• 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.
    • Questions about making 3D assets can be posted in the 3D asset design forum. Either post them in the subforum of the modelling tool you use or in the general forum if they are general.
    • Questions about aircraft design can be posted in the Aircraft design forum
    • Questions about airport design can be posted in the FS2020 airport design forum. Once airport development tools have been updated for FS2020 you can post tool speciifc questions in the subforums of those tools as well of course.
    • Questions about terrain design can be posted in the FS2020 terrain design forum.
    • Questions about SimConnect can be posted in the SimConnect forum.

    Any other question that is not specific to an aspect of development or tool can be posted in the General chat forum.

    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.

Blender2FSXtool failed

Friedolien

Friedolien

Messages
200
Country
germany
Hey guys,

I just got a error message after trying to export to .x and .mdl (attached in picture)
I needed to reinstall win so I also needed to do the same with blender. My version is 2.78 with toolset v085.
Put the 3 files in c/Blender/2.78/scripts/addons, I activated it in blender. checked the 65kverts, and initialized the toolset with a GUID.
I dont know why I got this error. Anyone can help me?
Unbenannt.jpg
 
A - Which exact export options did you use inside Blender during this error?

B - Do these errors also occur when you:
- Only export the Blender file into an X / XANIM formatted file(s) to a folder on your hardddisk
- Later manually (via a command-line script) - import the X/XAMIN file into the XToMDL compiler and then generate an MDL file

When you have only exporting the model from Blender into an X/XAMIN files
C - Can you open en X/XAMIN file into the ModelConvertorX tool? without any error on the [Event-Log] tab showing up?

Links to XtoMDL resources: (a FSX-SDK tool)
- https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526976.aspx#TheXtoMDLTool - FSK SDK commandline switch overview
- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=XtoMDL - FSD XToMDL page
- http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/wiki_index.php?title=XtoMDL-exe - flightsim com XToMdL reference

Links to ModelConvertorX- tool:
- http://www.scenerydesign.org/modelconverterx/ - Download location)
- http://fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=ModelConverterX - Online manual
- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/forums/modelconverterx.87/ - FSD-ModelConvertX forumsection
 
A- used the DirectX for FSX (.x)
B- No Error when just exporting the .x file
C- Yes I can open the .x file. There are just missing textures and "could not linked animation for xyz" (didnt exported any animation, cause there arent any)

Before I cleaned up Win everthing worked fine for me.
 
The error in the picture seems to point to XtoMDL.exe failing. Try dividing your blender file into two. I see that it's scenery over a large area? Maybe that is the issue. If one of the two works, then further subdivide the bad one till you locate the object that is causing the XtoMDL to fail.

edit:

also ver 086 is out. not that that would make a difference.

Also open the console part of blender - you may see the log info for XtoMDL
 
It is already just a small part of the file. Also just tried just one Object to export with no success. I also would like to say, that is it the XtoMDL fail.
Blender doesnt show up anything.
May my SDK isnt installed correctly?
 
A - Which export options did your turn on, AFTER you had selected to [File],[Export],[DirectX to Fsx]
These can be found at the lower left side of the screen: (in version 0.86)
- Export Selection - (yes/no)
- Apply modifiers - (yes/no)
- Export animations - (yes/no)
- Skinned mesh - Does your model contain skinned meshes (yes/no)?
- Export MDL -> invokes XToMDL after export to (X/XANIM)
- Create XML Scenery for thsi MDL ->
- Create Sample XML Scenery Placement ->
- Log Verbose -> Sends logfile messages to the Blender internal Python console.
- Log File -> Creates and write messages to logfile in the current directory/folder

B- No Error when just exporting the .x file
Click to expand...
So the error is not B2FSX related but occurs further up in the pipeline

C- Yes I can open the .x file. There are just missing textures and "could not linked animation for xyz" (didnt exported any animation, cause there arent any)
Click to expand...
Ok this is solvable then, just warnings no critical errors.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other options /workarounds for the moment:
D - Go back to a previous Blender and/or B2FSX version
(the one that worked before your computer cleanup and si if that fixes it

E - Build a commandline script to be used XToMdl compiler
You first have to open a commandline window, from which you can start XToMDL compiler
The advantage of doing this is that you now can see the XToMDL errors directly on your screen, "raw".

I hope this info will give your more insight in what went wrong
 
Friedolien said:
It is already just a small part of the file. Also just tried just one Object to export with no success. I also would like to say, that is it the XtoMDL fail.
Blender doesnt show up anything.
May my SDK isnt installed correctly?
Click to expand...

Hi Friedolien!

Please send me your test Blender file that you are receiving the error. Please make the file a zip file and e-mail it to me at krispy1001@kp-coolstuff.com

Thanks Kris
 
A - just exported with "Export Selection", "Apply modifiers" and "Export MDL"

D - Dont know exactly, but I guess that the actually version of blender and blender2fsx tool was the version I used before. So I wouldnt use an old one.

E - You can give me some help how to do the thing with the commandline? Is it via control command in blender or is it the win command?

@krispy its not a test file. it is just my project (seperated in a small part). The whole part (and the small part) worked fine before reinstalling win.
 
If I understand correctly,... this was a re-install of Windows? Could this be a permission issue,... not related to the tool. Where do you have the XToMdl placed? What directory(ies)?
 
