FBX and Metasequoia4 help?

[Stefan_Wulph]

Hello to all.
First and foremost a HUGE Thank you to all the designers modders and recolorests that have come before me.

I have been using (playing with) Realflight since G3 and been making my own planes for it since then too.
I have more then 150 custom models but they all lack something.. detailed textures. >.<
Only recently have I finally figured out how to add textures to my LW5.6 models and I want to start to update planes.

Now, I have Metasequoia 4 that I use for designing papermodels and I see it can export FBX files and RF8HH can import them.
But I am having a problem with the export files. RF8HH can't find the texture file.
"Error: Cannot locate path to texture file within KEX file. Corrupted KEX file."
The files are named: Temp.FBX and Temp.tga and they are both in the same folder.
Will this work or do I still need3DMax, Blender, DE plus 3Ds2Kex?
Thanks again.

Stefan Wulph

 

[legoman]

Hello to all.
First and foremost a HUGE Thank you to all the designers modders and recolorests that have come before me.

I have been using (playing with) Realflight since G3 and been making my own planes for it since then too.
I have more then 150 custom models but they all lack something.. detailed textures. >.<
Only recently have I finally figured out how to add textures to my LW5.6 models and I want to start to update planes.

Now, I have Metasequoia 4 that I use for designing papermodels and I see it can export FBX files and RF8HH can import them.
But I am having a problem with the export files. RF8HH can't find the texture file.
"Error: Cannot locate path to texture file within KEX file. Corrupted KEX file."
The files are named: Temp.FBX and Temp.tga and they are both in the same folder.
Will this work or do I still need3DMax, Blender, DE plus 3Ds2Kex?
Thanks again.

Stefan Wulph

I am not familiar with Metasequoia4. did you assign the tga to a material as a base color?

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

Hello LM,
I did. Let me run through step by step that I go through now. It might answer some future Qs:
1 Find a design I like on a site or magazine: The Blueprints, Deviant Art, Aviation Weekly, Combat Aircraft and alike.

2 Make the model in Lightwave 5.6.
This is where my papermodel designing comes in paw. will explain later.
I use different 'surfaces' for the different objects within my models.

3 Import to Metasequoia 4
4 Make each surface/material into a new object within the model.
5 Merge all materials into a single material and remove unused materials.
6 Now where my papermodel exp helps. I use 'Auto Unwrap' . It needs you to ether define the cracks (Time consuming and laborious)
or
While making the model you make the different ares you want to texture into seperate parts. They can be all the same surface but not connected.
7 Play jigsaw with the Unwrap output so your textures aren't a random jumble.
8 Export the texture to a .tga
9 Assign the exported .tga to the Texture of the one Material. 'Temp.tga with no folder info
10 Save work (For now) as a .3ds
11 Open in DE
12 Arrange parts into proper slots.
13 Export to a new 3ds
14 3ds2kex -v3 -s -/1 temp.3ds , I have an AutoHotKey script do this for me automagically.
15 import to RF8HH

Now I am hoping to be able to export the FBX from MQ4 and skip the steps after that.
But like I said I'm running into problems somewhere.
I've attached two images. These show the main FBX export format settings.
So I hope all of these can help you understand what I am trying to do.
Thanks
Stefan Wulph

 

[legoman]

Hello LM,
I did. Let me run through step by step that I go through now. It might answer some future Qs:
1 Find a design I like on a site or magazine: The Blueprints, Deviant Art, Aviation Weekly, Combat Aircraft and alike.

2 Make the model in Lightwave 5.6.
This is where my papermodel designing comes in paw. will explain later.
I use different 'surfaces' for the different objects within my models.

