More FSDS practice

[falcon409]

I'm attempting to build a terminal for a small project I'm working on with some assistance. I'm beginning to see the problems associated with texturing and I'm not even to that point yet. Making certain that like sections are combined as one unit so I don't attach two sections that get different texturing. Very tedious work with so many nooks and crannies.

[kjb]

I would recommend starting with your x, y, x at zero instead of the center of the object. That makes it simpler to line up the bottoms of any other parts that will be sitting on the ground and you won't have to mess with the elevation when placing it with Instant Scenery. The beginning x, y, z point is an option (center or 0) when you create each box.

[falcon409]

Another shot, a bit further along. You're right, I saw that when I started the project and never gave it any thought. The other mess I made was that as I bulit each section, I never gave each it's own distinctive label, so now I have about 45 "boxes" and no idea which is which without hitting the arrow keys to jump from one to the next. I can fix that though, a bit time consuming but it can be fixed.

[Lionheart]

Hey Ed,

Its coming along nicely! Steady on.


When I would do scenery, I would take a aerial screenshot of the ground below, then go in and install the screenshot onto a polygon and make that the ground. Then simply make the buildings on the ground bitmap and also use that to place your trees, cars, and other scenery elements in there too. Export only the scenery objects when compiling, leaving out the ground terrain 'template'.

EDIT: On larger airfields, I had to do a wild system of adding in scale by using towers that were a certain distance apart. I placed these in the scenery (in FS) and then photographed it from above. I could then 'scale' the area (aquire dimensions) for what it would be in Gmax, and then in Gmax, scale and space things appropirately and begin building the model of the airfield from there. Before I did this system, scaling things was very difficult. Afterwards, it made it much easier. For me, anyways, lol...

Also, in mapping buildings, you can do a 'tile map' on a part to give it say bricks all the way around the sides. Then photograph 'that' and shade it on the sides in Photoshop, then create some unique building textures. Works really well. :d

On the one below, I did this, and also created an inner wall mapping (shaded area version) by using 'Inner Shadow effects' in Photoshop on that one layer area. I also copy/pasted in some windows over the texture. Special Effects in PS can really quickly add some neat little details of realism that add to a texture. Airbrush shading and highlights can also help make a texture look more realistic.




Bill

[MCDesigns]

Way to go Ed!!! :ernae: You are now where many of us have been before, gotta learn somehow, LOL.

It may get frustrating at times, but when you finally see it in FSX, it's very rewarding!

[CG_1976]

That special Terminal is coming along real good Ed;).

[Matt Wynn]

nice texturing Bill and yeah stick at it falcon you'll get there, heres an example of a texture on a nice scenery i'm working on, based on Colombia and a world famous special forces unit...

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x270/mattwynn/someonegotwhacked.jpg

[kjb]

A funny thing happened on the KARR Aurora scenery. There was a building with precast T walls and the paint was chipping or missing in a lot of spots. I had it looking pretty good when I received new photos...the building had been painted! JA also repainted a lot of buildings, so the textures had to be redone.

[Lionheart]

A funny thing happened on the KARR Aurora scenery. There was a building with precast T walls and the paint was chipping or missing in a lot of spots. I had it looking pretty good when I received new photos...the building had been painted! JA also repainted a lot of buildings, so the textures had to be redone.

arrghh...

At least it will be 'up to date'.

Looking good KJB

[FelixFFDS]

A funny thing happened on the KARR Aurora scenery. There was a building with precast T walls and the paint was chipping or missing in a lot of spots. I had it looking pretty good when I received new photos...the building had been painted! JA also repainted a lot of buildings, so the textures had to be redone.


How rude of them to do that without checking with you first!!


@falcon.... that's one reason I stick to airplanes - they're easier to texture that all those building nooks and crannies.!!

[Lewis-A2A]

....and a world famous special forces unit...



The A-Team???? :ernae:
Sorry could resist.

