Military AI Works • Seasonal Textures
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Seasonal Textures

Posted: 07 Feb 2017, 10:28
by VulcanDriver
Hi Guys

I'm trying to apply seasonal textures to a scenery MDL using MDL Tweaker. I'm using the default FS9 Grass textures e.g. Grass_Su Grass_Wi etc.

However MDL Tweaker insists on adding seasonal extensions to the summer grass texture so it becomes Grass_SU_WI for example. Of course the texture doesn't exist and is not displayed.

How can I stop it from doing this?

TIA

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 07 Feb 2017, 14:33
by MIKE JG
John I will have an answer for you when I get home from work today, can't type it here with the boss looking over my shoulder.... :smt003

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 07 Feb 2017, 16:49
by VulcanDriver
Thanks Mike :)

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 07 Feb 2017, 21:30
by MIKE JG
John, one way around this that I have found is to make a copy of one of the seasonal textures, say the summer grass texture for example. Drop the _SU extension from that texture so that it's just 'taxi_grass.bmp' for example. Use that texture to color your model object. Do this for as many textures that you make use of.

Then in Model Tweaker it should then pick up the other versions without adding the extra extension to the one texture you have already used.

Does that make sense?

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 08 Feb 2017, 12:56
by VulcanDriver
Hi Mike

Think that worked, however when I imported the MDL in to ModelConverterX ( I always think of Terminator X from Public Enemy for some reason!!) it only picked up one texture. The object report only had one texture listed not the four I thought there would be. So I'm not sure if it has worked despite MDL Tweaker showing the correct textures. I updated the MDl and saved it.
Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 08 Feb 2017, 14:51
by JohnTenn
John

To compile the model into the bgl you will have to use Compile Helper available at FSdeveloper.com.

That is the easiest way to compile it.

There is information on how to use it there.

My knowledge is sketchy and I have to follow a read and do to get it right.

John

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 08 Feb 2017, 14:53
by MIKE JG
John, when you added the seasonal textures to the model, Model Tweaker II should have offered you the option to save the model. When it does, it adds the extension '_tweaked' to the model's file name. Make sure you are opening that 'tweaked' model in Model Converter.

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 08 Feb 2017, 17:20
by VulcanDriver
Hi Mike

That's the one I opened in Model Converter.

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 08 Feb 2017, 20:24
by John Young
Why don't you place the tweaked model straight out of MDL Tweaker II, with whatever name you chose, directly in ADE as a model object? It's always worked for me. Why do you need Compile Helper or MCX?

John Y.

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 08 Feb 2017, 23:07
by VulcanDriver
John Young wrote: 08 Feb 2017, 20:24 Why don't you place the tweaked model straight out of MDL Tweaker II, with whatever name you chose, directly in ADE as a model object? It's always worked for me. Why do you need Compile Helper or MCX?

John Y.
Hi John I was trying to see if the MDL had taken textures using MCX. I'll add it to ADE and see what happens.

Cheers

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 09 Feb 2017, 14:58
by VulcanDriver
Right folks, I took the tweaked the MDL and put into ADE and compiled. In sim it only shows one texture not the seasonal ones. I tried to change the season in sim and I got the CTD. Obviously something is wrong

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 09 Feb 2017, 16:05
by JohnTenn
@VulcanDriver

John

Lost my way earlier. I needed Compile helper to compile .asm files to .mdl.

I used "librarycreatorxml" also found at FSdeveloper.com.
This will give you the xml needed to compile the tweaked model with bglcomp into a bgl.

Do not open tweaked models with with ModelConverterX. I am pretty sure I read a post by Arno Gerretsen that stated that ModelconverterX stripped out the seasonal textures.

This is a bit of a cumbersome process but it works for me.

John.

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 09 Feb 2017, 18:18
by VulcanDriver
Thanks John, I'll try that tomorrow.

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 09 Feb 2017, 21:23
by John Young
Can you not just output the model file from FSDS, load the model in MDLTweakerII, apply the seasonal textures and save? Then place the tweaked model in ADE and compile. You don't need MDX, librarycreatorxml or anything else. I made a grass revetment with seasonal textures for Gary a couple of months ago just like that, except the model was built with Gmax.

John Y.

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 09 Feb 2017, 22:25
by VulcanDriver
John Young wrote: 09 Feb 2017, 21:23 Can you not just output the model file from FSDS, load the model in MDLTweakerII, apply the seasonal textures and save? Then place the tweaked model in ADE and compile. You don't need MDX, librarycreatorxml or anything else. I made a grass revetment with seasonal textures for Gary a couple of months ago just like that, except the model was built with Gmax.

John Y.
I tried that but the textures didn't change with the seasons. When I switched seasons in FS9 I got the CTD. The MDL size didn't change I'd have thought the extra lines would increase the file size?

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 09 Feb 2017, 22:46
by John Young
It's dead easy with Gmax and MdlTweakerII. You did make the complete set of textures, including the _lm if needed and they are in the texture folder?

John

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 10 Feb 2017, 04:06
by JohnTenn
@VulcanDriver

John, did you use default grass textures? Did you rename them?

If you have renamed them and now do not have the full set of named original textures then you will get a crash to desk top.

As far as the seasonal changes go, the days allocated need to cover the whole year (365 days).

For example 1-59, 60-199, 200-279, 280-340, 341-365.

If you are using only four variations, you leave out hard winter, and the four remaining sets must cover all the days of the year,

Modelconverterx will only display the last texture in the sequence. If then save the bgl from MCX your will only have the hard winter or winter texture.

I have never tried to compile the model into a bgl with ADE myself, that is something I learned now.

John

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 10 Feb 2017, 15:13
by VulcanDriver
JohnTenn wrote: 10 Feb 2017, 04:06
For example 1-59, 60-199, 200-279, 280-340, 341-365.


Used those numbers but I get a warning from MDL Tweaker that the days should not have any gaps :?

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 10 Feb 2017, 15:25
by Firebird
Do you still get the same warning if the last parm is 341-366?

Re: Seasonal Textures

Posted: 10 Feb 2017, 16:57
by JohnTenn
John

John Young was probably right, I am creating noise in this thread.

Now trying to be helpful.

The seasons in the default landclass change around the fifteenth of the month. Use the calendar to move day to day until the grass texture changes.

Write down the date.

When you have the dates of the first day of each new texture(season) then create the time line number of days to get there, starting from January 1. 31 days in January plus 29 Days in February and so on.

I feel just to get the idea with the first one, use the default numbers in modeltweaker and do not use hard winter.

Compile the model into a bgl and see if it shows up in your sim with the desired texture. ADE will place it. My method requires placement from the library.

I do not like to mess with default textures myself. If you want to use them, make copies of the textures and rename them at first until you have got the process under your belt.

John

PS. I have put in a day number 370 and modeltweaker took it.