3D MODELS

Almost all the visuals in Microsoft Flight Simulator are based on 3D models, and there are 3 distinct categories of models that you can make for the game:

• Aircraft
• Landscape Elements (Airports, scenery, etc...)
• Dynamic Elements (Cars, jetways, people, etc..)

 

The links above will take you to the sections of the documentation that are relevant to the creation of each different model category, however before starting please read the sections below, as they contains information relevant to all model categories:

• General Principles
• Collision Handling
• LODs
• Submodel Merging (COMING SOON!)

 

This document also includes some scenery sample projects for 3Ds Max. These models were designed to show good practices when modelling scenery elements and were specifically created with optimisation for the Xbox target in mind, however the principles on show should be applied to all scenery assets whether your asset will be sold on the Xbox marketplace or not. You can find the samples on the following page:

• Xbox Samples

 

And we recommend that if you wish to see an ilustration of correct modelling principles for aircraft, then you should check out the DA62 model included with the SDK:

• DA62

 

Finally, there are a number of tools available to you from the DevMode Options and Tools menus that permit you to test various aspects of the visual models in the simulation and ensure that they are as optimised as possible:

• SimObject Stats - see the different statistics associated with a SimObject
• The Statistics Profiler - see the different statistics associated with scenery and airport objects
• Debug LODs - see the different LODs for the models in a scene