Texture viewer and libraries

[Mick 0]

Hello!After finding the reason why my scenery slows down FS so much (several high detailed terminal buildings...) I give Gmax a second try (what a hard ride, still don't find any manual) and start to make my own terminal buildings.When I come to the point to give this building a texture the trouble goes on. The Gmax material editor can't read most of the default Fs9 textures, and I am also a little bit in doubt if someone may use those textures, even for freeware projects.So here are my questions:1. Is there any free program with which you can preview textures?2. Are there somewhere out some free texture libraries to download?Thank's for your help in advanceMick!

[Guest Hugo]

Hi Mick!>1. Is there any free program with which you can preview textures?Martin Wright's TView is the one I use almost exclusively. It will show almost any kind of texture formats (at least those used with FS), bmp, DXT1, DXT3, jpg ect. in a thumbnail page(s) each one of them you can view at its regular size by pressing mouse's right button.You can get it here: http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/index.htmYou will need to donwload and install the MWGFX dll package to be able to make TView work as well as the other graphic tools Martin provides.Being there, might as well get DXTBmp, a straithforward utility to transform bmp or jpg to DXT1 or 3 and reverse. I personaly prefer it over Imagetool.Convim is also a nice tool to mass convert one type of graphic to some other ones.Zillions of thanks to Martin Wright for these suberb tools and the support he brought the community for many years now!!>2. Are there somewhere out some free texture libraries to download?The biggest library you already have it contained in all the texture folders of FS :-) and TView gives you straith access to it ;-)But many designers will make their own textures out of photos of the real objects they want to show in their scenery, and rearrange them in a proper size and format with tools like Photoshop, PaintShop Pro etc. and use DXTbmp or Imagetool to convert them in DXT1/3 formatHope it helps,Hugo

[Mick 0]

>Hi Mick!Hello Hugo!>Martin Wright's TView is the one I use almost exclusively...[]Good hint, just downloaded and it's really good!>Being there, might as well get DXTBmp[...]Get it too.>The biggest library you already have it contained in all the>texture folders of FS :-) and TView gives you straith access>to it ;-)But what about the copyright of those MS-textures?Thank's a lot!Mick!

[arno 1]

Hi Mick,Another option is XnView (http://www.xnview.com/), this is really nice and free thumbnail viewer. It is also capable of reading the FS DXT textures.About the copyright of the MS-textures, as long as you just use them on your objects it is fine. As all the end users have them as well, there is no need to distribute them or so.

[Mick 0]

>Hi Mick,Hello Arno!>Another option is XnView (http://www.xnview.com/), [...]I will give it a try too, maybe it is a little bit more comfortable than Thumbview. There are only 256 pics shown in one go.>About the copyright of the MS-textures, as long as you just>use them on your objects it is fine. As all the end users have>them as well, there is no need to distribute them or so.So it means all textures from ..Fs9Scenery... or ...Fs9Texture... I don't have to put into an eventually distribution? That would be fine. Okay let's see if it comes anyhow so far. At the moment I still fight with Gmax and the comments from the background (Darling, Dinner is ready since half an hour!!!)Thank's a lot guys!!!Mick!P.S.: Whow, just tried XnView. Fantastic!!!

[arno 1]

Hi Mick,>So it means all textures from ..Fs9Scenery... or>...Fs9Texture... I don't have to put into an eventually>distribution? That would be fine. Okay let's see if it comes>anyhow so far. At the moment I still fight with GmaxYes, of course. Any end user would have the same default textures already, so there is no need to send them again to them. Only new textures you have made need to be distributed as well.What kind of troubles do you have with GMax? Maybe we can give some good hints :).

[Mick 0]

Hello Arno!>Yes, of course. Any end user would have the same default[...]Fine!>What kind of troubles do you have with GMax? Maybe we can give>some good hints :).Call it trouble may be overdone. It's more that I'm absolut not familiar with Gmax and have the problems all beginners might have. Because there is no manual...What I hardly miss are tutorials like the movie from Bill Womack (THANK'S A LOT BILL!!!!!!) about texturing objects. This was really like staring always in one direction, seeing nothing, and suddenly a curtain is opened and you face a beautiful panorama!I am absolute no beginner with CAD. In my former job I did several thousand drawings using AutoSketch (See attachment). But Gmax is so very different that I really don't come into it so really. I fail with the most simpliest tasks, like how to arrange objects, what mode is necessary to do what, and so on.Additionally I don't have much time for learnig (family and job) so it is sometimes quite frustrating to work with Gmax.Anyhow, thank you for your offer. Surely I will revert to it if I stuck again. Your (all of yours) hints for viewer help me a lot already!Mick!

[arno 1]

Hi Mick,Are you aware that there came quite a few nice tutorials with GMax? They are not FS specific, but they give a good idea of the features the program has. I think these can be used as a sort of manual.Also MS has provided the house tutorial with the gamepack of course. But I agree that tutorials like the one of Bill are great and it would help if we had more of them :).