Phoenix Builder does anyone understand it?

[Romeo Whisky]

I've recently bought Phoenix Flight Sim (which I love) and upgraded to V.5 which adds in Phoenix Builder to allow you to create your own new models and flying sites. I thought it would be nice to create our own local club site, and expected this to be relatively straightforward.

But as someone who earned his living for years writing and selling software to large companies, I am totally mystified by Phoenix Builder which must be the most unintelligible program I've ever come across.

I suppose I expected to able to import panoramic jpeg photos of the flying site as the background and then build in the skyline, collision data etc. But I cannot find any options to import anything other than a previously created flying site - Catch22!

But the Help system is as unpenetrable as the program itself, telling you what to do but not a word about how to do it.

Has anyone out there managed to fathom how to get started with this program so I can at least make a start. If the program is unuseable, I may as well uninstall it.

[Graham Biddulph]

I hav'nt got a clue, a total mystery to me.

[Graham Biddulph]

Whats the difference between phoenix builder and phoenix creator.?

[John Privett]

I haven't tried it yet, though I have attempted in the past to create our flying site as a site I could use in Phoenix. THe major problem has always been stitching together the photos of the site into the required panoramic format. The horizon is never too much of a problem, the shots of the ground are more of an issue and the sky usually proves close to impossible!

I'd hoped that Phoenix builder might have simplified this aspect, but maybe not... I must have a look at it soon.

[Ian Jones]

I've only looked at it briefly a few months ago and I think it's been updated since then. Anyway... if the panaramas can be produced outside of P.Builder then it could be worth trying Microsoft ICE. It's a free download, dead easy to throw the images into and the resulting panarama isn't bad at all. I usually use ICE to upload to photosynth rather than make panaramas so I haven't used the jpg export much but IIRC exporting the jpg will need the default quality & image size changing

[Romeo Whisky]

I don't have any problem creating jpeg panoramas - my camera does a beautiful job of them, but I can't find anywhere in Phoenix Builder that enables you to import them and use them.

It isn't even clear in the so-called "Help" to say if that's what you're supposed to do to build scenery. As stated above, the only Import Command simply allows you to Import previously created sites!!

[crispin church]

i cant get any models to load to do paint schemes

old one was no problem

glad i am not only one

[Eric Strefford]

I don't get it either I had hoped to be able to input some models, they say it accepts a format that can be obtained from most cad packages. Well I have been a professional Cad draughtsman for the last 18 years and have access to AutoCad, Rhino, Bobcad, as well as using DevCad and Compufoil, the last 2 being specialist aircraft modelling programmes I can and have produced 3d models in all the above but cannot output any that Pheonix builder will accept. I don't know where they get their models from and when I contacted the software writers all their reply was that :-

"PhoenixBuilder currently imports files in .geo or .obj geometry formats, with more planned soon.Almost any CAD program will allow you to export your geometry in .obj format as this is a very common format."

Most of my programmes above could not produce files in either of the above formats and those that did wouldd not import.

I have given up, such a pity especially as it is in their advertising as a great feature??

Edited By Eric Strefford on 13/06/2014 23:01:33

[Kevin Fairgrieve]

Have you looked at the video`s on the Phoenix website?

I have no idea either but would like to make my club site`s.

Guides and Tutorials

Kev

[Eric Strefford]

Yes just looked at them last night after I had posted my previous post, as you say still not very helpful for building a site how many photos do you need and what is the best resolution? For building a model unfortunately they use a model that is already set up just vary the sizes and parameters they do not appear to start from scratch with a model straight from a cad file. Good idea in theory in practise not quite so.

We can only hope that they might look at this thread and make it more user friendly.

Eric

[Andy Fox]

I have used it to build our flying site - my day job is 3d gfx - and it is not very easy to use..... there are some good tips on various forums out there though. You do need a good panorama of your flying site to begin with.

I assembled our site in Photoshop and then processed that with Pano2VR. You need to end up with a cubic panorama with 6 images. Mine were 4096x4096 pixels.

Once you've got the panorama loaded into the site builder, you then need to add the various collision objects as required. I started with a basic ground plane and went from there.

You need to have some patience - particularly when the software spits you out!