P3D v5 Static aircraft from AI aircraft P3D V5.4

[Butch1]

Would like to convert some AI aircraft to static forP3d.v5. I tried the SAMM program but for me that doesn't seem to work for me.
What other options are there to make static aircraft from AI?

Thanks

 

[Butch1]

I used one of MAIW AI A-10 warthog packs. The AI aircraft show just fine when placed in my scenery.

OK, I did a little google AI to find out about above post and I was able to convert from AI to static but the static plane shows with landing gear up.
I followed at the steps provided:

Using ModelConverterX (MCX)

1. Install MCX: Download and install the latest development version of MCX from scenerydesign.org.
   

• Import the model: Open the AI aircraft model in MCX.
  
  
  
  
• Adjust animations: Use MCX's animation editor to replace complex animations with simpler ones that will freeze the aircraft in place at a specific parking position.
  
  
• Export for P3D: Export the model as a FSX/P3D native model.
  
  
• Configure the model: Assign the model's radius and bounding box values using a tool like RADItor.
  
  
• 
  
• Adapt the model configuration: Adapt the model's configuration file to ensure it functions correctly as a static scenery object in P3D.
  
  
• Then I had to fix or freeze the animations
• • Creating static display models: If a modeler wants to create a static aircraft with its landing gear retracted (for example, to place it on a scenery ramp), this procedure freezes the landing gear in the "up" position to prevent it from dropping down.
  • Cleaning up animated parts: Sometimes, a model may have leftover or errant animation data. Freezing a part in its correct, static position ensures it doesn't move unintentionally.
  • Preparing for re-export: When fixing or updating a model, a modeler may need to lock down certain animations before re-exporting the model to the P3D format (.mdl or .x).

 

[Butch1]

Bump..... any one.......?

Now I tried to fix the animation (landing gear movement) and the bgl shows with gear down but when I add it to my scenery the gear is up.
There is no animation in the bgl below so I don't know why it shows in scenery with gears all up.

 

[GaryGB]

I do not recall exactly how I fixed gear into full deployment on (1) aircraft I converted to a static model via SAMM and MCX.

But I do recall I referred to- and successfully utilized- info derived solely from detailed review of the SAMM & MCX PDF manuals.

If you are unable to achieve success via SAMM, I recommend reviewing all info in MCX manual on Animation Editor; otherwise Arno may help explain.

GaryGB

 

[arno]

Hi,

Those Google AI instructions seem a bit flacky, as it contains non related things as well.

Did you use the animation editor to freeze all animations at the desired frame?

It might also be there are still some visibility conditions in the model that affect the display. You can remove them in the hierarchy editor. Maybe that is why you don't see the gear.

 

[Butch1]

Hi,

Those Google AI instructions seem a bit flacky, as it contains non related things as well.

Did you use the animation editor to freeze all animations at the desired frame?

It might also be there are still some visibility conditions in the model that affect the display. You can remove them in the hierarchy editor. Maybe that is why you don't see the gear.

I did...as shown in above screen grab. In mcx I deleted all animations, as shown above the animation slider is missing = no animations.
At the time, Google was only source that provided some feedback and not aware there were "flaky" instructions.

I did google mcx hierarchy editor and found a Utube vid here
I viewed most of it and it at least found out where this editor you mentioned is. How to manipulate it is another learning curvee
I may have to take a course of calculus to absorb it all.
Would I have to start from scratch in the conversion process or can I use the converted bgl that mcx made? And also, would I have to remove this static airplane from ADEx library and
re add the static bgl that was changed in any way?

 

[Butch1]

I do not recall exactly how I fixed gear into full deployment on (1) aircraft I converted to a static model via SAMM and MCX.

But I do recall I referred to- and successfully utilized- info derived solely from detailed review of the SAMM & MCX PDF manuals.

If you are unable to achieve success via SAMM, I recommend reviewing all info in MCX manual on Animation Editor; otherwise Arno may help explain.

GaryGB

I sense a hint of RTFQ eh?

 

[arno]

I think you first need to check if there are visibility conditions. When I'm behind my PC tonight I'll post some information on how to check that

 

[GaryGB]

I used one of MAIW AI A-10 warthog packs. The AI aircraft show just fine when placed in my scenery.

OK, I did a little google AI to find out about above post and I was able to convert from AI to static but the static plane shows with landing gear up.

Which specific MAIW AI A-10 warthog pack did you use, and where does one download / find it ?

I do not recall exactly how I fixed gear into full deployment on (1) aircraft I converted to a static model via SAMM and MCX.

But I do recall I referred to- and successfully utilized- info derived solely from detailed review of the SAMM & MCX PDF manuals.

