Model Converter X Question and Help

[Mach3DS]

How do I set the weight for the custom visibility tags once I've assigned them the tag in MCX? Meaning, I've got the pylons and objects set...but I need to be able to set a weight?

[hschuit]

How do I set the weight for the custom visibility tags once I've assigned them the tag in MCX? Meaning, I've got the pylons and objects set...but I need to be able to set a weight?

1. Open the MDL file with Notepad++ or a hex editor
2. Search for entry: PAYLOAD STATION
3. These entries look like: (A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:3, pounds) 1000 ==
This is the 3rd station_load entry in the aircraft.cfg file (station_load.2), set at 1000 Lbs.
4. Let's change that to the 2nd station entry in the aircraft.cfg file and set weight at 200 Lbs: (A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:2, pounds) 200 ==

Important: Make sure you overwrite the old characters (incl spaces), if you delete or insert a character the MDL file will have less/more characters than before and will be corrupted. Another challenge is to edit the right station entry in case of having multiple stations with the same sequence no.

[Mach3DS]

Thanks hschuit! One more question since I'm really flying by the seat of my pants here...lots of this is way above my pay grade...but im trying to understand...for some reason it seemed like I needed xyz station coordinates but no?

[hschuit]

Thanks hschuit! One more question since I'm really flying by the seat of my pants here...lots of this is way above my pay grade...but im trying to understand...for some reason it seemed like I needed xyz station coordinates but no?

Rick, You do not need the position coordinates for a payload item with visibility condition. Just make sure the station index no. in the mdl file is in sync with the station index no. in the aircraft.cfg file model:

Model PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:1 applies to aircraft.cfg station_load.0 etc.

[Mach3DS]

Do I need any special plugin to do this? When I try to open the mdl in Notepad++ it's all just symbolic jibberish?

[Mach3DS]

Ok I've sorted the editor out...however. Before I proceed, How do I determine the station coordinates for the aircraft.cfg? Is there a way to get this info? seems like I'd want to be editing both at the same time to keep things correlated.

[hschuit]

Not sure if this is the smartest way but it works for me: Add a test light (like fx_navred) to the aircraft.cfg [lights] section, then open the model in MCX to see the position of the test light and adjust the [lights] xyz coordinates till you get it right.

Note: To make aircraft.cfg lights coordinates visible in MCX, you need to enable the "Show CFG points" button (with the airplane icon). The lights will appear as small orange squares.

[Mach3DS]

Cool. Perhaps a simple decoding of the cfg station annotation might help me? What are the unit's in? I could swag a lot better by simply using the actual dimensions to get it pretty close...

[Bjoern]

All coordinates and dimensions are in feet.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526949.aspx

[Mach3DS]

Thanks Bjoern. Yes I discovered the sdk and have the info now. The only thing I'm confused about is that in opening the mdl in the heX editor there are only 4 payload stations listed and the first one is labeled 2. And some are duplicates...im not sure what to do....

[Mach3DS]

Basically what I'm trying to do is make the weapon pylons selectable as well as the weapons, independently. I need 12 payload stations in cfg correct? 6 hardpoints. 4 missiles 2 ext tanks....But ive no clue how or what do in the mdl opened via hex...

[Mach3DS]

Important: Make sure you overwrite the old characters (incl spaces), if you delete or insert a character the MDL file will have less/more characters than before and will be corrupted. Another challenge is to edit the right station entry in case of having multiple stations with the same sequence no.

here's how mine looks right out of the hexeditor:

..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:2, pounds) 2000 >=..
..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:3, pounds) 3000 >=..
..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:3, pounds) 3000 >=..
..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:2, pounds) 2000 >=..
..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:4, pounds) 4000 >=..


I don't understand how I would edit these. basically I want the Pylons to be whatever a pylon weighs (say, 180 lbs) and the AAM's to be their weight ~200 lbs, and the External tanks (x2) to be about ~2000 lbs. I have the visibility tags set (and I had no choice as each pylon is not a seperate part in MCX, but all the same part. So all 6 show at once, and all 4 missiles show, but the individual tanks are 2 serperate parts). So each set has a "Custome_station weight vis. condition tag". I'm so out of my comfort zone here....I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to do next. I appreciate all the hand holding as I muddle through this! LOL I'm not sure how to edit the weighs without reducing the number of characters since the AAM's and the pylons are not the same weight factor as what's there currently.

[hschuit]

What I tried to say with "overwrite" is replace each character you want to change with another one, the total amount of characters in the file MUST NOT CHANGE. A space is also a character.

