The order of using thing's.

[woody]

Arno
Not sure if this is the right place for this but will ask anyway and you can put it in the right place if you will. (I know I won't ask this right) But I think this could be a great thing for us newbie's just starting out. I know how to design stuff with Gmax. "still have a long way to go there to" and with your help and others on this forum I can Export things and use them in flight sim. But I am sure I am missing something. Is it correct to take the two files made when you export from Gmax and put them into a " library" using the library creator before you do anything else with them "taking the comment line out of course" and that is were i get lost. when you are working with scenery objects should you use the imgtool on them to make a lod or just what should be done. There seems to be so many ways to do thing's. could you or some of the other folks who know how. just go though how and when and what you all use to make good scenery for flightsim. If this has been done already can you point me to the thread so I can read it.


Thanks guys

woody

 

[arno]

Hi Woody,

You can place your objects in two ways basically. One would be to use the XML file GMax created. You can remove the comment and enter the correct coordinates in there. After that you compile the XML file with BGLComp and you have your BGL file to use.

Another option is to use the MDL file in a library (you don't need the XML file created by GMax in that case). After you have made the library, you can use another tool like SceneGenX, Rwy12 or ObPlacer XML to actually place the object and create a second BGL file for the placement (your first BGL is the library BGL in this case).

ImageTool is used to convert normal BMP texture to the DXT format that is used by FS. So it is used on the textures only, not on your MDL file.

 

[woody]

Thanks Arno
that does clear up some things. There is more that i want to ask but have to figure out how to ask it.
so with the imgtool I should use it when I go out with my digital camera and take pictures to use as textures .
I have read about LOD. what and when should one use that. do you have to use LOD on all scenery that is put in to flightsim. And when and why is the attachtool use. "I know it is to attach two parts together" but isn't like the link fuction in Gmax.
sorry to ask such basic question but there is so much to learn. and thanks to you and this fourm I have been able to learn a lot in a short time. It is nice to be able to make something and be able to see it in flight sim and know that I did that.


Thank's
woody

 

[arno]

Hi Woody,

so with the imgtool I should use it when I go out with my digital camera and take pictures to use as textures.

Usually there is one step between the photos and the textures. Most of the time you can't use the photo directly on the texture, because you have to scale or rotate (remove perspective) the image a bit. You then make a new BMP file to use as texture (with the size of a FS texture) and the final step is to convert this texture to DXT.

I have read about LOD. what and when should one use that. do you have to use LOD on all scenery that is put in to flightsim. And when and why is the attachtool use. "I know it is to attach two parts together" but isn't like the link fuction in Gmax.

I think LOD only makes sense when you make a complex object. In that case you can save frames by displaying a simpler object when you are far away. For a rather simple object this makes no sense of course.

The attachtool script can be used to attach an effect to your object, for example smoke to a chimney. Or you can make a platform with it (as a helideck for example). I don't use it that often to attach other objects.