MCX Platform fall-thru issues

[Gman]

Hi Arno,

I have been using the development version to place FSX platforms on some FS9 helicopter towers, pads, and trailers with mostly good results.

However, with the trailers I am experiencing a fall-thru issue which is effecting only certain areas of the platforms. If the skids of the helicopter are within the areas marked in blue, the helicopter falls-thru. Unfortunately, the areas where the fall-thru occurs is the exact area where the helicopter would land. If the skids are sitting on the platform outside of the blue boxes (treads and the center metal frame which would not be favorable to land on), the platform works fine. The issue is the same on all other versions of the trailer.

I might also mention that I removed the FS9 platforms in the MCX Attached Object Editor, and I then placed the FSX platforms using the Auto-Platform Filter normal setting 1.000 (flat surfaces only), which resulted in MCX generating 110 platform segments for the .mdl pictured.

Any thoughts on resolving this issue?

Cheers
Gary

 

[BASys]

Hi Folks

Gary -
I'm guessing
you've made your trolley's "trays" as 2 independent platforms.



Current FS versions
do not support true contact points.

Instead they use the simobject model's origin
for all on-ground position calculations.

i.e.
If your simobject model's origin
is over a hole/gap in, or edge of, a platform
it'll fall through.



You'll need to remake your trolley's platform
as one contiguous platform.

i.e.
Across the trolley's entire area.



N.B.
Users may also experience fall-through issues
if -
- Their FS slider-settings are set too high for your PC's current capabilities.
- They descend too fast onto the platform.

The former is often a problem
as the majority of fsx users probably have overly elevated slider settings.



A work-around to minimize fall-throughs
is to create 2 additional hardens
positioned say 5mm & 10mm respectively
below the primary-surface harden.



HTH
ATB
Paul

 

[Gman]

Hi Paul,

As far as I can recall from working with the trailers in GMAX five years ago, the platforms for the trailers were in one piece. Theoretically, the MCX platform should cover the entire flat surface, yet as shown in the screenshot, there are areas where the platform has not been created.

These trailers are part of the FS9 ChopperWorld kit, which due to an HDD crash I no longer have the GMAX source files for. I have made sets of invisible FSX platforms in GMAX to repair the FS9 platforms which do not function in FSX, and while they work pretty well in most cases, if I place a pad or tower on a mountaintop or a cliffside, I see some of the intermittent fall-thru issues and/or platforms which are slightly lower/higher than they were placed at, usually in areas where the mesh refresh has not kept up with the flight. The latter issue may be more related to the towers which are a separate object, staying with the ground which may not yet have "popped" to the proper altitude, while the platform remains suspended in space at the proper position.

As an experiment, I recently decided to use MCX to convert the textures to .DDS to see if performance might be improved.
While most of the textures have converted well, I have a couple of issues with glass textures which are not visible in FSX, and the safety net textures for some of the towers which are only barely visible from about one foot, so it is frustrating not to have the GMAX source files, and I can only search through existing glass/safety net textures trying to find something which displays better in FSX than the FS9 textures do.

When I found that MCX could now place FSX platforms for the .MDLs, I began replacing all of the ChopperWorld Tower, Pad, and Trailer FS9 platforms, and with the exceptions of the trailers, they have all worked perfectly.

After five years, I seem to have forgotten more than I used to know, which leaves me like a proverbial wind-up robot marching in place against the wall.
At this point without the GMAX source files, doing things the right way is not an option.

So close, and yet so far.

Thanks for your comments Paul

Cheers
Gary

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:


I greatly appreciated having the "Finney" objects to use in FS9, and look forward to seeing updated versions of them in FSX.


No doubt there may have been an abundance of important info in your GMAX source files that make the HD crash seemingly an irretrievable loss.


But, I'm wondering if when a BGL or MDL file is 'imported' in MCX, Arno is able to write out most if not all object info to a 3DS MAX output file when 'exported' ?


IIUC, GMAX can import 3DS files, which might then assist in 'reconstituting' the source files for your scenery objects.


Hope this consideration might be of some help.; thanks again for sharing your work with us all !

GaryGB

 

[Gman]

Hi Gary,

Thank you for your kind comments, and also for referring folks to the Crosshairs_Plus placement tools.

As a matter of fact I did attempt to export the .mdls as 3DS files, but the result was that all of the grouped parts and pieces could not be ungrouped in GMAX.

I did contemplate using the resulting GMAX project files as templates to start from scratch, but MS Flight would have been replaced with something else by the time I would have finished rebuilding ChopperWorld for FSX.

As I stated above, between being away from GMAX for five years, and dealing with the differences between GMAX FS9 and FSX, it has been hard getting back in the saddle. It was a major accomplishment just to get GMAX FSX up and running.

I have however figured out a workaround for the fall-thru issues with the trailers, which was to re-export the originals as FSX mdls, and then leave the FS9 platforms in place before using the auto-platform utility in MCX.

I have also worked out the glass texture and safety net texture issues, and with the exception of the non-functioning FS9 strobe effects on some of the towers and pads, I now have ChopperWorld converted to DDS textures, and all of the platforms are working again.

As for the non-functioning FS9 strobes, I made a GMAX collection of strobe sets for FSX, which includes a couple of effects-only sets which can be placed over the non-functioning strobe fixtures.

As a last resort I may release an FSX ChopperWorld kit with the strobe repair sets included, but since it is the last issue to get sorted, I will keep trying to find a non-GMAX solution for the strobe effects before I do that.

Many thanks to Arno for MCX, which has made it possible to get ChopperWorld 99% FSX ready.

And many thanks to Arno, Paul, Gary and all others who have been so helpful to the Flight Simulation community.

Cheers
Gary

 

[Gman]

Hi Gary,

After my previous post, I got to thinking about what I wrote as regards exporting as 3DS files and reworking the objects in GMAX, and I realized that not being able to ungroup the parts and pieces should not be an issue for my remaining task of repairing the FS9 strobe effects.

Since I made the strobe effect-only repair objects in GMAX, I only need to merge them with the imported 3DS projects, assign a new GUID and friendly name, export them as FSX.mdls, and Bob's my uncle.

I tried a quicky test on one of the towers and the FSX strobe effects worked great.
I am glad that I re-read your comments.
ChopperWorld for FSX is getting closer to reality.

Cheers
Gary

 

[tgibson]

Hi,

There is a setting in MCX that you might try to "ungroup" the parts when converting to 3DS.

Try changing CollapseModelParts in the ObjectModel Setting to False and try the export again.

Hope this helps,

 

[Gman]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check that out.

Cheers
Gary

 

[arno]

Hi,

I notice you have quite a lot of platforms. Maybe the amount of them can influence their behaviour. I would try to just create two platforms for each of the sides of the trailer.

You can do this by just adding a new platform in ModelConverterX, instead of using the auto platform function.

About the grouping. When you are importing from MDL files these options won't help much, that is because in the MDL format the groups are not stored. With other formats like FSC or API it can make a difference.

 

[n4gix]

Don't forget that in Max/GMax you can very often sort out auto-merged object's original elements buy using the "Element" sub-level...

 

[Gman]

Hi Fr. Bill,

Thanks for the tip, however I think I may have to dig-out my GMAX Bible to figure out where to locate the "elements" sub-level UI.


Hi Arno,

Yeah, the platforms are crazy on these trailers, over a hundred triangles.
As for the groupings issue, the biggest problem seems to be that the names of the groups are auto-generated, and when merging various GMAX files there are repeats with the same names.

While I cannot ungroup the groupings, using MCX to export to 3DS files does allow me to re-build my GMAX source files to some extent, and while I can't remove the strobe fixtures with the FS9 effects, I can then add FSX effects to them, as well as adding the platforms.

One of the features of ChopperWorld was that it had a four library kit to assemble and puff-up custom towers built in the sim, so after I get everything converted into GMAX again, I can then use all of those items to build complete towers in GMAX, apply effects and platforms, and then export them in one piece.
It takes a lot of work to convert all of the objects from .mdl to 3DS, and then GMAX, but it is a lot better than starting from scratch with everything.

I rebuilt five towers in GMAX last night, and they worked flawlessly in the sim so I think I am making good progress between MCX and workarounds.

Thanks again for MCX and LibraryCreatorXML which are awesome toolkits!

Cheers
Gary

 

[tgibson]

Element Sublevel:

1. Add an Edit Mesh modifier to the stack.
2. Click the little + next to Editable Mesh
3. Select the Element choice.
4. Click the various Elements to select them.
5. Click the Detach button to detach them into separate Objects.

Probably works similarly with Editable Polys too.

Hope this helps,

 

[Gman]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for that, I'll give it a go and see if I can get it sorted.

Cheers
Gary