XtoMDL

XtoMDL.exe

The new XtoMDL.exe program for FSX is "command line driven," meaning that there's no fancy-schmanzy GUI to use... ;)

Did you know that you could create a shortcut on your desktop that would 'proxy' commands to another application?(1) Create a shortcut on your desktop, name it something clever like CompileAircraft and enter the following for the 'target' (fix up c:\temp to be the appropriate paths to the files):

%windir%\system32\cmd.exe /K c:\temp\xtomdl.exe /DICT:c:\temp\modeldef.XML

For example, my "target" path is:

%windir%\system32\cmd.exe /K C:\Autodesk\Max8\FSX_Tools\xtomdl.exe /DICT:C:\Autodesk\Max8\FSX_Tools\modeldef.XML

You can drag and drop onto that shortcut and a new .CMD window will open and stay open so you can see your results.

AIRCRAFT MODELS:

As an "improvement" to the above(2), rename the shortcut something like "CompileAircraft" then move the shortcut to your \SendTo folder...

C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\SendTo

...now, in Explorer rightclick on the .x file and select "CompileAircraft" from the popup menu...

NOTE: The chief advantage of the "Send To" method is that you can have the .x file(s) anywhere you like to keep them, and the compiled .mdl will appear in that same location...

PROBLEMS THAT OFTEN HAPPEN:

1. XTOMDL.EXE puts only out MDL-Files with ZERO SIZE -- INTERNATIONAL WINDOWS SETTINGS MUST BE SET TO US UNITS

SCENERY MODELS:

Creating scenery requires one additional command line switch: /XMLSAMPLE to be added to mix...

Copy the existing CompileAircraft shortcut you just made, and paste it back in the \SendTo folder. Rename is something clever like - say - CompileScenery, and then edit the Target path and add /XMLSAMPLE to the end, so it looks something like this:

%windir%\system32\cmd.exe /K C:\Autodesk\Max8\FSX_Tools\xtomdl.exe /DICT:C:\Autodesk\Max8\FSX_Tools\modeldef.XML /XMLSAMPLE

• 1) Thanks to John Kane from ACES (MS Developer) for this tip!
• 2) Thanks to Tom Gibson for this tip!