with another.

    Best
    Jean
    I was playing with the transformations editor but there are so many variables to adjust, I wasn't sure which one to change. I just want to move the VC back a little bit but am now thinking that I may be simply moving the gauges back with the VC. I played with a few but none of the settings I tried helped. The model is the FS9 Avro Anson. I had another idea last night and am going to try a different gauge and see if that becomes visible in the vc.

    LouP

  21. #21
    On which site did you download this Avro Anson?
    There is also a VC update for this aircraft.
    It could help you

    http://www.allflightmods.com/flight-...mk1-vc-update/

    Jean

  22. #22
    Assuming it's my old FS9 Anson, load the interior model into MCX, and open the material editor. Look for the "$ans_vc" texture (should be the first one). In the properties, scroll down to the "Z-bias" setting. Try changing that to -1 and export.

  23. #23
    I took a look at the Vc of
    In my opinion, it is not the Z-Bias that is involved, but you must modify the two parameters of the "Framebuffer Blend" to make it transparent:



    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 2020-04-04_13-48-30.jpg   2020-04-04_13-47-36.jpg  

  24. #24
    Yes, you do need to change the framebuffer blend, but the actual gauge plane is slightly behind part of the panel mesh. Changing the z-bias will fix that.

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by DaveWG View Post
    Yes, you do need to change the framebuffer blend, but the actual gauge plane is slightly behind part of the panel mesh. Changing the z-bias will fix that.
    Thank you, Dave (thank you both). Also, thanks for the aircraft, Dave. I can't wait to get her operational again.

    LouP

Members who have read this thread: 5

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •