mdl to gmax, fsds to gmax and vice versa

[Berserk]

In some subjects you've talked about transforming fsc to gmax and vice versa, and chinookie talked about that is possible to convert mdl to gmax. Is it possible????

My question is, how can I do that??? which programs do I need to transform gmax to fsds, fsds to gmax, and mdl to gmax.  ???

When I transform one file from one program into other one, what happen with the model??? does it stay good? or it loses something???

Thanks

[Felix/FFDS]

mdl to gmax  (actually to dxf/3DS):  Possible, but only for (FS2000 and before) FS98 based model format.  You loose all texturing, any animations (most older models don't have all that detailed animations and detail anyway.

fsc to gmax (actually, to dxf):  THere is the CVA converter that can take an FSDS source file (or parts) and convert them to dxf.  Again, no animations/textures are converted, although the names/tags are mostly preserved.

gmax to fsc (again, via dxf): Convoluted via export as a Quake MD3 model, then conversion using a program to take the quake model to dxf, then (above) using the CVA converter to convert from dxf to fsc.

[Threadkiller]

[quote]mdl to gmax

[Ambassador]

http://hem.passagen.se/henry.veppling/mdl/mdl.htm

[chinookie]

I thought I had found a utility which would do this for FS2002, at the location Spock posted above, but when I tried it it didn't work.

There are other programs which do all sorts of model conversions back into GMAX, but not the FS2002 models.  ???

I've downloaded Milkshape, Deep Exploration, and Quick 3D Pro, but none of these do the trick. Seems a bit strange they support games like Quake, Max Payne, and MOHAA, but not the Flight Sim series....

I'm wondering - is there any way you can convert the MDL files into another format first (which can be read by Milkshape, for example), then convert them to GMAX after that? All I really want is the default  747, for God's sake!

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote]

I'm wondering - is there any way you can convert the MDL files into another format first (which can be read by Milkshape, for example), then convert them to GMAX after that? All I really want is the default

[chinookie]

It's a pity this guy didn't actually publish the converter he wrote:

http://hem.passagen.se/henry.veppling/mdl/gmax.htm

[Felix/FFDS]

From a designer's philosophical point of view, this topic is of concern.

If people can willy-nilly decompile and rebuild models from the MDL, then the possibility exists for serious abuse.

Presume I take the default 747 and rework it to turn it into the ABL-1 (Airborne Laser), and release it as "my" work.  Granted, other than the basic mesh, it will be "my" work since I would have to rebuild certain parts, add others, reanimate, retexture, remake the flight dynamics, etc, as well as - probably - the VC, but, the fact remains, that the basic mesh is copyrighted by Microsoft and I would be violating that copyright.

The argument can be made "I want it for my own use only." Which to a certain extent, is fine, since it (hopefully) won't see the (virtual) light of day outside your computer.  But again, we're talking about the unscrupulous folks out there.

This activity - and it doesn't need to be widespread, just enough that certain models get reworked and released without authorization - can quickly dry up releases from the freeware designers/groups, and either turn them off completely, or generate protective coded payware.

All this, of course, won't matter to the unscrupulous person, and freeware won't dry up completely.  But high quality freeware would be seriously affected if the possibility exists that it will be ripped off.

[Ambassador]

It's a pity this guy didn't actually publish the converter he wrote:

http://hem.passagen.se/henry.veppling/mdl/gmax.htm

Email him and see if he will give you the source code for that particular utility.  If he does, just compile it and use it for yourself.

[chinookie]

From a designer's philosophical point of view, this topic is of concern.

If people can willy-nilly decompile and rebuild models from the MDL, then the possibility exists for serious abuse.

I can see your point of view. In my case, I would give full credit to Microsoft for their source files, and I would release the new aircraft as "a re-build of the default 747-400".

But like you say, there are some people who would abuse the privilege of being able to modify other people's meshes, and would claim their work for their own.....

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote]
I can see your point of view. In my case, I would give full credit to Microsoft for their source files, and I would release the new aircraft as "a re-build of the default 747-400".
quote]


Aye - but there's the rub...

what's the possibility that Microsoft would allow the use of their source files (other than those officially released through the CFS3 and FS9 SDKs?  Your decompiling and rereleasing the Microsoft source file based 747 could be construed as "reverse-engineering" of proprietary source code ... etc., etc.