When you get an answer, I'd like to know that one too.

are you talking about complex built stations in game...or actual models?

Cause making a complex station with dozens of addon parts in game is not a hard task....just REALLY tedious...and it can be done in FLE and with editing of the system where the base is in .ini file.

If the models are rebuilt...to edit those you would require a 3d modeling program and then a CMP exporter.

But i have a feeling you are talking about the first type...and you'll jsut have to take time and patience and assemble your stations through .ini and FLE.

@ Plumb

Couple of things to tthink about. Firstly you don't have to decomplie the files 6 or 7 times to be able to edit them. Just apply the SDK to FL which decompiles all the ini files for you (no need to recompile them either). Once this is done, get to know which files you need to edit for the job you want to do.

Here's an example of turning the Osiris Battleship into a bit of scenery you can have just floating around in space, goto DATA\SOLAR\Solararch.ini and find this entry,

[Solar
nickname = o_osiris
ids_info = 66227
type = STATION
DA_archetype = ships\order\or_osiris\or_osiris.cmp
material_library = Ships\order\or_ships.mat
material_library = fx\envmapbasic.mat
envmap_material = envmapbasic
LODranges = 0, 600, 1200, 2000, 2800, 20000
surface_hit_effects = 0, small_hull_hit
mass = 100000.000000
loadout = or_osiris
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountA, 5, Sc_open baydoor
docking_sphere = moor_large, HpDockMountB, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_large, HpDockMountC, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_large, HpDockMountD, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_large, HpDockMountE, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountF, 5.000000
docking_camera = 0
solar_radius = 400
shape_name = NAV_smallstation
hit_pts = 100000

Now to turn it into a non dockable bit of scenery, make this entry,

[Solar
nickname = o_osiris_nodock
type = SATELLITE
DA_archetype = ships\order\or_osiris\or_osiris.cmp
material_library = Ships\order\or_ships.mat
material_library = fx\envmapbasic.mat
envmap_material = envmapbasic
LODranges = 0, 600, 1200, 2000, 2800, 20000
surface_hit_effects = 0, small_hull_hit
mass = 100000.000000
loadout = or_osiris
solar_radius = 400
shape_name = NAV_smallstation
destructible = true
explosion_arch = explosion_shipyard
hit_pts = 40000

Important thing to remember is this particular model is cloaked so you need to disable this in the \DATA\SHIPS\loadouts_special.ini

[Loadout
nickname = or_osiris
archetype = or_osiris
equip = infinite_power
equip = ge_s_scanner_02
equip = ge_s_tractor_01
equip = ge_lb_engine_01
equip = sfx_rumble_battleship
;equip = cloak_osiris, HpCloak01 <--------------------- I've added a colon in front of it to disable it
equip = li_battleship_turret01, HpTurret_O1_01
equip = li_battleship_turret02, HpTurret_O2_01
equip = li_battleship_turret03, HpTurret_O3_01
equip = li_battleship_turret03, HpTurret_O3_02
equip = li_battleship_turret04, HpTurret_O4_01
equip = li_battleship_turret04, HpTurret_O4_02
equip = li_battleship_turret04, HpTurret_O4_03
equip = li_battleship_turret04, HpTurret_O4_04

So what happens now? Well you can place the model wherever you like either manually or using FLExplorer, and once you set the rep on it, it will shoot at it's enemies although be non dockable. You can do this with anything in FL, in other words turn stations into non dockable ones, add ships to the shipyards (as if someone is working on them) and so on.

If you're talking about using different parts of stations to create your own custom model then FLExplorer is the way to go as there is a great little station editor included where you can do precisely that. I know this works cos i helped beta test it lol. Hope this helps

Thanks, that helps alot. I'll try that shortly.