How to make buildings and add them into FS2004?

So I've downloaded a lot of planes and made many new airfields with ADE, and now I'm thinking of making new buildings and adding them into FS2004. Though I dont know how to do it :L. How do you make buildings (preferably with freeware) and how do you add them into FS2004 or ADE?

You can use Sketchup to make buildings.

 

There is a tutorial here- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/build-your-house-using-sketchup-tutorial.21770/

 

...and here- http://www.calclassic.com/sketchup_tutorial.htm

 

peace,

the Bean

Thanks for the links. And are the textures just usual jpeg's or any other picture format?

Thanks for the links. And are the textures just usual jpeg's or any other picture format?

 

You can use jpegs in Sketchup.

 

When you convert the models in MCX you will change them to something FS can use.

 

How to do this is explained in the tutorials.

 

peace,

the Bean

Hi,

Sketchup is fine, and quite easy to use...after a bit of practice.

Just a few pics so you can have a small idea of the possibilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck.

Luc

Not familiar with Sketchup ...but $600! I'll continue cursing at GMAX.

hey that's pretty cool lucio49 :pilot:

Not familiar with Sketchup ...but $600! I'll continue cursing at GMAX.

 

Sketchup is free.

 

No need to buy Sketchup Pro, unless you want to spend the $600.

 

peace,

the Bean

lucio49, that is cool tbh. And how do you install the buildings into the scenery object library or whatever its called on ADE?, since I use that to make airports

Do as Stringbean says:

 

You can use Sketchup to make buildings.

 

There is a tutorial here- http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/thr...utorial.21770/

 

...and here- http://www.calclassic.com/sketchup_tutorial.htm

 

peace,

the Bean

 

All the links you need are included. Be sure to read the tutos throughoutly before starting your first objects : that might save quite some time...and cursing!!!

 

Your finished Sketchup object is saved as a *.dae file, wich you import in ModelconverterX, and convert into a *.mdl file, which you import into Library Creator XML,and finaly create a *.bgl file, which is readable/usable in FS9.

You can place your objects with ADE....

It's not as complicated as it seems.

 

Good luck.

Luc

I managed to make a test building, but when I try to compile the file from the library xml program to Airport Design Editor, it shows up with an error

 

Alternatively, use FS Design Studio, which is not free but gives good results and can produce either a "building.bgl" or a "building.mdl". There is a learning curve, but nothing horrific.

If your building is a one-time use kind of thing, like a custom terminal for use at only one airport, you can skip the .bgl part and import the .mdl into ADE

 

Open the Model List and use the "Add" button to add your model.

 

If you expect to use the model at several airports, an object library .bgl is better so you only need one set of textures.

 

I am not sure why you are getting that message.

 

You should keep all of these tools outside of the Program Files folder. If it is in there, try moving it to your Desktop and running it.

 

peace,

the Bean

The model list way works and I can add it into ADE, but the textures dont show up at all

Difficult to guess what's going wrong. Can be a lot of reasons.

But no worries, that has happened to all of us beginners in scenery creating (and sometimes, it still happens!)

Try again and again, and read the tutorials over again, I'm sure it will work!

 

Here' another tuto (in french, help yourself with Google translator):

http://www.pilote-virtuel.com/viewtopic.php?id=22415

in english:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=ModelConverterX

 

Luc

You must convert any textures provided by Sketchup into FS compatible formats. Do this in the ModelConverterX Material Editor (DXTBMP for FS9, DDS for FSX). Once this is done, the converted texture files must be placed into the texture subfolder next to the library BGL file's scenery subfolder.

As a suggestion, for an "easier" alternative, if you go to the Military AI Works website ( http://www.militaryaiworks.com/ ), in their Scenery Library that have a file called MAIW_ABO.bgl that contains nearly two hundred scenery objects, many of which are airport buildings. That file comes in a package with all needed textures. If you install MCX, which I see several others have encouraged you to do, you can very quickly (like, in seconds!) look through all of the objects in that bgl file, correctly and fully textured, in 3D. There are other files in their Scenery Library that you might also find of relevance to your project. Don't let the title mislead you - the site is very much more than "Military AI" :D

 

Steve from Mudgee.

The model list way works and I can add it into ADE, but the textures dont show up at all

 

In addition to what Tom said above, textures must be "powers of two", i.e 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, so sizes like 1024 x 1024, 512 x 512, 512 x 1024, 256 x 512, etc. are OK but odd sizes like 364 x 569 or 473 x 72 won't work.

Yeah, but the model converter allowed me to fix those issues. And it didnt seem like that there were issues afterwards. I'll try and see if I can correct the textures. And also not talking about this issue, how do you install autopilot on aircraft in FS2004 that don't have it?

Copy the autopilot section from an aircraft.cfg file that has it to your plane's aircraft.cfg file (overwrite if there already). Then add an autopilot gauge to the panel.cfg file of that plane. Back up these files first.

Yeah, but the model converter allowed me to fix those issues. And it didnt seem like that there were issues afterwards. I'll try and see if I can correct the textures.

 

MCX may want to do DDS textures which FS9 doesn't know what to do with, make sure you're exporting DXTBMP from MCX and also make sure you copy them to the accompanying texture folder for whichever scenery area you have designated for this in the scenery library.

tgibson_new In the panel.cfg, the plane that I wanna change (A Ryanair 737-800), it only says that the panel is that of the default Boeing 737

Well, I'm not sure where to copy new textures into ADE

My best advice (I have not read through all the comments here) is to download "Easy Object Designer". It's very easy to learn and use. It may not be as powerful as other options, but you can create building API's quickly and then place them with Airport for Windows or possibly Sbuilder. I can't remember if Sbuilder can handle API macros but I'm sure the macros can be converted into something that Sbuilder can work with. I've used EOD and it is a snap to create and texture buildings. Extremely low learning curve.

Well, I'm not sure where to copy new textures into ADE

 

You don't put them in ADE, but say you've compiled your airport with ADE into "Flight Simulator 9\Addon Scenery\My Airport\scenery" and you've added "Flight Simulator 9\Addon Scenery\My Airport" to the scenery library. In that case you'd need to copy your converted textures into "Flight Simulator 9\Addon Scenery\My Airport\texture".