MSFS FSX objects in MSFS

[rhumbaflappy]

You can use some FSX objects in MSFS as library objects. I extracted the ANI_grizzly_walk_sm.mdl from FSX' animals.bgl using ModelConverterX, as well as the ANI_grizzly_walk_sm.xml and copied the texture. The key seems to be found in the scene XML file:

<AssetPackage Name="mycompany-scene" Version="0.1.0">
    <ItemSettings>
        <ContentType>SCENERY</ContentType>
        <Description/>
    </ItemSettings>
    <Flags>
        <VisibleInStore>false</VisibleInStore>
        <CanBeReferenced>false</CanBeReferenced>
    </Flags>
    <AssetGroups>
        <AssetGroup Name="ContentInfo">
            <Type>Copy</Type>
            <Flags>
                <FSXCompatibility>true</FSXCompatibility>
            </Flags>
            <AssetDir>PackageDefinitions\mycompany-scene\ContentInfo\</AssetDir>
            <OutputDir>ContentInfo\mycompany-scene\</OutputDir>
        </AssetGroup>
        <AssetGroup Name="mymodellib">
            <Type>ArtProj</Type>
            <Flags>
                <FSXCompatibility>true</FSXCompatibility>
            </Flags>
            <AssetDir>PackageSources\modelLib\</AssetDir>
            <OutputDir>scenery/global/scenery\</OutputDir>
        </AssetGroup>
        <AssetGroup Name="myscene">
            <Type>BGL</Type>
            <Flags>
                <FSXCompatibility>true</FSXCompatibility>
            </Flags>
            <AssetDir>PackageSources\scene\</AssetDir>
            <OutputDir>scenery/world/scenery\</OutputDir>
        </AssetGroup>
    </AssetGroups>
</AssetPackage>

Note the FSXCompatibility is set to true. The texture has no conversion... just placed in the projects texture folder. The sample is attached as a zip file.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

cargoa from FSX in Delavan Lake. The gulls are animated as well:

 

[GaryGB]

Many thanks, Dick, for this encouraging news on options to use FSX MDL / DDS format animated objects.

GaryGB

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Developers have spent hundreds of man-hours (sometimes thousands) developing objects for FSX. These can be imported to MSFS without conversion. You just need the MDL files and the textures, and some editing of the XML files, And make the package for MSFS. No time spent re-modeling or re-texturing. And they seem to look pretty good in the sim. Obviously, more testing is needed.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Here's some zbias issues with the old FSX amusement park:

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Seems a bit light at night:

 

[KL791]

Seems a bit light at night:

View attachment 61881

With 1250 ships to convert we also took this fast way, but I think it is worth mentioning that MSFS then convert and add an additional converted file folder _CVT. In the case of the 4 GB of the Global AI Ship Traffic, that became 1.25 GB additional storage space required, and the converted files at least in our tests seem to have some negative impact on the lower end computers performance compared to glTF.

As you mention above with the default ship illumination - illumination might be a bit bright at night, and on the contrary white ships become "greyish" even during the day as seen below on the superstructure of my model of Ore Para. The conversion of the textures is okay but not perfect and especially regards to the light maps it is not completely straightforward. But again the below is the result of a 10 min conversion including 1250 ships divided on 700 mdl files and 3000 textures... And animations were maintained only hard decks were lost.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

In addition to loosing platforms, we also lose effects, I believe. This seems to indicate we lose all attachments.

 

[Ed Akridge]

In addition to loosing platforms, we also lose effects, I believe.

I know from reading other posts that effects haven't been added to MSFS yet.

 

[neilb]

How do I setup MCX importer is it the same as FSX? Neil

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Hi Neil.
What you want are the textures from the FSX model and the FSX MDL file, in order to construct a MSFS package. Also, if you export the gltf from MCX, then it will give you the .xml file with the GUID

Attached is an FSX conversion of some objects from it's SDK and from it's default scenery BGLs, and placement files as objects BGL.

The BuildIt.ps1 file is a powershell file that can compile the package without entering the sim. You would have to edit the directories and filenames as needed. It builds a package file that can be placed into the MSFS Community folder. Windows 10 includes powershell, so you just need to double-click the file to compile... it takes some minutes, and you won't get confirmation in a dos window until it finishes.

