• Which the release of FS2020 we see an explosition of activity on the forun and of course we are very happy to see this. But having all questions about FS2020 in one forum becomes a bit messy. So therefore we would like to ask you all to use the following guidelines when posting your questions:

    • Tag FS2020 specific questions with the MSFS2020 tag.
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    By following these guidelines we make sure that the forums remain easy to read for everybody and also that the right people can find your post to answer it.

Still learning

Francois

Francois

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Now started work on a new Flight School that we'll be launching this year. One of the hangars is done (which is a copy of an existing one in France), and am now working on the office and training rooms (fantasy design).

ABF-001-M.png


ABF-008-M.png


The fantasy stuff is fun, and easier to do in a way, as long as you don't run out of imagination ;-)
 
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Got a building permit for that office there young whipper snapper? Will it stand up to a building code inspection lol.... :-D

Looks great Francois!
 
LOL ! I guess I 'forgot' to apply for a permit. Will hide it out of the way somewhere in a corner of the field ;-)
 
Getting a bit more 'substance'.....

I plan on just using Sketchup materials for this first itteration. Difficult to find (make) fitting photo material for a 'free design'.

ABF-011-L.png
 
LOL, no, actually the modeling HELPS to forget some of my other frustrations temporarily :D
 
Shaping up rather nicely ! :)


IIUC, now you can tell 'Fritz' you're better qualified than he is to be "chairman" at the Flight School. :p


But seriously... I hope all heals up OK, and I'm looking forward to seeing more screenies ! :cool:


PS: Oh, and remember to use plastic, not metal ...for innovating new chair designs when in a 'creative mood' ! :D

http://www.dezeen.com/2011/02/03/sealed-chair-by-francois-dumas/


Amazing what Google turned up while I was searching for info on this: the "other" man's blog: :duck:

http://www.chairblog.eu/category/chair-designer/francois-dumas/


GaryGB
 
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Hi Francois.

You can reduce the vertex/poly count by making the doors and windows as textures, rather than modeling them in detail. just make a rectangular area to hold the texture.

As for the siding and roofing, there are default MS texture sheets that you might be able to use... convert them to jpg for use in Sketchup ( DDS textures would need to be flipped vertically ).

It does get addicting, and Sketchup is infinitely easier than Gmax for simple objects!

Dick
 
@Gary : amazing what you always come up with ! :-))

@Dick: yes, I know I can greatly reduce complexity by using textures. I started with some photos I had, then realized it got VERY complex to make a large wall out of a little photo. And I DID make them specifically for the purpose.

So back to the drawing board on making texture photos.

Meanwhile I decided that I then would make a model using default textures (which is the one you see now), but saved the very basic model to continue with photo textures once THIS one looks halfway decent.

It sure is a learning and especially experimenting process ... and addictive indeed ;-) Which is dangerous, as I should be making some money instead of some models. But, oh well ! A guys is entitled to 'some' fun too once in awhile, right?

Where would I find those MS textures... you mean the ones that come with FSX?
 
Hi Francois.

Yes. The default textures that are with FSX. Hundreds of them.

Dick
 
Quite a few possibilities for texturing with default FSX texture files can be seen in: ;)

[FSX install path]\Texture
[FSX install path]\Scenery\[non-numeric area name]\Texture
[FSX install path]\Scenery\Cities\[area name]\Texture
[FSX install path]\Scenery\World\Texture

BTW: One could browse them as thumbnails with one of Martin Wright's utilities (which can display FS legacy and *.DDS file formats): :idea:


MWThumb Shell Extension (not sure if it works in Win7)

http://www.btinternet.com/~mnwright/mwthumb/mwthumb1.htm

ThumbView

http://www.btinternet.com/~mnwright/programs/tview.htm



The above utilities are convenient to use in conjunction with some other must-have utilities which primarily display/modify one image file at a time (...but both can do 'batch' conversions of multiple files via their GUIs)

DXTBmp

http://www.btinternet.com/~mnwright/programs/dxtbmp.htm



Another very handy and well-written utility which I use that also can display/convert ('most') FS *.BMP / *.DDS texture files is:

XnView

http://www.xnview.com/en/download.html


NOTE: XnView can also be configured to 'utilize' ImageTool via:

XnView Menu > Open With > Add Program (browse to [FSX SDK install path]\SDK\Environment Kit\Terrain SDK\ImageTool.exe)


FYI: By adding XnView.exe to the Windows "Send To" menu, one can 'send' entire FS texture folders into a Xnview thumbnail view.

XnView also can do 'batch' conversions of multiple files via its GUI:

XnView Menu > Tools > Batch Processing



...and of course, there is Microsofts own:

FSX SDK ImageTool

[FSX SDK install path]\SDK\Environment Kit\Terrain SDK\ImageTool.exe


FSX SDK's ImageTool does 'batch' conversions of multiple files with a simple VB Script or DOS / CMD Mode "batch" file which utilizes the built-in command line switches of ImageTool.exe.

