Simviation Forums

I need some help on how to make a dummy part or invisible box that surrounds a airplane, that is called interior or exterior. I know how to make a normal dummy but When I downloaded a aircraft from freeflightdesignshop, I went to group then went to open, and that their for let me able to model the object. I want to know how to create that box. Also, when I played the animation, the gear pushed down the box. So much for that, anybody that might have an answer?
Thanx.

Harrumph - so you go to FFDS, and ask the question HERE instead of the forum THERE?



Actually, the recommended "interior" and "exterior" dummy parts are not dummy parts in the sense of the gmax "dummy" parts, but rather tiny (I've used a .1" diameter box) centered at the model's 0,0,0 point.  Usually, that point is already covered by the surrounding model/cockpit and sundry parts, so that it isn't noticeable.

I did find that it is important that the axes of these two parts be properly aligned.

Hope this helps.

(Note that I haven't checked the FFDS forum yet to see if you posted this question there)

Yeah Felix I knew it was something about that. Just make a box that surrounds a airplane fully, then same for the VC or Interior. Just making it invisable and not noticed in the Flightsimulator kind of hard. Now Question, if I make the box perfect will the model be calibrated properlly? Is their any taturials to?Thanx for the information support.

Yeah Felix I knew it was something about that. Just make a box that surrounds a airplane fully, then same for the VC or Interior. Just making it invisable and not noticed in the Flightsimulator kind of hard. Now Question, if I make the box perfect will the model be calibrated properlly? Is their any taturials to?Thanx for the information support.

Your box DOES NOT SURROUND the model/airplane.  It is small  ( about .01 on a side) so that it is hidden.

I think you're mixing the calibration box, with the interior and exterior dummies.

What I usually do, after mapping my backdrops to their corresponding planes, is create a box of the desired main dimensions ( usually length x span ) and adjust the backdrop planes accordingly.

I believe the FFDS site has some appropriate tutorials and./or links to them (Firestriker and FSAlpha tutorials are excellent in this respect)

I have never heard of making a box to enclose the entire aircraft. Look carefully at the Curtis_Jenny.gmax file and the file summary. There are 58 gWax dummy helpers in it and all are control nodes and NO groups! You can use tiny boxes, with or without the geometry being deleted in their place as it is the pivot point that is important, but these control nodes are important to display order and the structure of the ASM files.

Exterior
....Jenny_LOD_400
........Fuselage
............Back
...............actual parts
etc.....
....Jenny_LOD_5
........Fuselage_0
............actual parts
etc....
Interior
....ambient_noperp
....ambient_rain
.........airspeed_effects_windshield
..............actual_parts
etc....

Lou

I gues's I'm more of a modeller than a flightsim programmer. But these are some of the taturials that need to be made out for future flightsim designers. I feel that their is a big  chunk knowledge that is left out and is unanswered. Theirs good taturials on texturing and modeling,but not much on animation and exporting parts. Well thanx for the info on my problem I will study on it.

this box that encloses the entire aircrft is not actually a box... it's a group

you can use groups to separate the interior and exterior models just as with the dummy... here's how:

select all the parts that will go in the group, then go to the group menu and select "group" the parts will be surrounded by a red box... name your group interior or exterior... it works just as well as linking them to a dummy

Thanx Darth Moach that makes more sense. I just didn't know how to make that box. So It aoutomaticlly does it I guess. Then you will have to do the contact points, when you are in the flightsim