13 replies to this topic

[IBtheSarge]

KPBG (Plattsburgh AFB, New York) and KPSM (Pease AFB, New Hampshire) are back in-work.  Since they are both former SAC FB-111A bases, they will be released together as a single package.  Scenery placement will be a combination of FSSC (for 3rd party macros) and XML (my custom-designed macros and any macros I have the .sca files for).  Watch for SAC_FB111A_Base-1.zip to hit my site and FS2004.com downloads section sometime early- to mid-February.

KPBG will be slightly more complicated to complete the installation as the default KPBG must be removed (or renamed); the README_FIRST.txt file will contain the precise instructions for doing so.

Following these releases, KLIZ (Loring AFB, Maine) will be reworked with the new XML scenery placement process, as will ME16 (Loring International).  Both of those will be individual releases with KLIZ coming out first.  Estimated time of release for both is late March.

Edited by sarge, 20 January 2005 - 05:40 PM.

[notadrater]

Cool, can't wait to get my hands on it.

By the way, this may be a bit off-topic, but what modelling program do you prefer? FSDS2 or gMax?

I know gmax is more powerful, but do you still prefer FSDS2?

[Tom.D]

drater, on Jan 20 2005, 03:48 PM, said:

Cool, can't wait to get my hands on it.

By the way, this may be a bit off-topic, but what modelling program do you prefer? FSDS2 or gMax?

I know gmax is more powerful, but do you still prefer FSDS2?

i think sarge uses mostly FSDS 2 right now, but i think he stated hes getting into gmax

[SmartJunco]

I'll be looking foward to it.

[IBtheSarge]

drater, on Jan 20 2005, 07:48 PM, said:

Cool, can't wait to get my hands on it.

By the way, this may be a bit off-topic, but what modelling program do you prefer? FSDS2 or gMax?

I know gmax is more powerful, but do you still prefer FSDS2?

They're about the same, the big difference being that FSDS2 is payware and GMAX is freeware.  I prefer FSDS2 because of the direct export to .sca, .scm, .api, and .mdl and the ease with which I can modify any of those files to allow XML to handle them better.  But GMAX has some advantages over FSDS2.  I'm about to launch full-bore into GMAX because I need to be able to use both to create my macros; some are better suited to FSDS2, others to GMAX.

It's really just a matter of personal preference otherwise.

[notadrater]

sarge, on Jan 20 2005, 10:04 PM, said:

drater, on Jan 20 2005, 07:48 PM, said:

Cool, can't wait to get my hands on it.

By the way, this may be a bit off-topic, but what modelling program do you prefer? FSDS2 or gMax?

I know gmax is more powerful, but do you still prefer FSDS2?

They're about the same, the big difference being that FSDS2 is payware and GMAX is freeware.  I prefer FSDS2 because of the direct export to .sca, .scm, .api, and .mdl and the ease with which I can modify any of those files to allow XML to handle them better.  But GMAX has some advantages over FSDS2.  I'm about to launch full-bore into GMAX because I need to be able to use both to create my macros; some are better suited to FSDS2, others to GMAX.

It's really just a matter of personal preference otherwise.

Thanks.

I guess I already made my choice and bought FSDS2. I will read all the tutorials through and through and I'll see what I can come up with.

Wish me luck!

[zencat]

hi,

A long time ago i started off using FSDS and learned alot about modelling. After that, i downloaded GMAX and done heaps of tutorials and had a really frustrating time.

After getting used to GMAX, you find it alot more user friendly and you can have more control over the way you model.

kind regards

[IBtheSarge]

zencat, on Jan 25 2005, 08:42 AM, said:

hi,

A long time ago i started off using FSDS and learned alot about modelling. After that, i downloaded GMAX and done heaps of tutorials and had a really frustrating time.

After getting used to GMAX, you find it alot more user friendly and you can have more control over the way you model.

kind regards

I'm not going to stop using FSDS2; there's just too much versatility there to abandon it.  But I AM going to dive into GMAX as well; like I said, there are some types of macros that are betting suited to GMAX design, others more suited to FSDS2 design.  I need both.  

As for tutorials, I have no problem with the included tutorial for GMAX, but I've also got close to a dozen others that are specialized for particular shapes and types of assemblies.  I'll be going through them as well.

[ronindanbo]

Whats the best scenery tutorial out there Sarge? if there is one of course....

[IBtheSarge]

ronindanbo, on Jan 25 2005, 01:27 PM, said:

Whats the best scenery tutorial out there Sarge? if there is one of course....

If you're talking about a comprehensive all-in-one tutorial, I haven't found one.  Each of the programs you'll use in designing scenery has its own:

Lee Swordy's AFCAD for the "invisible" ATC information (although some of AFCAD can be visible)

Derek Leung's Flight Simulator Scenery Creator (FSSC) for macro placement, exclusions, flatten switches, surface smoothing

Abacus' Flight Simulator Design Studio v2 for creating macros, texturizing them, exporting as .sca, .scm, and .api formats (and also for aircraft design and creating the .mdl file)

GMAX (doing the same thing as FSDS2, but GMAX is freeware and FSDS2 is payware)

And other programs like EZ-Landclass, Ground2k4 (better than EZ-Landclass but a bit more complicated), Microsoft's FS2004 SDK's, SCASM and XML coding, etc., etc.

As you find a need for each of those programs, you'll have to go through the individual tutorials.

[HPNPilot1200]

Well if you need a new project KHPN would be nice.  It's adjacent to JFK and has a mix of bizjet and GA traffic (and Donald Trumps 727 which parks on the Foxtrot runup pad   )

I already modified it in AFCAD but I'd like to see more buildings and place the tower view in the right spot, as well as getting those taxiway signs out of the taxiways  

I think I'll figure it out eventually,

[IBtheSarge]

flyinguy1120, on Jan 26 2005, 07:49 AM, said:

Well if you need a new project KHPN would be nice.  It's adjacent to JFK and has a mix of bizjet and GA traffic (and Donald Trumps 727 which parks on the Foxtrot runup pad   )

I already modified it in AFCAD but I'd like to see more buildings and place the tower view in the right spot, as well as getting those taxiway signs out of the taxiways  

I think I'll figure it out eventually,

Go for it .... there are enough default airports in FS9 to keep a NATION-FULL of designers busy for the next 5 - 10 years!  

(As a general rule, I don't do civilian airports.  My "niche" is modifying existing military bases in FS9 and re-opening closed military airbases.  I leave the civilian stuff to others .... except on certain occasions.   )

[Mul.]

cool! Would you be interested in me beta testing it?

[IBtheSarge]

Just got through reworking a significant macro for the military airbases -- the hardened aircraft shelter flow-through.

Original design (v3)

This was my first attempt to get the curvature of the shelter and construct it so any fighter would fit inside (including the F/FB-111 with wings fully extended).  It wound up being 84 polygons.

Latest design (v6)

After several attempts (and some HEAVY mentoring by my "XML Guru"), the current version is only 32 polygons (less than HALF), more accurately resembles the curvature of the "wonder arch", and the F/FB-111 will still fit inside with wings fully extended.

Edited by sarge, 29 January 2005 - 10:16 PM.