52 replies to this topic

[Fox]

Ah, the day has finallyt arrived. I dreaded it an avoide dit but I have to face it sometime.

This is regarding the bug in my scenery that happens when different Mesh is installed, simply put theres a rather large mountain running through my airport, how can I fix this? Is it possible to flatten non-default areas?

I tried but with no luck (as I expected)

[Fox]

Anyone...?

[IBtheSarge]

Wish I could help, Fox; but the 3rd party terrain is a replacement for the default terrain.  To alter the replacement terrain would probably require the program that was used to generate it, or at the very least the program's raw data file from which the terrain file is created.

I'm going to presume that the flatten (in FSSC and/or the line entry in the default scenery.cfg file) doesn't do the trick?

[norwegian_hawk]

Just create a normal flatten, and ensure FS loads it after it loads your scenery. If you were to make it higher in the loading priority that woudld do it, although I daresay there are better ways.

[Fox]

norwegian_hawk, on Jan 3 2005, 07:24 AM, said:

Just create a normal flatten, and ensure FS loads it after it loads your scenery. If you were to make it higher in the loading priority that woudld do it, although I daresay there are better ways.

FSGenesis doesn't add itself to the scenery library, it just installs itself into the default "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Scenery" folder.

Sarge, how do you add flatten into the scenery.cfg? I've been looking at some other sceneries but I don't know what it mean by this. Flatten.0=364,N50 03.78,E08 28.37,N50 03.78,E08 36.99,N49 58.89,E08 36.99,N49 58.89,E08 28.73

Do I just draw a virtual square around my scenery? Or just select points?

[IBtheSarge]

Fox, on Jan 3 2005, 05:13 PM, said:

Sarge, how do you add flatten into the scenery.cfg? I've been looking at some other sceneries but I don't know what it mean by this. Flatten.0=364,N50 03.78,E08 28.37,N50 03.78,E08 36.99,N49 58.89,E08 36.99,N49 58.89,E08 28.73

Do I just draw a virtual square around my scenery? Or just select points?

Basically, that's what the flatten switch does .... it creates a virtual square around the part of the scenery you want to flatten:

"Flatten.0" is the sequential number of the flatten switch for the [Area.xxx] you are modifying.

"364" is the elevation MSL (in feet, not meters) that you want the terrain to be at.

The first lat/long is the upper left point, the second is upper right point, the third is the lower right point, and the fourth is the lower left point.

You can locate these points in AFCAD (by marking that virtual square right around the four sides of your airport), even if your airport is angled (not true N/S or E/W).  Just make sure those four points cover your entire airport area.

The only problem with this process, however, if that if you make your scenery available for others to download, you're going to have to provide a cut-and-past line in the readme.txt file, with instructions on how they will have to modify THEIR scenery.cfg file.

Or, in FSSC, just define the centerpoint and other data of your airport and then right click in any open area of the FSSC display and select the flatten switch.  Make it four points (instead of the three that will come up) and assign those coordinates to each of the points.

[PiP]

I have a similar question, how do I write an Autogen Exclusion zone file. Can I make one with software. Do I add it to the AFCED .bg file?

[PiP]

I solved that one ^^^

next question

how do I stop the autogen exclusion excluding my AFCAD files?
all I get at the moment is the macro scenery from FSSC and not the origional airport of the ACFAD additions to that airport?

[IBtheSarge]

PiP, on Jan 23 2005, 07:44 PM, said:

I solved that one ^^^

next question

how do I stop the autogen exclusion excluding my AFCAD files?
all I get at the moment is the macro scenery from FSSC and not the origional airport of the ACFAD additions to that airport?

Two possibilities, but first a conditional statement:

When you did your exclude, did you exclude ONLY "visual scenery" or did you all also exclude the navaids?  Never, ever, ever do an FSSC exclude and put checkmarks in anything except "visual scenery."  (I found that out the hard way )

First Possibility:  The AFCAD display has no layer value; so, if the elevation of the airport in AFCAD is x' MSL and the elevation in FSSC is the same, the layered values of the FSSC scenery .bgl will override the AFCAD display.  Set the FSSC airport elevation 0.5' lower than the AFCAD elevation.  If you still don't get the AFCAD display;

Second Possibility:  Check the date/time of the exclusion .bgl that FSSC created, then check the date/time of the AF2_xxxx.bgl file.  The FSSC exclusion MUST be earlier than the AFCAD .bgl file.  FS9 gathers up all of the files that belong to a particular airport and then excutes each file in order by the date/time it was created.  If your AFCAD .bgl was created at 09:00 on the 22nd of January, and the exclusion was created at 09:00:10 on the 22nd, the AFCAD display will be executed and then promptly excluded when the exclusion .bgl is executed.  You have to make FS9 exclude the default scenery FIRST, then have it render the AFCAD display.  (Also found this out the hard way )

If you still aren't getting the AFCAD display after checking these two possibilities, start subtracting 0.1' from the FSSC airport elevation.  You might also create a flatten in FSSC to make sure that all areas of the airport are level so the FSSC layered values are below the unvalued layers of the AFCAD display throughout the airport.

If this doesn't work, PM me and we'll see what can be worked out.

[PiP]

GOT IT

THe 1st possibility sounds good all the scenery in both programs is at 47ft, Ill drop the FSSC scenery and exclyusion (if it has an altitude) to 46ft (though Im not sure If my macro scenery has an altitude.

I think I'm in violation of that date problem too, I'll sort that in windows.

I had the Visual scenery bit right tho. My exclusion leaves the Navaids.
Though At 1st I wiped out half of barrow-in-furness by ticking exclude in the main settings window in FSSC, thats sorted now tho.

so it looks like that hardest thing will be getting all the autogen surfaces on corners to do with taxiways on runways that cross (which I don't think I need, so I may just remove the Runway Taxi link?)

