Cockpit .obj

[UH-60 Blackhawk]

What exactly is a cockpit .obj?  I am trying to import a modified default V-22 cockpit into a freeware, for online purposes (freeware has worse of 2 FMSs and no transponder).  Does "Reload Cockpit Object," shotcut "c," make the cockpit into an object?  And if so, where would this object appear, and how can I take that object and place it in the other's folder so I can use it?

[Zach Decou]

Your cockpit object needs to be named "youraircraftnamehere_cockpit.obj. It needs to live in your airfrafts root folder.

A cockpit object is a 3D object that you create. When you are sitting in a 3D cockpit, you are looking at the cockpit object.

If you are trying to modify a 2D panel, then all of this will be useless to you.

You cannot simply turn a cockpit into an object. You have to make it in a 3D app like blender or AC3D and then export it as an object that x-plane can use.

[tkyler]

What exactly is a cockpit .obj?  

A "cockpit object" is a 3D polygonal mesh created in a 3D program like any other 3D shape, but it has a few special conditions on it.  Unlike regular objects that make up the parts of xplane aircraft like the wings, gear or fuselage (the ones found in the 'objects' folder), the cockpit object is a special object and x-plane recognizes an object as a 'cockpit object' when it is named properly and located in the proper location as Zach mentioned.  You can have only one cockpit object per aircraft*  (Two actually if you use the INN / OUT method...a topic for another time).

What makes the cockpit object special is that the cockpit object can possess special commands in it (remember it's a text file) that allow x-plane to interact with the cockpit in 3D.  The way you get these commands to work is through using special tools in the 3D programs Blender or AC3D, which has plugins that allow you to do this.  So if you had an object you wanted to make a cockpit object, generally you'd get this object into Blender or AC3D, do what you need to do to it and then export it and put it in the right place in the aircraft folder.

The "do what you need to do" part is the vast part that requires a good amount of reading, practice and pretty much lots of question asking.

[UH-60 Blackhawk]

Just had a thought, could I delete the cockpit .objs (Inn/out used) from the freeware and redesign the cockpit from scratch?

[namaui]

Of course, but it would probably be more helpful to use the one from the freeware as a reference.

[UH-60 Blackhawk]

Yeah, the problem is that the freeware from the .org is too good for me to edit while keeping the basic appearance, I just need a FMS and transponder for online.  Wish me luck, on it right now (and for the Teen Jeopardy! test in March)

[UH-60 Blackhawk]

Found the "Import all data except panel from another acf file."  Imported data from the freeware, and now working on cockpit from scratch.

[UH-60 Blackhawk]

And done.  Completely.  Just need to test out the modification and get some screenies for you guys.