Does MDL to BGL still work?

[Guest btrpilot]

Hi guys this is my first post, I'm curious if anybody has had any success creating API's of FS9 default aircraft with MDL to BGL ?I keep getting error messages on all aircaft every time I try to load a MDL file. Is there any other programs out there that will convert MDL's to API macros?Thanks in advace for your help,Brandon

[arno 1]

Nope, MDL2BGL seems to work best with Fs98/simple Fs2000 aircraft. I have never got it to work with Fs2002/Fs2004 aircraft.You can try to use them as AI aircraft I guess, but making an API of them is not really possible (and also not really desired as the default aircraft are much to complex nowadays to be used as static aircraft).

[Guest gorchi]

Brandon,as far as I know, there was one version, that could convert FS2002 aircraft more or less okay but I think it is payware. I only heard about it so I haven't tested it.Best regards,Goran BrumenFS Slovenija 2002 teamhttp://slovenia.avsim.net

[Guest btrpilot]

Thanks guys for your help,I tried converting a FS98 plane and it worked. The textures had an unusual filename however and I couldn't even open them to see if I could possibly repaint them in my virtual airline's colors. I know that FS2000 uses bmp's, so hopefully I'll be able to find a good 737 model thats mostly white to try to convert and repaint.Thats kind of interesting that there is a payware version out there...I wonder where I could find out more info on that.Brandon

[arno 1]

The textures are probably *AF (or something like that) and they are R8 textures. So actually RAW. If you load them like an RAW you also need the FS palette file to get the correct colors.

[Guest btrpilot]

Where can I find the FS palette file?Also, I'm considering purchasing FSDS from Abacus. Is this program worth the $50 price tag? Or am I better off with GMAX? Thanks for helping me out,Brandon

[arno 1]

>Where can I find the FS palette file?If I remember correct it was always located in the root folder of FS. But that was usually in a different format then the paint program required, so when I was still designing for Fs98 I always had a version for my paint program on the PC. The best you can do to get it is open an texture (bmp) that is made with this 256 color palette and then save it.>Also, I'm considering purchasing FSDS from Abacus. Is this>program worth the $50 price tag? Or am I better off with GMAX?Personally I think GMax is better, because it gives you more power in modelling your objects. But I know there are also a lot of people using FSDS2. I guess it depends on your own preferences. If you want to make scenery according to the Fs2004 standard FSDS is no option yet, as it has not (yet) been updated to Fs2004 (but the objects made still work in Fs2004 of course).

[Guest btrpilot]

I guess I must be pretty stupid, because all the tutorials for GMAX I've read havn't seemed to helped me much ... I still can't figure out how to apply textures to my simple house! What would be nice is to have some GMAX guru that you could call and have all your questions answered for a certain price per minute... ;-)

[arno 1]

>I guess I must be pretty stupid, because all the tutorials>for GMAX I've read havn't seemed to helped me much ... I still>can't figure out how to apply textures to my simple house! Have you tried to follow the MS tutorial about making the house? Or else read the sections of the general GMax tutorial (that comes with GMax) about applying textures. These are not FS related, but should help you out.>What would be nice is to have some GMAX guru that you could>call and have all your questions answered for a certain price>per minute... ;-)I think these forums come close, and they are free :D.

[Guest gorchi]

Hi,just one thing regarding those textures. Martin Wright has created nice program for converting r8 and AF textures named convr8. You can get it here:http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/programs/convr8.htmBest regards,Goran BrumenFS Slovenija 2002 teamhttp://slovenia.avsim.net

[wsieffert 0]

Have you tried the Scenery Tutorial in the FS2004_BGLCOMP_SDK.exe. I use it to remind me how to texture. It is a tedious job to texture an object and I don't have the patience for it, but the tutorial is very good at the basics.http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/ , downloads, fs2004sdkW. Sieffert