Creating static plane from AI, no landing gear shows

[annber]

I am converting a fruit stand dash8-200 and placing it as static aircraft around some areas, but when I open the .mdl in MCX, it shows the plane minus landing gear. How can I correct that?

 

[Flattermann]

Are you using SAMM?

 

[=rk=]

Bernardo, this happens when someone posts, "I am converting a model" and leaves it at that. Even though we see that you are using MCX we actually wonder if you mean that you are using a magic wand. We have no idea technique, procedure; Christian, bless his heart, thinks, "what software could possibly convert a model, simply by virtue of activating it, as SAMM might and not by diligently applying a specific procedure, which is required with MCX."

Personally, I have a very specific guess about a slider and fix, but I'm still waiting for you to type at least as many words as I have.

 

[Flattermann]

Better I should have written "do you know SAMM". A long time ago I converted models with SAMM2 but I never used MCX to convert aircrafts.

 

[annber]

Bernardo, this happens when someone posts, "I am converting a model" and leaves it at that. Even though we see that you are using MCX we actually wonder if you mean that you are using a magic wand. We have no idea technique, procedure; Christian, bless his heart, thinks, "what software could possibly convert a model, simply by virtue of activating it, as SAMM might and not by diligently applying a specific procedure, which is required with MCX."

Personally, I have a very specific guess about a slider and fix, but I'm still waiting for you to type at least as many words as I have.

You guys are right. My bad, and thank you for still replying. I should try this things when my mind is rested and not after spending the previous 48 hours helping friends evacuate their home and livestock from the scariest fires I have seen. I tell you, firemen and firewomen are among the bravest people on earth. Ok, this weekend I googled "converting AI to static" and there was one thread about someone using MCX to convert a plane to static model provided the .mdl was available. I do not plan on using the model I experimented on, unless I get the OK, but it works for testing. I imported a fruit stand Dash 8-200 into MCX, I then saved textures, and exported .bgl using "export scenery". after that I added the model to my scenery. I did look at SAMM briefly after I experimented with the above method, but I did not look into it further. Anyway, when looking at the static plane in P3D, it shows up fine, minus gear. I noticed in MCX after importing the .mdl that a screen appears with "set conditions variable" and there is a line that mentions gear. I tried changing the value, but it did not change anything. Thank you guys for any help.
Bernardo.

 

[tgibson]

Hi,

You need to go to the Animation Editor in MCX, check the lines that mention the gear, slide the animation slider in the Editor until the gear is down, and click the Fix Animations button. Then export.

 

[annber]

Thanks Tom, will do and report back.

 

[annber]

Hi,

You need to go to the Animation Editor in MCX, check the lines that mention the gear, slide the animation slider in the Editor until the gear is down, and click the Fix Animations button. Then export.

Tom, I just tried that before heading to work. When using the slider, the center gear compartment opens, but no gear comes out. The same happens to any line where gear is mentioned, in fact the same animation happens on all lines, gear or else. I must be doing something wrong

 

[edphipps]

Try these steps.
1. Import your aircraft model into MCX
2. Open the animation editor and click on Select None
3. In the text box to the right of Select Name Containing enter l_gear, or r_gear, or c_gear
4. Click on Select Name Containing. Now only one gear leg should be selected. We're trying one at a time just to simplify.
5. Move the slider all the way to the right and see if the selected gear leg is extended.
If it does not extend then the aircraft model may be corrupted.

 

[annber]

Thanks to all who in one way or another pointed me in the right direction. Apparently the step I needed to take was in the set condition variable screen, by changing the value of gear to 2 from 0. That enabled the animation to lower the gear, and I was then able to save it by clicking the save animation button. Much appreciated Rick, Christian, Tom & Ed.