Good stuff falcon stick at it and yes making models can be great fun and mapping them a royal PITA! But the end result of being able to sit back and say 'I made tht' is so very very very very rewarding.

[falcon409]

. . . .Good stuff falcon stick at it and yes making models can be great fun and mapping them a royal PITA! But the end result of being able to sit back and say 'I made tht' is so very very very very rewarding.
Thanks Lewis. This was inevitable I guess, with the photoscenery I've been doing and a few airports (NAS Ft Worth being one) that I would like to put custom buildings on. This particular Terminal (there's another section to the left that attaches to it) will be part of this landscape when finished.

[java2srv]

Falcon409
Hey guy, thanks for letting us look over your shoulder while you work on your scenery projects!

Milton Shupe has some texture/UVW mapping tutorials posted in the file library here, they are .wmv recordings done by Milton's friend, the late John White. Clouds parted and the sun came out the first time I watched them.

If you haven't happened across them they are remarkable.

They are MSOM_Tut_1.zip through MSOM_Tut_4.zip. They're in Milton's downloads here at the SOH.

Really enjoy watching your work, not just for the end results but also sharing your enjoyment and excitement with the project, battles and breakthroughs.

Jack:wavey:

[FelixFFDS]

Milton Shupe has some texture/UVW mapping tutorials posted
Jack:wavey:


Jack - falcon's working in FSDS! Don't lure a True Luddite away from The Path!

[java2srv]

Felix, you're right! Missed that! I have FSDS also but started first with GMAX.

Have not much time to do actual content creation but do find learning the tools challenging and interesting. I greatly admire Milton (SOH A-26 project for example :d) and John White seems to have been a strong influence on him. :d

For myself any scrap of knowledge helps even if its from a different tool. Speaking as modeler at the single-cell lifeform stage. :jump:

Very grateful for the discussions and the stories about the projects.

:wavey::d

[MCDesigns]

Felix, you're right! Missed that! I have FSDS also but started first with GMAX.

Really, did you not get the hang of Gmax? I can't imagine going back to FSDS after Gmax

So Ed, how are you getting your objects into FSX with FSDS?

[FelixFFDS]

Really, did you not get the hang of Gmax? I can't imagine going back to FSDS after Gmax

I've had gmax since FS2002 first came out. It has only been in the past two days that I've actually managed to get two objects on ONE texture.




So Ed, how are you getting your objects into FSX with FSDS?

File->Create FSX Object FIle->scenery bgl (where it creates the bgl file positioned in the location specified in your project preferences

or


File->Create FSX Object File->Scenery MDL (where it creates the MDL file AND placement xml file with which you can then create a library or process directly, etc.

or

File->export .x file

File->export scenery header



Getting "stuff" into FS from FSDS is probably the easiest thing.

[FelixFFDS]

For myself any scrap of knowledge helps even if its from a different tool.


That is a very important statement. There are work arounds I can do in FSDS because they were done in gmax first, and things I do in gmax because of the way I did them in FSDS. In many cases, it's the principle of the matter, not the manner in which its done




Speaking as modeler at the single-cell lifeform stage. :jump:
Not that I'm any farther down the evolutionary stage ... more like tadpole getting close to the shore.

[java2srv]

Hi Michael!

GMAX is still the tool I put the most time into learning. May be CAD background, Unix/Linux history or whatever. I like the granularity of GMAX.

I was curious about how FSDS worked so I got it. I made the jump to FS2004 from FS98 so some of that may be some backfilling on progression of tools from the "olden days".:wiggle:

[MCDesigns]

Thanks Felix, I was under the impression that FSDS had to do some workarounds to export into FSX native MDLs, hence the question. I started with FSDS and still have great memories of it, a great tool.

It's funny, I tried Gmax 3 seperate times for months on end, none of it made sense. Then I got a copy of 3DSMax (Gmax's big brother), something clicked and after using max for a year, Gmax made perfect sense, go figure, LOL. What really throws me off is Blenders interface, talk about confusing :isadizzy: