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FSX Piper Comanche

N2056 said:
Your work so far looks good. One thing I would strongly recommend you do would be to get it exported into the sim. The sooner the better. You need to be able to see the final product to spot certain things that you won't see in Max, and as the model grows in complexity the odds of errors when compiling increase. The troubleshooting process (which at some point you will likely have to go though) is much easier to do when you export/compile frequently.
Click to expand...

I'm having trouble with the XtoMDL, can't find any way of making it work. I tried a batch file, a shortcut and running command lines. Nothing seems to work. Is there any good tutorial from the max file to view it inside the sim?
 
N2056 said:
Your work so far looks good. One thing I would strongly recommend you do would be to get it exported into the sim. The sooner the better. You need to be able to see the final product to spot certain things that you won't see in Max, and as the model grows in complexity the odds of errors when compiling increase. The troubleshooting process (which at some point you will likely have to go though) is much easier to do when you export/compile frequently.
Click to expand...

I agree with Robert. Start doing test exports. Make sure it is also exporting correctly and to scale. A quick way to check our scale is to do a wingspan test with Tape Measure. Be sure to reset Scale on everything before exporting if you had to rescale the scene.


So if I got it correctly. Smooth-> Collapse-> Cut windows
Click to expand...

Yep. When you are done with the base mesh, 'then' collapse the stack with the plane smoothed and then cut your windows.
 
Good, I'll rework the mesh then. To move the MDL file to fsx, should the plane have textures assigned? How do I generate all the .air .cfg and all those folders related to plane models?
 
Cheat. Borrow another model's .air, .cfg and folders and drop your model (named same as the original model) into them instead. If the model isn't mapped, the object colours will show in FSX instead: no worries. Once the model is working in FSX you can move on to editing or creating your own .cfg and use an .air editor to build your own flight model. I cheat there too and get someone else to do that!
 
You must have all of the 4 folders needed for your plane; sound, panel, texture, and model. What I do to do a test for a new plane is copy/paste a stock plane like the 172 or something, rename it to my own, reset the aircraft.cfg with my own naming, etc, then drop in the model files into the model folder. The model config will also need to be reset.

You get really fast at it after you have done 100 or so. ;)
 
Thanks! I've tried a first import but nothing happened. I dropped the .mdl file into the model folder, changed the .cfg to point to the mdl name. Also changed the aircraft.cfg but nothing is showing ingame.

This is the CFG
; Localized 09/08/2006 04:53 PM (GMT) 4:4.2.169 aircraft.cfg
[fltsim.0]
title=Piper Comanche
sim=Comanche
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=
kb_checklists=Cessna172SP_check
kb_reference=Cessna172SP_ref
atc_id=G-BAFM
ui_manufacturer=Cessna
ui_type=Piper Comanche
ui_variation=" Azul, dorado"
ui_typerole=Monomotor de hélice
ui_createdby=Microsoft Corporation
description=Es poco frecuente encontrar algún piloto que no haya volado al menos algunas horas en el Cessna 172, un avión estable y confiable, habitual en las flotas de alquiler y la mayoría de las escuelas de vuelo. Desde que se terminó el primer prototipo en 1955, se han producido más de 35000 aparatos C172, lo que lo convierte en el monomotor más popular del mundo. Uno de los primeros aviones de Cessna con tren de aterrizaje triciclo, el 172 se convirtió rápidamente en el favorito de un número creciente de pilotos comerciales. Su confiabilidad y fácil manejo (sumados a su excelente diseño y características estructurales) le han valido una popularidad continua durante décadas.


[General]
atc_type=Piper
atc_model=Comanche
editable=0
performance=Velocidad máxima\n126 nudos 203 km\/hr\n\nVelocidad de crucero\n124 nudos 200 km\/hr\n\nMotor\nTextron Lycoming IO-360-L2A 180 CV\n\nHélice\nMacauley de dos aspas y cabeceo fijo\n\nAutonomía máxima\n638 mn 734 mi 1181 km\n\nTecho de servicio\n14000 ft\t 4267 m\n\nCapacidad de combustible\n56 gal\t 212 L\t \n\nPeso en vacío\n1665 lb\t 1002 kg\n\nPeso máximo al despegue\n2550 lb\t 1157 kg\n\nLargo\n27 ft, 2 in 8,2 m\n\nEnvergadura\n36 ft, 1 in\t 11 m\n\nAltura\n8 ft, 11 in\t 2,72 m\n\nPlazas\t 4\n\nCarga útil\n893 lb\t 405 kg\n
Category=airplane

And this is how the folder looks.

.

Any clues?
 
Perfect, that did the trick. As you can see I have a "little" size problem... But all in all it looks much more better than expected. I realized that LDG doors need 2 sides as well as the right wheel. The model looks wrinkled in some parts but maybe texturing and some rework would make like "nothing happened here". Another thing I noticed is that the plane is facing backwards, you know, the tail is where the nose is (watching from the cockpit)
Here are some pics. On the first picture you can see the plane on the ground, there you can get an idea of how big it is.







Thanks everybody for you help! I couldn't make it this far without all of those tips
 
Whoa! GA means General Aviation, not Giant Aircraft! Two questions: is the System Unit Scale set to 1 unit = 1 metre and has the Display Unit Scale been at 1 unit = 1 metre while you were building the model? (Customize/Units Setup...)

In addition, the model should have the nose pointing up in Top view. Weird, I know, but we're used to it...
 
Cool thanks, it's now facing where it should. I changed the units but still the plane looks enormous.
 
That's because it is enormous. You're going to have to scale the whole thing down, including your 3-view drawings, so if they're frozen unfreeze them first. Select all and use Uniform Scale to get the model down to, say, the correct wingspan and then reset scale on everything and re-freeze the 3-views.
 
the same apply for ai boats an ai aircrafts. A question about airplanes. If you asign a .cfg file and .air file to the airplane without gauges or animations. could fly ? out of curiosity
 
A question about airplanes. If you asign a .cfg file and .air file to the airplane without gauges or animations. could fly ? out of curiosity
Tejal
Click to expand...


You still need a panel folder and panel.cfg file though for it to show up.
 
Mau, remember to Reset Scale on all of the parts on your plane 'after' you resize it. If you do not, it shouldnt export. Reset Scale. Found in panel on right under Hierarchy tab.


Bill
 
But to scale down the model I should resize it until, for example, wingspan is the same as in real life?Now that my model is smoothed (and collapsed) I marked the windows and just made an inset+extrude (inwards). Should I delete those polygons or leave them there and make them look like glass? If the answer is the second one, who do I start modelling the low poly interior for viewing from the ext. view?

The model seems to have the correct dimensions, but this is what's happening. The model is on the ground but the plane is like a couple of thousands feet up.



Thanks!
 
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