opening .mdl files

[cloudduster]

Hi all,
I'm really having trouble modifying a panel in a plane I have. The orignal designer created the Vcockpit with a seperate [Vcockpit] section in the panel cfg file for each guage resulting in very jerky movements of all the guages. I understand that the reason did this is because he was trying to improve the frame rates. However I am not having any problems with the rates and I hate flying in the 2d all the time.
Can someone tell me how to correct this. I understand that it has to be done in the .mdl file because that is where all the information is concerning the Vcockpit, but I can't seem to be able to open the file. I have downloaded the makemdl program from microsoft, the lastest version of gmax and the help and tutorials that go with it and several other programs and tutorials from the net but I'm still having no luck. I think I could probably make some progress with this problem if I could get the file open.
Thanks

[wsieffert]

Programs to decompile the *.mdl file are not available. You would need the original *.gmax file, opened in gmax to make any changes. I am not sure what you expect to change in the *.mdl to make the gauges work better. The virtual cockpit panel does exist in the *.mdl file but the gauges are the same gauges used in the 2d panel. For example, look at the default Boeing 737-400 (FS9) or 737-800 (FSX) panel.cfg file. The 2d panel's gauges are listed then the vcockpit. The gauge names are the same, just the size and location numbers are different.

W. Sieffert

[andyjohnston]

Thanks to Bill for putting that sticky up there, it's long overdue. Unforetunately, I'm sure most won't even read it...

[cloudduster]

Thank you for the reply. I think I understand now. What I was trying to do was group more of the guages together so they would operate more smoothly in the VC. On further research I discovered that they don't need to be modified, they just need to be moved to a different texture and that can be done in gmax. Please tell me if this is correct.

[n4gix]

>Thank you for the reply. I think I understand now. What I was
>trying to do was group more of the guages together so they
>would operate more smoothly in the VC. On further research I
>discovered that they don't need to be modified, they just need
>to be moved to a different texture and that can be done in
>gmax. Please tell me if this is correct.

If you have the source file (.gmax) then it is possible to modify the VC and the gauge polygone texture assignments.

[n4gix]

>Thanks to Bill for putting that sticky up there, it's long
>overdue. Unforetunately, I'm sure most won't even read it...

Well, at least YOU did! ;)