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MSFS Is there a way to make a model a solid surface to build on?

Messages
420
Country
unitedkingdom
Does anyone know of a way to fully solidify a model so an airport can be built on top of it?

I've done an aircraft carrier mod which at the moment is just a lump of terraformed seabed with the model around it.

Obviously there's no way the terraforming can account for a ship's concave shape below the top deck so bits of it are sticking out and the sections of deck outside the terraformed area have no substance. The terraforming is also I right pain so I'd really like to be able to do away with it completely.

The model is exported from Blender with Blender2MSFS. Might there be a material setting in there to make the entire thing a solid object and the SDK will recognise it as a surface it will build on? Or is there any other method I can try?

I've seen the LatinVFR scenery with a landable carrier so they managed it. They may of course keep how it was done a secret.
 
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Christian Bahr

Resource contributor
Messages
951
Country
germany
No problem, what you are looking for is called Road Material!


Whether navigable bridge, helicopter platforms or aircraft carriers. Every surface can be made drivable or landable. There is a corresponding option in the material settings, you just have to check it:

msfs_hard_surcface_road_metrial.jpg
 
Messages
420
Country
unitedkingdom
I've tried ticking the road material in Blender. It made the texture white and it still wasn't available to build on when the model loaded.

Is there an obvious setting I'm missing? My 3D modelling knowledge is non existent pretty much but I have figured out basic things like making glass transparent before export. This might be too clever for me but I assumed it would be equally simple. Maybe not.

That looks like 3ds Max? I've no idea how to use that.
 
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Messages
420
Country
unitedkingdom
And do I select MSFS standard as the material mode and then select road surface?

That makes the surface white, and when I load the model it's still not solid and can't be built on. Edit - got the texture back but now it's flickering and checking road still seems to do nothing.

This is probably incredibly simple. It certainly isn't for me.
 
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Christian Bahr

Resource contributor
Messages
951
Country
germany
You have to assign the material to your surface polygon with the option "Road Material" selected! The material slot for the base color should contain the texture with which the surface polygon is mapped/textured.
 
Messages
420
Country
unitedkingdom
I've selected all the surfaces that I need to be solid. I select MSFS standard and road material. The surfaces go white. I add the texture again. I make sure that's a road surface too. I export.

It's not solid. I don't understand this so I think I'll give up for now. Thanks for your help.
 
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Messages
395
I tried the option in Blender's MSFS Material settings but the aircraft went through the platform with the Road Material. I had Collision also enabled but it was not landable for some reason
 

Christian Bahr

Resource contributor
Messages
951
Country
germany
I tried the option in Blender's MSFS Material settings but the aircraft went through the platform with the Road Material. I had Collision also enabled but it was not landable for some reason
Then maybe something is wrong with the Blender Exporter !? Has anyone managed to export a drivable surface with road material from Blender?
 

Lagaffe

Resource contributor
Messages
857
Country
france
I have use Christian's method for a motorway bridge and it works perfectly: the AI traffic can jump the bridge and no problem.
It has be done under Blender 2.83 and 2.91.
For a aircraft carrier:
Porte-avion-2020-10-28.jpg
 
Messages
395
I have use Christian's method for a motorway bridge and it works perfectly: the AI traffic can jump the bridge and no problem.
It has be done under Blender 2.83 and 2.91.
For a aircraft carrier:
Porte-avion-2020-10-28.jpg
Thanks, I use the 2.83.5 with MSFS Material Exporter 0.4. I assigned Road Material to a Bridge I did and my friend who tested the scenery told me he could land on it. Cars drove over it but were sinking a little. Good news.

But in your example I see that only flat invisible surfaces can have this? If we have an uneven platform, I suppose not possible to make it landable.
 

Christian Bahr

Resource contributor
Messages
951
Country
germany
Hi.

The Road Material doesn't have to be invisible!

In my example with the Mintarder Bridge, the material is as follows:

Material type: standard
Double sided: check
Day Night Cycle: check
Road Material: check

All other settings are not affected.

The surface of your carrier, try to detach the surface from the overall model (detach). Otherwise there might be problems with a sub-mesh.



msfs_sdk_road_material.jpg

Mintarder Bridge Roadway - Material Settings "Road Material"
 
Messages
395
Hi.

The Road Material doesn't have to be invisible!

In my example with the Mintarder Bridge, the material is as follows:

Material type: standard
Double sided: check
Day Night Cycle: check
Road Material: check

All other settings are not affected.

The surface of your carrier, try to detach the surface from the overall model (detach). Otherwise there might be problems with a sub-mesh.



View attachment 66522
Mintarder Bridge Roadway - Material Settings "Road Material"
Great, thanks!
 
Messages
79
Country
france
Hi,

I have created a carrier here
I have used MSFS Invisible Material + Road Material in order to have a runway. But, because I have checked Road Material , I have sometimes cars.
If I removed Road Material, I go through the runway...

Any idea to remove cars ?
 
Messages
395
I think the Road Material works here on any material and any surface now. No need to put invisible flat rectangle.

I did a quick test and the 3D objects (with uneven surfaces) I assigned Road Material to its textures are solid and landable.

Also, cars appear over these but sometimes sinking a bit (contact point maybe).

However if you go into Drone mode, or external Camera mode the cameras sink into these platforms.
 
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