MCX unable to convert original FSDS animations to MSFS glTF format

[arno]

Hi Rick,

I'll check your files later. But could it be the polygons are not inverted but just have the wrong alpha mode affecting how they are sorted?

 

[=rk=]

Your supposition fits the appearance, is not alpha transparency controlled by texture? Beyond that, I’d want to understand what it is about my procedure affects that.

There is a visible difference between the first and second lighthouse model, which implies I exacerbated the condition by attempting to eliminate it.

 

[arno]

Hi Rick,

The files you attached don't contain the texture, but I assume that the texture has an alpha channel since there is glass at the top of the lighthouse. I do see that the glTF file has the alpha mode set to blend for the entire model. I think that is part of the problem. You might want to try to separate the parts with alpha from those without. Most triangles can have alpha mode opaque, only those that are really transparent should have blend set.

 

[=rk=]

One small portion of the texture is transparent and I’m sure you’re right. It is the penalty of me ticking off dissimilarities in the optimizer pane without considering consequences.

I’ll check it as soon as I’m back at the computer.

 

[arno]

In FSX/P3D this was never an issue, but I have seen more threads about this for MSFS. So I guess our habit to push everything on one sheet might not be as efficient anymore.

Maybe I can let MCX also check if a triangle really uses a transparent part of the texture and else adjust the material settings. Would be interesting to try.

 

[=rk=]

It seems like an oversight, for which I apologize and thank you for the solution. However, an attribute glitch got me even while I was fully aware, preparing a demo image for a successful compile, perhaps something has changed. My normal procedure to ensure texture transparency applies to glass, is to set those attributes and export that model part separately. Set opaque attributes for the model body, join the parts and compile. The first time I intended to capture a screenshot, I saw the glass had reverted to opaque, despite following my "recipe."

Perhaps it is not simply the case that I'd blindly merged all attributes in the optimizer panel, but that I blindly allowed attributes to default to alpha: blend, when I merged parts for a glTF model. At any rate, the condition can be avoided by diligently checking all texture attributes before compile.

 

[=rk=]

Hi,

I have seen those separate animation models as well, I think they are used to prevent duplicating animations in various levels of details and related models. At the moment MCX does not support that approach, it will just store the animation in your model directly.

So now I am back to my rotating radars and how to get them rendered. If MCX is unable to separate animations from the model file and MSFS will not render animations imbedded within a glTF file, by what mechanism are some developers converting legacy models for use in MSFS? Is it the same system as these, that place FSX .mdl files into the MSFS folder hierarchy to be able to use them?

Because if one does not want to spend 20 minutes downloading Visual Basic, Dot Net and all that, one can simply run

But these are not native MSFS models and there are issues.

 

[arno]

If MCX is unable to separate animations from the model file and MSFS will not render animations imbedded within a glTF file, by what mechanism are some developers converting legacy models for use in MSFS?

Are you sure MSFS does not like the embedded animations? I have seen them working, but I haven't tried with the latest MSFS build yet.

 

[=rk=]

Not 100% sure, but it is something I can definitely focus on.

My test was to use the MCX inbuilt animator and discard .fsc animations. This could be significant, because I am required to compose 100 frame animations, with appropriately spaced key frames, for the animation to compile into .mdl. MCX compiled a glTF animation without requiring this.

I animated a flag and added it to my library with the lighthouses. In MSFS, the flag was placeable, but static.

To complete the test, I placed an animated ramp worker and observed it animated.

 

[arno]

Hi,

I just tried my test animation in the latest MSFS and it still works fine. I didn't use a SimObject, but just placed the object with the ambient animation as a scenery object. But the ambient animation is running fine. The model was exported directly from MCX.

 

[=rk=]

Unable to invoke native MSFS SimObject motion, I tried Henrik's approach and got my animated radars in as deprecated FSX models. I am pretty sure the collision/road surface material trick would work on glTF models, but it is not supported in .mdl format. So for now, the choice seems to be oddly moving wakeless, funnel smokeless, ghost ships you can't land on, or static barges, that none of my animations will convert to.

Also, there is this to contend with, it seems as they draw close to the end of their track, near land, they kind of "settle in."

It is the same route I'd used in FSX and P3D and in those sims, the AI ship would pull alongside the wharf as expected.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

This is why Henrick is converting all his models to glTF.

 

[=rk=]

So you are suggesting I have missed the availability of AI routing and attached animations in MSFS? I'll keep digging, just seems thwarted.