Go Back   AC3D Forums > Resources > AC3D Plugins and Other Resources
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 15th July 2010, 08:41 PM   #1
wizzardworks
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 12
Talking X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Hello group, I recently purchased ac3d after a five minute trial from the demo version packaged with X-Plane 9, real impressive software. I downloaded the
X-Plane plug in for ac3d from the laminar research site and installed it in the
AC3D plugins folder. I also added the Xplanesupport.tcl folder (58kb) and the latest X-plane data refs.txt (348kb) in the plugins folder with the xplanessupportWin.p folder (922 kb) In addition there are an additional 44 files generated by this one plug in residing in the folder. The computer is a Heulet Packard 3.4Ghz intel with 4Gb 1300 mhz ram and a 1Gb nvidia ge force 9800 video card. The
operating system is XP home.
I imported an aircraft. from Rhino V4 as 3ds and saved that as an .ac file.
I named all the objects and did the heirarchy groupings for animation. Then I clicked the make rotation line in the X-Plane dropdown menu, then clicked the Xplane object properties and got no list of x-refs to choose from as shown in the online videos.
The question is how do I get the plug in to display the X-Plane x-refs?
wizzardworks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20th July 2010, 08:37 AM   #2
captainpeter
Senior Member
Professional user
 
captainpeter's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Vienna / Austria
Posts: 207
Default Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Quote:
Originally Posted by wizzardworks View Post
I imported an aircraft. from Rhino V4 as 3ds and saved that as an .ac file.
I named all the objects and did the heirarchy groupings for animation. Then I clicked the make rotation line in the X-Plane dropdown menu, then clicked the Xplane object properties and got no list of x-refs to choose from as shown in the online videos.
The question is how do I get the plug in to display the X-Plane x-refs?
You need to select the object you want to animate, choose 'Make Animation Group', then (in Object-Select mode) 'Make Rotation' which produces a 'rotation object' within the animation group.
Select it and choose 'X-Plane Object properties' from the menu.

btw, you need to copy 4 files to your ac3d plugins folder.
XPlaneSupport.tcl
XPlaneSupportMac.p (or XPlaneSupportWin.p for windows)
as well as 2 files from your X-Plane/Resources/Plugins folder:
DataRefs.txt
Commands.txt

Make sure you use up-to-date versions of x-plane & plugin!
that's it.

cheers
peter
captainpeter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20th July 2010, 05:50 PM   #3
wizzardworks
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 12
Talking Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

I don't seem to have a commands.txt file in the X-Plane resourced/plugins
folder. There is a DataRefs file. I searched with windows search and also opened every folder in X-Plane and couldn't find a commands.txt file. I bought a second copy of X-Plane a while ago when I thought my problem might be related to the X-Plane software. That copy is also installed under a different program name. I searched that copy and also did not find commands.txt. There are two files in the X-Plane resources folder which I copied to the ac3d plugins folder. They are XPLN.dll (200KB), and XPWidgets.dll (112KB) hoping that one of them is actuall the commands.txt file even though the file extension id .dll rather
than .txt but still no joy.

I have the most recent version shipped of X-Plane 9 andthe ac3d is a download of the version from 3 weeks ago as is the X-Plane plugin which came from the laminar research website so they should all be of the same vintage.

Today I have a problem with ac3d. In the tools menu dropdown I tried to open HeirarchyView and the drop down list has disappeared. I have ac3d on my desktop as well so that I can try forum suggestions and things I may find on google to get this working. The tools/HeirarchyView works normally there so I will reinstall my working copy with a fresh download from the invis site. I need to save my .ac files and the current contents of the plugins folder to a dvd before doing an uninstall. I like to think about such things a bit before erasing software in case there is something else I need to save first so I will probably wait untill tomorrow for the reinstall.
wizzardworks
wizzardworks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21st July 2010, 08:58 PM   #4
Stiglr
Senior Member
Professional user
 
Stiglr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 604
Default Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

This is probably a dead-end question, but if I don't ask it, I won't know will I?

Does the X-Plane system have an "export to Collada" or "export to .dae file format" capability?

I'm thinking no, since X-Plane is a game engine and thus the end "target" for add-in models. But, maybe, on some off-chance, there is a capability where we might be able to create a model in AC3D, use the X-Plane plug in to add animation and links to game commands, export that to X-Plane and then have a way to export the X-Plane object to Collada or .dae format.... well, I'd be like a pig in slop.

Crossing my fingers and hoping against all hope...
__________________
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 22nd July 2010, 12:35 PM   #5
wizzardworks
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 12
Talking Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Stigir, One of the export options from ac3d is collada so you don't need to export and reimport from another program. To do animations in ac3d the easy way is to use the X-Plane to ac3d plugin by Ben Supinski. It will allow export to obj7 and obj8 for the X-Plane simulator, but also it provides annimation using the X-Ref files of X-Plane. You need the commands.txt and xrefs file from the X-Plane /resources/plugins folder also which you can get from the free demo. Personally I would just buy X-Plane at $29.99 which comes with 60Gb of global scenery. I am not fluent in ac3d so I don't know what type of texrure files can be mapped in ac3d and exported in collada format with your model. You might want to slap some textures on a model and export it to see what it does imported into your target game The texture files can be found by google, they are just a JPG or bitmap picture of something. For a test any PNG or bitmap you find in windows/my pictures can be a test texture. The animations in the X-Plane plug in can be nested in the annimation groupe so sometninf can translate while several things are rotating, easy to set up.
wizzardworks (george):mrgreen:
wizzardworks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd July 2010, 01:31 PM   #6
Stiglr
Senior Member
Professional user
 
