FSX I can't get this to load

[tgycgijoes]

I want to convert FS9 mdl to FSX and if possible P3D V4 but when I import the mdl into either V1.6 OR V1.7 the parts are missing in the textured render mode as you can see in the screenshot but in the coloured render mode or the wireframe mode it's all there again screenshot. I have V1.3 and it imports fine.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Back in my early FSX days, I created all the textures for the SBC Helldiver when I was trying to create a VA of Enterprise Group in 1939-40 as I have done in SOH for the new P3D F3F from Aeroplane Heaven. Its textures are primitive and with the knowledge I now have AND Adobe Photoshop NOT Corel Paintshop Pro, I will probably enhance them but anyway I digress...when I opened up the model that I had converted back then with Paul Clawson's permission before his passing, His readme says it's ok as long as it's freeware anyway I saw. I created separate models for the six sections and these models all work perfectly. AND I was able with MDCx V1.7 to convert them to Prepar3D Version 4.5 and they work perfectly to my joy because I can now fly them in P3D after I make them "prettier". I won't tweak the models any but I will enhance their repaints if I can. This is solved thank you Lord, Amen.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Just get one problem solved...I uploaded this FS9 MDL to MDCx V170. It looked like the SBC above with only some parts but after converting the textures to extended bmps 32bit 888 they all came together beautifully. Then when I try and convert it to P3D V4.4 I got a discombobulated mdl. So I went back and tried to convert it to FSX and the same thing happened with the wing sections that fold on top of the wings attached to the fuselage. If I could find a native model like the BT-1 I would use it but there isn't any. Any ideas what is happening in the conversion? Here is the screenshot:

 

[tgibson]

For the OP with missing parts try turning off the complex shader (red teapot button)?

For the BT-1 try Importing your converted model again - does it look OK in MCX? If so, Export it again and that sometimes fixes the issue.

 

[tgycgijoes]

When I convert the textures in DXT BMP to 32 bit 888 the entire aircraft is visible in Version 1.70 of MDCx however when I try and export it as an FSX MDL it says it worked correctly but the folding part of the wings are on top of the fixed part of the wings attached to the fuselage so no joy with the Douglas TBD. The readme from Paul Clawson allows me to share this so you can try and see what you get if you would please try and see if the wings are messed up on your computer or not. Thanks. I even tried the original FS2004 model and the same thing happens. This is supposed to be an FSX Mdl.

 

[tgibson]

Hi,

MCX does not seem to be able to export that aircraft, unfortunately. I tried with the latest development version and with 1.5.

All of the animated parts are moved to the center of the aircraft.

 

[=rk=]

Exported for FSX. If you want a different version, freeze the wing fold and tailhook animations in the animation editor first, then proceed normally. If you wanted to try to keep either of those animations, you could try assigning an event the sim you are using recognizes, like "door open" or "catapult attach." For that matter, you could probably find the proper tailhook event for the existing animation, or it may already work fine, but since it was highlighted red like the wing fold animations, I froze it to be sure my export would work properly.

 

[tgibson]

Since the tailhook and wingfold animations do not work in the original model I guess it's no big loss...

 

[=rk=]

They work in the animation editor as expected, so the presumption would be that if you could find an adequate "trigger" and assign that to each, they would play in sim as well.

 

[tgibson]

They don't in my hands, I've tried it. I replaced the tailhook and wingfold tags with the ones in the MCX animation list and they still don't work.

 

[=rk=]

Huh, I’m not at home so I don’t know my exact version. It would have been the latest dev release, minus the “sweeping” changes Arno applied to converting from FS2004. I think the two changes I missed were related to the base model color and the modified FS9 import, I’ll confirm when I get home. Perhaps my build without those changes is what allows me to see the working animations.

 

[tgycgijoes]

It works fine is FSX rom the download that is FSX port-over version as you can see below but I can't convert it so I can't use it with the other aircrafts in P3D V4.5 which is what I want to do. This is original version no changes or exports. I didn't try the animation concerned with just it being usable

 

[tgycgijoes]

Since Rick is still working on this and thank you trying too Tom, I will wait until it is finalized one way or the other. Thank you both for trying. I know that since this is Paul Clawson's and he allows sharing and modifying as long as it's freeware and not uploaded to sites that charge we can share it if it works. Back in the day I was even able to have a friend TACPACK one of his aircraft we were able to get into FSX.

