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How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Share hints and tricks or your own modifications for MAIW Packages in Flight Simulator X and Prepar3D.
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Firebird
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Firebird »

No you don't need it for the conversion. However, in case you ever mod any FS9 stuff then just install the FS9 SDK and point the MCX setting to where it is installed.

In simple terms you are compiling for P3D which doesn't use makemdl.
Steve
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petebramley
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by petebramley »

Success !!

Have now managed to convert FS9 libraries to P3D and have them show-up correctly in my sim. Thanks for your help Guys, much appreciated.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Greg »

Glad it works, Pete.

Yes my guide requires some foreknowledge. You need to know how to set up MCX properly, and some basic ADE and AIFP skills. Nothing that isn't explained in their respective manuals but it may take some time to look up and figure out indeed if you're unfamiliar.

If converting FS9 stuff to FSX/P3D was done with two simple clicks, we would have converted all our packages ourselves by now. :(
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by pliph »

HI Guys ,
Hope this is the correct location for this question. I am a complete newbie at this converting game and hopefully my question will have a simple solution.
I have taken the MAIW Hawk 1 package and I wanted to convert the the AI aircraft to FSX/P3Dv3 for practice and for my own use, I prefer DDS to .BMP.
I used MCX to convert the MDL and ImageTools to convert the all textures to DDS DXT5. I also converted them to 32bit at the same time as to DXT5. All went smoothly until dsplaying them at RAF Valley.
The airframes all turned up in their parking bays but the snag was that their canopies were displayed in the left wing and not where it should be.
What have I done wrong.
Many thanks Gary
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Firebird »

Well it depends upon what you mean about converting the Hawks for P3D. You can't simply import the mdl into MCX and export to P3D and expect it to work. Trust me if it was that simple we would have done them all months ago.

Each model needs to be carefully converted at several stages and all the animations need to be amended. I have not completed a translation myself but I have been privy to the process and believe me it takes some time to ensure that each one is correct, and this is by the people with the most experience at carrying out the procedure.

I have seen that it can be a most laborious task. I have also found out that we have made the process worse by using non-standard animations in every model to achieve what we wanted for FS9. We have used functions in FS9 that are not available in FSX and P3D and so even when you convert them a lot of them will not work the same due to the animation triggers that were used in FS9.

I am not trying to put you off or trying to be pessimistic here. I am simply starting the fact of the work and time involved is substantial. P3D is an area that a lot of our members are investing in and if we can help we will but it will not be a quick or simple process.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by pliph »

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for the reply and info. Great to know

Yours aye
Gary
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by petebramley »

Has anybody managed to convert the "Atsugi Object Library.bgl" to P3Dv4 ??

Have tried several times but with heroic failures. I somebody could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated. This is the second library that has failed to convert although several others worked fine.

Event log attached (I think)
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Greg »

This happens with some libraries, unfortunately.

In your particular case, there's a problem with model 6. If you're not familiar with how to fix it, you could remove model 6 ("Atsugi Object Library_p3d6.mdl") from the list and the bgl should compile, but you won't see that particular object in your sim.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by petebramley »

Cheers Greg

I thought it was something to do with object6. Just have to work out how to remove it and re-compile.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Foxbat »

I don't use all the old model libraries as this for me, even as a scenery designer myself, is too much work. I simply take the afcads into ADE, delete all references to objects, reset the draw flags for aprons and taxi links, then export the afcad with the P3D4 SDK. After that I sometimes have to make a few extra exludes. This way I don't get great looking MIL airports, but I for shure get the traffic.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Foxbat »

Correction; now I also do all the model libraries. Guide is great.

When doing this, I often find missing textures using McX. Those can often be found in other model libraries, most of them I found in the MAIW Object Library FSX. Some of the textures I just change using the Material Properties. For example I had black water towers at Davis-Monthan KDMA. I found the tower model to be a separate bgl. First tried a checkerboard texture, but it did not map correctly on the model. In the end I just copied in a small MAIW grey texture, and via McX Material Properties, told the water tower to use it.

