HISome of my aircraft textures are blurry I have downloaded the GMAX Gamepack SDK from the Microsoft FS2004 website...Could someone tell me how to use it...I cannot load any aircraft textures (.bmp's)as the GMAX refuses to recognise them? I have read a previous post saying click on file then load extended image..I cannot find this anywhere...help appreciated.David

aloha david.1. open dxtbmp application.2. go to file, open, then browse to where the .bmp files are located at.3. after the .bmp file is loaded, uncheck the box to the right under mipmaps that says "include when saving".4. go to file, save as5. then choose "extended bitmap".6. then in the "save as type", choose dxt3.7. click save and overwrite the original .bmp file.that should do it.

What's an 'extended bitmap' or for that matter a DXT3 file type? I'm familiar with just about every other file type but this one's Greek to me.

DXT3 format with mipmaps are the standare flightsim format. Every flightsim uses this type texture as a standard. It's when third party addons utilize non-standard textures, that you run into problems with performance and so on.

Hi DavidYour bitmaps are nothing to do with GMAX and the SDK. Leave those well alone.This is my recommended path when you have blurry textures:1. If you don't have it, download Martin Wright's awesome DXTBmp from http://fly.to/mwgfx. Install it.2. Just in case you stuff up, back up any texture file you are intending to change. To do this you'll need to navigate to the relevant aircraft's texture folder using Windows Explorer.3. Start DXTBmp. Under PREFS in the menu bar, uncheck INCLUDE MIPS.4. Go FILE/LOAD EXTENDED IMAGE. Navigate to the relevant file and open it. Go FILE/SAVE EXTENDED IMAGE. MAKE SURE THAT YOU SAVE THE FILE AS THE SAME FILE NAME, AND THE SAME TYPE OF FILE, AS THE FILE PROPERTIES SHOWN AT THE BOTTOM LEFT OF THE DXTBMP WINDOW. In other words, if it a DXT3 file, save it as one. If it is a 32-bit 888 file, save it as one.5. That's it. Your image is now saved without Mips (Mipmaps). It will now be smaller too, and therefore will load faster. Note that with most graphics cards this will get rid of the blurries on aircraft textures, although in some situations it will have the opposite effect if by any chance your computer is one that cannot refresh textures fast enough. Hence, the need to back up just in case you want to revert.Good luck! Hope this helps,Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

You can use imagetool.exe (gamepacksfs2004tools) to open, add/remove mipmaps, reformat, etc. Imagetool.exe can be run from anywhere on your harddrive, so you can copy and move it to a different location if you want and create a shortcut to it. You can drag and drop a texture from an explorer window into imagetool. Kurt M

I had a blurry texture problem with an aircraft that I purchased lately. I used imagetool to remove the mip maps and all is superb now. My question and puzzlement is..what the purpose of having 9 mip-maps within a texture file? Haven't figgued that one out yet..Thanks,Mark