You can also open the project XML in the DevMode of MSFS. The folder structure shows you where to place the MDLs and the textures. You should be able to combine the objects with airport XMLs to make your project packages.

But for the future, I'd recommend learning the Blender process, or wait until Arno gets the textures right for gltf exports in ModelConverterX.

 

[neilb]

I have setup MCX so it converts files to mdl. I have attached an image of the exporter settings so how do I convert my model files. Neil. Sorry if I sound thick but I am not as clever as you.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Select export object tab from the main screen. Then save as type FSX MDL Object

 

[neilb]

I've been doing that for years for my farm strips. So the next question is what do I do with the mdl. For fsx I used Instant Scenery so I simply added them to a library bgl. So what do I do with these? Thanks. Neil

 

[Ed Akridge]

I too am confused as to how to use the models in MSFS. With FSX/P3D I would use Arno's Library Creator and create a library, then place it with ADE. I am not sure how to place a model either MDL or GLTF with the built in scenery tools.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Look at the folder structure and files from the above examples and attachments.

 

[Andrew]

It is not easy to understand exactly what to rename, and how. Here's my ENLI xml file. I have only made a flatten and put in models from a payware scenery for now, and hoping to soon se the default models from your example in the FS2020 Editor, after that, placing my own models converted with McX.

Please take a look at my xml:

<AssetPackage Name="enlituto" Version="0.1.0">
<ItemSettings>
<ContentType>SCENERY</ContentType>
<Title/>
<Manufacturer/>
<Creator/>
</ItemSettings>
<Flags>
<VisibleInStore>false</VisibleInStore>
<CanBeReferenced>false</CanBeReferenced>
</Flags>
<AssetGroups>
<AssetGroup Name="ContentInfo">
<Type>ContentInfo</Type>
<Flags>
<FSXCompatibility>true</FSXCompatibility>
</Flags>
<AssetDir>PackageDefinitions\enlituto\ContentInfo</AssetDir>
<OutputDir>ContentInfo\enlituto</OutputDir>
</AssetGroup>
<AssetGroup Name="mymodellib"> ...................................................................................... -> What should I name this modellib. enlituto as well?
<Type>ArtProj</Type>
<Flags>
<FSXCompatibility>true</FSXCompatibility>
</Flags>
<AssetDir>PackageSources\modelLib\</AssetDir>
<OutputDir>scenery/global/scenery\</OutputDir>
</AssetGroup>
<AssetGroup Name="enlituto">
<Type>BGL</Type>
<Flags>
<FSXCompatibility>true</FSXCompatibility>
</Flags>
<AssetDir>PackageSources\data</AssetDir>
<OutputDir>scenery</OutputDir>
</AssetGroup>
</AssetGroups>
</AssetPackage>

Think I got most of it straight, but wonder what to put in instead of "mymodellib". I pasted this section in from your example.

EDIT:

I was able to make the lib by editing paths in the powershell file, now able to place the models in my project in Dev Mode. Before that, also finally saw the Artlib in Dev mode, but didn't know where to go from there.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

This is another example of FSX objects in MSFS. Here I've taken the entire FSX airport_objects.bgl and made a MSFS scenery library from it using MCX and exporting the FSX MDLs. I also made a separate package that places 2 objects from this at Airport c59 (Lake Lawn), in Delavan, Wisconsin (the small tower is from the FSX package, and the acacia tree is from MSFS).

FSX airport objects
c59 placement

 

[Andrew]

It seems I cannot get access to those files. Looking forward to have a peek at them. As mentioned I was able to see and place your FSX_Test models, but not my own when processed with Powershell. Even converted true FSX models to mdl from an old version of my Airports of Norway scenery, didn't work either. I'm using the Steam version of MSFS btw, and have noted there are differences in the folder structures for a few freeware sceneries I use and mine, but my basic scenery still works. Have to doublecheck this against more tutorials I think.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

I edited the above links... hopefully you can download them. I'm not so much encouraging the use of the default FSX objects, but developers may have objects and textures they do not wish to spend hours recreating for MSFS. So until backward compatibility might get broken, we have this alternative. It does seem attachments (effects and platforms) do not work, and textures may need adjustment.