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[SOLVED] Flat/Smooth shading in X-Plane 11 (Converted objects)

RicherSims

RicherSims

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I am aware that MCX does not yet fully support all the attributes that XP11 provides, but please let me know if this is something that I am missing.

Models converted into the XP OBJ format all seem to have flat shading instead of smooth shading in the sim. (They appear perfectly smooth in FSX/P3D)
If you look really closely, you will even see each edge which makes up each polygon.
1574871459088.png


Surfaces which are perfectly co-planar also seem to be shaded randomly by the XP engine, as seen in the letters on the sign, which are all the same color. Yet the A, I , O and R, are shaded lighter than the rest. (This is also visible in the image above, where parts of the tent are darker than the rest)
1574871782767.png


Is there some setting that I am missing or is this normal behaviour for objects converted to this format? The closest thing I could find in MCX settings was SmoothShadingNormalTolerance, but this was already set to 0.99 and I doubt it affects the actual export.
Objects exported directly from blender or using FS2XPlane do not seem to have this problem, yet I cannot see any difference in attributes when comparing the files in a text editor, apart from ATTR_no_blend and a higher ATTR_shiny_rat value.

Anybody experience this before?

 
Hi,

The normal vector that is part of the vertices is written to the X-Plane OBJ format as well, so that should control how the polygons are shaded. If they appear shaded in FS, then the normals should be OK.

Do you use normal maps or something like that in these models as well?
 
arno said:
If they appear shaded in FS, then the normals should be OK.
Do you use normal maps or something like that in these models as well?
Click to expand...

Hi Arno, yes. Normal maps are being used.
Now that you mention it, objects converted with FS2XPlane have the FS bump maps stripped out. Which probably explains the difference.

Thanks for your response which prompted me to do a quick google search, which has educated me that FS Bump Maps and Xplane Normal Maps are NOT, in fact, equivalent, and will need to be converted using the NormalMappr tool. MCXs Normal Map conversion feature.
 
Last edited:
Correct the setup of the normal maps is different. MCX also a function in the material editor to convert between a "normal"normal map and the FS normal map.
 
Literally just found that feature and was coming back to report it.

MCX keeps surprising. Thank you Arno.
 
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