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What program to use?

D

DaleRFU

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39
Country
england
Hi all,

I have been thinking about making an aircraft for FSX. I am however at a cross road in terms of what program to use to build it. I have no experience in making aircraft, I have dabbled with FSDS for scenery but from what I understand it is limited as to what you can do. Any help in what program's to use for the entire process would be great.

Regards
Dale
 
DaleRFU said:
I have dabbled with FSDS for scenery but from what I understand it is limited as to what you can do.
Click to expand...

Guess the only limitation is your talent and imagination ;)

Thankfully today you have actually some choices in what program to use.

- Blender with the Blender2FSX Tools.
- Gmax
- Max 2008 - 2014 (15?)

All these programs can be used from finish to start. edit* END (beer talk)

Blender and Gmax are free.
Max is expensive (in the 4 digit range) and I don`t mean in baht currency...

I have NO experience with Blender so I would say go for Gmax.
The learning curve is steep, but when you get the hang of it there is no problem and if you are lucky to get a copy of some old version of Max the transition is easy.
Max is more or less Gmax on steroids.
 
There was a tutorial series at SOH on aircraft modelling with FSDS, but I'm afraid a lot of it has been lost. There is also Milton Shupe's classic C172 tutorial series on aircraft modelling with Gmax. Each series is not quite for FSX, but Milton's has started quite a number of modellers.

FSDS has the advantage that it sets up the FSX aircraft folders etc for you. Gmax (free) is more capable but it's then up to you to set up the rest. Blender (free) is a recent option although I don't know how much tutorial material relevant to FSX there is so far. 3ds max is wonderfully capable but super-expensive.

Whichever you use, you've got a lot to learn before even getting a model into FSX. I'd recommend Gmax but whichever you do use you should stick with it, working through the program's own tutorials to learn the tools first, then working through the relevant FS aircraft modelling tutorial(s).

Zeiten: you've got to be really lucky to get an old version of Max: really, really lucky!
 
Yeah, since you can`t get previous versions from any retailer it must come from some associates, companys etc.
At least that it is how I got my copy of Max2008 some years ago.

Don`t know what income payware developers have, but think you need to sell a lot of copys before your break even when purchasing a 3D software close to 4000 bucks... but thats a very differerent topic and I`m not going there..
 
Zeiten said:
Max is more or less Gmax on steroids.
Click to expand...

Zeiten, I believe you have it backwards. :p Gmax is Max's small neutered dog that was and let loose into the wild, slowly withering with age and lacking the ability to reproduce. There he finds little to eat, save a few unidentifiable berries and the occasional half-eaten shrew buried beneath dead leaves on the forest floor. Every so often, little Gmax will make his way to the door of a cozy house in the small town of Repolevedsf for whatever table scraps its inhabitants have to offer. Eventually, a hard winter will hit the region, and Gmax will inevitably freeze to death in what little fur is left on his frail doggy body. :(

THAT is why Gmax stopped at version 1.2 and will (most likely) never bear offspring in the form of Gmax 1.3.

Seriously though, if I were you, I would give Blender a try. It is one of the most powerful modeling and animation tools out there, and with the latest Blender2FSX tool set, you could create some really amazing stuff. Add the fact that it's free, and unless you're a student with access to a free academic license from Autodesk, I honestly don't think there is any better option at this point in time.
 
Ozzy, very droll; very droll indeed! :laughing: Zeiten, snap! And I got Max 2008 as well... :cool:

Dale, the decision is yours but you'll find plenty of helpful, knowledgeable people here once you have decided and take the plunge. Good luck! ;)
 
I would strongly recommend Blender. I started an aircraft in Gmax, but recently switched the VC over to Blender as I needed to burn shadows into textures which is not possible in Gmax. Booleans actually work in Blender -- in Gmax it's like banging your head into a wall. Texture mapping is much easier in Blender. I find there are many advantages to Blender over Gmax.

The two programs are quite different. It's best to pick one and stick with it. I now have to go back and forth and I tend to forget how to do things in Blender after a few weeks of working in Gmax.


I really wish I could move my external model over to Blender, but there are too many animations I would have to start from scratch.
 
Very interesting, Michael2. This is great news for people that cannot spend $4,000.00 USD on a design program just to make FS planes.

Maybe, if we havent, we should (might) start a Blender room in the website? Perhaps devide it up into Blender General, Blender Animations, Blender Materials, Blender Tools?

Glad they got Blender going and that it can make FS models now. The cool thing with Blender is that you can export the models into all other formats, where Gmax is just a deadend.
 
I think Blender has future. We're all in startup a bit still, but I would have never believed two years ago that we're here now.

You've got the 3D-software, for free.
You've got the Flight Simulation.
And you've got the exporter. No else needed.

I made my Fokker in Blender only. So it works.

Thanks to capt_x everybody is able to put a Blender model in FSX!
 
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