Pete B;

Just push the Scenery Objects Editor" button in McX and you get a lsit of all the models in the lib. There is a remove button in that window, and this is the way I remove those problem objects.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Foxbat »

Some info regarding converting planes, which I also posted in the AIG thread:

McX TIPS:

Recent research doing the NAAI E3A AWACS:

Open FS9 mdl in McX without autoset visibility conditions (can make a mess for the time being).

Importer: Use Condition - User Specified.

Set Conditions when opening the mdl:

Light Stats = 4

Custom_anim_light_NAV02 = 1 (this controls vis condition for engine covers and wheel chocks). I change those to "custom_parts_vis_blocks".

Taxi/Landing lights:

vis condition in the Hiearchy tree: light_landing_vis. Angles 0,0; 0,0; -25.0, AUTO=FALSE, use fx_landing.

HIDE PARTS PARAMETER:

<!-- Activates when AI Aircraft is parked and lights are not on. Use for ground equipment, chocks etc -->
<PartInfo>
<Name>custom_part_vis_blocks</Name>
<Visibility>
<Parameter>
<Code>
(A:GROUND VELOCITY,knots) 0 !=
(A:LIGHT BEACON,bool) or
if{ 0 } els{ 1 }
</Code>
</Parameter>
</Visibility>
</PartInfo>

(paste this into your ModelDef.xml)

This is a "quick'n'dirty" list I made when doing a perfect conversion of the NAAI E3A AWACS. In order to find out what does what I first use McX with Autoset Visibility TRUE and take notes what does what. Then I set this parameter to User Specified and do the rest.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by azcat »

I am wondering how folks are dealing with the FS9 to FSX conversion of objects that have "decal" type textures? My conversions result with a lot of flickering textures that I have never been able to sort out.
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by gavinc »

azcat wrote: 03 Jun 2018, 02:07 I am wondering how folks are dealing with the FS9 to FSX conversion of objects that have "decal" type textures? My conversions result with a lot of flickering textures that I have never been able to sort out.
If you are using MCX to do the conversion try setting the zbias for the decal texture to a positive value (ie greater than 0). zbias can be set near the bottom of the materials dialog.

Gavin
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by azcat »

Thanks for the advice. I do use MCX. How great a positive number.....decimal greater than 0 or a whole number greater than 0? What value have you used successfully to get rid of the flicker?
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by gavinc »

azcat wrote: 05 Jun 2018, 07:28 Thanks for the advice. I do use MCX. How great a positive number.....decimal greater than 0 or a whole number greater than 0? What value have you used successfully to get rid of the flicker?
Any whole number should work, try 1. My understanding is that all the textures have a zbias of 0 by default so if you assign any higher number to a specific texture it will be drawn in front of the other textures. The flickering is occurring because they are both being drawn at the same "level" and the decal is being interwoven with the texture beneath.

If you had multiple decals that overlapped then you would have to apply different zbias numbers to ensure the draw order was correct.

This is the way I understand it works, however I have been wrong before (and I am sure I will be wrong again)

Gavin
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by John Young »

That's a very good description of the problem Gavin.

It's sometimes referred to as "co-planar" flickering, where two textures share the same surface of a model and the sim just can't make up it's mind what to display. I well remember the old SCASM-based Novasim modelling program. It had a simple check box to adjust the zbias where two textures needed to be placed over each other - like a sign. The more modern and complex programs like Gmax and I presume FSDS, just don't have that facility. You have to place the sign a tiny tad in front of the background plane to avoid the flickering.

John
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Re: How to convert MAIW packages to FSX/P3D?

Post by Greg »

I tried the Z-Bias trick with one of our object libraries with lots of extra decals: Whiteman AFB. After conversion to P3Dv4 the scenery was a flickerfest.

The "decal" textures already had a Z-Bias of 1, while other textures had a Z-Bias of 0. This caught me by surprise, since it clearly didn't seem to do anything. Increasing the Z-Bias of the decal texture to 2 didn't have any effect. Increasing it to 10 neither.

So unless there's some other setting in MCX that needs to be changed for the Z-Bias to work, it doesn't seem to do anything against the decal flickering.
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