Sounds more like a way to make ships made for Virtual Sailor work in Ship Simulator or ships made for Ship Simulator work in Virtual Sailor.
When it comes to ship dynamics those parameters used by Virtual Sailor control only a few small things, and is basically not covering the whole area of ship dynamics/ship stability. And if X-files are going to be readable by anyone then we have a major problem with those who like to steal others 3D model and sell it on Turbosquid or manipulate/modify the 3D model.
X-files are a very non-protected file format. The author of the 3D model should have the full right to protect the 3D model from any manipulation or editing which means that the 3D model have to be encrypted so you cannot open it in a 3D editor. There is too much copyright infringement in this computer world where original work is getting manipulated, stolen, modified or even sold behind the original authors back.
Now I'm going to assume that there is going to be some debate about if the editor should it be created. For such reasons like, people posting poorly designed ships or inproper ship dynamics onto the forum.
Yeah, 50% of them made without shaded maps with a bridge that looks half-completed, where many of them contain hidden faces from Sketchup which drag down the game performance. Many great ship models indeed but many of them cud be made far better. But it looks to me that there is more a race about making as many boat models instead of spending a great amount of time to make a really good hand-work and to add textures. I support VSTEP if they want to have some sort of quality control. Too many ship models made for Virtual Sailor is made by “wannabes†and “newbies†that just have to release their first model without even thinking about training themselves to get to a level where you really can make a good looking ship model. I started with Jewel of the Seas as my first attempt to create a ship model for Virtual Sailor. I didn’t manage it. After months of learning, practicing and training I suddenly created Color Fantasy, firstly in Gmax and then in 3ds Max. So instead of releasing a lot of crapping ship models I took the time to learn the basics of using Editable Polygon in 3ds Max (because 3D models are made up by polygons and many other elements too).
Why people use Sketchup? I think it’s because it’s so simple maybe all too simple. But I don’t call it a tool for creating computer graphics at professional level. It’s a 3D editor but is missing many things that doesn’t makes it “ideal†for making computer graphics. Of course you can make the most stunning and most advanced 3D model ever in Sketchup and render it with all kinds of effects. But these effects are not effects you find in a game engine. You have to implement them into the texture. So then you eventually need a second tool that can produce this for you.
I’m afraid that we will end up with a huge database of add-ons which will hardly not be used at all simply because the ship model have a big lack of graphical quality and is missing details that is essential for a Ship Simulator ship. You don’t find many ships for Virtual Sailor that has the same type of graphics as Ship Simulator.
VSTEP have already made guidelines for what a ship model need to get into the game and I hope that this guideline will stay as it is and don’t get so simplified that we see poor ship models in this game which will stay poor for ever simply because the author don’t make a second model just because he was a “wannabe†and just made something and disappeared.
I have been doing this stuff now in maybe 3 or 4 years. I just say one word: “Hard workâ€. There are no shortcuts you can take. The way to become better is to learn, fail and experimenting.
Computer graphics is challenging and fun but it takes time to get there. Just ask professionals that do commercial projects for customers etc, or even game artists, illustrators etc.
Sorry for challenging you on this topic… I just know a lot about this and have been using game Virtual Sailor since the 6.5 version. I think people can speak for themselves if they want to see realistic ship models or ship models where the computer graphics goes 5 years backwards.
Ship Simulator don’t need more or better graphics. Ship Simulator need better simulation. The graphics is already excellent. My last and final word in this crazy chapter number 1011.
