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Edit .mdl files....

M

Multipilot

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97
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sweden
Hello,

I wonder what program I should use if I want to open up and edit or read the content in a .mdl file.

Regards,
John Stewart :)
 
mdl files are not designed to open and read. That's why they are MDL.
But they can be open by some experts and will not always work out.
The point of the mdl is to protect your work you give out to people.
 
Hi,

You can open an mdl, change the name and Guid, rotate and move it, change textures and some things more with ModelconverterX.
 
I thought that I may have to open that file to program switches and such, but I guess not? The .mdl file only contain the information about the visual model itself, right?

John
 
Hi,

The ModelConverterX tool works best for scenery, it does not work that well for aircraft, which have a lot of complex animations.

What kind of changes do you want to make? In general you need to be the author we has the source code of the aircraft to make changes.
 
I am the author of the aircraft and I am curious about what I can change and not change in the .mdl file. Maybe it is not necessary when creating airplanes? When simulating switches and such in the VC I only have to make xml and c gauges and not change anything in the .mdl file to make them work, right?

John
 
If you're the author of the aircraft then you'll have the source files in .max, .gmax or fsds format. Why you'd want to footle around with the exported .mdl is hard to understand: surely it's easier to make changes in a source file and then recompile? :confused:
 
John,
While some experts can make changes to .mdl files my first piece of advice is to not make any changes at all, there is no need to do so and the probable outcome is a screwed up .mdl.

I often open them in Notepad to look for:

1. Textures I do not want. This usually happens when I have copied over parts from other projects to save time and have not removed the associated textures. Frequently, I can find the same texture on the current model, but with a different name. Then it is just a question of working out which part has the wrong texture name and fixing the issue. Sounds easy, but it usually involves an intelligent guess or a dumb laborious search through the .X file.
The texture entries are at the top of the .mdl files and are easily seen since they are in ASCII coded text. FS is very unhappy when it can not find a texture specified in the .mdl file

2. Modeldef visibility or animation entries that do not seem to be working. These are near the end of the file. Best to search in Notepad for "VISL" There is a block of ASCII text that has the modeldef code for visible items and you should find that code in that region. Scrolling down from there you will find fragments of ASCII modeldef code associated with animations. Anything missing is not going to work in FS

3 Attachment points that do not seem to be there. This section is usually at the end of the file.

Between these sections is, for me, meaningless binary junk.

Basically, look, but do not change

The SDK is tough going, but the place to look at first when confused. I am frequently confused, but every now and then I find the answer in the SDK.

My second advice is to search the SDk and this site when you have an issue. There are threads for probably everything you wondered about but were afraid to ask. The points made are a lot easier to understand then the SDK explanations.

In summary, do not try to edit the .mdl file, but sometimes it is worth looking at the sections when your model does not behave the way it should.Then ask

Roy
 
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