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Textures exporting from Gmax to FSX

S

Swildons

Messages
5
Country
england
Firstly: Thanks for help already received on this forum! I now have an aeroplane with transparent cockpit canopy, and a working instrument panel that sucessfully exports from Gmax to FSX.

But: I can't seem to get external textures applied - parts that I try with end up totally black. I did read somewhere on a forum that this happens if parts (e.g. ailerons) are already animated, so have gone back to a file before I added animations - but still the same. (I have on one occassion got a texture (on the engine cowl) to come up in FSX - so know it's possible, but can't remember what I actually did!)
 
Hallo.

Parts going black indicate a missing texture.

1. Are your .DDS files in the aircraft's "\Texture" folder?
2. Do their filenames match the names referenced in the map slot of the material (gmax)?
 
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".DDS" ? (sorry to show my ignorance but what is this?) - I'm using windows bitmap files created from screencapture of the UVW unwrap edit, cropped and sized to 512*512 pixels. All the files I'm using are saved direct into the Texture folder before trying to apply them in Gmax. - Hence I assume that as it is the exact same file that the filenames have to match!

I'm working on a fudge at the moment - getting the correct paintwork by colouring all the individual Gmax objects with the correct RGB settings (extracted from a photo of the RW version). At least this will give me an aeroplane that looks right in FSX!
 
That's your problem then. FS requires that all bitmaps in the a/c's ..\Texture folder be one of the following types:

DXT1 .bmp
DXT3 .bmp
DDS/DXT1 .dds
DDS/DXT3 .dds
DDS/DXT5 .dds
32bit .bmp

FS will not display 24bit .bmp files. Period.

So, you need to convert your .bmp files using either DXTBMP.exe or Imagetool.exe to one of the above formats.
 
And don't forget to vertically flip the maps prior to .DDS-conversion. FSX inverts the UV-coordinates somehow (maybe due to right-hand to left-hand coordinate system switch during export :confused: )
 
capt_x said:
And don't forget to vertically flip the maps prior to .DDS-conversion. FSX inverts the UV-coordinates somehow (maybe due to right-hand to left-hand coordinate system switch during export :confused: )
Click to expand...

Actually, all textures are sent to the graphics card "flipped vertically."

That is the major advantage of using the new FSX .dds format for the compressed files... they are already "pre-flipped vertically" so they don't have to be "flipped vertically" in real-time by the sim's engine! :D
 
Two more details....


1. On your Texture Editor, make sure the blue and white checkered button is depressed/on.

2. Make sure all textures are 256X256, 512X512, 1024X1024, and 2048X2048 pixels square, or rectangular with those dimensions, such as 512X1024, etc.

If you are one pixel off in size, FSX will 'not' see it.



That blue and white checkered button almost caused me to quit Gmax.. lol.. one solid week of screaming, hair pulling, severe gray traumatization to the eyebrow regions of my forehead....

eeks.. .



Bill
 
..... and his dear friends in the flightsim modelling world will NEVER let him forget it, either!!


lionheart said:
That blue and white checkered button almost caused me to quit Gmax.. lol.. one solid week of screaming, hair pulling, severe gray traumatization to the eyebrow regions of my forehead....

eeks.. .



Bill
Click to expand...
 
:D

gmaxposter.jpg
 
EEEEEEEEEEEEEKSSSSSSS!!!!


<--- runs for cover, jumps 7 feet, hands forward, swan diving into a gmax defense trench

<--- 8 hours later, surfaces from trench, leather attire on his head, saying something about ............"evil I tell yah, eets goot huuuuge fangs, giant teeeeth, an eeet baaites yer head oooof. skareeeeest thing ai doooon evah seeeen"
 
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OK, Ive loaded a sample texture into "DTXBMP", then saved it as: -
a) "DDS DXT1 (NoAlpha)"
b) "DDS DXT1"
c) "DDS DXT3" and
d) "DDS DXT5"
versions.
(After checking that the original bitmap version was 512*512 pixels)
However my copy of GMAX wll only recognise and let me apply the original bitmap version - and then I have to drag and drop it onto the object itself or the material editor reverts from the FSX material to the FS9 version.
I'm obviously still doing/have got something wrong, but can't work out what!
 
Swildons said:
I'm obviously still doing/have got something wrong, but can't work out what!
Click to expand...

You are making this far more complicated than it is... :)

We must have TWO versions of our bitmaps, one to use in GMax and the other to use in FSX.

For GMax, use 24bit .bmp textures

For FSX, convert the 24bit .bmp textures used in GMax to DDS-DXT1a, or DDS-DXT3 or DDS-DXT5 format.

Also, for future reference...

Do not ever drag and drop textures in Max or GMax!

As you've noticed, when you "drag and drop" you give up control over your FSX Materials entirely and Max/GMax will impolitely create entirely NEW Standard Materials, or even worse a new Multi-Material, neither of which is what you want...

With your object(s) selected in the Viewport, click on the "Apply" button in the Material Editor. That is what its for... :D
 
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other way.. the most simple one : in some cases you can use 256colours bmp textures...

And so, no need to convert in dds or else ; the same file il used in both gmax and FSX

example :

mag10.jpg
 
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