I just came across this in the SDK;
They have to be 'flat' in the input folder, meaning that they can't be in a sub-folder. If a
texture is not found in the same folder as the exported .tgi files, the Content Converter
will interrupt the conversion process.
I'll bet I have a small roguetexture missing...
Brilliant. Many thanks Jan. That will get me going.
What do these terms mean in the graphics section;
Fuselage.R
Fuselage.Q
The R and the Q?
Hey Team,
When you start out to make a TMD file, is there an efficient way to do it? Or would one just go through the slow process of adding all the blocks of data for the animations and things?
Is there a way to just make a template sheet with all the animations, then go through and set it up for a plane and delete the unwanted animations, etc? What do you suggest?
My first thoughts were to copy/paste/rename a TMD and start setting it up and adapting it for the new plane. But sitting here, I was thinking 'I wonder if these guys have an efficient way to setup the sections in the TMD.'
Very nice compiler, by the way. I havent seen something so exotic as to be able to convert the model, textures, sound files, AND create a screenshot. Nice.......
Ok, just paruzing through the SDK PDF and read that the 'converter' does 'not' work with the PSD's. I thought maybe it did. The Robin textures in the PSD format are so well done, I thought it was for the converter to go into them and pull out the various _color and _bump and other layer textures to convert them to sim format.
So... Bitmaps it will be. And I see they can be 32bit. That will be better then 24bit. Richer. Nice....
I have a question.
I am having problems exporting again. Looking at the log, I am finding that some textures say that they need an update. What might this mean? I have all textures at 24bit as specified in the SDK. Also all the correct size in pixels.
I have gone through all of the Materials and have created new duplicated versions and switched over the parts to the new Materials.
I have exported a new TGI's, and again it is crashing. I am again deleting parts out of the TMD parts list to make the model smaller in the hopes I figure out what is causing this. But... It seems to happen well after the TMB has been made, when the compiler is creating 'textures' (ttx files). It gets a few into it and then crashes. This happened all day yesterday and this morning. So now I am thinking its textures that are crashing the converter.
Some notes;
* I delete all files in the My Documents/Aerofly FS2/aircraft/b40 folder (b40 is the name of the folder where the plane files go to). I then re-execute the converter.
* I have tried taking out textures where no parts with those textures will be in it. That didnt do it, which makes sense as the TMB is already compiled. (I can see all the files as they appear. I watch the folders when I run the compiler).
* I have 16 Gigs of RAM so it shouldnt be a RAM stall, though it 'might' be. I have thought of that. I turned off Photoshop and Max when running the converter. Nothing else is running.
Snip from the log of the few textures that compile before it crashes. There are about 20 textures (roughly guessing) so far.
.............................................................................
11.65-convert_aircraft: hartzell_front needs update
11.65-convert_aircraft: bullettewingright needs update
11.65-convert_aircraft: engine needs update
11.65-convert_aircraft: bullette_gaugecasings needs update
11.65-convert_aircraft: glass_specular needs update
11.65-convert_aircraft: backpack is current
11.65-convert_aircraft: q2_spinner needs update
11.65-convert_aircraft: pan1 needs update
11.66-convert_aircraft: image 'q2_spinner'= 64x64 3
11.66-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'q2_spinner'= 64x64 3 q2_pilot is current
11.66-convert_aircraft: msunglasses2tex is current
11.66-convert_aircraft: bullette_pilotjacket_male is current
11.66-convert_aircraft: image 'hartzell_front'= 256x256 3
11.66-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'hartzell_front'= 256x256 3 bulllette_lady is current
11.68-convert_aircraft: bullette_lady_jacket is current
11.68-convert_aircraft: tb_engine needs update
11.73-convert_aircraft: image 'tb_engine'= 1024x1024 3
11.73-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'tb_engine'= 1024x1024 3 hartzell_rear needs update
11.84-convert_aircraft: image 'glass_specular'= 2048x2048 3
11.84-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'glass_specular'= 2048x2048 3 image 'hartzell_rear'= 512x512 3
11.84-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'hartzell_rear'= 512x512 3 image 'bullette_gaugecasings'= 2048x2048 3
11.87-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'bullette_gaugecasings'= 2048x2048 3 image 'pan1'= 2048x2048 3
11.92-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'pan1'= 2048x2048 3 image 'engine'= 2048x2048 3
11.94-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'engine'= 2048x2048 3 globalenv_ac_plexi needs update
12.53-convert_aircraft: image 'bullettewingright'= 4096x4096 3
12.58-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'bullettewingright'= 2048x2048 3
.............................................................................................................................................................
Note the tags that say 'needs update'. What does this mean?
Many thanks for any information on this.
Bill
LHC
Hey Jeff,
All textures were in there. I am thinking the special FSX materials were causing the issue. I had hoped I could get around that.
I do not need to use FBX in this case. FBX is for exporting and importing a scene. Here, I am exporting the model itself, not the scene, and when you export it, it has the IPACS SDK so it exports in a proper TGI file. So that is running correctly and smoothly.
Ok, this time, I have created new textures with only the 4 primary exterior bitmaps. I have put only those parts with these textures into the 'tmd' file to show up (which means these will be the only parts rendered into the tmb model off of the tgi model).
Worked... wheww... I was worried.
I tried to use stock FSX Materials. They must cause the converter to stumble. So I'll need to go through and recreate new materials and switch them out. I can create a new replacement, then use Material Editor to select all parts that have the old version Material and use that method to apply the new Material to them. A workflow to help speed things up.
the converter should generate a *.log file, you can find it in your windows userdata documents folder, there is a IPACS Aircraft Converter folder with a *.log file.
