API to MDLs

[Guest Bell206freak]

I am working on a scenery project that has a lot of APIs in the SCASM format. I would like to reformat the APIs to MDLs. Is this possible, and where can I find the program to do it?_Steve

[wsieffert 0]

Your not going to find a tool to do the conversion. If the APIs were made from a GMAX source file, you could open the GMAX source file then recomple them into MDLs with the FS2004 GMAX MAKEMDL.exe program.W. Sieffert

[arno 1]

Sorry to dig up this old thread (but I have been moving to a different house, so did not visit the forum the last weeks :)).At the moment the is no tool to do this, but I have been thinking about this process myself as well. In theory it should be possible to read the API macro and then convert it to a MDL object. The only problem is that I have not had the time to start coding on such a conversion.But it is something I would like to do (and which would be useful, especially if some of the older commands will no longer be supported in the future). Hopefully I will find some time in the future to work on this, as it would also be useful for the scenery projects I am working on.

[scruffyduck 4]

Hi ArnoThat would be very good. Is there any advantage in converting to XML? rather than MDL - excuse my ignorance but I have yet to get to grips with MDL and XML. I understand XML - I use it in my programs - but I have not gotten my head around the relationship between XML, MDL and BGL as far as scenery is concerned.I can see thatXML is compiled into a BGL, so where does MDL come in?Thanks

[arno 1]

Hi Jon,>That would be very good. Is there any advantage in converting>to XML?There is an advantage of converting the object to the Fs2004 style scenery commands (API macros usually use a mix of Fs5 till Fs2002 style commands). They give a slightly increased framerate. And it could be needed in the future as some of the older commands might no longer be supported (but we can not say anything for sure about that at the moment of course).Another advantage of converting is that you could again use your old objects, while creating scenery with tools using the new XML style commands. That would save you from using a lot of different tools.>I can see that XML is compiled into a BGL, so where does MDL>come in?If you study the XML file a bit deeper, you will see that it can only place the object. The actual shape of the object itself is not defined in the XML file. That part is contained in the MDL file.It's a bit like the old API macros. The API file only contains the object and when it is placed in a SCASM file it gets a position, etc as well.

[scruffyduck 4]

Quote:If you study the XML file a bit deeper, you will see that it can only place the object. The actual shape of the object itself is not defined in the XML file. That part is contained in the MDL fileAh - now I had assumed that the XML defined the object - now you explain it makes a lot of sense. So it is the MDL file that replaces the API code and the xML code does the placing Thanks Arno

[Guest Bell206freak]

*UPDATE*While I was unable to find a method to convert the older APIs to MDLs, I was able to resolve the reason why I posted this thread.The issue was a particular exclude switch that the API textures seemed dependent on. Whenever I removed the exclude, the APIs would remain yet they would be texture-less white structures. The default exclude provided with the base install of the scenery package I had been modifying had some ill effects on my modified AFCAD - namely removing the entire thing.However, using SBuilder, I crafted an exclude of the same name that the default exclude switch had, and overwrote it. Voila! I had a custom modified AFCAD that would show up amongst a slew of APIs in a BGL for the ultimate scenery package. (Well, at least I think so in regards to the airport.)