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Sketchup and GMAX!! texturing

M

Myron K

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8
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ca-alberta
Hi there Everyone. this is my 1st post so i hope im in the right spot for what im about to say.
I have made my 1st model in GSU of my home town airport CYEG in Edmonton,Alberta Canada. (see attached .jpg)

What I would like to know is if i can import it into GMAX to edit it and do the texturing. i am finding a problem trying to get the textures to look right in GSU and including the _LM night textures.

Or can I also import a snapshot from google into GMAX like i did in GSU to use as a blueprint/guide to create the model?

Thanx in advance for any info on this.

Myron!!!!:)
 

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  • CYEG Model.jpg
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If you have made it using GSU and via ModelconverterX.

You can save the model as a 3ds file.
This format can be improted into Gmax.

You would however have to set up proper materials in FSX to export.
 
Assuming he is using FSX. :)

For FS9 ModelConverterX is also the answer. Then in GMAX you only need to set up Standard materials.

Hope this helps,
 
Hi,

Unless you want very special things, I think it is easier to do the textures in SketchUp as well. You can add the night texture in ModelConverterX, so that would save the need for GMax.
 
Thanx for ALL your replies. I am using it for FSX and Oh?.... i did not know that about texturing night textures in ModelConverter X.

Now for a real dumb question? how do i do that? LOL! Should i add them in the
Material editor or mass texture editor?

However,Let be more specific in what I have done so far.I created the model in GSU,exported it in .3ds,imported into GMAX (although, i can't seem to edit it there) created an .mdl and then .bgl. When I try to place it in FSX with Instant Scenery 2, the model is MASSIVE! as in 5x the size it should so im thinking theres a problem in my units setup in GMAX but I should be able to figure out that problem myself.

I guess my orignal questions are as follows:

1.I want to add detailed FSX textures to the model, so is GSU or GMAX better for doing that

2. I have found that the model i made in GSU has some errors (i.e. wrong vertices etc...) so i would like to fine tune it so to speak and which is better? GSU or GMAX?

Thanks again to Arno, Tom and Hcornea for your replies!
Myron :)

P.S. Oh and Arno, is there a detailed tutorial you can steer me towards that i can use for texturing in ModelConverter X?
 
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Hi,

Those are not dumb questions at all :).

With both SketchUp and GMax you can create good scenery objects. Fixing wrong vertices can also be done with both, just as applying textures. In general SketchUp is easier to use and to learn. But sometimes it lacks the more advanced features that give you more control (like unwrap mapping for the textures).

If you started in SketchUp already I would suggest that you just try to completely finish the object in it. Switching to GMax to finish it will not always make things easier. Usually at such a conversion information gets lost, that you have to add again.

Then to your night textures. I would suggest this workflow:

  1. Make the object in SketchUp
  2. Export as DAE object
  3. Import in ModelConverterX
  4. First use the mass texture editor to rename your textures to more meaningfull names and convert them to format that FS can use
  5. Go to the material editor
  6. For each texture that needs to have a night texture, add the name of the night texture in the "nightmap texture" slot in the material editor
  7. Export the object to MDL

There are not so many tutorials at the moment on how to do this with ModelConverterX and the manual is sometimes a bit behind (I know :D). But I am experimenting with putting short video tutorials on YouTube at the moment. So maybe in the future there is some more material to help developers.
 
Thanks Again Arno, you have been a TREMNDOUS!!! help for me
and just to let ya know, I just started using GSU 6 days ago! so i think im doing ok with never using the program before! LOL

I do and can make my own custom textures using Paintshop Pro but im still learning in that area also but its all mostly trial and error.

However,to clarify on something,when u say to "rename your textures" i usually do it by clicking on mass texture editor and choosing the name i gave my model as the texture renames. Is this correct?

As an example lets say i am using a form of FSX default textures i.e. like MediumAirport.bmp,MediumAirport_Bump.dds,MediumAirport_lm.bmp and MediumAirport_Specular.dds and i have customized theses textures and gave them my own names.
When you say to add them to the night texture slot,should i create a custom texture with the same names i am using for the model?

i.e. Cyeg_0.bmp and Cyeg_0_lm.bmp and so on....?

UPDATE!!!!! I FINALLY have everything working, the night textures etc.. and it looks great in FSX! now all i have to do is find away to fine tune the texturing in GSU to get them postioned EXACTLY on the model so it looks realistic.

Thanks Again Everyone for your input!!!

Regards, Myron
 
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yes, I think too that those tools are a great chance for make sceneries, not discussing wich if gmax or skecthup models are better, about the night textures if you want edit the textures for add lights on ground etc, how it would be?, though I guess that in each case the textures must be duplicated, no?, so would not be problems to edit . I think :rolleyes:
 
One possible approach is to apply textures/materials in GSU, and then do a rendering in GSU to a bitmap. One advantage is that you can control the lighting including adding emissive lighting. Another idea is to create a complex model that you can apply simple materials, and after doing the render simplify the model and use the resulting render to display the complexity within the material. There is a freeware ruby script that can use the freeware povray to do the rendering, but I haven't had good results with this. There are also various payware rendering software for GSU but I haven't had time to really experiment enough with the trial versions (for example, podium SU). From what I've seen these render softwares are fairly expensive, more designed for pros.

Once you have the render you would have to then go back and apply it as a material.

scott s.
.
 
Thanks a lot for answer, well I'm not familiarized with rendering (in plain english "I've no idea"), what I'm interested is to apply lights on the ground, painting on the phototexture, apply night nextures on the model, you know, with two bitmaps, ...dds and ---_lm.dds, and knowing that it could be done with modelconverterx, I wanted to know which is the process, I had no clear the steps, having the day texture I want paint lights on tihs bitmap and then convert them in night textures, anyway thank you, the rendering is something I must see along with many other stuff I'm afraid :rolleyes:. Sorry but my english is very poor and my spanish worst, Greetings from Canary Islands
 
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thank you, yes I knew that excelent tutorial, and had skipped just that section, the night textures, any way, I have not too much clear yet, but doing is how one learn.
 
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