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MSFS20 Fly By Wire addon for Blender 3.x

rhumbaflappy

rhumbaflappy

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I sometimes extract the gltfs from MSFS models to see how they work. To view them in Blender involved a process of importing to Blender2.92 with the Fly By Wire MSFS import/export addon, then save a .blend file then import to Blender 3.x with the Asobo exporter. I got irritated finally and altered the FBW MSFS addon to use it along side the Asobo addon in Blender3.x Install the zip as normal from Blender's Preferences install.

Untitled.png
 

Attachments

Just a note. this is a hack, and I don't expect this to work 100%.
 
I have some knowledge of Python, I will open the files and try to understand with the original that I still use under 2.92
 
Interesting. You are able to import Asobo planes into 3.6 directly! Nice.... I use 3.1 for FBW importing and then import that to the newest Blender version.

Sometimes the only (ONLY) way you can get things to work in MSFS is to litererally disect a Asobo plane to see its animations, KF's, Animation names, part names, etc, etc, or it can cost you days to weeks trying to backwards engineer it. Samples are golden.

Have you figured out how to import the textures into PNG format as well so when it loads in Blender, all materials are in PNG format? How I wish this could be done with imports from MCX.
 
With scenery objects, I find importing to glTF without the Asobo extensions sometimes reveals more. And exporting straight glTF shows just fine in MSFS.
 
rhumbaflappy said:
With scenery objects, I find importing to glTF without the Asobo extensions sometimes reveals more. And exporting straight glTF shows just fine in MSFS.
Click to expand...
Interesting to know.

I couldnt import my textures with FSX models. I converted from MDL to glTF with MCX latest build, then imported to your new version 3.6 importer, adjusted TexConv target to the FSX folder, and zero textures imported in PNG. Works excellent in Asobo planes in MSFS, but not in FSX.
 
@rhumbaflappy

Quick question. When you import an FSX model to Blender, one you have made yourself, does it import and convert your textures also? Mine does now. I was using this in Blender 3.6.

I notice that the importers, like yours and FBW will convert the textures fine in TexConv in the import procedure, and 'Also' adds the 'links' in the Materials 'textures' entries as 'PNG' files when you import Asobo planes. But it doesnt work like that with custom planes in FSX.

Bill
 
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lionheart said:
When you import an FSX model to Blender, one you have made yourself, does it import and convert your textures also?
Click to expand...
Hi Bill. I'm guessing you are using MCX to export your models? Then, yep, you can generally can import without the FBW addon.
 
I think I didnt explain that right.
I cannot get textures to import over to PNG format via a FBW Import from glTF to Blender 3.1 or 3.6. Works fine with Asobo MSFS Imports to Blender, but not FSX-MCX converted glTF files via FBW importer. It only wants to work in MSFS.
 
With an MCX conversion, you should save the textures as PNG in MCX, and then you can import it's gltf with the Asobo addon, not the FBW.
The FBW importer is for MSFS SImObject gltfs or gltfs that are 'ripped' from the MSFS BGL by a hex editor or some other similar process, and in that case, the .PNG.DDS textures will be changed to _PNG.PNG by FBW.
 
rhumbaflappy said:
With an MCX conversion, you should save the textures as PNG in MCX
Click to expand...

I didnt know you could do this. I didnt find such a setting. Interesting.
I can convert my textures (and have done so) via Adobe Photoshop CS6, but do not see a way to convert texture settings in MCX to link the model to PNG files.
 
rhumbaflappy said:
I sometimes extract the gltfs from MSFS models to see how they work. To view them in Blender involved a process of importing to Blender2.92 with the Fly By Wire MSFS import/export addon, then save a .blend file then import to Blender 3.x with the Asobo exporter. I got irritated finally and altered the FBW MSFS addon to use it along side the Asobo addon in Blender3.x Install the zip as normal from Blender's Preferences install.
Click to expand...
Does this replace the regular Asobo glTF-Blender-IO-MSFS exporter, or do you install both of them? I was just about to update mine to 1.3.2 and I found this thread, your screenshot shows what looks like my regular official Asobo exporter:
github.com

GitHub - AsoboStudio/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-2020-glTF-Blender-IO

Contribute to AsoboStudio/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-2020-glTF-Blender-IO development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com github.com

Also, I was going to update my Blender 3.3.3 LTS to 3.3.12, but I can't find the download anywhere, it seems like they force you to get it through the Windows Store. Does everyone use the Windows Store version now?

Does Blender 3.6 LTS actually support the Asobo exporter without any issues, or should I stick with 3.3 for maximum compatibility? The exporter github says:
"The version 1.3.x is only compatible with Blender 3.3.x LTS. Other versions are not supported."
 
I had hoped the two exporters would be compatible. But they seem to not be. I'm guessing the original FBW (or this version) might best be used by it's own Blender instance. As far as Blender 3.3.3, unless there is a real need to update it, I'd just stick with that.

If you are adventurous, you could try Blender 4.0 and use the exporter by ronh991 https://github.com/ronh991/glTF-Blender-IO-MSFS/tree/4.0-Update---from-3.6
 
rhumbaflappy said:
I had hoped the two exporters would be compatible. But they seem to not be. I'm guessing the original FBW (or this version) might best be used by it's own Blender instance. As far as Blender 3.3.3, unless there is a real need to update it, I'd just stick with that.

If you are adventurous, you could try Blender 4.0 and use the exporter by ronh991 https://github.com/ronh991/glTF-Blender-IO-MSFS/tree/4.0-Update---from-3.6
Click to expand...
So what do you recommend to do if you want to be able to both import aircraft models and export scenery using the same Blender install, does your FBW add-on in the original post here do both? Is there any downside to using yours with Blender 3.3?

I wasn’t aware of this rohh911 version, so that’s essentially the Asobo one tweaked to work in 3.6? I don’t think I’m brave enough to use 4.0 but I could try 3.6. Lionheart above seems to suggest yours works in 3.6 for import, and if yours does both import and export in Blender 3.6 LTS, isn’t that the best solution right now for people who want one stable LTS release that does everything? I think 3.3 LTS is only supported until 2024.
 
The FBW addon works with version 3 of Blender. It might work with version 4. But it is not really compatible with the Asobo exporter, or Ron's updated versions.
I use the portable (zipped) versions of Blender, and you can have more than one version on your PC.
I recommend using the 2.92 version with FBW. Then save the imported version as a .blend file. Then open the .blend file in version 3.3 (with the Asobo exporter, or Ron's updates) and work on it there (also resaving it as a .blend for future work). You only need Blender v2.92 to provide a usable .blend file for use with 3.3 or 3.6 or 4.0
 
This is also the development process that I that I have chosen on my PC and advocated for almost 3 years: several versions of Blender portable version.
  1. a 2.92 (the last version on https://download.blender.org/release) dedicated to the FSW plugin with texconv for textures
  2. another to develop (currently still on a 2.83 - I develop mainly aircrafts)
  3. a third 3.3.x LTS to test the latest innovations, version that will be replaced by a 4.x soon
It is not the import and save step in a blend file that takes a lot of time (less than 10 minutes each time) but at least there is the certainty that the operations are safe and that there are no side effects between the installations.

PS: The quality of an addon is not related to the version of Blender used but to the qualities of the developer himself.
 
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