If you are unable to achieve success via SAMM, I recommend reviewing all info in MCX manual on Animation Editor; otherwise Arno may help explain.

GaryGB

I sense a hint of RTFQ eh?

If you are referring to something like: "RTFM ...PDQ", that was not quite what I had in mind when I posted.


I was emphasizing that I got lucky, and was able to get the gear down using just MCX' Animation Editor to freeze the position at 'fully deployed'.


Fortunately, I was successful just following the PDF instructions for my particular aircraft without having to learn how to use MCX Hierarchy Editor.


So, a review of the PDF manuals I pointed you to previously is worthwhile, as it may help simplify a task at hand, once one knows what to try first.


PS: Perhaps I am mistaken in assuming you had read my post regrading the PDF manuals for SAMM and MCX in a recent and related thread ...here ?

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/adding-static-aircraft.460297/post-936028


"Please RTFM; "SAMM Static Aircraft .mdl Maker.pdf" and "Version History_2.pdf" are located in the SAMM install folder."


"Note especially, in the MCX install folder is the MCX Manual in PDF file format; view this in a web browser ...or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC:

https://get.adobe.com/reader/"


If I am mistaken, please accept my apologies for having made an incorrect assumption that you had seen- and read all of- ...that thread cited above.

GaryGB

 

[Butch1]

Which specific MAIW AI A-10 warthog pack did you use, and where does one download / find it ?

GaryGB

From Maiw here

I used the clean and empty models.

I too could get the gear down but to freeze it it was half-arced as MCX did make a converted bgl with no animation including landing gear and when exported and viewed in MCX, the gear was down.
I did use the FIX animation which removed all the animation (at least I thought it did).
So somewhere, I missed a step or action that caused the A-10 to appear in my scenery with gear up.

 

[Butch1]

I think you first need to check if there are visibility conditions. When I'm behind my PC tonight I'll post some information on how to check that

Thanks, I appreciate your help with this. I was unaware of the hierarchy editor within MCX. When I observed on Utube the use of it, I felt like I was drinking from the fire hose.
I can find it but how to use it in my situation in converting AI to static planes, I would like to know more of what I need to check and other info I should check and make adjustment to.

 

[arno]

Hi,

So I download the same A-10 model you mentioned.

After loading the model I first opened the animation editor and fixed all gear at the last frame to get the gear extended and all other animations at the first frame to keep the flaps and control surfaces in their neutral position. I did that using the select name function in the animation editor.

If I now open the visibility conditions dialog (the button with the eye icon on it), I see there are still a number of visibility conditions applied to the model.

But if I select the part that contains the gears (and the fuselage, they have been merged into one part after the animations were removed). I can see in the hierarchy editor that there is no visibility condition on that part. So that can't be the reason that the gear does not show in the simulator for you.

With the visibility conditions still in place I exported the model to FSX (don't have P3D v5 myself). I added placement information for the object and made sure to save the textures in DDS format in the texture folder. I then see the object in FSX with the gear extended. (OK, to be honest I had to export it twice, as initially I forgot to raise the aircraft a bit with the move tool and the gear was burred under the ground).

 

[Butch1]

Second verse same as the first......

 

[Butch1]

Hi,

So I download the same A-10 model you mentioned.

After loading the model I first opened the animation editor and fixed all gear at the last frame to get the gear extended and all other animations at the first frame to keep the flaps and control surfaces in their neutral position. I did that using the select name function in the animation editor.

If I now open the visibility conditions dialog (the button with the eye icon on it), I see there are still a number of visibility conditions applied to the model.

View attachment 97985

But if I select the part that contains the gears (and the fuselage, they have been merged into one part after the animations were removed). I can see in the hierarchy editor that there is no visibility condition on that part. So that can't be the reason that the gear does not show in the simulator for you.

View attachment 97986

With the visibility conditions still in place I exported the model to FSX (don't have P3D v5 myself). I added placement information for the object and made sure to save the textures in DDS format in the texture folder. I then see the object in FSX with the gear extended. (OK, to be honest I had to export it twice, as initially I forgot to raise the aircraft a bit with the move tool and the gear was burred under the ground).

View attachment 97987

I still don't know how you did it, cause I tried (again) and my static plane has no gear down. If I use AI flight planner they will show up in my scenery WITH gear down. So the AI aircraft from MAIW are P3D V5
compatible..... in you viz compat state, it looks like you checked (blue squares) ~15 items. My version 1.7 does not show the eye icon on the VIz compat dialog. '
Insanity -= doing same thing over and over again but expecting different results.