So, your code which makes the 2nd payload station item visible when the weight is greater or equal 2000 lbs :

..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:2, pounds) 2000 >=..

Could be changed for example to this which makes the 2nd payload station item visible when the weight is exactly equal 180 lbs:

..(A:PAYLOAD STATION WEIGHT:2, pounds)  180 ==..

Now, you can add 180 lbs in the payload screen or write it as a preset value into the aircraft.cfg file like this:

 station_load.0 =    0,  0.0, -4.0, 0.0, station 1
 station_load.1 =  180,  0.0,  4.0, 0.0, station 2

BTW: If several loadout items are welded together in 1 modelpart, you can only assign them to 1 station with 1 visibility tag. If you want to control visibility for each separate loadout item you need to export the welded modelpart to Sketchup or 3dmax, split it into separate parts there, then import those back into MCX. From experience I can tell you this is a cumbersome time consuming process...

[Bjoern]

Amen on the model splitting part. The 1-11 is a simple model, but developing the conversion procedure was REALLY time-consuming. Not going to do that again anytime soon.

[Mach3DS]

Success!!! Now I just need to sort out the fact that what I have labled where isn't what it is....LOL...easy enough...change that in the aircraft.cfg....I'm not picky. Thanks guys!! I would be highly interested in making each hard point its own individual part...but I really am not familiar with how to use 3D modeling software apart from some very basic things....I have Blender with FSX stuff installed...however, if it's possible to create a step by step process....if not, then no worries! Much appreciated what you both have helped me with already! Thank you!

[Bjoern]

For the 1-11 and 3ds Max , the procedure basically contained of:
1. Export model from MCX as OBJ
2. Delete parts to be split from model in MCX
3. Tag animations and export model in .x format
4. Import .obj into 3ds Max
5. Trial & error until you find the right importer settings
6. Find part of interest in object list
7. Weld vertices on part with 0.001m treshold
8. Split part on element level into multiple separate parts, each with a unique name
9. Assign visibility tags to each part
10. Export selected, edited parts as FSX .x file
11. Crash exporter because no GUID and friendly name was assigned
12. Curse ACES, assign GUID and name to file
13. Repeat export process and succeed
14. Find edited parts in stub .x file exported from 3ds Max
15. Find right parent part in actual aircraft .x file and copy and paste your new split parts from the stub .x file
16. Compile model .x file with XToMDL

Sounds simple enough, but there are 34203258345893 other things that can go wrong in the process.


If you want to practice injecting parts and visibility conditions and fixing animations in .x and .xanim files, try to convert the 1-11. I've included a written procedure (sans splitting parts) in the archive. You need to get comfy with compiling models with XToMdl first though.

[unc1rlm]

I have the latest mcx and the modeldefxml.... I have an fsx or fs9 model of a M404. If I load the mdl from the FSX version...the cabin door/lower door are open. In the animation manager there is nothing to select..its blank so I can't pick the "unknown" item and assign a tag to it or the lower stairway on the bottom. Is there a way to do this.

Or I can go to the FS9 model and put 10000 in every box and it will show the propellers and I can pick and play till I figure out how to close the doors...etc but one problem....There is no landing gear coming door when I hit the play button.
I managed in one model (have been thru this upteen times.. One time in p3d, the door were closed..the props don't move and when it took off the landing gears were locked open, another time I would start p3dv4 and the landing gears would be gone.

Now today I tried to isolate the propellers and I was saving them as p3dv4 "x" and no anim was being written.. may be an incorrect option settings...I updated direct x yesterday and MSMX 6.0 for windows 10. I was isolating the propellers, assigning animation tags by the drop down..(nothing in the window)...assign the prop dds which MCX couldn't find and assigning visibility for the two props (6 items) slow..blurred and still... export as a "x" but I am at a loss. when you merge and you click on select because nothing is in the box..what do you point to? and merge and after you merge everything...you have to create some kind of mdl for p3dv4 to use.

I have talked to a few at MCX but I don't think anybody cares or has the time to help out somebody or stuff is written which I have read and none of it makes sense because you got 50 people going at the same thing and everyone has an idea and the poor guy that trying to learn is "left out in the cold". Been at this for DAYS.....

I have learned how to find everything I think in MCX but haven't got it to work for me yet.

Thanks ever so much is anyone wants to take a stab at it. I will even set up team if you want to do it....lol... I have MCX on a separate computer from the p3dv4 machine untill I get this right.

Warmest Regards,​
Bob M.