Stiglr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 604
Default Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

I'm aware of all that... but I want to export NOT to X-Plane, but to another engine entirely, but with the animations of the X-Plane plug in included in it.
__________________
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 22nd July 2010, 04:35 PM   #7
wizzardworks
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 12
Talking Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Stigir, The X-Plane does the animation inside ac3d and it's association would export with the file. It is a single file. I don't know what game you need to export to but I have sone insight into X-Plane that might be helpful. The ac3d object operates in the simulator and is displayed on the screen looking just as you created it in ac3d. The actual flight model is created separately from within X-Plane using the same X-Ref's that were used for the various control surfaces wings and fusalogue in ac3d. The simulator uses blade element theory on each individual mesh triangle to determine flight simulation with your model doing that representation on the screen. The ac3d model is smoother and more detailed than the flight model which is invisible. In the case of Microsoft flight simulator a different scheme is used based on look up table values to predict the models behavoir. The two simulators can't use the same flight model. In the case of another game the assignment of the X-ref (external refferences) used in annimation would be assigned to that games controls, joystick, and foot pedals.
The actual name of the x-ref is just a name used as a reference.
What the x-refs do is assign a rotation axis or translation path with end of travel angles with or without intermediate stop positions. Other references have continuous rotation or path following functions. The list of refferences are used to define and organize the individual motions.
wizzardworks
3.4 Ghz inter
4Gb DDR2
Nvidia !Gb ge force 9800
wizzardworks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21st October 2010, 10:25 AM   #8
BumblebeeMan
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: BC
Posts: 16
Default Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Hi, I am working on an aircraft (modeled in XP 9) and I have build detailed landing gear for it. When I put it in Planemaker as an object, then place it where it has to go, the entire assembly rotates through some bizarre axis way off of where i want it to. How do I get the strut to rotate at the designed axis?

i am not sure if this next question shares the same answer, but i have detailed the oleo and scissor. I would love to have the compression of the strut animated while taxiing. I would like to have the brace move on retract/extending the gear. I know I can animate this but will the animation in AC3D que from the extend/retract command in Xplane?
BumblebeeMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21st October 2010, 04:45 PM   #9
wizzardworks
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 12
Talking Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Bumbelbeeman, There is an entry in the planemaker/standard/landing gear for strut travel on the planemaker landing gear. If you are entering an object which is animated in Blender or AC3D you assign the rotations (things with a circular path) or translations (straight line movement) to an X-ref for that major part fom the list of references in the plug in. All the scissor action, strut compression type things are off a base point of the assigned reference. In the heirarchy list each part of the linkage has a rotation to which the degrees of travel from start to finish are entered. These are relative to the item above them. Think of it like diagraming a sentence in grade school. Locate the retract point of rotation at the top of the list. then the strut translation as it's dependent. That way the strut will have travel and also rotate with the upper sleeve when the gear retracts. The upper scissor link is a rotation around an axis on the lower strut. The lower scissor link is a rotation about the movable end of the upper scissor link. The wheel and brake disk are a rotation about a point on the end of the strut yoke. Things which are made of many objects like the strut, yoke, bearings, and seals are selected as a group in the heirarchy with the group name. Then when you animate a group all the bits assigned to it move with the single x-ref. Same thing with the pins in the scissor link. They would be grouped with the link they have no relative rotation to. The first part at the top of an animation heirarchy needs the x-ref related to a control movement in X-plane like "retract landing gear" the rest are just selected from the list by whether they turn continuously (wheel) or have a start and end of travel angle (scissor link). In the case of the strut compression you would pick that X-ref because it is programmed into the sim and would get the dynamic movement derived from forces in the sim. A group such as the wheel rim tire and brake disk would be a maingear or nose gear x-ref so that the rotational speed matches ground speed.
The idea that everything in the heirarchy is subject to all that is above it, and in control of everything below it is the key. Choose the x-ref corresponding to the data generated in the sim for that group to have it animate.
When you export from AC3D your assembled landing gear as an .OBJ8 file that goes within a folder of "objects" which in tern is in the file for your aircraft just like your "airfoils" folder. You then go to planemaker and open the .acf file for the plane, go to standard/misc objects/ name the object, click the box on the left of the name and direct planemaker to the object so it will open with the aircraft.
wizzardworks
wizzardworks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21st October 2010, 10:04 PM   #10
BumblebeeMan
Junior Member
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: BC
Posts: 16
Default Re: X-Plane plug in for ac3d animation problem

Wow, thanks for a truly precise and thorough answer. That covers every aspect that i was wondering about. Hopefully others that might be looking to do the same can gain from this.
How can I make that a sticky???
I will try and get all that working tomorrow. Call me a geek if you like but I am excited to get this up and working.
http://www.cswaviation.shawwebspace.ca/photos

Addendum: I found a site that shows how to animate windsheild wipers and it gave a pictorial explanation of what you said above. I now have the oleo swinging and am working on the scissor now.

Last edited by BumblebeeMan; 26th October 2010 at 09:16 PM.
BumblebeeMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
plug in, x-plane9, x-ref

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 10:50 PM.


AC3D Forum
(C) Inivis Limited 2020