Is there an aircraft or object viewer for WO*?

[Royohboy]

Is there a standalone proggie for viewing WO* aircraft/pilots/objects complete with skins and decals? It would speed up skinning, and especially decalling tremendously.

 

I know that you can leave WO* running and ALT+TAB back and forth between the sim, your text-, and graphics editors, and refly the mission, but it's a bit awkward.

 

Or, alternatively, is there some bare-bones terrain that has been made especially for minimal loading times?

 

BTW, here's something I'm working on. Wrench's lovely Libya must be my favourite backdrop for aircraft lately I still need to find most of the serial numbers and corresponding fuselage codes for the French 13/72 EALA.

[MigBuster]

Only found one called UMC2 or something - it does open 3rd wire LODs and skins but I thought it was even more annoying - so i ditched it- it was obviously written for other formats with 3rd wire as a side - but it did mention in the read me he needed to work out the LOD format header or something

 

 

Someone said you can take out some of the menus out to start the game quicker - though not sure what they removed. suppose you could do this to a test install of wo*

[Wrench]

The 2 Ranges load pretty fast, and they have minimal objects. They're pretty good for testing stuff on.

 

Or create a "Test" terrain...take one of the stock one, and edit the targets ini. Remove all but 1 city -make sure that one is the #1 target area, and 2 airfields, one for each side.

 

You will need to extreact the TFD and HFD files to rename.

 

The process would be something like this, using WoE as an example:

 

Create new folder called "Test"

 

Copy over the following inis & other misc files:

 

GermanyCE.ini

GermanyCE_targets.ini

GermanyCE_Types.ini

GermanyCE_Data.ini

GermanyCE.TFD

GermanyCE.HFD

 

rename the GermanyCE.ini to "Test.ini"

Rename the TFD and HFD to "Test.TFD" and "Test.HFD"

 

Open the newly renamed Test.ini and do something like this:

 

[Terrain]

TerrainFullName=Testing Terrain

DataFile=Test_data.INI

TargetFile=Test_targets.INI

TargetTypeFile=Test_types.INI

MovementFile=GermanyCE_movement.ini may not want to use this, see below

NationsFile=GermanyCE_nations.INI

BriefingText=GermanyCE_briefing.INI

DogfightFile=GermanyCE_dogfight.INI or this one

DogfightOnly=FALSE

//CatFile=..\Desert\Desert.cat

CatFile=..\GermanyCE\GermanyCE.cat

//CatFile=..\VietnamSEA\VietnamSEA.cat

Longitude=10.817

Latitude=51.111

 

You'll see I seem to always list all the original terrain cat files -- a semi-good habit of mine

 

Rename the GermanyCE_targets.ini to "Test_targets.ini", then open it up

 

It has Aachen as the #1 target area, but with nothing there. If you want, I'd suggest just dropping a genric building at the 0,0 point. A generator or warehouse, just so's something is there.

 

Then, do a "Find" for runway. That will get you the first airfield listing, which should be target area #235, Alhorn. Here's where the work begins...you have to DELETE everything ABOVE it, all the way back to #1. Then, after doing that, you'll just need to find an enemy base, which is #237, Allstadt. Keep that one, and delete EVERYTHING BELOW IT!

 

Then, it's just a simple matter to renumber the 3 remaining target areas in sequence. It'd looks something like this, with much left out for clarity (that is, all the actual targets listed at the 2 airbases, hope you get my drift)

 

[TargetArea001]

Name=Aachen

Position=216423.16,467414.84

Radius=16971

ActiveDate=01/01/0001

Location=1

Alignment=FRIENDLY

 

[TargetArea002]

Name=Ahlhorn Airbase

Position=345000.000000,669000.000000

Radius=8485.281250

ActiveYear=0

Location=1

Alignment=FRIENDLY

AirfieldDataFile=german_airbase1.ini

NumSquadrons=6

 

[TargetArea003]

Name=Allstedt Airbase

Position=537000.000000,525000.000000

Radius=8485.281250

ActiveYear=0

Location=2

Alignment=ENEMY

AirfieldDataFile=soviet_airbase1.ini

NumSquadrons=3

 

For SF's Desert, WoV Vietnamsea, or WoI's IsrealME, the procedure would be the same, just using different inis and TFD/HFDs, renamed to fit the application.

 

It should work, the only question I'd have, you might need ALL the inis, in particular the data ini, renamed for use in the "Test" terrain. (as you see I've named it such above)

I DO forsee a problem, in the movements ini -- without the targets areas to start/end from, it may CTD on CAS/Armed_Recon/Anti-ship missions, so NOT using it might be a smart alternative. Just don't fly CAS/AR/AS missions. For just testing skins and such, RECON would be the best mission type.

 

BTW, thanks for the compliment on the Libya terrain. Nice Texan skin, too!!!

 

Wrench

kevin stein

 

EDIT: ooopsssy!! You'll need the GermanyCE_types and data inis as well, renamed to match the new "Test"

[Silverbolt]

For who want....

http://www.gulfknight.net/forum/dload.php?...amp;file_id=551

 

i don't like the interface of it... too hard to move and it doesn't have the zoom option

it seems when you import some models it get an hierarchy problem

 

at least it's good to skin pilots........................................................if you're the spiderman

 

Edited August 16, 2008 by Silverbolt

[Jimbib]

One of the limiting factors currently in UMC2 is that all of the imported LOD meshes appear faceted, taking away from the true appearance of them in game.

[Royohboy]

Thanks for pointing me to the viewer, Silverbolt It does have its issues - that is, it's mostly unsuitable for skinning aircraft, but it'll be *very* handy for viewing simpler things like pilots and weapon-lods.

 

Wrench, thanks for the step-by-step on minimizing some terrain. Making a bare-bones terrain seems a little more involved than I thought, so I'll reserve that for my next major skinning project.

 

Nice Texan skin, too!!!

Let's say it owes heavily to the German Airforce skins Soulfreak did for the Havard MkIV (this was the closest to the T-6G I could find). I have patched the panel lines where the national insignia were, and started making a set of decals. Somehow obsolete aircraft in French service hold a strange fascination for me, especially when they sport nice colour-schemes.

[FastCargo]

One of the limiting factors currently in UMC2 is that all of the imported LOD meshes appear faceted, taking away from the true appearance of them in game.

 

Actually, there is a 'drop down' menu that allows you to smooth...which makes the LODs look like they appear in game.

 

However, like others have said...can't really use it for anything very complex.

 

FastCargo

[Jimbib]

Aha thanks FC, I shall have to try that at some point.