 

[=rk=]

Here is the same model exported to P3D v4.4. I am using version 1.7.0.02e15c8a DEV 9/30/2023 if anyone wants to try to duplicate my results.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Here is the same model exported to P3D v4.4. I am using version 1.7.0.02e15c8a DEV 9/30/2023 if anyone wants to try to duplicate my results.

Thank you for this. I found that the "port-over" animations DO work in FSX without any messing with the supplied mdl. I thank you for the conversions, they open perfectly so now that I have conversions, I may try and see if I can get animation back AFTER I MAKE COPIES OF THEM!!! for sure. I know enough about the hierarchy to get into it after learning how to add pbr to the textures from a youtube.

 

[=rk=]

I may try and see if I can get animation back AFTER I MAKE COPIES OF THEM

If you are referring to the hook and wing fold, you'd find that those animations are lost to this model after I froze them, but you could isolate working versions from the original model you uploaded, delete these dead parts I've given you and merge in your animated ones, including the proper animation event trigger to make them come to life.

 

[tgycgijoes]

If you are referring to the hook and wing fold, you'd find that those animations are lost to this model after I froze them, but you could isolate working versions from the original model you uploaded, delete these dead parts I've given you and merge in your animated ones, including the proper animation event trigger to make them come to life.

Thank you I'll see if I can figure out your directions. Wish me luck.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Rick
Thank you for exporting the mdl's for me. I opened up the original model in MDCx but your suggestion about isolate working versions etc. is beyond me. The converted FSX version has working animations but even though I watched the videos on animation editor, I don't understand to do what you suggest. If you could have converted the original mdl with animation if I understand you correctly it is not possible with the way it was created. Is that true?

 

[tgycgijoes]

Rick and Tom,
I want to thank you both for your help. I can use the port-over version in FSX with the animations so I think that for carrier ops I am going to use FSX because I can get all 4 Enterprise Group aircraft to work with all animations and aicarrier and Carrier Convoy Planner.

 

[=rk=]

If you could have converted the original mdl with animation if I understand you correctly it is not possible with the way it was created. Is that true?

Well first off, this is all an experiment, until it works. The core problem with your tailhook, for example, is that the animation description in MCX in highlighted red. This suggests that no recognizable event to start the animation playing was found by MCX. Now, you probably know some standard key commands, "E" for selecting engine, Shift E for starting, ctl+shft+E for shutting down etc. The author of this model selected a "custom" trigger event, perhaps he modeled a tailhook release mechanism, unlikely, but for whatever reason between his choices and the original developers, his command, or method to move the hook, is lost to the ages.

No terrible loss, it just needs to be replaced (presumably, based on experimental results). So with that in mind we can head over to the animation editor. You can see a list of standard simulator events, starting with "Action 01." Action 01 is going to be a predefined "event" available for things like this, running a tailhook animation, you would just have to assign a keystroke combination to that event and I'm not entirely sure how to connect your keystroke combination, with the animation. Ok, let's move on to a predefined event, that also has it's predefined keystroke combination.

So "Door_0" would probably work. Since this model has a canopy, there is no "open door" animation, as there would be on say a 747. But the "open door" key command remains available.

I'd save that one for the wing fold and I'll show you why.

And when we assign that animation event "tailhook_pct" we can see the animation name is no longer highlighted red.

This suggests that when exported, the model will not collapse it's animated parts to center, because that is kind of an MCX glitch consequence of trying to export animated parts that are not correctly linked. This is something I'd learned from countless hours of trying to accomplish exactly these same kinds of changes. My only solution to the fruitless search of "what were these guys thinking," was to abandon my dream of reviving the beautiful, but inevitably flawed works of the past and just make my own that, as lame as they are, they work the way I intend.

Attached is the above model, tailhook reassigned and wings folded when the door opens. I'll have to make this my last export from MCX here, maybe ever. It doesn't work properly on my machine and Arno refuses to address my report, because no one else reports the error. It is my belief that other people indeed do encounter the same error, I see the reports, but they are unable to articulate the issue properly, because they do not understand MCX fundamental functionality so well, so the issue goes unresolved and as a consequence, whenever I use MCX, _I_ must resolve the issue upon every occurance and it kind of hurts my feelings. The exact problem is that if you move MCX to a second monitor and then close the app, it will not reopen, until you either remove the MCX configuration file, or disconnect the second monitor from the computer, before again starting MCX. Apparently, some machine monitor configurations do not have this issue, Arno's being one of them, so it will remain unresolved.

Luckily for me, I've largely moved on from MCX, I use it for a quick model view, for generating GUID's and for trips down memory lane, like this. Thank you for allowing me to participate in your discoveries.