FSX FSDS Objects In ADE

[caleb]

When I make an FSDS object and then compile it as a .bgl file and then insert it into an ADE project, then when I compile the ADE project and run it in my simulator the object does not appear at all. I think that I might need to put the texture files for my FSDS object in the addon scenery\textures folder but how would it know what object to apply them to. do I need to put the actual object file in the addon scenery\scenery folder or something like that.

What I am wondering is do I need to provide any other files in the addon scenery folder besides the file that I compiled from ADE?

Thanks

 

[Felipe Schieber]

You need to put the library bgl that contain the object AND the bgl compiled from ADE in a "scenery" active folder.

 

[caleb]

I think I understand ... I put my bgl files for my object and the airport from ADE in the location shown below.

am I getting it wrong? Is there something else I need or should check? This still will not display my object. Thanks in advance. This is a mystery to me.

 

[edphipps]

Caleb, This might be a User Access Control problem if you are using Win 7 or higher. Try turning UAC off then starting FSX. Also make sure that Addon Scenery is checked in your FSX scenery library.
Ed

 

[Lane Street]

Did you put the model's textures in ...\Addon Scenery\texture?

What format are the textures?

cheers,
Lane

 

[caleb]

Sorry about how long it took me to reply, but the textures are in the addon scenery\texture folder, and are in bmp format, do I need to change them to dds files or give them a certain name or something like that? as far as user access control, I can't really figure out how to turn it off. I found something called user account control, but that seems to be turned off. Maybe there is some debugging tool or something like that I can use to figure this out. does anybody know of a debugging tool?

 

[edphipps]

You need to have the textures names be the same in the texture folder as they are in the model. Part of the model data is the name of the texture/s used for that model. You can add the following line into your FSX.cfg [Scenery] section ShowMissingTextureAlert=1. This will cause a message box to appear warning you that FSX cannot find a texture that a model is calling for.

 

[caleb]

So, was adding that line of code in fsx.cfg file supposed to make it give me an error message if there was something wrong with my textures? If so, I didn't get any error message. Does this mean that my textures are ok? Maybe this problem has to do with the information I have in the library object manager, this is the information I have currently:

Thanks

P.S. I've tried this on 2 different computers, and I still had the same problem.

 

[Pyscen]

Hello...

I'm not seeing an error,... what error are you seeing?

 

[edphipps]

So, was adding that line of code in fsx.cfg file supposed to make it give me an error message if there was something wrong with my textures? If so, I didn't get any error message. Does this mean that my textures are ok?

What this line in your FSX.cfg will do is put up a message box if one or more models in the scenery being loaded calls for a texture and FSX can't find it. It doesn't matter how the object/s are placed. What matters is whether FSX finds all texture/s being called for. Since you did not get the message box then you can assume that FSX found all textures being called for by the scenery.

 

[art209]

When associating FSDS objects with an ADE project, I compile from FSDS as a .mdl file then add the file to the list of models in ADE and place it as a model. ADE compiles the model with the airport file and nothing else is needed in FSX except the texture files if you created new textures.

 

[caleb]

When associating FSDS objects with an ADE project, I compile from FSDS as a .mdl file then add the file to the list of models in ADE and place it as a model. ADE compiles the model with the airport file and nothing else is needed in FSX except the texture files if you created new textures.

So, I am realizing that .bgl files are libraries that should contain many objects, and I want to insert one object at a time into ADE and have multiple FSDS files for each of my objects instead of having all of my objects in one FSDS file. I never knew that it was possible to add models into ADE, but now that you mentioned it, I think that I should insert the object into ADE as a model. So when I tried that, I still have the same problem, the object just doesn't show up.

Any ideas? Should I attach my FSDS and ADE files so you can look at them and see if there is anything wrong with them?

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it when people take the time to answer questions like that. I hope I'm not wasting your time.

 

[art209]

Any ideas? Should I attach my FSDS and ADE files so you can look at them and see if there is anything wrong with them?

That's an option. You have received a number of other answers with good suggestions as to why you can't see your objects in FSX. I suggest that you make a FSDS test object, just a box, textured with a default FSX texture from the Scenery\texture folder. Compile this object as a .mdl file, add it to the ADE model list in any airport file, place it on the airport in ADE, also make a modification to the airport apron or taxiway that will be recognizable in FSX, and compile this airport making sure the .bgl file(s) appear in the addon scenery\scenery folder. Next check FSX to confirm that both the object and the apron or taxiway modification show.

Art

 

[caleb]

Ok, so when I make a box in FSDS using the default FSX textures in the Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Texture folder and compile it and place the object in ADE as a model, and then compile it, it shows up. Does this mean that my custom textures I made for the object I was working with originally are not good?

I attached my ADE project file so you can look at it if you want to and see if there is anything wrong with it. When I tried to attach the bmp textures and the FSDS project file it said that they were in a format that was not allowed. But if you need them, let me know.

Thanks

 

[caleb]

I will also tell you how I made the textures so you know how I did it.

