Go Back   AC3D Forums > Resources > AC3D Tutorials and How-To's
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 7th December 2010, 07:25 PM   #1
Kanttori
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Finland
Posts: 4
Default Background image scaling

Hello!

I am a new AC3D user but I have done many years terrains, textures and aircraft skins to the Aces High flight simulator. Now it's time to learn modelling.

I have used one week AC3D and I like it because it is easy to learn. I have even created my first town building objects to that game.

I have problems with scaling objects to right size, because I don't find a way how I can set up the background image (for. ex. 60 x 40 meters large town building's front side plan) to the right metric scale. Is it depending on texture's pixels?

If I set from "Settings" the Draw Grid Major for ex. to 10, are the grid major lines then between 10 meters or 10 centimeters or how?
Kanttori is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th December 2010, 02:50 PM   #2
Stiglr
Senior Member
Professional user
 
Stiglr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 604
Default Re: Background image scaling

No, you need to scale the image after you import it.

The best way to do this is...

1) Know the metric size of your object as depicted in your background images.
2) Create a "bounding box" to those dimensions. In the case of a building, set it up so that the bottom of the box rests on the X axis 0 line... or, if your model will have a "underground foundation" allow for that.
3) Make the bounding box transparent, or set the viewports to wireframe view, using Main Menu Orth > Wireframe. This is so you can see your viewport graphic without the bounding box blocking the view.
3) Import your graphic into the "front" viewport. Front viewport menu: Orth > Set background image... (navigate to the image).
4) Once the image appears in the front viewport, click in empty space within the viewport to make sure the bounding box is DEselected. Then, quoting from the AC3D manual:

Quote:
The scale and position of the background image is adjusted by using alt and the cursor keys. Alt and the cursor keys reposition the image, whilst Alt+Shift plus cursor up/down scale the image.
Scale the background image up or down until its limits match the bounding box, and reposition the graphic so that the building "rests" on the 0 line of the X axis (that is, it's 'on the ground'). Then, repeat this for the side view and top view, if you have background images for those.
__________________
Flight Sim Project Contributor

My Gaming Rig:
i5 2500K Quad-Core CPU at 3.3GHz
MSI P67A-C43 mobo
4GB of PC12800 DDR3 memory
Windows 7
1GB Galaxy GeForce GTX550 Ti video card GeForce 270.61 drivers (4/2011)
Cougar joystick/throttle combo
CH Pedals

Last edited by Stiglr; 8th December 2010 at 02:52 PM.
Stiglr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th December 2010, 06:45 PM   #3
Kanttori
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Finland
Posts: 4
Default Re: Background image scaling

Thank you Stiglr for clear answers, that helps me much!

EDIT: Ok, Background image settings (scaling and moving) are working as you said.

But am I scaling that Bounding Box with the "Size To" XYZ tool and what is the scale there? I mean if I set X to 60, is that 60 meters in the real world?

Last edited by Kanttori; 8th December 2010 at 07:20 PM.
Kanttori is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th December 2010, 07:08 PM   #4
Stiglr
Senior Member
Professional user
 
Stiglr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 604
Default Re: Background image scaling

Well, units can be whatever you want them to be...

but, if you're exporting the objects into some other software, for example a game system, then in my experience, that game system will be assuming 1 unit = 1 meter. But, it could be feet, or inches, or some other measure. Check with your target export system.

If it's only for use within AC3D, and your object doesn't have to interact with any other objects made independently, then it doesn't matter.
__________________
Flight Sim Project Contributor

My Gaming Rig:
i5 2500K Quad-Core CPU at 3.3GHz
MSI P67A-C43 mobo
4GB of PC12800 DDR3 memory
Windows 7
1GB Galaxy GeForce GTX550 Ti video card GeForce 270.61 drivers (4/2011)
Cougar joystick/throttle combo
CH Pedals
Stiglr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th December 2010, 07:31 PM   #5
Kanttori
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Finland
Posts: 4
Default Re: Background image scaling

I tried my ACD3 building object in the Aces High Object Editor and I noticed that it is using feet-scaling, because my house was about three times too big. I only need to scale all the new game objects to feets and everythnig is ok.

Thank you once more time, now it's clear and I can continue working!
Kanttori is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th December 2010, 11:10 PM   #6
Stiglr
Senior Member
Professional user
 
Stiglr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 604
Default Re: Background image scaling

Ugh, Aces High.... no, they'd never use meters as a measurement, because it's not an American measurement. They won't even use metrics in the European aircraft that actually did have metric gauges.

They're such arrogant cultural boors.... and there's plenty of bias in their game, too. Shame it's so popular.
__________________
Flight Sim Project Contributor

My Gaming Rig:
i5 2500K Quad-Core CPU at 3.3GHz
MSI P67A-C43 mobo
4GB of PC12800 DDR3 memory
Windows 7
1GB Galaxy GeForce GTX550 Ti video card GeForce 270.61 drivers (4/2011)
Cougar joystick/throttle combo
CH Pedals
Stiglr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th December 2010, 02:53 PM   #7
Kanttori
Junior Member
Junior member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Finland
Posts: 4
Default Re: Background image scaling

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stiglr View Post
Ugh, Aces High.... no, they'd never use meters as a measurement, because it's not an American measurement. They won't even use metrics in the European aircraft that actually did have metric gauges.

They're such arrogant cultural boors.... and there's plenty of bias in their game, too. Shame it's so popular.
That's true what you wrote but there are many good things, too. We have a small Finnish Aces High community (about 40 players) and many of them have been AH-players from the beginning of that simulator from about ten years ago.

Flying models are very good, but the aircraft setup is very American, mostly they are their historical fighters and bombers. But we have also Finnish (default skin) Brewster and I have skinned couple of Bf 109 G2's and G6's as Finnish. Here's one of them:



I am jus making a new terrain to the Aces High historical arenas, it's called Karelia and it's a Finnish vs. Soviet Union WWII map around the Leningrad.

We have such a nice setup of the historical planes to the both side but not all of them. For ex. russian fighters are Yak 9, La-5 and Airacobra. Heres a Finnish Brewster vs. Yak-9T:

Kanttori is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th December 2010, 03:20 PM   #8
Stiglr
Senior Member
Professional user
 
Stiglr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 604
Default Re: Background image scaling

Nice skin!

I can't agree with your assessment that the AH flight models are "very good". I think that's one more area that they place their American bias.

Also, I became a persona non-grata on their community board when I pointed out some, shall we say, interesting artifacts about their weapons and gunnery modeling. They say it has to do with the film capture feature not reflecting what players see on the server.... I think it's more a "laser gunnery model" that's to blame.
__________________
Flight Sim Project Contributor

My Gaming Rig:
i5 2500K Quad-Core CPU at 3.3GHz
MSI P67A-C43 mobo
4GB of PC12800 DDR3 memory
Windows 7
1GB Galaxy GeForce GTX550 Ti video card GeForce 270.61 drivers (4/2011)
Cougar joystick/throttle combo
CH Pedals
Stiglr is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:46 PM.


AC3D Forum
(C) Inivis Limited 2020