Thanks Sarge

[PiP]

NAF, no success. The FSSC scenery and exclusion is at 46ft and created yesterday modified at 2:30pm today. The AFCAD is at 47ft File created 3:10pm today and modified at 3:15pm today.

Edit:

oh and the "Flat Area..." button is grey in fssc but the lowest point of ground on my airfeild is 56ft, most of it is flat allready.

Edited by PiP, 24 January 2005 - 10:17 AM.

[IBtheSarge]

PiP, on Jan 24 2005, 11:15 AM, said:

NAF, no success. The FSSC scenery and exclusion is at 46ft and created yesterday modified at 2:30pm today. The AFCAD is at 47ft File created 3:10pm today and modified at 3:15pm today.

Edit:

oh and the "Flat Area..." button is grey in fssc but the lowest point of ground on my airfeild is 56ft, most of it is flat allready.

Are you sure about those numbers?  If the lowest point of ground in your airport area is 56' and your putting 46' (FSSC) and 47' (AFCAD) in for airport and runway elevations, you're burying the display 9 - 10' below the ground.  Did you mean the lowest point is 46'?

As for the Flatten being gray, that's unusual .... it should be selectable just like the exclusion option and surface options.

[PiP]

U mean I have to Place everything OVER the existing ground?

But when I started with EGNL there were only 2 runways and they were sat at 47ft (according to AFCAD) but they appeared on the ground at 59ft.

and the runways and taxiways appear right when i take away the FSSC files?

FSSC has a tool for merging multiple .bgls into 1 but it doesn't work.

Edited by PiP, 24 January 2005 - 12:45 PM.

[IBtheSarge]

PiP, on Jan 24 2005, 01:44 PM, said:

U mean I have to Place everything OVER the existing ground?

But when I started with EGNL there were only 2 runways and they were sat at 47ft (according to AFCAD) but they appeared on the ground at 59ft.

and the runways and taxiways appear right when i take away the FSSC files?

FSSC has a tool for merging multiple .bgls into 1 but it doesn't work.

ON or slightly above .... if your ground level on the airport is 56' and you're specifying an airport and runway elevation of 46', do the math -- your runway is 10' BELOW the lowest point on the airport.

If the lowest point on your airport is 56' then your runway has to be at or above 56'.  If your yard has an elevation of 10' but your feet have an elevation of 4', you're standing in a six foot hole.

That's why my questioning in the other post of your use of ASL.  Airport elevations are in feet MSL -- you said your lowest point on your airport was 56' (aka 56' MSL).  If you're putting your runway at 46' MSL, it's 10' underground.

[PiP]

Then why does the airport (47ft) and FSSC Macro scenery (46ft) appear fine and on the ground (56ft - 59ft)(other than Trees on the runways & taxiways) when I remove the Exclusion (46ft)?

[IBtheSarge]

PiP, on Jan 25 2005, 05:17 AM, said:

Then why does the airport (47ft) and FSSC Macro scenery (46ft) appear fine and on the ground (56ft - 59ft)(other than Trees on the runways & taxiways) when I remove the Exclusion (46ft)?

There's evidently a difference between the FSSC elevation and the AFCAD.  In AFCAD, check two places -- right click in an open area of your AFCAD airport and check the elevation, then right click on the runway and check the elevation.  Those two need to be the same (i.e., 47 ft).

Now check you FSSC elevations -- under Edit, Scenery Properties, make sure the FSSC elevation is 46.5 ft or less (usually 0.5 ft difference is enough to let the AFCAD display come through).  Then make sure your exclusion is the same elevation as the FSSC airport elevation.

If all of those are set correctly, and your FSSC exclusion .bgl is earlier than your AFCAD .bgl, the airport should display properly.  If after double-checking all of that, get me PM and we'll set up something else.  Are you using a modification of the default AFCAD?  I can try some things on this end, also.

[PiP]

The exclusion zone has no altitude settings?

[PiP]

and it still doesn't work

[IBtheSarge]

PiP, on Jan 25 2005, 12:56 PM, said:

and it still doesn't work

Dang it all!!!!!!!

Okay, some info needed:

1.  Are you modifying the default AFCAD or starting from scratch?
2.  Are you excluding ALL default scenery, or just in a certain area?

I'm going to try to work it from this end and see what kind of roadblocks I run into.  Something somewhere isn't right (and lest I forget to mention, it could be on Microsoft's end, too) .... as long as the AFCAD elevation is equal to or slightly above the FSSC elevation, and the FSSC exclusion .bgl is earlier than the AFCAD .bgl, that sucker should be showing up.

Give me a PM when you get the chance.

Edited by sarge, 25 January 2005 - 06:35 PM.

[PiP]

Ok stuff i did:

took Default EGNL ( all realy, just two runways) made the airport in AFCAD all altitudes made the same as the origional 2 runways at 47ft (not m) when the ground is 56-59ft and exported the .bgl (which i understand replaces the origional airport entry and replaces it with the designed and origional scenery in 1 .bgl).

Used FSSC to make an exclusion zone (no alt settings avalible) Added macro scenery: 1 feul pump, 1 tower, 2 Hangers. all at 47ft where possible Exported that

THEN Adjusted all FSSC to 46ft

AND then all to 46.5ft

I know FSSC takes meters but i type in 46ft and the next time i see the setting it is 14.076xxxxm

What i see every time i try is the Macro scenery only?

I'm not PMing you In case another designer knows the solotion.

Good luck Sarge  
thanks

Edited by PiP, 26 January 2005 - 06:10 AM.