AFCAD Installation

[Guest Jet Ranger]

Can someone please explain how to correctly install AFCAD files Ive download a few, Installation notes usually say "copy to FS9/addon scenery/scenery" or others say I must have Lee Swordys AFCAD program installed (which I have) but upon loading the appropiate Airport I still only seem to get the default one & not the upgraded one using the AFCAD file with the added extras, Ive tried adding these as an add on area but it wont see the AFCAD files, where am I going wrong some please help.

[RFields5421 1]

AFCAD is a program which works completely independently of FS to read the scenery files with airport data and allows you to modify FS2002 or FS2004 airports - depending upon which version you have.You do not need FlightSim installed on a computer to use AFCAD, and you do not need AFCAD installed on a computer to use FlightSim.Though it is much easier to use AFCAD when FS is running and FSUIPC (the free version) is used to show the user aircraft location on the AFCAD design screen.AFCAD files are modified airports - and are mainly used to add parking, taxiways and such to airports. They do not hold buildings, they cannot remove trees from the aprons, the majority of what AFCAD does is invisible to you when you are in FS, but is extremely important if you have AI traffic.The 'normal' location to place the AF2_xxxx.bgl files created by AFCAD is in the Addn SceneryScenery folder.However, you must have used the Settings -> Scenery Library from the FS startup screen to ensure that Addon Scenery has a check box next to it - that makes the folder an active sceney folder.(Actually AFCAD files can have any name as long as they end in .BGL and can be an any active scenery folder - but unless you have a special configuration, that can become a nightmare to keep track of files)In most circumstances, you do not more than one AFCAD file for any airport present in an active scenery folder at a time.Due to the way some scenery information must be coded, there are some files which might appear to be AFCAD files to the program and to other utilities but they are not. If you see what look like duplicate files when trying to open an airport - open the top one and if it has nothing which looks like and airport - don't delete. It might contain exclusion areas, scenery objects, approaches, etc.You can double click on an open area of any file opened by AFCAD, and the properties will show the exact path and file name which is being used.There should always be a greyed out "Stock" airport when you have an addon AFCAD file for an airport. It is very important to not delete the file with stock airports.One reason is they contain all the airports within a geographic boundary in one file - up to 300 airports in some places.Another is that AFCAD only reads and manipulates about 60-70% of the information necessary for an airport to work properly in FS.You will get warnings occasionally when you open the AFCAD program about the version being old and to check for updates.Unfortunately, there have been no updates since early 2004.