FSX Model Spot-View Distance - Adjustable?

[Bomber_12th]

I'm just throwing this question out there, wondering if anyone has come up with a solid solution to adjust the Spot-View Distance within acceptable range on FSX models, without having to do it manually every time within the sim. Up to just recently, the aircraft I was working on had a very nice, average spot-view distance. Then, after doing several animations, and adding several new parts, the spot-view distance is very far from the aircraft. It was so easy in FS9 to adjust this with AFCAD, but alas, I have not been able to do the same with the FSX model. I guess in the mean time I will try and back track on my work, and see if I can pinpoint some animation or part which may be causing it.

[Bomber_12th]

Well, I managed to trace the problem down to the elevator animation. Removing either the tag or the keyframes themselves solves the problem - now the greater question is why? :mixedsmi:

I tried deleting the animation and adding it back in, and it brought the problem right back, no matter how I did it. I'll see if something can be fixed about the elevators themselves tomorrow, or build a new set and see if that solves it.

I looked for advice on some other forums as well, and it seems no one has a conclusive method for adjusting the viewpoint within the model. I'm glad I noticed after only a couple of day's work, and not one or more weeks, so I was more easily able to know where the trouble may be lurking.

[Milton Shupe]

Hi John,

I can only relate to you my experience in FS8/9. Unless it has changed the view distance was computed by the sim to be something like 1.2 times the wing span something to that effect. However that may be an old wives tale. :-)

But you do know that the center of the view tends to be the reference point. So, I am curious with the issue you are having if that center of view remains the same or is pushed off to one side.

It seems if you have a stray vertice on a part that is like 30-40 meters away, that it will be considered on the distance in view. Have you checked the model for stray vertices? When you view the model in Top, Right viewports, and you use the Zoom Extents, does the model come in to you to fill the screen or does it hang back as if some hidden part is determining the distance.

Just some thoughts here ... hope you find the issue, and share with us the resolution.

[Bomber_12th]

Hi Milton,

I managed to get the problem taken care of. Oddly, I was not able, for the life of me, to find any stray vertices. That was the first thing that came to my mind as well, and even stranger that it only occurred with an animation attached to the elevators. I split the elevators in half, with only one elevator being animated, and it actually cut the spot view distance in half. So what I did to solve it all together, was create a tiny parent part, which I attached the elevator animation, and then linked the elevators to that part. The spot view distance is back to how it once was again, and it feels great to have it taken care of.

[n4gix]

To actually answer the original question, no it is not possible to reset the spot view distance once the model is compiled. It is recorded in a different way in FSX .mdl files and can not be edited without FUBARing the entire model...

As you've discovered, whatever it is in the Max/GMax source must be found and "fixed" prior to compling. Unfortunately, for those of us who create custom stuff such as ground power units that appear on demand, it means that we have to live with oddball spot view distances sometimes...

[Bomber_12th]

I know this is an old thread by now, but I was faced with another animation that threw the spot view distance off once again. This time I decided to try and do the old "Affect Pivot Only" - "Reset Scale" process, and low and behold it corrected the spot view distance. I believe that this is the same problem that when working with the FS9 exporter, it won't even allow you to export the model before reseting the scale. It is nice to know that this is at least one way to correct it, instead of finding other, time-consuming work-arounds.

[robcap]

Thanks to Tim-HH for finding this post, thanks to all above for solving my problem.
It has to do with the scale of an animated part.
I deleted the animation (was of no use to the model in exterior view, I merged an animated VC button)

Now all OK!!!

R.