Blank Textures on imported aircraft?

[macca22au]

Andre: the problem is well known.  Many older FS9 aircraft were made with techniques that are no longer compatible with FSX - the textures need to be recompiled.

With SP2 the situation has got worse.  Some payware aircraft that were ported into FSX-SP1 now have texture problems in SP2.  These problems have been discussed in this forum several times.

Unless the maker is prepared to supply a patch with recompiled textures then the only way is to do it yourself.

FSInsider gives you the pointers how to do it, but it is a way beyond my skills, so I have just deleted the aircraft and continue to enjoy those that have transferred satisfactorily.  We have dozens, but end up only ever flying a few so its good discipline.

All I would hope is that retailers tell us if the plane is compatible with SP2, or that a patch is available.

[Daube]

For the blank aircraft textures, the main problem is DirectX10. Some texture format are no more compatible, and you get a plane without any texture as a consequence.

Solution: disable DirectX10 preview in the display settings on the game. Your textures will appear. You may still get some transparency issues for some planes, though, but you will be able to deal with that using DTXBMP utility.

[macca22au]

No, it occurs in SP2 without Dx10 preview on.  Most with Vista and a Dx10 videocard have tried the preview, found that it hits framerates but doesn't give any noticeable visual benefits, so most like me have disabled it.

Some old FS9 aircraft, themselves originally ported from FS8 and earlier never transferred to SP1.  There texture compilation is totally outdated by the new techniques.  This has become worse for older FS9 aircraft in SP2 which can end up with VCs that have funny square masks, and windscreens that go opaque in the rain.  For the technically minded they can be re-compiled, but for the rest of us it is either wait for a patch, or move on to another aircraft.

I know that even in FSX I already have too many planes.  Some are used frequently but many hardly at all.  Now that scenery is getting so realistic, I find myself back flying VFR, or IFR around known places in real weather delivered by ASX.  The high flying complicated iron is used less and less.

So losing some is no hardship - although I wish the DA Katana could be patched, it's too good to throw away.

[Daube]

Strange, I never had any problem with FS9 aircraft in my FSX SP1.
Either they were showing completely and fine, either they were incompatible and not showing at all (like the default CFS2 planes for example).

[CAFedm]

For the blank aircraft textures, the main problem is DirectX10. Some texture format are no more compatible, and you get a plane without any texture as a consequence.

Solution: disable DirectX10 preview in the display settings on the game. Your textures will appear. You may still get some transparency issues for some planes, though, but you will be able to deal with that using DTXBMP utility.

One other item to consider here...I have a scenery project compiled with XtoMDL (used for FSX models) and it all displays properly in DX10 preview mode. An aircraft that was compiled using MakeMDL (for FS9 models), although having textures created in the exact same way, does not display any textures at all. It seems therefore that only models compiled using the proper compiler will display any textures in DX10.

[macca22au]

Daube, its SP2 that's done it.

[Fr. Bill]

So is it possible to repaint the textures and recompile? BTW, how do you recompile? (i.e what tools and a walkthrough please, if possible.)

Unless you have the original source file, no you cannot "recompile" anything...

[macca22au]

There is a very technical argument in Phil Taylor's blog about the best way of recompiling textures.

It is clear that the person doing the recompiling must be in possession of the entire code for the aircraft.

It is something that commercial add-on manufacturers should do, but most are reluctant, therefore rendering their aircraft suitable only for SP1.

And of course freeware makers have of course the data available.

But the third-party user cannot do anything unless they get the full material from the builder.