Exporting a Model from 3ds Max
When exporting a 3ds Max model to be used in Flight Simulator X, go through the following steps:
Textures for the model should be converted to mip-maps, using Imagetool (found in the Environment Kit\Terrain SDK folder), and then converted to DDS files, also using Imagetool. To appear in the simulation the DDS files should be placed in the Add-on Scenery/texture folder.
If skinned animation is to be applied to the model, ensure that a Flight Simulator X material is applied (click the FlightSimX box of the Material Editor dialog), and that the Skinned Mesh box is checked in the enhanced parameters section of the Material Editor dialog.
To animate using skinned animation select the bones of the object, then bring up the Animation Manager. Set Start and End frames. Select a name for the animation, such as Ambient, and click Create.
To animate a piece of geometry without using skinned animation, select the geometry, then bring up the Animation Manager and set Start and End frames, and a name. If there are multiple animations, then select different names for each (such as Ambient, Ambient2, and so on). Click Create to create the animation.
Bring up the File Properties for the model. Select the Custom tab. For Name enter the word FriendlyName, and for Value enter a suitable name for the model. Then click Add. Enter another property called Guid and enter a GUID into the Value field. See the Overview documentation for a link to a GUID generating tool. After pasting in the GUID, remove the curly brackets at either end. Click OK. Alternatively use the LOD and Name Tool to enter the friendly name and GUID.
To export the model, make sure the format Flight Simulator Direct X File (*.X) is selected, no other model format will work. If the option Flightsim Model (*.MDL) is shown, do not use it, it has not been implemented in this release.
Click Save. Make sure that the options Export Skin and Export Animation are checked in the Flight Simulator Model Export Options dialog, if skinned animations or animations are included in the model.
If everything is correct, this process will create a .x file, and optionally a .xanim file. If there are any errors, fix them before proceeding any further.
Importing a Model to Flight Simulator X
To import a model created by 3ds Max and exported correctly, go through the following steps:
Convert the .x file and .xanim file to the correct model format (.mdl) using the XtoMdl tool. Make sure the /XANIM switch is set if there is a .xanim file, and the /XMLSAMPLE switch should also be set.
Follow the instructions for the XtoMdl tool to edit the placement xml sample appropriately. This will place the model near the main runway of Sea-Tac airport.
Copy the .mdl file output from the XtoMdl tool, and the edited .xml placement file to the BGL Compiler SDK folder.
Drag the xml placement file over the BGLComp icon, which should result in a bgl file. If it does not, open up a command window and run the BGL compiler from there, as the errors will then be readable. Refer to the Compiling BGL documentation for more details.
Copy the bgl file to the Add-on scenery/scenery folder.
Run Flight Simulator X. Change the airport to Sea-Tac International.
The new object should be visible from the user-aircraft at the start of the runway.
When you are satisfied with the model. If the object is a scenery object, create a new placement file placing the object exactly where it should be. If the object is an aircraft, refer to the Aircraft Configuration Files for all the other steps necessary.