1. I made the textures in ms paint and saved it as a bmp file --- is there a better program to make these in?
   
2. Then when I went to apply the textures in FSDS, I had an "INVALID SIZE" message when I tried to select it, so I went on FS Developer and posted a thread about it and someone replied and said to resize my texture image to a certain size (I don't remember what that size was exactly).
3. I resized the image, and it was a little stretched/smashed, but when I applied it to the FSDS object, it stretched/smashed itself and it looked fine in the preview view in the upper right corner of FSDS, but it never showed up in FSX.

Also, there was only two texture files I used, and one of them was for the front, and the other one was used 4 times. (left, right, back, and top) Just to be sure, I only need to put the two texture files in the addon scenery\texture folder - Correct?

Is there anything wrong with the way I did that or is there something else I need to do?

 

[caleb]

Ok, I figured it out.

I needed to take a screenshot of the texture image and then re save it using the screenshot program.

And as a tip to all those reading this who have the same problem, don't use Microsoft Paint to make your textures. You can use it if you want to, but you need to re-save it in some other program.

Thanks everyone for helping me out with this.

 

[Hangar32]

An obvious question - I assume you have already thought of it: What level are you using for your scenery complexity in ADE and what scenery level do you have selected in FSX?

If you set your scenery objects to "Very Sparse" in ADE, they will always show up, no matter FSX level you have set…you have probably already tried that

1. I made the textures in ms paint and saved it as a bmp file --- is there a better program to make these in?
   
2. Then when I went to apply the textures in FSDS, I had an "INVALID SIZE" message when I tried to select it, so I went on FS Developer and posted a thread about it and someone replied and said to resize my texture image to a certain size (I don't remember what that size was exactly).
3. I resized the image, and it was a little stretched/smashed, but when I applied it to the FSDS object, it stretched/smashed itself and it looked fine in the preview view in the upper right corner of FSDS, but it never showed up in FSX.

By the numbers, as it were
1 - Yes, there are better programs. I prefer PaintShop Pro by Corel it is $99 but they have sales all the time (Corel PaintShop Pro page) It will use the DXT plug in so you can save textures in DXT format. I also use PhotoShop essentials for Mac and Pixelmator for Mac - but then save the textures in something PaintShop Pro will read. If you have a Mac, Pixelmator is fairly inexpensive…PhotoShop Essentials is not in expensive unless you catch a sale.

2 - Texture must be in some combination of a "powers of 2" in pixels. 64, 128, 256, 512, 1042. The height and width can be different as long as they are one of those sizes. So 512 x512 works. So does 512 x 1042. I have never gone above 1024 or lower than 256 in any dimension.

3 - Regarding stretching and squashing. The key is to start with a blank texture in a correct size. If using a photo that doesn't exactly match that size, you have some cropping to do.

In your first post you said:

When I make an FSDS object and then compile it as a .bgl file and then insert it into an ADE project, then when I compile the ADE project and run it in my simulator the object does not appear at all.

If it were a missing texture issue, the scenery object would show up as a completely black object…kind of like the monolith in "2001: A Space Odyssey" - you wouldn't see the textures but you would see the object. That leads me to think that this is a BGL problem…unless it is a Scenery Complexity mismatch. Your Library Object Manager screen looked good and when you place the object in ADE , I assume you see you see it. In ADE 1.7 it should take on the rough shape the object placed. So if the Scenery Complexity isn't the culprit…I'm baffled.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[scruffyduck]

If you compile the object into a .bgl file are you placing the .bgl file containing the object(s) into an active scenery folder such as Addon Scenery\scenery and any textures in the corresponding texture folder (in this exampled Addon Scenery\texture.

ADE handles objects in two ways.

1. If you add the object as a .mdl file into an ADE project then ADE will compile the object as part of its own .bgl file and you need to put any textures in the texture folder alongside the scenery folder you put the ADE .bgl file
2. If you add the object into a library bgl file and then 'add' it into ADE via the Library Object Manager then ADE doesn't save the .mdl file but rather information about the object. The only information it compiles is placement data. So FS will look for the object in a .bgl file. It won't find it in the ADE bgl file because it is not there. So you have to make sure that the bgl file containing the object is in an active scenery folder as described at the top of this post so that FS can find it and the scenery engine can draw it.

 

[caleb]

Thanks. I think I will find some better image editing programs eventually. I was just using ms paint for now untill I got things working. Thanks for the tips on bgls and mdls as well.

Thanks everyone for helping me out and giving me tips

 

[art209]

Thanks. I think I will find some better image editing programs eventually. I was just using ms paint for now untill I got things working.

MS Paint is okay, but I use Paint Shop Pro. FSDS requres use of 24 bit BMP images. These image files then must be converted to DDS or Extended Bitmap images using DTXbmp (just Google it) for use in FSX. Also, if you designate the texture for use at night in FSDS, there also must be a copy of the texture with a "_lm" at the end of the name with the appropriate adjustments for nighttime.

Art