GMAX 1.2

[landnrailroader]

Colleagues,

I noticed in the MSTS-X forum that GMAX was being used to create objects for the "new" MSTS, and thought it might be desirable to learn about it.
I have the MSTS Game pack that came out a few years ago, and which includes the plugins to create objects with GMAX, and I know that some of our colleagues are doing it.

I could not find my copy of the original GMAX which is apparently not available anymore, but I did find GMAX1.2 on the TurboSquid site and downloaded, installed, and registered it (it is also free) easily enough, but the GamePack does not work with it. When starting GMAX according to the instructions with the GamePack, GMAX is found, and then an error "No plug-in directory was found 3DSMAX", and GMAX fails to start.

Has anyone successfully used the new version of GMAX, which TurboSquid claims works with "GMAX Enabled Games" and lists TrainSim as one of those. Discreet no longer has the free version of GMAX, but does have a few other products for $3000 or so and up.

Jerry Sullivan

[inflammable]

I have 1.2, and it works well. From what I can remember about my own installation, is that the plugin didn't install to the proper place in the Gmax folders. This may have been my own fault, I will admit. I had to go in and move the Trainsim folder from the plugin to the Gmax/plugins folder.

After that is done, you have to start Gmax using the provided TrainSim plugin shortcut, as the standard Gmax file won't load the plugin.

James

[landnrailroader]

Thanks James, that worked with one little difference. I put the TrainSim folder in the plugins folder and that did not cut it, but then I noticed that the full path was GMAX\GamePacks\TrainSim, and there was a GamePacks folder in the GMAX install. After I moved the TrainSim folder to the GamePacks folder it installed fine.
Thought I might try some initially simple stuff like "flatpeople" and see how this works. Personally, I hope that "if" Microsoft actually releases a new sim, TSM will be upgraded to work it as that is my preferred tool.
As a long time Microstation user, anything related to AutoCad (which GMAX is) is suspect.

Jerry Sullivan

[inflammable]

Give Volker's tutorial a shot. It's for building a small, 6 wheel european switcher, but it goes through most of the things you'll need to make cars. Scenery items are much easier to start out with, though.

Running a google for 'Volker' and 'msts' or "Gmax' will bring it up.

James

[SCL-A-Line]

Jerry One word with GMAX "SAVE SAVE SAVE" Your Work Often
i have noticed that when exporting to a .s file gmax will crash if you do the least little thing, now if someone can correct what i am doing wrong please do

also doing LOD's in GMAX is extremely easy, i made a set of telephone poles and set them to different LOD's and it worked great, as well i am doing my own version of Nick's bushline with lower poly's and LOD's

tel poles here
http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/13646/2000343879968825771_rs.jpg

[inflammable]

Each time that you export your shape to an .s file, then clear the information from the exporter. I can't remember the names of the menus, but the menu on the left of the exporter does the exporting, the menu on the right will allow you to clear the exporter.

If you clear the exporter after each export, then this will cut out a lot of crashes.

It seems to get confused if there is an object in the exporter with more/different subobjects than what you are putting into it. So if you clear it after each use, then the crashing is minimized.

James

[SCL-A-Line]

Cool, Ok

3 years since i started playing with it but not so hard to relearn

[landnrailroader]

I found right off that not all .tga files created with PaintShop-10
and which worked fine with both TSM and 3DC, would work with GMAX, but simply opening the offending file in TgTools and resaving it cleared whatever the problem was - none of these are compressed files.
These are all files with alpha channels.

I am hopeful that if this new MSTS thingy comes out, Abacus will upgrade TSM to work with it, provide a translator, plugin or whatever, but since there were comments on the other forum about the developers using GMAX, I figured I better learn. There is also a GMAX Bible available from Amazon, and BAM told me this afternoon they can order it, and it will take 4-6 weeks to get it. It is $44 and I will hold on that. The indicated tutorial is interesting and I will try to print it out as it is not too long. I prefer to work from a printed page where I can - old fashioned you know!!

Jerry

[SCL-A-Line]

in the trainsim plugin for gmax you can use .ace files directly

if some are compressed wrong you may have to convert them

[inflammable]

Yes, I've always used ace files in Gmax. I tend to use other peoples textures about half the time, and have noticed that if the person who created the ACE originally uses TSM, then the ACE won't work in Gmax without opening it in TgaTools, and re exporting. The original ACE will work fine with the .s file after you export it from Gmax, but won't work while you are in Gmax. I understand that TSM converts the TGA for you, so it probably just has something to do with how TSM does this.

James

[landnrailroader]

Okay, I have installed the MSTS items exactly as indicated, and when I go through the suggested tutorial, sometimes it shows the material selection icon, and sometimes it does not.

Question is, when I bring up GMAX through the MSTS shortcut, I do not see the material selection or material navigation icons. These never appear in the location that they do if GMAX is initiated through it's own shortcut. It would seem to me then that an object would have to be created in straight GMAX and then one would enter through the MSTS shortcut in order to be able to export the object to an .s file. Am I missing something here?

Perhaps you could attach a screen capture of your directory structure if my problem is indeed a problem. Going to work now, be back this evening. Below is what I see on the working screen and also the directory structure.

Jerry Sullivan


http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/up1/116612.jpg


http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/up1/116613.jpg

[inflammable]

Make the window bigger. It doesn't have room for everything. When it is big enough, then the Material Selector, and a few other things, will appear under the X Y Z


http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/up1/116614.jpg

[jovet]

Better still, drag the main toolbar to under the menu bar so it lays horizontal and there is room for everything. (1024x768 minimum required resolution to see everything.) Editing the toolbars is tricky but can be done too, if you need to.

P.S. I don't think a book on Gmax is really necessary. It really is not that complicated as most of its features you don't really need. If you haven't, downloaded the tutorials from the same webpage you got Gmax. Go through them, following the help file, and you can learn pretty much everything you need to know. They teach most of the basic concepts you'll need to know. Then you can start tackling some MSTS-specific tutorials.

[landnrailroader]

I haven't had any luck getting the main tool bar to lay horizontal, but I did find that if I restore the tools to the startup situation, then everything appears, but the only thing I could do with the main menu was to just move it to the bottom of the screen and then expand the working view ports.

Expanding the overall window did not bring in any additional items, just made what was there larger.

Jerry

[landnrailroader]

Here is how I finally got a workable arrangement, but somehow the tool window is twice as wide as it needs to be and is blank on the right half.
I have tucked it below the bottom of the active area where I can pull it up as needed. Time will tell if this is a workable method, although I do use professional CAD in this manner, with less used stuff parked at the bottom edge.

Jerry Sullivan

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/up1/116635.jpg

[Erick_Cantu]

Move the command panel (highlighted red) back, then click and drag on the left adge (highlighted green) until it is the original width.

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/up1/117130.jpg

One of GMax's strengths is that you can configure it in basically any way you want - but if you're beginning to use it and do something by accident, and don't know how you did it, it can be a royal pain to get it how you want it. That's what annoyed me the most when I was learning to use it.

[jovet]

That is very true, I had that same trouble---doing something and not figuring out how I did it. Gmax has many keyboard accelerators (the H key being the one I use the most) and it's easy to bump them.

In the customization dialogs, saving the configuration to a file can help you fall back if you mess something up. (And it's also the only way I've found, by overwriting the plugins' config files, to make it keep changes I make to the UI.)

Here's how I settled on mine looking:

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/up1/117133.jpg