A FSX SDK ImageTool command line switch reference window can be accessed using a DOS / CMD Mode 'help query' in the [FSX SDK install path]\SDK\Environment Kit\Terrain SDK\ 'sub-folder': < whoops... I almost wrote "sub-directory" ! :eek: >

"ImageTool.exe -?" (no quotes; on command line, leave a space between all parameters placed after executable file name).

Clarification: that text command should read: ImageTool.exe[space][hyphen][question mark]


Examples of using ImageTool 'batch' functions (change command line switch parameters for one's particular purpose):

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19130






rhumbaflappy said:
You can reduce the vertex/poly count by making the doors and windows as textures, rather than modeling them in detail. just make a rectangular area to hold the texture.

As for the siding and roofing, there are default MS texture sheets that you might be able to use... convert them to jpg for use in Sketchup ( DDS textures would need to be flipped vertically ).
Click to expand...


IIUC, what Dick refers to is mapping FS textures to polygon surfaces in one's Sketchup model.


IMHO, this would involve using a copy of the default FSX bitmap (ex: FS *BMP or *.DDS which IIRC is another type of DXT5 *.BMP) converted to a format which Sketchup can use as a "imported material" texturing file format such as a *JPG.


NOTE: most JPGs are 'lossy', so personally I prefer to use *PNG files (a 'non-lossy' compressed 24-bit color Bitmap) for initial texturing in Sketchup, and then convert to a FS format *.BMP or *.DDS for use when the model is finally processed via ModelConverterX (aka "MCX").


BTW: XnView does graphics file interconversions to / from *.PNG file format.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Network_Graphics


I'm not certain if Sketchup works with 'non-lossy' *.JPG file formats; I'm also not certain whether there may be any further 'loss' of image quality when MCX converts from a 'lossy' *JPG to a *BMP or *DDS file; possibly Arno could comment on that ? :o


PS: A few questions pertinent to this discussion... for Arno, Dick, or others: :confused:

Does the EULA allow interconversion of copyrighted FS texture files from FS to Sketchup, then back into FS format (ex: via MCX) ?

Would one graphically alter the content of copyrighted FS texture files by using a photorealistic rendering utility (which operates inside Sketchup to cast correct shadows in one's "geo-located" model), or can MDLs control all lighting... leaving mapped FS original default textures intact ?


Additionally, if one sought to reduce "Draw Calls" from multiple texture-mapped polygons in a rendered model, one might also... :scratchch

[EDITED]
STEP-1: Set Windows Desktop Display properties to at least 1600 x 1200; this allows Sketchup to Export a 2D Graphic at a 'Height' of 1024 pixels*

< *=See: http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=114296 and http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/sketchup/thread?tid=0848d3da12921fa3&hl=en >


STEP-2: Set Sketchup scene properties for a view of the model inside an imaginary "square" central area that can later be used for a 1024x1024 texture image:

......a.) Sketchup Menu > Camera: Parallel Projection and Orbit 'checked' ("Orbit" mouse cursor mode activated)
.........(1.) Center view on 1 side of model so only that side or 'face' shows in the scene
.........(2.) Adjust Zoom so model fits inside an imaginary "square area"... with a width no larger than Sketchups 3-D workspace area height

......b.) Sketchup Menu > Tools: click "Select" to set all top-level menu items 'un-checked'
......c.) Sketchup Menu > View: all top-level menu items 'un-checked'
......d.) Sketchup Menu > View > Edge Style: all sub-menu items 'un-checked'
......e.) Sketchup Menu > View > Face Style: Shaded With Textures 'checked'


STEP-3: Export a 'centered' view of each side of the Sketchup model to a raster image 2D graphic file

< Ex: Output to a *.BMP after finished texturing individual polygons with FS (or other) textures and/or photo-realistic rendering with custom lighting / shadowing >

......a.) Sketchup Menu > File > Export 2D Graphic ('Export 2D Graphic' dialog box opens)
......b.) In 'Export 2D Graphic' dialog box, set "Export type" = Windows Bitmap (*.bmp)
......c.) In 'Export 2D Graphic' dialog box, in "File name" field type a name for the *.bmp output file
......d.) In 'Export 2D Graphic' dialog box, click "Options" button ('Export Image Options' dialog box opens)
.........(1.) In 'Export Image Options' dialog box, be sure "Use view size" = 'checked' and Image Size - Height = 1024 pixels
.........(2.) In 'Export Image Options' dialog box, be sure Rendering - Anti-alias = 'checked'; click OK

......e.) Back in 'Export 2D Graphic' dialog box, click OK

STEP-4: Repeat above Steps 1-3 for each side of the model

STEP-5: Save a copy of model, then delete 'non-essential' polygons / vertices (ex: un-lit windows/doors/frames, cut-outs, extrusions etc.) from model

STEP-6: Re-texture each model side with 1 (or a minimal number of) "composite" texture(s) using a Sketchup-exported 2D graphic *.BMP file image.

[END_EDIT]

Hope this helps ! :)

GaryGB
 
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Hi Francois,

There is no need to include them since they are default textures. So the users will already have them in their FS :).
 
Oh yes,of course .... <banging head on keyboa logds0 87t0c pdgfcOGO GPP -6- C yu>
 
Careful not to break anything ;)
 
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