[FSX] P3D SDK 3DS Max Tools Updated, Max2011 support

[beatle]

Hey All,

Just wanted to let you know that the Prepar3d team has released an update to the 3DS Max Tools portion of the P3D v1.1 SDK, which was missing a few DLLs and the export tools wouldn't work, now they do.

This update also includes a new exporter for 3DS Max 2011 (and hopefully Max 2012 support should be coming soon).

Since Prepar3d hasn't changed or added to the MDL file format, yet anyway :-> , this version's output should be compatible with the SP2 version of the FSX SDK tools.

Both the Prepar3d SDK v1.1 and the Max Tools update are available for free from the Prepar3d Community Downloads page.

[n4gix]

Well, that is just delightful news, Tim!

Considering that no one can (legally) get a license for any version that will work with the "old export tools..."

...which made it really impossible for "new developers" to get started!

For myself though, I'll only give up Max9 when someone snatches it from my cold dead hands!

[lionheart]

Thanks Tim for the good news.



Bill O.

[Chuck Jodry VJPL]

Thats some good news , the models i am getting lately are being built and baked in Max 2011 and being " Biff'd " back to 9 or into a .3DS for processing.

Now i can update to 2011 & Vray 2, i noted that the updated dll's were out in April , we aint enough paying attention to P3D, thanks Tim for bringing this to our attention.

Ps Bill L , you said the same thing about XP as i recall , glad to see you updated before rigor mortis set in ....

[beatle]

Hey Chuck,

The P3D V1.1 SDK was released in April, but the Max Tools in that release were broken (some DLLs were left out of the installer).

The updated tools including Max2011 support and the missing DLLs from April were just released a couple of days ago :-> .

[mjahn]

Using the new toolset, has anyone actually been able to compile an FSX model from within Max 2011?

[Stu Austin]

I haven't been able to get the plugins to work in Max 2011. I downloaded the sdk, ran the ConfigSDK.exe (Lockheed Martin sdk) and when it runs, the window is so quick I can't see what it says but I do see a lot of "red" so it didn't do it.
Downloaded the new max tools, copied the Max 2011 plugin folder to the fsx sdk, went into Max 2011 and put the path to the plugin folder of the fsx sdk.

[hcornea]

Originally Posted by Stu Austin

I haven't been able to get the plugins to work in Max 2011. I downloaded the sdk, ran the ConfigSDK.exe (Lockheed Martin sdk) and when it runs, the window is so quick I can't see what it says but I do see a lot of "red" so it didn't do it.
Downloaded the new max tools, copied the Max 2011 plugin folder to the fsx sdk, went into Max 2011 and put the path to the plugin folder of the fsx sdk.

To see the Red Error message, you need to run ConfigSDK.exe in a command window.
What it is saying is that you don't have Prepar3D installed so configSDK won't work.

The tools need to reside in the Prepar3D SDK folder (as instructed) ... I don't think they'll work in the FSX folder. You don't however need to run configSDK.exe or have Prepar3D installed to use them.

Originally Posted by mjahn

Using the new toolset, has anyone actually been able to compile an FSX model from within Max 2011?

Yes ...

The ACES tools / FltSimX material settings are all there

I can compile an x file (and xanim file as required)

These run through XtoMdl.exe in the usual way.

(I Don't make aircraft, so didn't fully test the animation tags)

I do get an error starting Max 2011 with the Plugin folder added to my Max paths ... about the xaml file not parsing (and a corrupt ribbon file!) but everything seems to work fine. That is on 32bit Win7 Ult, with a laptop.

I think this is a very exciting development. I would hope that if they change the mdl file format, that they perhaps keep a legacy component in the exporter.

Does anyone else get this error with Max 2011? (see attached dialog box) or know how to fix it?

[mjahn]

Yes, I get the identical error message here.

And it takes Max2011 an awful long time to load because it is apparently waiting for a time-out to occur.

After finally getting the error message you do what, Reset to the factory Ribbon (whatever that is) or Ignore?

Here, after Ignore I get the Aces Tools and Doc, and the materials, and have the option to export to ESP X file.

Will try to get the default DC-3 loaded and exported, but don't have time right now...

[mjahn]

Hmmmm

Loaded the default DC-3 into Max2011, exported to ESP X file, ticked animations and skins.

Export created text.x and test.xanim, copied those to the P3D SDK's 3dsm7
folder (nothing changed in this dept. apparently), created the XtoMdl batch file using the suggested settings, excuted it, and got a test.mdl (not without numerous diagnostic messages).

Copied this into FSX's default DC-3 folder. It is noticeably smaller than the original mdl, but this may be because of missing LOD's. Renamed it as Douglas_DC3.mdl and fired up FSX.

All correct and present as far as I can tell, including animations, bones, visibility effects.

Now to find a way to make Max 2011 start up correctly ... start it from a batch file perhaps?

[hairyspin]

Excellent news so far, good luck!

[hcornea]

I wonder if the missing file is because I have not run Configsdk.exe (and don't have Prepar3D installed)

Anyone understand this particular error?

or anyone have Prepar3D installed and can confirm the error disappears with ConfigSDK having been run?

[Stu Austin]

@hcornea
Your quote:
"I do get an error starting Max 2011 with the Plugin folder added to my Max paths ... about the xaml file not parsing (and a corrupt ribbon file!) but everything seems to work fine."
I get the same thing.

Max 2011
Win 7 Ultimate 32 bit

[mjahn]

I'll post these findings on the P3D support forum.

Edit: Done. Look out for any replies here:

http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/?min...iewtopic&t=303

[Chuck Jodry VJPL]

Their Developer Network Program's 10 bucks a month might be the price of admission, a reasonable price to get access to the tool set, save time bouncing / converting and annoying material property bugs that get inherited following loading back versioned files.
At all events a sound investment , access to the help network, downloads and whatever the future brings with new contacts , more stuff on the to-do list.

[Heretic]

The P3D website is kind of slow.

I thought having P133s with 28k modems as servers is kind of a mid-1990s thing. *Cough*


Too bad P3D is a money-intensive softwarefest. I'd love to give it a try if only it was affordable...
I mean, you get a continuously updated core product after all!

[mjahn]

Great news, on the P3D forum, Orswell, a former ACES Studio developer says,

I figured out the problem and hopefully we can get a fix out soon!

[Stu Austin]

Thats good news! I was reading it yesterday and installed the MSXML 6 and it did not help. Hopefully he'll get the "fix" soon.

[Stu Austin]

Quick question for everyone who is using Max 2009 or Max 2011.
On the menu, you know where "Aces Tools" is at? On mine, I got about 5 of them and each time I start Max, I have to go into "Custom" and delete all of them from the menu except for one. Does/has anyone else have had this problem and is there a rememdy to just have one "Aces Tools" to show up? Thanx.

[mjahn]

Stu, I had two of them show up when I mistakenly copied the scripts into Max 2011's scripts folder. Now I've only got one. Perhaps you have copies of those scripts in folders that Max references on startup?