FSX modelling with recent versions of 3dsMax

[hairyspin]

Some good news from Lockheed-Martin. 3dsMax users with recent versions have been unable to use the ACES tools for FSX, because the last version of Max supported was 2008, and this version and older ones are no longer sold.

Lockheed-Martin bought rights to use the ESP code and market it as Prepar3D. The SDK is a free download from L-M and support for Max 2009 and 2011 has been added. This will be included in the Prepar3D 1.2 SDK when it's released, but the new tools are available now.

Since the Prepar3D .MDL file is (as yet) no different from an FSX .MDL, this means owners of Max versions newer than 2008 can now use Max for their FSX projects.

Prepar3d Community Downloads page

EDIT: compatibility is likely to be with SP2, possibly Acceleration?

Thanks to beatle at FSDeveloper for breaking this news.

[Dangerousdave26]

Here is another interesting tidbit.

Go to this page and look at the video. http://www.prepar3d.com/experience/

Then look right below it.

Images

(Images show Lockheed Martin Prepar3D with OrbX PNW scenery and REX2 environmental addons.)

Then I found this

Lockheed Martin Prepar3D® immerses the user in a rich and interactive environment that allows users go anywhere in the virtual world, from underwater up to sub orbital space. The Lockheed Martin Prepar3D® team has continued to improve the core ESP™ product while maintaining compatibility with Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) allowing the many thousands of addons to be used within Prepar3D®.

If they are promoting the FSX compatibility then they probably will not stray to far from it. This means a longer life span for FSX and probably a rocky start for Flight.

[hairyspin]

Users reported some problems with the Max 2011 tools, but an update has been issued by Lockheed Martin and this now includes tools for 3ds Max 2012.

Prepar3D SDK 3ds Max Tools for Max 7 (compatible with Max 6, 7, and 8), 9, 2009, 2011, and 2012

http://www.prepar3d.com/downloads/


Thanks to mjahn for the heads up!

[OzFlightSimulations]

Some good news from Lockheed-Martin. 3dsMax users with recent versions have been unable to use the ACES tools for FSX, because the last version of Max supported was 2008, and this version and older ones are no longer sold.

Lockheed-Martin bought rights to use the ESP code and market it as Prepar3D. The SDK is a free download from L-M and support for Max 2009 and 2011 has been added. This will be included in the Prepar3D 1.2 SDK when it's released, but the new tools are available now.

Since the Prepar3D .MDL file is (as yet) no different from an FSX .MDL, this means owners of Max versions newer than 2008 can now use Max for their FSX projects.

Prepar3d Community Downloads page

EDIT: compatibility is likely to be with SP2, possibly Acceleration?


Thanks to beatle at FSDeveloper for breaking this news.

I'm in the process of switching to 3ds... I've visited Prepar3d website and created an account to download the SDK for 3DS and it says that the account password would be emailed to me.... yet I've not recieved the email. Has anyone else had the same trouble when registering over there?

Regards
Matt

[hairyspin]

None at all, check your spam email folder. Note that there are now two versions of the SDK, v1.4 and v2.2a currently. Only the v1.4 SDK exports FSX-compatible models. Huge models can be built.

This is a problem for users of Max 2014, but the current answer is to export with v2.2a and compile with XtoMDL from v1.4. The .X and .xanim files are identical from both versions.

[n4gix]

This is a problem for users of Max 2014, but the current answer is to export with v2.2a and compile with XtoMDL from v1.4. The .X and .xanim files are identical from both versions.

The which is pretty darn cool, as I can quickly and easily export from Max2012 using either SDK, and compile the .x and .xanim files using the v1.4 xtomdl.exe for FSX/v1.4, and the v2.2a xtomdl.exe for P3Dv2.x...

...as long as I remember to copy/paste my working modeldef.xml file from the v1.4 ..\bin folder to the v2.2a ..\bin folder that is!

[OzFlightSimulations]

Upon attempting to export from 3DS - I am presented with a .X file (File > Export ). However if i export using the Export LOD tools in the aces menu, it exports a .MDL
When the .MDL loads in FSX, i am told "Unable to load the model 'Cheetah Sierra 100' " Then I'm basically left with no model displaying in the sim.

Any ideas on how that could be solved? or perhaps I'm not completing the entire process - it doesnt appear to be much different from Gmax.

[hairyspin]

The ACES tool doesn't work properly Matt, it wasn't finished before FSX was released. For aircraft models you export to .X file, then compile the .X file to .MDL with XtoMDL.exe. See this wiki on setting up XtoMDL.
It's the same procedure for the P3D exporter if you're using that, but check this thread if you are.

[OzFlightSimulations]

The ACES tool doesn't work properly Matt, it wasn't finished before FSX was released. For aircraft models you export to .X file, then compile the .X file to .MDL with XtoMDL.exe. See this wiki on setting up XtoMDL.
It's the same procedure for the P3D exporter if you're using that, but check this thread if you are.

Thanks Tom,
I couldn't really make much sense out of the wiki article you previously linked. Its FSX that I'm aiming for, maybe P3d in the future but not just yet.
I have both SDK's from LM the 1.4 and v2 - it was the v2 version of XtoMDL i was dragging onto..... I opened up the 1.4, dragged and dropped and then copied the MDL across to FSX and it worked. I dont understand why the V2 was producing errors though. Anyway, for now, it works. Thanks for your help.

3ds is definitely easier in terms of being able to render UVW direct to BMP etc.. So far (being a beginner) I have found it very similar to GMAX only able to do everything faster and somewhat easier. I'll keep plugging away at it.