ObjectConverter Version 1.2

Zürich, 30-JUL-2002

 

What is ObjectConverter

ObjectConverter is a tool for Laminar Research's X-Plane flight simulator. It is used to convert Version 5.x scenery objects to objects for version 6.1 and above. Version 1.2 will also create the neccessary master texture from the version 5 textures, along with all required texture assignments inside the object (this means that you now can use the converted object immediately and without any further changes!).

Note that X-Plane version 6.1 or above should be able to read most version 5 objects. See the Caveats section below on a discussion about this. The reason why you should convert your objects is that Version 6 objects have a speed advantage over version 5. The downside is that you must invest some time after you converted the object.

Conditions Of Use

By using ObjectConverter you agree to the following terms:

1. ObjectConverter is provided "as is". In using it you agree that I, Christian Franz, will not, in any way, be made responsible or held accountable for any damages (direct, implied or other) that can be traced to the program or it's associated data files.
2. You may use ObjectConverter free of charge.
3. You must not redistribute or repackage ObjectConverter and/or all it's associated files without having my written consent.
4. You must not charge any amount of money for distribution of ObjectConverter other than standard downloading fees.
5. You must not charge any amount of money for any object that was in any part created or modified with ObjectConverter other than standard downloading fees.
6. You must not charge any amount of money for a scenery that contains any object that was in any part created or modified by ObjectConverter other than standard downloading fees
7. ObjectConverter is not in the public domain but remains the personal property of Christian Franz. 

Using ObjectConverter

ObjectConverter is quite simple to use. Simply open any 5.x version object with the "Convert..." item from the "File" menu. A dialog will pop up, keeping you up-to date while ObjectConverter attempts to read the object.

After successfully reading the object, ObjectConverter will analyse the textures provided with the object and create the new master texture. But first, you must make a few decisions:

Since all converted textures will have the same size, it is very likely that they are going to be scaled. ObjectConverter provides you with three different methods to do this:

• Quickdraw:
  This method is very fast (converting 64 textures takes about a second), and produces very good results. Use this as your default conversion method
   
• Bicubic:
  A more advanced interpolation method that yields very good results if heavy scaling is involved. This method is slow, and a single texture can take over a minute to process.
   
• Bicubic with Alpha:
  This is the same method as above, but with some pre- and post-processing. Use this method when you use the pink "invisible" color in your textures. This method calculates an Alpha Mask prior to scaling your textures, and then makes sure that previously invisible bits stay invisible. It's very easy to determine if your object requires interpolation with Alpha Mask: If the resulting object shows some pink artifacts, these need to be removed through this method. The artifacts are a result of interpolation; the pink (RGB 255,0,255) was interpolated to slightly off-pink (e.g. 255,1,255) - and instantly lost the invisible property.
  Note that you can only use the Alpha Mask with Bicubic Interpolation, there is no Alpha Mask available for QuickDraw scaling.

After you have selected your scaling method, ObjectConverter asks you for the desired sizes of the converted textures:

Select one of the five sizes. The last line in the dialog will tell you the resulting master texture size. Note that all textures will be scaled to match the selected size. Previous proportions will not be saved.

After ObjectConverter has successfully built the new master texture, it will ask you for a place to save it - and a quality.

Always choose optimal depth (above dialog is what you get if you have a German system installed. this is a standard QuickTime^TM function).

After the new master texture has been saved as a bitmap, ObjectConverter calculates all textures for the new Object, and saves it with a new name.

Example

With ObjectConverter you will find a nice, small version 5 object called "beachhouse" (created by Byron Brooks). Open it with ObjectConverter, select Bicubic Interpolation, and 64x64 texture size. Save the resulting bitmap as "beachhouse.BMP", and the converted object as "beachhousev6.OBJ".

Here's what happened:

The original object uses four textures, each saved as a single BMP file:

weatherboards2a.bmp

weatherboards2b.bmp

weatherboards.bmp

shingles1b.bmp

ObjectConverter created a new master texture that contains all four textures and changed the polygon definitions to correctly access the parts in the master texture.

beachhouse.bmp

The resulting object is virtually indistinguishable in X-Plane, but now draws much, much faster.

(result as shown in XObjectViewer)

Caveats

Version 6.1 of X-Plane should be able to read, and display, most version 5 objects (but at a significant slower spees, and with higher RAM requirements). Only version 5 objects that begin with a line will not work correctly. This can be easily remedied by using two different methods:

Method 1: Compatible with earlier X-Plane versions

opening the object with a text editor, and moving a triangle- or quadrangle-definition in front of the offending line definition.

Here's an example:

The following object will not read correctly in X-Plane 6.1:

A

2 5 5 5 // antenna on roof
-6 40 -6
-6 60 -6

4 banner:metal // Post (#1)
50 40 0
50 40 0.3
49.7 40 0.3
49.7 40 0

... (further polygon/line definitions)

To make the object work with X-Plane 6.1 without converting it, simply move the quadrangle definition in front of the line:

A

4 banner:metal // Post (#1)
50 40 0
50 40 0.3
49.7 40 0.3
49.7 40 0

2 5 5 5 // antenna on roof
-6 40 -6
-6 60 -6

... (further polygon/line definitions)

Now, X-Plane 6.x and 5.x should be able to read the object correctly, without you having to convert the object. The downside of this is of course the performance impact.

Method 2: Compatible with X-Plane 6.1 only

This method is much easier. However, the resulting object will be incompatible with older versions of X-Plane.

To make an old version object compatible to X-Plane, simly add a line containing the number "1" on the line after the "A" or "I" at the beginning.

Example:

Before:

A

4 banner:metal // Post (#1)
50 40 0
50 40 0.3

After:

A
1 // this is new!

4 banner:metal // Post (#1)
50 40 0
50 40 0.3

Your file is now compatible with X-Plane 6.1 only.

Aknowledgements

Many thanks go to

• Ben Supnik (of XObjectViewer fame) for the Bicubic Interpolation code, and
• Byron Brooks for creating the demo object "Beachhouse"