Simviation Forums

What is the best thing for making buildings in FS2004

to build a model of a building, or palce it in fs9

To build and place models in (I'm working on a new star wars city)

To make your own buildings, you need GMax (included on the FS9 CD's) or FSDS (payware). Once objects have been made, they need to be converted to .bgl files and placed within a folder that is activated in your Addon Scenery menu in FS. Have also heard of scenery being created using .xml but I am not familiar with that method. There are multiple programs to help place scenery, including Runway 12 and SBuilder, where you basically add your own created items into their respective libraries. You can also check with the designing program itself for documentation on how to go about placing objects that you have created.

I want to build a whole city of custom buildings would I have to build the whole city in Gmax?

Well, that is how I did it - this is the east section of a downtown project, with the west side including about the same area/number of buildings.  Frame rates will take a beating of course, and get used to having your hair turn somewhat grey.

Your using FS Design Studio, in Gmax there are 4 tiny boxes to see out of, and I don't think it would be possible to build Coruscant in those tiny windows

seeing as i had a vaguely related question, instead of doing my usal trick and starting a new topic i thought i should post here. how can i convert my gmax model, when i make it, to a BGL and then place it in Fs. Anyone know of any good tutorials on that.

Your using FS Design Studio, in Gmax there are 4 tiny boxes to see out of, and I don't think it would be possible to build Coruscant in those tiny windows

Are you making a joke, or serious?  In Gmax, you know you can make a single window occupy the whole screen by clicking the button in the very lower right-hand corner, right?

seeing as i had a vaguely related question, instead of doing my usal trick and starting a new topic i thought i should post here. how can i convert my gmax model, when i make it, to a BGL and then place it in Fs. Anyone know of any good tutorials on that.

Go check out this thread.  It works for FS9 (made for FS2002), but I'm not entirely sure about FSX.

that link only works for aircraft. i want to add buildings to my Fs world. how does the process change for that.

The process is a bit different, yes.  But if you were to go download the SDK, you'd make the connections.

BGL Compiler (Scenery is in BGL's): http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsi ... dk.asp#bgl

Gmax SDK: http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsi ... k.asp#gmax

ok, trying that now. will post if it works

EDIT: How do i use BGL comp to compile.i start it and it instinatiously closes. am i doing something wrong here. i read the readme and it explained nothing. sorry to be awquard. tell me if i missed something blindingly obvous.

Move the .xml and .mdl files created by Gmax export into the folder where the bgl compiler is located. Open the .xml file with notepad. Should look something like this:




     
     

     
     
     




then remove the generated messages it should look like this:





     
           
     

     


Then edit the latitude and longitude numbers. Save the notepad file which also saves the .xml file. Go to the bgl compiler folder where the .xml and .mdl files should be. Left click and hold on the .xml file drag and drop on the bglcomp icon and the bgl will be generated into the bgl compiler folder.

When you run the microsoft gmax sdk it puts, I think, several tutoials for aircraft, animation, scenery generating in the gmax folder/ gamepacks folder/fs2004 folder/docs folder.It takes a day or two to run thru them but will give you a step by step process for gmax scenery.  Uh.... and aircraft too...I guess, I have done nothing but scenery in gmax so far.

Glitch

Hi, Brian . . . nice work you're doing to recreate Deadmonton, ah, er, Edmonton. Looks good.

Hi, Brian . . . nice work you're doing to recreate Deadmonton, ah, er, Edmonton. Looks good.

Heh, thanks ...it was completed awhile ago, will start on upgrading it for FSX soon.  Here's a link to it if interested.

http://www.simviation.com/fs2004scenery86.htm