Hello people.

I've been modeling something quite unique in Sketchup for almost a year, and after I finished it now (it's really time to release it now ) I've been trying to convert it to FS2004 but no knowledge on this part at all. I would like to ask some of you to help me or teach me how to do it, I am free and ready to learn. Credits will be given when this extraordinary and unique scenery is finished and given for download.  

Edited October 1, 20214 yr by Dzenis
missing sentence

I found this information:

 

Tools :
GMax is the tool to make 3D Buildings, Structures and Objects like Cars, Bin, Fences... Those models should be exported usin the FS2004 MakeMDL as scenery objects.

Airport will let you place old fashioned scenery objects, using API models (scasm type code), and create ground polygons, runways... but quite obsolete. However, some functionalities are nice to use in Airport. For example : locating precise lat/lon positions, placing series of objects regularly (Custom RunwayLights) or drawing TaxiwayLines using the Road element... and many more. It's the tool I use in place of FSSC or GroundMaker. The main purpose of Airport is to place objects in scenery.

SceneGenX is the FS9 version of Airport. However, it does not allow you to use th OldFashioned objects or models, and draws elements like Afcad already does. By the way, it usually adds an airport data in its xml type BGL, which overrides your airport when you open it in Afcad. I use SceneGenX only when I want to set Excludes with exact coordinates (using a map, something that is missing in Afcad)

Afcad, you already know will build the path of your aircraft. However, if you do not plan to make custom Ground (Runway, Taxiways, Apron, Grass, Dirt..) Afcad is the tool to make them.

I advice you to use CompileHelper by Arno Gerretsen to compile all your XML and ASM sources. Very usefull as you can place a small shortcut in your source folder, and drag-n-drop the files over..

Easy Object Designer is an old (but very good) tool. Even if all it can do is almost possible to do using newer tools like GMax, there are still some cases where it can be easier to use EOD (RotateToAircraft, IlluminatedGround, Platform...)

LWMViewer is not really a DesignTool, but a Viewer. For example, you can use it to locate the default FS files contening the flattens and VTPGrass around your Airport.

SBuilder can be used to (re-)generate the LWM or VTP polygons you located with LWMViewer. You can build Photoreal textures as well, but personnaly, I think the Microsoft SDK is better for that (the visibility distance is greater)

Some other tools like Rwy12 or ObPlacer are used only to place 3D objects. However, I think that placing objects with simple XML files using a tool like Context for edition is a very good practice.

7 hours ago, Dzenis said:

Hello people.

I've been modeling something quite unique in Sketchup for almost a year, and after I finished it now (it's really time to release it now ) I've been trying to convert it to FS2004 but no knowledge on this part at all. I would like to ask some of you to help me or teach me how to do it, I am free and ready to learn. Credits will be given when this extraordinary and unique scenery is finished and given for download.  

You can export the object as .DAE file and read it with ModelconverterX (MCX).

Next step: export to .MDL and use it in ADE9.

8 hours ago, polosim said:

I found this information:

Tools :
SceneGenX is the FS9 version of Airport. However, it does not allow you to use th OldFashioned objects or models, and draws elements like Afcad already does. By the way, it usually adds an airport data in its xml type BGL, which overrides your airport when you open it in Afcad. I use SceneGenX only when I want to set Excludes with exact coordinates (using a map, something that is missing in Afcad)

 

This isn't totally true. I use SceneGenX regularly and it is perfectly capable of placing old-fashioned .api type models, which I often use. SceneGenX will only generate an airport to overwrite an existing airport if you tell it to. Other than generating airports, in a similar fashion to AFCAD, SceneGenX can generate flattens, excludes, be used to place scenery library objects and design and place "generic" building objects using nothing else than a little-used feature of FS9 and the generic textures. Used alone SceneGenX can create a new airfield from the ground up or modify an existing or default airfield with similar ease.

Edited October 2, 20214 yr by chris_eve
Mis-placed typing

6 hours ago, hgschnell said:

You can export the object as .DAE file and read it with ModelconverterX (MCX).

Next step: export to .MDL and use it in ADE9.

This sounds a lot easier than what mr @polosim have explained. With all respect, thank you for detailed explanation and variations of making scenery. Seems like I forgot to say one important detail. I am not preparing an airport, it is a skyscraper, complex of 4 towers. Ive modeled it to the near perfection in Sketchup and they are textured. That is why I will try @hgschnells method 👍🏻

It is the easiest way for a sketchup object.

Feel free to ask for help if you have problems with materials/textures

Admins, feel free to lock the topic. 

I've finished my scenery, take a look guys. Best regards.