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FSX MDL format

O

osman

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74
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germany
I am trying to understand the file structure of the new FSX .mdl files for scenery objects (not for flying aircraft), starting with some simple models which I produced myself with GMax.
As far as I understand by now the mdl file consists of several sections, each starting with a four letter identifier followed by a DWORD length field, which gives the remaining length of the section, i.e. starting after the length field itself.
Some of theses sections are easy to understand:
- MDLH: contains the GUID for the object in hex format
- MDLN: contains the friendly name as a zero-terminated string
- PARA: still unknown
- CRAS: the crash box probably as octtree
- BBOX: 6 float values giving the bounding box (corresponding to the dimensions of the object)
- RADI: 1 float value (how this is calculated I do not understand)
- TEXT: textures used (here you can see that several of the MS library objects refer to non-existing textures or refer to a night map where they should have the standard texture :mad: )
- MATE: giving the material
- INDE: index into the vertex list with three WORD values for each face to be drawn
- VERB: header for vertex list(s)
- VERT: vertex list. Each vertex is defined with three float values for the coordinates and three float values for the associated normal.
There are some more sections following which probably have to do with animation etc.
 
Hi Winfried,

Check this thread in the tools development forum. I have also put a page on the Wiki with information about the FsX MDL format.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3843

As this is mainly interesting for tool developers, I think the tool development forum is a better place to discuss things like this.
 
Sorry that I duplicated information already available. I did not search in that section ... Your information is much more complete than mine. Thank you for that.
 
But still not complete enough :), so if you find anything new please let us know or update the Wiki page.
 
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