creating .acf files

[somt1033]

Hi,
currently i am trying to convert CAD airplane models into x-plane.
I have ac3d with the x-plane plugin installed, Solidedge and X-plane 8 and 9.
I am modelling airplanes in Solidedge to compute to moments of inertia.
It would be nice to be able to convert these models into x-plane, so i don´t have to redo them in ac3d.

My status is:
I converted a solid edge .asm file into an .obj8 file with ac3d.
As far as i understand, xplane needs an .acf file for visualization.
I tried to use the Planemaker to open the .obj8 file and convert it into an .acf one which did not work.

Am i on the right road??

How do you create .acf files?
Does the Planemaker only accept .acf files or can it also open .obj8 files???

Please give me some advice on how to interface ac3d and x-plane's planemaker.

Thank you in advance,
Marvin

[somt1033]

Ok,
I don't want to bother you with noob questions, so i did some more research and i think i figured out how to do it, but i haven't tried it yet.

So here is what i think might work:

1.Convert cad file to .obj8 file with ac3d.

2.Create textures for it using Photoshop/ac3d

3.create new aircraft folder in ...xplane\aircraft
copy some already existing aircraft with all files and sub folders into this new
directory.

4. open the texture files of the already existing x-plane aircraft in photoshop or something compareable
and delete them and save them.

5.copy the .obj8 file of the cad model together with it's textures into the ...newaircraft\objetcs
folder of the new aircraft.

6. start planemaker. Now, the old aircraft should be invisible because we deleted
the textures. Under misc objects import the cad aircraft model with lat lon
equal zero.

This should work i hope. I will try tomorrow.
The Flight dynmaics will be that of the original aircraft which was made invisible.
But this is no problem for me, because i only use X-plane for visualiation.
The flight dynamics are simulated by Matlab/Simulink which is interfaced to x-plane via UDP.

Fell free to comment on what i suggested here!
Help is welcome!
Greetings,
Marvin

[Chuck Bodeen]

I'm an old timer at X-Plane, but fairly new to AC3D.
If you want the plane to fly correctly in X-Plane you don't want to start with any old existing acf file.
Plane-Maker is quite similar to AC3D, but it knows about such things as fuselage, wings, etc.
Use images of the three orth views of your AC3D model as successive backgrounds in Plane-Maker. Create the fuselage, wings, etc. on top of those backgrounds.
When you have all the parts assembled and you like the way it flies, you can overlay your plane with AC3D objects (using Plane-Maker to place them) and make many or all of your X-Plane pieces invisible.

[rogerThemac]

Correct me if I have got this around the wrong way, but what you re saying is to create the aircraft 9 paint included) in AC3D first and then do the building again in X-Plane. Only then will you find if the aircraft actually works as an aircraft???

[Chuck Bodeen]

Correct me if I have got this around the wrong way, but what you re saying is to create the aircraft 9 paint included) in AC3D first and then do the building again in X-Plane. Only then will you find if the aircraft actually works as an aircraft???

I always create the plane in Plane-Maker first. I work on it until it flies correctly.
Then I can use front, side, and top views for backgrounds in AC3D.
The AC3D object can be more detailed than the Plane-Maker ship. In Plane-Maker version 9 you can specify that any or all of the parts of the airplane are not to be painted on the screen. This is faster than painting them "invisible".

In the final product you may have a mixture of Plane-Maker parts and AC3D parts. Some of the AC3D objects (say a rudderr) may be attached to the Plane-Maker parts that move.

[rogerThemac]

The idea of creating in XP9 is good. The idea of doing detail / paint schemes in AC3D is even better. The problem, as a OS 10.5 person, is being able to bring AC3D files (.obj8) back into XP9. So far it ain't skydiving...

[Chuck Bodeen]

The idea of creating in XP9 is good. The idea of doing detail / paint schemes in AC3D is even better. The problem, as a OS 10.5 person, is being able to bring AC3D files (.obj8) back into XP9. So far it ain't skydiving...

I'm a Windoz person. Is there a problem exporting *.obj8 files from AC3D in OS 10.5?

chuck

[rogerThemac]

At the moment the most recent version of .obj files I can export from AC3D is .obj8. The problem is that XP9.22 will not reognise that format as openable in XP. I am open to all reasonable sugestions, (but will not be going to Windows just for a solution to this issue).:-D

[Chuck Bodeen]

At the moment the most recent version of .obj files I can export from AC3D is .obj8. The problem is that XP9.22 will not reognise that format as openable in XP. I am open to all reasonable sugestions, (but will not be going to Windows just for a solution to this issue).:-D

May I suggest that you bring this up on the x-plane.org forums and also contact Ben Supnik at bsupnik@xsquawkbox.net

[Chuck Bodeen]

May I suggest that you bring this up on the x-plane.org forums and also contact Ben Supnik at bsupnik@xsquawkbox.net

Try x-plane.org forums and Ben Supnik at bsupnik@xsquawkbox.net

chuck

[rogerThemac]

I have good news and bad news - the bad news is I think I have solved my own problem anyhow, in the short term at least:

The good news is that a Junior Member (at that time anyhow) called donallbaugh from Bay City, MI posted one workaround which is dated 31st August 2007. The post suggests that an objects folder is created in the same folder as your .ACF / aircraft folder. What was then suggested was all misc files, including texture files, go into that misc folder. The final step is supposed to be :- open your aircraft from within Plane - Maker and select the .OBJ file you have created and use the Misc Objects Screen to fine tune where you want your object to be.

I have not tried this so I cannot say if it works. What I am sure of is that Ben S is a very busy person who still has to earn a living regardless of what else 'has' to be done.

[Chuck Bodeen]

I have good news and bad news - the bad news is I think I have solved my own problem anyhow, in the short term at least:

The good news is that a Junior Member (at that time anyhow) called donallbaugh from Bay City, MI posted one workaround which is dated 31st August 2007. The post suggests that an objects folder is created in the same folder as your .ACF / aircraft folder. What was then suggested was all misc files, including texture files, go into that misc folder. The final step is supposed to be :- open your aircraft from within Plane - Maker and select the .OBJ file you have created and use the Misc Objects Screen to fine tune where you want your object to be.

I have not tried this so I cannot say if it works. What I am sure of is that Ben S is a very busy person who still has to earn a living regardless of what else 'has' to be done.


Hi Roger: I'm so sorry that you have been though this mysterious problem. I assumed that you were familiar with the file structure in X-Plane models.
....X-System (or what ever name for the main folder)
..........Aircraft
................Your plane
.......................your.acf
.......................objects
..............................yourObject.obj
..............................yourObject.png (the texture file)
then come other optional folders

Take a look at the structure of some other plane folders.

There is no need to send any questions to Ben as long as this is the main problem.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any more problems with Plane-Maker and/or X-Plane

chuckbodeen@earthlink.net