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FSDS or Gmax ?

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In answering the original topic:I know this is sorta contrary to most peoples view, but I find myself to lean towards FSDS more than Gmax.I can provide my reasons why (this is just my personal opinion obviously):First off, I really think adding TRUE shine to an aircraft is a great leap foward with FS design technology, but for some reason I really do not feel very convinced with the FS2002 shine effects. I think with a really nice paint job, an FSDS aircraft looks alot better. I suppose the next version of Flight Sim should be right on the money.Second, I find I can organize my thoughts better using FSDS, I mean, after so many years I got used to "searching foward" for a part rather than just click it directly. It actually forces me to really break down an aircraft and disign even minute parts seperately, then it's just a matter of putting it all together at the end.Third and main reason I'm against Gmax is that it seems to have something against my computer, it's always freezing. And I find that to be a real motivation killer.Don't get me wrong, I think there are a few features in Gmax that really are interesting, just not enough to convince me. For example, the "on site" animation is wonderful, but the fact that Gmax animations will appear sketchy in FS2002 is a real turn off to me; I'm all about crisp animation.So all in all, I guess I still consider myself to be a FSDS user...I suppose that puts me in the "ol schoo" category of designers.:)Thats just my two centsLee

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I would say that FSDS has one or two functions that are either better than or missing from gMax, due to it having been designed by a flight sim person with flight sims in mind. FSDS is also probably a bit easier to get to grips with initially. Finally there's much less to learn in total in FSDS, so after a point it's really down to how much effort you put it to what results you get rather than 'oh I never knew about that option!' moments. And judging by the end result of many designers a lot of people do put a lot of effort in! With SDLEdit you can produce a wider range of animations than you can with gMax.However gMax models are much more frame-rate friendly than models produced using the current version of FSDS and models with detailed enough textures so that you can see it is happening often exhibit wobbly distorted lines (I expect both of these will change with FSDS v2). Once you know how to use them, gMax will give you better access to modifying your geometry with better snapping, selection and cloning tools. Animation is infinitely easier in gMax than it is in FSDS+AA or FSDS+SDLEdit. Added to that there are a whole range of tools to do all sorts of things. gMax does have a steeper learning curve and also there's much more to learn, but go through the tutorials systematically and you'll find it isn't as hard as some make it out to be.Overall I'd say that at the moment gMax (if you know the software) can give you better quality results and can produce them in less time. FSDS is easier to learn initially, and if you want to do really complex animation then you can do more in FSDS+SDLEdit than you can in gMax. Of course that may change as new versions of gMax and FSDS come out.Have funFinn

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Guest cwright

Felix, I meant to mention that but I didn't. I think it would help in relatively simple cases, but my VC is seriously complex, probably more complex than any one I've seen so far (it includes the passenger cabin and animated crew/passengers). In this case I don't think making the axes visible would help - possible the reverse, for two reasons. 1. It wouldn't be at all obvious which object a given axis belonged to. 2. The addition of all the visible axes would make the view even more cluttered and confusing. Of course, using Hide helps a lot - but first you have to select the objects! Click-to-select is a feature I'd certainly expect to see in any future version of FSDS. Best regards, Chris

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Guest cwright

>Second, I find I can organize my thoughts better using FSDS, >I mean, after so many years I got used to "searching foward" >for a part rather than just click it directly. It actually >forces me to really break down an aircraft and disign even >minute parts seperately, then it's just a matter of putting >it all together at the end. It actually sounds as if you're saying that click-to-select is a disadvantage! Don't forget that in gWax (oh, God, now I'm doing it!) you can also select from a list, just like FSDS (hit the H key or click on the icon with text and an arrow). Gmax also supports heirarchies (groups, links etc) Although very useful for animations etc, it also allows you to organise the design in a logical manor. The list has an option to show heirarchies, which is great for 'seeing' the form of your design. In particular, if you organise your design into groups and sub-groups etc, that structure is shown clearly in the list.>>Third and main reason I'm against Gmax is that it seems to >have something against my computer, it's always freezing. >And I find that to be a real motivation killer. That's a real shame. I've found Gmax to be very reliable, apart from the Material Navigator. I think the weakest link in terms of reliability is the exporter/makemdl. Here's a genuine (and amazing!) tip about the Material Navigator which will reduce the number of crashes: never open the Material Navigator on a Sunday. Really, I'm not joking.... Best regards, Chris>

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I agree with your points 1 and 2 - and that's why I indicated "picking nits". I find the "click the part to select" feature in gWax better.All in all, I've found something to like about all the design programs - each, as it comes out - has shown something "better" than the one preceding. >Felix, > I meant to mention that but I didn't. >> I think it would help in relatively simple cases, but my >VC is seriously complex, probably more complex than any one >I've seen so far (it includes the passenger cabin and >animated crew/passengers). In this case I don't think making >the axes visible would help - possible the reverse, for two >reasons. >> 1. It wouldn't be at all obvious which object a given axis >belonged to. >> 2. The addition of all the visible axes would make the >view even more cluttered and confusing. >> Of course, using Hide helps a lot - but first you have to >select the objects! >> Click-to-select is a feature I'd certainly expect to see >in any future version of FSDS. >> Best regards, > Chris

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