3 Import to Metasequoia 4
4 Make each surface/material into a new object within the model.
5 Merge all materials into a single material and remove unused materials.
6 Now where my papermodel exp helps. I use 'Auto Unwrap' . It needs you to ether define the cracks (Time consuming and laborious)
or
While making the model you make the different ares you want to texture into seperate parts. They can be all the same surface but not connected.
7 Play jigsaw with the Unwrap output so your textures aren't a random jumble.
8 Export the texture to a .tga
9 Assign the exported .tga to the Texture of the one Material. 'Temp.tga with no folder info
10 Save work (For now) as a .3ds
11 Open in DE
12 Arrange parts into proper slots.
13 Export to a new 3ds
14 3ds2kex -v3 -s -/1 temp.3ds , I have an AutoHotKey script do this for me automagically.
15 import to RF8HH

Now I am hoping to be able to export the FBX from MQ4 and skip the steps after that.
But like I said I'm running into problems somewhere.
I've attached two images. These show the main FBX export format settings.
So I hope all of these can help you understand what I am trying to do.
Thanks
Stefan Wulph

I use fbx 2013 and ascii for exports although blender needs another program to convert binary to ascii

everything up to step nine seems right. I am not sure if RF needs/expects folder info. i checked some of my export and it seems to include it. 10-14 should be covered by the fbx.

I dont think many people have used 3ds2kex since 3dsmax had a plugin exporter so 2009 a few people may have used it in the time when no one had max 2012 and the fbx transfer had not been implemented yet. I have never used it.

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

Ok.. I tried your suggested setting for FBX export in MQ4, Legoman
Progress.. sort of.
RF8HH sees the FBX and runs its importer and makes a KEX file.
but then it BLARFS and errors out complaining:
Error: Can not locate path to texture in KEX file. Corrupted KEX file?
I've tried doing the texture with and without a full path.
Same results.
Maybe I can import the MQ4 export file to Blender?
I still haven't figout the pivot points with this new system.

 

[asj5547]

Do you apply the tga to the model and can you see the diffuse texture displayed on the model (in your modelling program) before you attempt to export it as an FBX file.

 

[asj5547]

These are the settings I use when exporting the file to FBX in 3dsMax 2020

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

Do you apply the tga to the model and can you see the diffuse texture displayed on the model (in your modelling program) before you attempt to export it as an FBX file.

I apply it after exporting the TGA file and ... well I can kind of see it. For some reason MQ4 treats white (255,255,255 RGB( as transparent/ alpha. Even through it's not set for that.

 

[asj5547]

Check your private messages, click on the small envelope icon at the top right of the screen (near the search tab).

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

Ok.
I am showing the material property box for this.
and a bit of a preview of this aircraft.
and this is the error I get.

 

[legoman]

Are you using a 32 bit tga?

Pivots are the object origin.

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

The same tga format that has worked in the past..
I guess I could post it and the fbx here for inspection?
I use to use GMAX for pivots but that is no longer an option

 

[asj5547]

Legoman is referring to when you save the tga file, make sure to check the 32bit selection button (see pic).

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

PSP7 info for temp.tga

 

[asj5547]

Okay, I imported the fbx file you sent into 3dsmax, then I assigned the tga to the model (in max) and exported out as fbx, then imported the fbx into RF with no error messages.
The model needs to be scaled up significantly, see picture of model on the runway (circled in red). smoke coming off the model

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

there is no way to set what bit for tga.

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

Micro Machine. Yeah it changes size from import to import in MQ4. Had some like that and some big enough for 50 foot pilots could fly.

Now to the curious bit. what is the difference between the two FBXs and is it something I can fix in a text editor?

 

[asj5547]

What texture/coloring program are you using, I use photoshop, Gimp is a free program that a lot of the modelers on the forums use.
In post #14, it looks like you saved the tga as 24bit,...(pixel depth/color 24/16)
I will send you the fbx exported out of max and the rfx file from Realflight.

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

Ok and cool, ASJ.
I use Paint Shop Pro 7, fossilware I know.
I do have GIMP 2.8 I could use but the tga file I sent was exported my MQ4

 

[Stefan_Wulph]

the only entery that is missing from FBX thats a path is
'Map #1 VideoÊÑ@ ) FileNameS$ C:\Users\redacted\Desktop\Temp\temp.tgaôÑ@ '
Thats a just a quick search of both FBXs
but its getting late for me.. I'll beat my head on this more tomorrow.
Night
Thanks ASJ and Legoman