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Difference between X and XML?

I

irmurray

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scotland
Hi all,

I have been using FSDS3 to output X files and assemble these with MakeMDL.

I want to attach effects to my MDL, and the MakeMDL documentation shows how to do this with XML code ... but if I export an XML file from FSDS (rather than an X file) I cannot get MakeMDL to accept the XML file (the formats are different). :mad:

What IS the difference between the XML and X files that FSDS produces, and is there a way to convert between these formats? :confused:

Thanks for any suggestions.


Iain.
 
irmurray said:
Hi all,

I have been using FSDS3 to output X files and assemble these with MakeMDL.

I want to attach effects to my MDL, and the MakeMDL documentation shows how to do this with XML code ... but if I export an XML file from FSDS (rather than an X file) I cannot get MakeMDL to accept the XML file (the formats are different). :mad:

What IS the difference between the XML and X files that FSDS produces, and is there a way to convert between these formats? :confused:

Thanks for any suggestions.


Iain.
Click to expand...

Hi Iain,

MakeMDL is only allowed to compile .x files, which are basically a DirectX model of your object. MakeMDL takes that .x file, and converts it into an FS-friendly .mdl file structure.

XML, on the other hand, is a schema for describing aspects of that file, specifically in the case of scenery, where that object is located in latitude and longitude, what direction the object is facing, and the elevation of that object. MakeMDL cannot read XML files directly.

When working with scenery, you will want to use bglcomp.exe to compile a .bgl file scenery object from the .mdl that makemdl exports, and the .xml file that makemdl creates when making a scenery object.

Best,

Owen
 
As Owen say X files are models in the native 3D format used by DirectX. X Files can be textural or binary and contain a bunch of sections which describe how to redner the object using it's vertices, textures and so on. X files can also contain animation information.
 
It should be possible to add the attachpoints to the X file manual, but the code used for that is not really easy to understand. I have attached a sample X file that contains an attached effect.

It seems the XML information (that is stored in the properties of the object in GMax) is converted to ASCII character (given by integer numbers) in the X file. So I guess it will take quite some work to add something manually.
 

Attachments

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies.

It seems the XML information (that is stored in the properties of the object in GMax) is converted to ASCII character (given by integer numbers) in the X file. So I guess it will take quite some work to add something manually.
Click to expand...

This is what I gleaned from the BGLcomp documentation, but I couldn't believe that hand converting XML code into its ASCII numbers and embedding this in the X file was the way to go! It would take ages to do this manually - if this is the way to do it, is there a tool to do it for me? Or do I get to write one ... ?

Thanks again,


Iain.
 
Hi Iain,

I have never seen a tool for this, so I guess you would have to write it yourself. Or maybe Abacus wants to add it to FSDS?
 
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