What is your 3D production pipeline?

After playing around the MSFS SDK Scenery Editor, I put together my first small package: Small Airfields Hungary. There I only used ready objects.

Now I started playing with 3D modelling for my sceneries (LHJK - Hungary) and I am struggling with what is the correct, or most efficient production pipeline. I started using Sketchup to build up the models, export it using COLLADA format, add some things in Blender and export to MSFS using the Blender MSFS plugin. The results are mixing. The model becomes huge in Blender, there are extra dashed lines, and the model behaves strangely. In MSFS it is a bit better, but there are flickegings and some elements are misplaced totally. I use my own components in Sketchup (windows, doors, pipelines etc.) and perhaps part of the dashed lines are connected to them (from a central point?). As a test, I have done all tecturing in Sketchup also. It went throught and most of it is even good in MSFS also, but the glass (window) textures are not working.

So, I am looking for some guidelines about how to separate tasks at the various tools during the 3D modelling and scenery building. I appreciate any help.



Gábor

[UPDATE]

  • Most of the dashed lines are “Relationship lines” and can be turned off in Blender. So this is probably not a problem.
  • Some of the problems seems to be related to hierarchical grouping in Sketchup was not imported correctly to Blender. There might be several options to finetune it, but I don’t have the correct method.

Hi,

Since the end of 2020, I follow the following process:

  • for new projects, I create the 3D part with Blender
  • for the old projects I compile my old Gmax sources in MDL then via MCX I export in FBX/OBJ (Wavefront) and finally import them in Blender
  • UV formatting with Gimp to create the preliminary textures
  • ArmorPaint in dev version to finalize the PBR textures
  • Export the project in command line mode by creating a tree structure like SDK Samples and compile in command line with fspackagetools.exe