Use of Blender 3D modeler and FBX format

  • @IPACS,
    Is there any chance of also using the 3DStudioMax exchange format called FBX with your scenery converter tool - I suppose it would take some code alterations but since FBX can represent the MAX format, maybe the changes needed wouldn't be too significant. The reason I ask is that many of us users can't afford 3DStudioMax and we just want to make small changes like adding simple airports (one runway, taxiways, a few buildings, a couple static aircraft, etc..) and a freeware 3D modeler called Blender can export/import FBX.

    Thanks

    Dave

  • @IPACS,
    Thanks for the response - I was simply hoping that FBX which is defined by 3DStudioMax might be "easy".
    On the other hand, is there a chance that your scenery converter tool could use a DLL that we users could develop so that other formats could be utilized? The folks at fsdeveloper.com are very talented at 3D format conversion - but of course, they can not produce MAX format.

    Thanks again

    Dave

  • Jet-Pack (IPACS),
    Maybe I have confused you - the issue is to NOT use 3DStudioMax (the actual tool) at all - due to its cost. But perhaps to use their exchange format called FBX which should support nearly all of the MAX file format functionality. Many of us have been developing freeware for our own use of mostly less complex FSX/P3D objects (aircraft and scenery) for several years and have a lot of tools to help that development (format converters, imagery conversion, freeware 3D modeling tools, object placers, etc..) This way, we can make and possibly share reasonable versions of our own airports of choice as well as some limited areas of photoreal scenery.If we could convert to FBX format one way or another, we might be able to reuse some of the models/scenery.

  • Would it help to have the source code for a Blender tool set that exports to FSX/P3D? There's open source code available for that, and I can happily provide it. Speaking as a developer of addons for FSX/P3D, I'd very much love to have the option to export my work for AFS2 as well. It's a great looking sim, and I've got projects that I'd happily port to it, but I don't have access to 3DS Max/C4D, nor the means to acquire such access.

  • iBlueYonder
    There is a plugin (python) for Blender that supports AC3D files - and AC3D format is supported by FS2 (Rodeo is testing adding AC3D objects into scenery in another thread here in this forum). If we can import FSX/P3D scenery objects and export to the AC format, we can see them in FS2!! AC3D itself could also be used - it costs about $100 USD - but Blender is Shareware. I don't know if both 3D modelers have the same capabilities.

    EDIT: OOps, I forgot - we do need AC3D right now so we can export to the Aerofly FS2 TGI format which then is converted for final use by the SDK content converter. But still, Blender could be used for modeling, then AC3D for conversion to TGI?? Maybe IPACS or one of us could figure out a direct export to TGI from Blender.

    @IPACS, is the TGI format proprietary?

    Here is the github for the AC3D plugin - https://github.com/majic79/Blender-AC3D
    I have a dialog with the Dev of the plugin going right now for some changes to the plugin (maybe you could help test and improve it)
    - https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=13442&p=306475#p306475

    Could you please supply the FSX/P3D(BGL) plugin?

    Dave

    Edited 3 times, last by whitav8 (March 7, 2017 at 6:30 PM).

  • For that matter, Arno Gerretsen's ModelConverterX - a tool that most FSX/P3D developers will be familiar with - can read/write/convert files to the AC3D format as well. I downloaded the AC3D exporter for Blender and am trying it out now. This could be a promising avenue for porting content to FS2.

    Bill