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FSX Static Aircraft

Billsailaway27

Billsailaway27

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us-florida
Hi all,

Is there a fool proof procedure to convert FSX aircraft into Static aircraft??

I now the flightplan method, but I would like to make a scenery object to go along with an airport.

Arno??? I bet you know how:)
 
Hi,

You can just put the MDL in an object library and then call it as a scenery object. For FSX there is no difference between scenery and aircraft MDL files anymore.

But be aware that the performance is probably not so good, since it was not designed for use as scenery. That kind of objects need less polygons. Also be sure the author allows you to use his model like this.
 
Hi Arno, I knew you would have the know how.

It worked, but the next question i have is that the plane is black, how do i give it texture?

thanks for all of your help. Ireally appreciate it.
Will
 
Hi Arno, I figured out my texture problem .... but hears another one....

my static aircraft is a prop plane. the static aircraft is in my scenery, but with propeller spin.... and does not have landing gear extended... is there a way of reading the model ? or doing some kind of way to fix this??

Thanx Arno
 
Hi again arno,

Here's what i'm getting.


3984455950_ee5a51aee5_m.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hi,

The black texture probably means that the texture file used by those parts is not found. The textures used should be in the texture folder of your scenery as well.

About the landing gear, I am not aware of ways to change that. Maybe some aircraft developer has some tips here.
 
I believe that simply importing the MDL file of a compiled-as-aircraft model imports it at key frame =0 which, for a model with animated landing gear, means that the landing gear is retracted.

As for the black/solid prop disc, unless you can locate the prop disc texture and set its transparency to completly transparent, you'll still "see" something there.

Also, the developer probably gave it two sets of propeller blades (in addition to the prop disc), and if he was evil (like I tend to do), the prop blades (propx_still; propx_slow) may be rotated offset to each other, so suddenly a three bladed prop has six blades and not symmetrical!

For use as a static object, you might be better off creating a low poly model, or, if available, compiling from an available source file of the same aircraft, and polishing up the textures.
 
Thanks Arno & Felix,

Looks like I'm stuck. There isn't any prop texture in the file, and I searched all the texure files in FSX to see if it had a default one, no luck there. And I guess that there would not be a way for me to get the landing gear down.

As far as creating my own aircraft, I'm afraid that is far beyond my knowledge of design. I've been lucky enough to create a building with texture. lol

Thank you both for your help.

Will
 
arno said:
Hi,

You can just put the MDL in an object library and then call it as a scenery object. For FSX there is no difference between scenery and aircraft MDL files anymore.

But be aware that the performance is probably not so good, since it was not designed for use as scenery. That kind of objects need less polygons. Also be sure the author allows you to use his model like this.
Click to expand...

How do you call the MDL a library object?
 
Using its GUID, in the placement XML code you refer to this GUID.
 
Hi,

I am not so familiar with how it works in ADE, but I think you need to add the library that contains the object (if it is a default object it is probably already added). Then you can place a library object and select it from the list.
 
arno said:
Hi,

I am not so familiar with how it works in ADE, but I think you need to add the library that contains the object (if it is a default object it is probably already added). Then you can place a library object and select it from the list.
Click to expand...

It is a flyable aircraft I would like to use as a static aircraft
 
shess57 said:
It is a flyable aircraft I would like to use as a static aircraft
Click to expand...
I suspect that this option might be a bit easier than trying to make a flyable aircraft a true "static" airplane (which to me means it is no longer flyable), but another option is to make a traffic file for your flyable aircraft. Set it up so that it flies from, say, midnight til 4 am. The remainder of the time (which is probably when you would most likely be flying) it sits "static" on the parking ramp. You can do that for any aircraft you currently have in your SimObjects/Airplane folder and yes, it requires learning how to make a traffic file (not easy, but not impossible).

This is also how most people handle static aircraft. I honestly don't know of any way to make a true flyable aircraft into a static aircraft, other than modeling a low poly representation, which means learning FSDS or Gmax, which could in turn cause you to never again want to fly flightsim and instead take up fishing or skeet shooting.
 
That is what I am doing now.
If any modelers want to help out, let me know. I would be forever in your debt
 
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