Pyscen said:
If I understand correctly,... this was a re-install of Windows? Could this be a permission issue,... not related to the tool. Where do you have the XToMdl placed? What directory(ies)?
Click to expand...

It was a fresh new installation and I switched from Win7 to Win10. The XtoMdl is placed in my HDD (as it was there earlier while Blender is on the SSD). Had no problems before as I said.
 
A - just exported with "Export Selection", "Apply modifiers" and "Export MDL"
Click to expand...
what happens when you do not turn on the "Export to MDL"... but manually export it (from the commandline)?

D - Dont know exactly, but I guess that the actually version of blender and blender2fsx tool was the version I used before. So I wouldnt use an old one.
Click to expand...
This answer is not helping anyone... Computering and solving errors is an exact science, no guess work ;-)
- Blender Versions numbers show up on the splash-screen or via [main menu],[help],[splashscreen]
640px-Blender_2.75_opening_splash_screen.png


- B2FSX version numbers can be found at [main menu],[File],[User Preferences],[Add-ons],[Testing].
Blender2FSX_manual_01.jpg

Click on te little [>] arrows and read the version numbers in the add-on-description

E - You can give me some help how to do the thing with the commandline? Is it via control command in blender or is it the win command?
Click to expand...
With "the commandline" I was referring to the Windows operating system commandline.
These pages show you how to use XToMDL from the windows commandline:
- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=XtoMDL <- general information and default examples
- https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526976.aspx#TheXtoMDLTool <- all possible commandline switches
 
D- I know my actually Versions. Blender v2.78 and Tool 085 (Versions 0.1.4) as written in the first post. I dont know exactly the old ones on win 7, but need to be the same.
Will try commandline
 
D - I know my actually Versions. Blender v2.78 and Tool 085 (Versions 0.1.4) as written in the first post. I dont know exactly the old ones on win 7, but need to be the same.
Click to expand...
Oops.. I overlooked that.... Here you can download many older /previous of Blender and/or the Blender2FSX scripts if you need them:
- http://download.blender.org/release/
- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/blender-to-fsx-toolset.428090/
- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/blender2fsx-tool-set-after-blender-2-75a-crash.438017/

E - This is the content of a little commandline script i'm using: (name "compile.cmd")
XtoMdl.exe /DICT:modeldef.xml /XMLSAMPLE /XANIM /OUT:<BLENDERFILE.MDL> <BLENDERFILE.X>

TIP: I've copied all related FSX-SDK files into 1 separate folder:
- "MODELDEF.XML" is located in the folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Modeling SDK\bin
- "XTomdl.exe" (and related files) are located in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Modeling SDK\3DSM7\Plugins

How to export from Blender into FSX fault-tolerant recepy:
1 - Put a copy of the original modeldef.xml file into a testfolder (e.g. c:\temp\test)
2 - Copy the ENTIRE folder where you find XToMDL.exe into that same testfolder (e.g. c:\temp\test)
3 - Export your Blender model file into that same test folder without the "Export to MDL" option!
4 - The contents of your testfolder then should look like this listing below:
21-01-2017 09:30 <DIR> .
21-01-2017 09:30 <DIR> ..
26-09-2007 15:23 50.240 BaseTypes.dll
22-08-2007 16:45 16.944 gmax_MaxUtils.gup
22-08-2007 16:45 35.888 gmax_MaxXML.gup
26-09-2007 15:24 116.288 Managed_CrashTree.dll
26-09-2007 15:25 313.920 Managed_Lookup_Keyword.dll
26-09-2007 15:24 50.752 Managed_RiffMapper.dll
26-09-2007 15:23 37.952 MdlScan.exe
01-07-2015 20:33 2.571 MdlScan.exe.config
14-09-2007 21:02 527.712 modeldef.xml
26-09-2007 15:25 238.656 XToMdl.exe
<DATE> <TIME> BLENDERFILE.X
<DATE> <TIME> BLENDERFILE.XAMIN

5 - Open your BLENDERFILE.X file with Arno's excellent ModelConvertorX tool
Check for any errors inside the [Event Log] tab and fix them before continuing.

6 - Execute the commandline script to feed the .X and .XANIM file to the XToMDL compiler
>> Now you can see the output of the XToMDL compiler, real-time, on screen and follow its progress while compiling your model.
>> If there are any errors, you can:
- see them right away - raw - on screen.
- determine in which phase-of-the-compilation it occured
- what exactly went wrong at what moment.
Doing it this way will help you to know what is going on and what EXACTLY went wrong during mdl-compilation.
The exact! error_message can then help you finding any possible solution much faster.


7 - If the mdl-compilation went successful, you should also find a file called:
<DATE> <TIME> BLENDERFILE.MDL
and you are good to go


Why do it this way?
Examining your Blender to X-file export first, will save you a lot of fault-finding-frustration later on in the process.

The XToMDL compiler can find everything it needs - including the FSX-SDK's MODELDEF in it own folder!
Doing it this way kills every possible Blender2FSX script "path error" one might have, since everything you need is now located in the same folder.
 
Last edited:
Isnt it possible to read out in cmd, what is wrong with the xtomdl?
Click to expand...
I do not understand your question...."read out in cmd".
What is it what you exactly want to do/achive?
 
Alright, solved the problem. Just needed to edit decimalsymbol from , to .

Sometimes it is just that simple :D

Greetings
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top