I looked all over for that. I didnt check the 'Aircraft Converter' folder in My Documents.
This is the last few lines in the Log;
26.51-convert_aircraft: engine needs update
26.65-convert_aircraft: image 'glass_specular'= 2048x2048 3
26.65-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'glass_specular'= 2048x2048 3 image 'engine'= 2048x2048 3
26.77-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'engine'= 2048x2048 3 fuselage needs update
32.31-convert_aircraft: glass_normal needs update
32.31-convert_aircraft: creating normal map 'glass_normal'
32.38-convert_aircraft: bump map 2048 2048 3 8
32.45-convert_aircraft: backpack needs update
32.49-convert_aircraft: image 'backpack'= 1024x1024 3
32.49-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'backpack'= 1024x1024 3 saving normalmap 'C:/Users/Lionheart/Documents/Aerofly FS 2/aircraft/b40/glass_normal.ttx'= 2048x2048 image 'fuselage'= 4096x4096 3
32.76-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'fuselage'= 2048x2048 3 q2_pilot needs update
34.25-convert_aircraft: image 'q2_pilot'= 2048x2048 3
34.25-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'q2_pilot'= 2048x2048 3 msunglasses2tex is current
39.54-convert_aircraft: bullette_pilotjacket_male needs update
39.55-convert_aircraft: image 'bullette_pilotjacket_male'= 512x512 3
39.55-convert_aircraft: saving colormap 'bullette_pilotjacket_male'= 512x512 3 bulllette_lady is current
39.73-convert_aircraft: bullette_lady_jacket is current
I noticed each time that it crashed with this same 'bullette_lady_jacket' texture. I checked the texture, its 24bit, proper size, but still crashes at this texture. The odd thing is, I removed it, and it still crashes at this point.
did you link objects in 3ds max, i mean something like, that the Gear parts are linked to the Wings, because, when you export those, it is not enought to just select the parent-object, you have to select the whole chain of objects.
Hello Wunsch,
I do have linking in the Max model. In FS, we have to link to the main animated part, such as landing gear. So, if I try to export the plane with the tires only to 'tmb' format, the tires may not show up with the landing gear is not also exported?
I see in the model names, that they are grouped as like in Max. I was told that when you export, the links do not stick after it leaves Max.
I am having another issue now. I cannot seem to get the compiler to finish compiling without it crashing. It seems to hit a texture and it fails. I wonder if there is a limit on textures? I made all textures Bitmaps, and 24 bit. They are all the proper sizes, from 512, 1024, 2048, and 4096. I wonder if my texture names are not 'system proper'?
The crash occurs after its compiled the 'tmb' and is compiling the textures. Its always at a certain point, when its almost done. Im going to take some textures out and see if that helps.
Ok.. That worked.
I take it that parts cannot be exported/imported that have no textures 'in' the xxxx folder. If they are missing, either the converter quits or the simulator will not start. (I had a lot of that. I tried to export it all into the TMB, did not work at all).
How did You export, did You use "Export Selected" ?
I did. It has a ton of parts. I'll try exporting all and see how that goes. Thanks for the heads up.
Bill
LHC
(what it looks like in Flight Simulator)
Looking at my wings in mesh mode. Radically high in poly counts. But the ailerons and flaps should have exported. Unless the fuselage zones took up the maximum amount of export triangles.
I am hoping this is a limit only by material, not total plane count, as I have a ton of parts in the plane that need to export also.
Hopefully I can reduce the polygons in the wings without messing up the UVW mapping.
I figured out what I was doing wrong. I didnt have the parts specified in the 'tmd'. If you do not list the parts, they will not be rendered in the final model.
Also, I must have messed up the parts on my wings, as they didnt export. Ailerons and flaps either. Those werent on the 'tm.log' in the 'tgi' model when exported from Max.
Nice though that I now have a 'something' in the sim. Learning more and more.
Bill
LHC
Hello all,
I am very new. I am trying to get parts of a plane to import into Aerofly2 and having errors. I tried going back to very basic to get a successful export; 2 wings and fuselage, and now just a part. Nothing is working. I used the 'blue texture' from the 'Template' package. I have checked my scale (per the SDK PDF), still nothing. The slot appears in the sim with nothing in it.
I have done the 'Template' and that worked perfect. I have exported the Robin DR400, that also went perfect. So I am sure I am just missing a detail.
And with all that, I was wondering if anyone else has tried exporting in a new project (aircraft file).
Many thanks,
Bill
LHC
Looking good, Rodeo!
Many thanks for the tutorial. I just downloaded it and will be going through it.
Bill
Thats correct. Steam saves as JPG and IPACS save as Bitmap.
If you have Photoshop, what you can do is run all the Bitmaps through Batch Mode and convert them into JPG's, then delete the Bitmaps. I save the Bitmaps to another drive as they will try to fill up my already filled C drive.
Worked!
I still had the issue with my own version in the original and wanted to figure out what was going on, why it wasnt working. I took out the PSD's, still showed up as white standard. I then realized, I had a preview with the older paint scheme on it in the folder for the first yellow paint scheme. Also, the compiler system will not redo existing files, so one needs to delete files they wish to have regenerated. Redoing the preview did it. I was going by the preview.
Many thanks Rodeo.
Here they are. Please see attached.
