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MSFS20 Export MSFS object placement

=rk=

=rk=

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Amazing tool, I'm doing the exact same thing and I didn't realize how complete this algorithm is. Sorry to interrupt, hopefully it's a small distraction, any chance you can make MCX spit out an updated placement file so we don't have to do the conversions manually with bgl2xml?
 
Hi Rick,

Not sure if I understand what you mean. If you load a bgl file in MCX you can export it as a bglcomp xml file already. But it will not contain all elements that bgl2xml does, as MCX does not support airport and such.
 
I don't believe MCX reads object placement files. When ADE generates them, they have "OBX" as part of their name. As ChatGPT informs:

"It is possible to convert object placement data from FSX .bgl format to MSFS XML, but it would likely require writing a custom script or program to do so. This is because the .bgl format used in FSX is a binary format, while the XML format used in MSFS is a text-based format."

Could you configure MCX to be the custom program? Or am I mistaken in that MCX already does this somehow?
 
That answer is nonsense of course, as FSX uses a similar xml format as MSFS. But MCX can read both the bgl and xml formats of FSX and MSFS.

I only would have to check what MCX does with a file with only placement and no objects. Those might be skipped.

Edit: just checked, you can load a BGL file with only object placement fine. After reading it will report how many object placements were read and you can export them to MSFS format (or any other scenery format that supports object placements).
 
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Excellent! Can you tell me what I have done wrong here? I have a placement .bgl that MCX will not recognize and I've also included the bgl2xml conversion. Oddly, when I drop the converted XML onto the MCX window, it indicates there are 2,457 object placements I could potentially not have to reset, but the Export object button is greyed out. MCX does offer to export it as MSFS Scenery Package .bgl, but this does not seem the way to go. I need an MSFS .xml so that I can edit in DevMode, correct?

EDIT-

Ok I got it I think. I went ahead and exported and got the standard Package Sources folder, with the .xml inside, so I'll work with that and thanks for working me through my confusion and thanks for sharing your thread, Mischo. It just seems odd that I had to convert the .bgl into .xml with bgl2xml and then convert that .xml into MSFS XML using MCX.
 

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So just a FYI follow up and then I'll shut up, there are a few format or syntax type omissions in the created package. Specifically in PackageDefinitions, the XML does not need to have a manufacturer, but it should be this format "<Manufacturer/>" and currently it is this format "<Manufacturer><Manufacturer/>." There must be a creator, or the package will fail. Finally, the current output mirrors the name of the original file and it should be lowercase xxx-xxx-xxx. If not the package will build but warn about the syntax. Just a matter of editing these in and it works great.
 
Hi Rick,

I have split this discussion in a separate thread, as it was hijacking the other thread.

I do see which your example file that MCX does not read the placement indeed, let me see why that is. Because when I load a default FSX or P3D OBX file it works fine.
=rk= said:
Specifically in PackageDefinitions, the XML does not need to have a manufacturer, but it should be this format "<Manufacturer/>" and currently it is this format "<Manufacturer><Manufacturer/>."
Click to expand...
Those two notations are equivalent with each other in XML, so that should not matter.
=rk= said:
There must be a creator, or the package will fail.
Click to expand...
MCX will put a Creator in, but you need to enter your name in the settings, else it will be empty. It's in the general category of the exporter settings.
=rk= said:
Finally, the current output mirrors the name of the original file and it should be lowercase xxx-xxx-xxx. If not the package will build but warn about the syntax. Just a matter of editing these in and it works great.
Click to expand...
It mirrors the name you have typed into the file dialog when you saved the package. If you follow the right conventions there, there should be no warning. But I can see if I can enforce it somehow.
 
Hi Rick,

I looked wrong, when loading the BGL file MCX will load all 2457 objects. See the image below:

1675009181845.png


Once the BGL has loaded you can export as MSFS XML file from the Export Scenery menu to get a MSFS placement XML.
 
Thanks for following up on it. I got my placement the way I'd described, your result looks exactly right, of course and I am guessing I just didn't wait long enough for the original .bgl to load. This is very exciting for me, this airport is from 9 years ago and I was trying to figure out why the textures look so fuzzy. Then I remembered the whole project was made with the old Google 3d layer Building Maker, they're all satellite images! That tool was retired 10 years ago this June. So fun, thanks again.
 
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