IslandBoy77 wrote:...
It's such a nuisance that modding FSX requires such specialist knowledge and tools. It would make life a lot easier and modding a heck of a lot more attractive if there were "layman's" GUI-like tools that only required entry-level knowledge. And if such exist, I didn't find them last time I did a couple of days' research (which, admittedly, was almost 6 months ago now).
Collaborating on NZ scenery has been discussed a lot in the past, there was even a
sub-forum set up for it, but nothing ever eventuated. However I still think that it is possible, but it will mean starting small, and learning it all one area at a time. I started out modelling in GMAX, and didn't look at anything else for a long time.
I think the only way we'll ever see a tool which does everything is if it is integrated into a future simulator, the way that some games work -- where you can build a 'map' within the game using simple tools. But a one-tool-does-it-all solution isn't really feasible, especially if you are wanting to include photoscenery -- if you wanted to produce a tool which sourced and reprojected NZ mapping imagery to FSX as well as doing everything else, you'd have about 2 customers in NZ, so you'd probably need to charge hundreds of thousands of dollars each.
There are some very nice tools which do a lot for FSX -- ADE, for instance, but there isn't the same interest in photo scenery, so you really just need to learn the SDK tools. Making photo scenery for FSX is the easiest thing you can do, but actually sourcing the images and getting them into the proper format is very very difficult here in NZ.
If anyone can actually talk their local council into supplying images, then you'll always find someone who can help -- I could certainly get you started. However you would need to make it clear to me that the final scenery can be legally distributed, which normally means having a written agreement with the supplier. You will not find anyone who can supply images for free without something in writing.