FSX MDL viewer update + a few things I've been working on.

decapod said:
I'm pretty sure I'll be updating this program at some point in the next few weeks, so all suggestions are welcome.
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A "walk around" kind of camera or better camera control in general (mouse wheel zoom) would be nice.

I have to admit though that ModelConverterX is my preferred tool to get in-depth information about a model by now, but MDLView is just fine for previewing repaints! :)
 
It works on my system, but I had to upgrade SlimDX first.
I have a few suggestions:

- define custom zoom steps for the mousewheel ( slider? )
- introduce ambient light to lighten up darker objects (slider?)
- place names/functions in front of the three sliders to the right
- display dimensions of the object or its bounding box?

This is a great tool, I must say! I usually work with ModelconverterX, but I will use this to check textures etc.

Cheers,
Mark
 
decapod said:
Not quite complete yet but I would appreciate any constructive comments.

I'm also trialling a new installer (clickteam)
May require a SlimDX runtime update.

It would also be wise to uninstall the previous version first.

http://cid-06b528339820717e.office.live.com/self.aspx/Downloads/MDLViewSetup102.zip
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Hello Paul

Seeing your response to this this morning was a welcome surprise. Exciting to read of your update to an already great tool. The download for your update went well and the install process was without error.
I chose to install over the top of your previous version as a test. That went fine with the usual redirect in the directory. Upon browsing to the .MDL file of the particular aircraft I'm currently working with, I first noticed that the .MDL files are not recognized and the icons viewed (as opened with) by MDLviewer like they were with the previous version (I hope I made sense with that explanation). Resolved by choosing "always open with"
.......I right clicked the .MDL file and chose "open with", and chose Modelview. Immediately the program crashed. For the second attempt I went to the directory that MDLview is installed in, and just double-clicked that thing. Again, CTD. That's when I downloaded the SlimDX runtime update. Once that installed, all was good to go. Up and running once again.


Thoughts:

On first viewing I like the new GUI having the draw calls on the bottom. For me, and what I use this great little program for, I would like to see the draw call cell-box removed all together, and have an option added up above to make it viewable/non-viewable by choice and usage. A little more versatility for both the modeler and the repainter (like myself) while viewing.

From previous post - - place names/functions in front of the three sliders to the right. As an option to see the cell boxes, or not.

The sky back drop is perfect. It brightens things right up.

The axis controls are nice. I like that all the way around. Having the different options of viewing are much better, along with the radius of light movements. I can now view a dark spectrum(d) (black) paint all the way around. Perfect (Ambient light would be beneficial)

All in all

I like your program.

Thank You
OleBoy

(Windows XP/32bit)
 
Thanks for all the comments & suggestions.
I'll try and cram a few more of these changes in once I've sorted out a problem with DXTbmp created DDS textures (they're not strictly valid DDS files but FSX reads them OK)
 
Bjoern said:
Could you offer a non-installer version as well?
I really don't like installers.
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I certainly could for the next release - .NET is simple to deploy by just copying files.

However, clickteam is a very basic installer and you would still need to use the slimDX installer.
 
Bjoern said:
Could you offer a non-installer version as well?
I really don't like installers.
Click to expand...

As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, you still have the option -even with the Clickteam installer- to "install" the files anywhere you wish, simply by clicking on the browse button [...] instead of accepting the default path...

I use the NSIS installer myself as it is far more configurable than the "Clickteam" package (which I still am convinced is simply a shell program that uses NSIS as it's base)... :bump:
 
n4gix said:
As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, you still have the option -even with the Clickteam installer- to "install" the files anywhere you wish, simply by clicking on the browse button [...] instead of accepting the default path...
Click to expand...

Zipped up files: Right click -> "7 Zip" -> "Extract To [file name]\"

Much more convienient than running an .exe, confirm that I *really* want to run the file, click "Next", click "...", click serveral more times to choose the appropraite folder, click, wait, close the installer.
 
decapod said:
A "small" update to version 1.0.2 (beta) - internally it is much better behaved now.

A few enhancements done, still to do ambient lighting. I just thought you might like to give it a bit more of a test for me :)
Click to expand...

Will do!!

Thank you.

Just from what you've done that you list in the read-me, I like it more already.

Changes for 1.0.2 - Sept 2010


  • Sky Dome added
  • Right mouse drag rotates the model in the world
  • Hold down Ctrl key and Left mouse drag to shift the camera relative to the model
  • Mouse Wheel zoom
  • Material information displayed on selection of the draw call in the list
  • Menu options for Textures on/off, coloured Draw Calls on/off and draw call display on/off
  • Better memory management
  • Better support for 24bit BMP and invalid DDS mip values from DXTBmp
  • Resize does not reset livery to default

I like the added features. Having the option to remove obtrusive windows is a plus.
....Although the ambient side (as you mentioned) does need something. Compared to what my paints looked like previously in the last update, the color spectrum is almost gone.
 
Love it!


The sun, however, acts a tad weirdly...see screenshot. (Missing alpha on the texture?)View attachment 19491


Also, the sky tends to disappear when toggling other options. But this just a minor inconvienience as it can be reenabled by toggling the appropriate checkbox.


P.S: The daylight feature is awesome!

P.P.S: Is AA/AF also supported?
 
A strange effect there ! - the sun is just a standard DDS file but I suspect the problem might be with my rendering sequence. Which model are you viewing in that screenshot?

In theory the program should detect if AA and AF are available and set both to the max.
Switching to full screen may enable them properly if you don't see them to start with.
 
decapod said:
Which model are you viewing in that screenshot?
Click to expand...

A custom one. Transparency with alpha channels works OK on the model.

In theory the program should detect if AA and AF are available and set both to the max.
Click to expand...
Yes, it does indeed. I didn't have any global AA/AF options set in the driver. *Blushes*



- Edit: Replaced your sun.dds with another one and the transparency problem is gone. Must've been a bad texture then (since I couldn't open it in Image Tool either).
 
Thanks for the info - I'll check the sun texture again.
I've made a few more tweaks to the AA/AF processing so it may be better with the final version.
 
What is the limit for size of model? I've tried loading the C310R and it chokes, coughs and spits a few dummys before finally loading, sort of...
 
n4gix said:
What is the limit for size of model? I've tried loading the C310R and it chokes, coughs and spits a few dummys before finally loading, sort of...
Click to expand...

In theory no size limit for model, textures may be limited by graphics card. If large BMP files have been used instad of DDS then it can take longer to load.

I've got mixed results running this on laptops with not all features working correctly.
 
n4gix said:
What is the limit for size of model? I've tried loading the C310R and it chokes, coughs and spits a few dummys before finally loading, sort of...
Click to expand...

Hi Bill,

I tried the "FSX" Cessna 310 from Flightsim - it's not FSX, it's an FS2004 model (MDL8) is there a true FSX version?
 
I found a 310Q for FSX at flight simulations and design and that loads OK.
I suspect it may be slow as the program is scanning the disk to find either DDS or BMP versions of the textures in the current folder then the ..\texture folder - neither exist for the 310Q, you need to select the .2 livery for the full set to load.
 
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