Well, I didn't want to make a post  for this here and bug everybody, but after too long searching the web, I suppose I have to.
Does anybody happen to know of a good tutorial for designing aircraft for FSX. There are plenty on creating on in Gmax (that's the program I'm using), but I can't find anything on actually creating the aircraft package so you can use it in FSX.

Thanks,
boeing247

Looks like nobody here knows... Does anybody at least maybe have a suggestion on where to ask?  ;)

Milton Shupe did one of the best tutorials for creating and aircraft in gmax that I have seen. Check it out HERE.

Sorry it took so long, but I couldn't find it until today (I got all of this stuff form myself back in about 2008).

You must have the FSX SDK which comes with FSX Deluxe and FSX Gold.

Mark

Thanks! ;D Yes, I have the SDK. The tutorial is for FS2004, but it should work for FSX, right?

boeing247 wrote on May 4^th, 2011 at 11:44pm:

Thanks! ;D Yes, I have the SDK. The tutorial is for FS2004, but it should work for FSX, right?

Yes it will. The method of creating the model (MDL) is using XtoMDL which is for FSX only.

My friend made the elephant from the African mission fly. He also made a flying gecko that licked its eye when you hit L for lights.

701151 wrote on May 5^th, 2011 at 2:14pm:

My friend made the elephant from the African mission fly. He also made a flying gecko that licked its eye when you hit L for lights.

As good and as funny as that is, I don't think an elephant's or gecko's make good flying machines! :D ;D

Here is one I have been working on for.....for ever, since December 2005 using FSDS 3.0 and FSDS 3.5.1. It's a C172 (based on the default FS9 C172):

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv58/Markoz958/C172.jpg

Mark

Naturally, I'm making a Boeing 247.  ;)

Oh, does the scale have to be in millimeters, or can you put it in inches? (Normally I like the metric system, but bigger units are easier  ;))

boeing247 wrote on May 6^th, 2011 at 2:26am:

Naturally, I'm making a Boeing 247.  ;) Oh, does the scale have to be in millimeters, or can you put it in inches? (Normally I like the metric system, but bigger units are easier  ;))

It is better to use the metric system. So millimeters is best. :)

ALT > Customize > Units setup... > Metric > Millimeters

Make sure you are starting gmax using the FSX_Gmax shortcut. It can be found in <Gmax>\gamepacks\FSX_GmaxGamePack folder. It loads all the necessary scripts used to create FSX models.
Another thing you need to do is: ALT > FSTools > LODNameTool > Click Create new GUID for this f.... > Friendly Name: (just use the name of the aircraft, boeing247, in this case). If you don't do that, you can't export to the FSX mdl (it won't work in FSX).

Mark

Thanks for the tip about the scripts. Could I use centimeters or even meters instead of millimeters, though, or will it throw something off.

To be honest. I don't know. I was taught by the guys at FFDS Design forums to use millimeters, I don't recall anyone questioning that advice. I know I didn't.

There is a trick you can use in gmax, enter the value in cm or m by adding that to the end of the number and gmax will automatically change it to millimeters. E.g. Enter 5m and gmax will change it to 5000mm, enter 5cm and gmax will change it to 50mm etc... I use this with imperial to metric conversion by entering, for example, 5 feet 6 inches, like this: 5'6" and gmax will convert that to millimeters for me (1676.4mm).

Mark

Cool. Now, I should have to download GMax from the SDK in order to get the FSX Gamepack, right? (I'm using a different version now).  :)

The gmax installation files are IN the SDK folder when you first install it. You need to copy them to somewhere else because in the process of updating to SP1a and SP2, it gets removed and they are no longer in the SDK folder (as I said in an earlier reply). ;)

The FSX_gamepack for gmax is still in the SDK after you have installed SP2 (SDK\Environment Kit\Modeling SDK). It is only gmax that has been removed. You can get all the gmax files from TurboSquid HERE.

The following files are all you really need.
gmax12.exe
gmax12_help.exe
gmax12_tutorials.exe
library.exe

From this TurboSquid forum post:  "get the well known and accepted workaround to get the registration HERE or HERE" - I recommend the first one.

There is nothing illegal about the registration workaround. For some unknown reason (to me), the normal way of registering doesn't work. I was lucky enough to get mine registered before this happened, but my official registration is not accepted by gmax anymore so now I have to use this workaround. TurboSquid are the ones who distribute and support gmax now and they are the ones who allow you to download and use workaround (well they certainly haven't put a stop to it in the last 5-6 years since I first found it).

Mark

I originally got Gmax from TurboSquid; do I need install it from the installer in the SDK instead, though? I haven't updated to SP1 or SP2 (I have Acceleration, and I've heard that that's pretty much equivalent to SP2, but I'm not sure if that's true), so do I not have those files? Sorry if I'm asking weird questions, I think I missed something and confused myself.  ;)

Thanks,
boeing247

The latest (last) version of gmax is v1.2. It does not matter which one you install from.

For information in regards to the SDK Service Packs read this: http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=SDK_Installation_%28FSX%29. Hopefully this will help you with installing the SDK SP's and it saves me having to write it all down here for you.

Mark

Okay, cool. Somehow I never came across that sight during all the time I was searching the web.  ;) I'll read through that.