Hello everybody, this is my first post on the forum :DI just began the fun with AFCAD modifications and as my first target I chose Barcelona El Prat.I have Aerosoft Spanish Airports installed, however the version is veeeery old, without many taxiways and rwy 07R/25L. (Not mentioning the new terminal :D)I wanted to improve it and I modified the whole airport, added all the missing taxiways the runway and ILS approaches. The problem is that at taxiways that I modified two center lines appear. I assume that it happens because FS reads where the center line should appear from the original Aerosoft programming and my modifications. The taxiway lines are even displayed at the place where I removed the taxiway :/ Is there any way I can remove the cetner lines 'produced' by the Aerosoft add-on so that only the lines that my modified AFCAD inserts are displayed?The second problem, which I noticed after the mod is that when an aircraft land at rwy 02, it can vacate it, though (checked it) all the taxiways are connected to runway lines. Any solution for this problem?I would very much appreciate any help ! :)Cheers

Hello, and welcome to AVSIM. First check and make sure you do not have duplicate AFcad file somewhere ( find a little program called ScanAFD and run it) and we can go from there. Second, unless you have written 'proper' approaches for the new runway(s) and ILS(s) your AI will not use them. If the AI will not vacate a runway, check your hold short nodes and make sure they are close enough to the runway in question. Please also reply which airport editor are you using? Most likely the double taxi lines are caused by the installed scenery placing their own lines via a scenery bgl displaying lines only and the AFcad also placing lines along with the taxiway pavement, only in a slightly different location.I hope this helps.Best regards,Mel

\ Please also reply which airport editor are you using? Most likely the double taxi lines are caused by the installed scenery placing their own lines via a scenery bgl displaying lines only and the AFcad also placing lines along with the taxiway pavement, only in a slightly different location.I hope this helps.Best regards,Mel

Indeed I also this is the reason and I wonder whether there is a way to fix it... I am using AFCAD 2.21.I am pretty sure that there is only one 'active' afcad file. However, there are the backup afcad files (previous versions of the AFCAD) in the scenery folder but I changed there extensions to "af2_lebl.bgl.OFF"... I don't think there is a chance that FS reads also these files, is there?

Indeed I also this is the reason and I wonder whether there is a way to fix it... I am using AFCAD 2.21.I am pretty sure that there is only one 'active' afcad file. However, there are the backup afcad files (previous versions of the AFCAD) in the scenery folder but I changed there extensions to "af2_lebl.bgl.OFF"... I don't think there is a chance that FS reads also these files, is there?

Hi,If Afcad can't open them, I guess it's ok.Have you searched the library for any previously done af2 files for your scenery?

Although by default, Flight Simulator sceneries generate taxiways, their lines and other features from the A&FD, which you can modify using software like AFCAD2.21, many add-on airports are designed to use their own textures for this purpose. If that is the case with your Barcelona add-on you will not be able to modify the layout successfully using AFCAD. Traffic may well follow your revised layout but what you see will not be right.John

Yes I checked and there was only one afcad file.I think that unfortunately the taxiway lines are generated by some scenery folder created by aerosoft. I partially solved the problem, I switched off the display of the taxiway lines in my modified afcad file. Partially because now, not all center lines are connected but I prefer this 'option' to seeing double center line :DUnfortunately, the next problem occurred related to afcad... I have got also Aerosoft's Madrid scenery and additionally LEMD Gran Barajas add-onn, which improves the Aerosoft's scenery. The runways were assigned inappropriately for take-offs and landing so I changed it. But although I e.g. closed runways 36L and 36R for landing, planes were still landing at those runways.... I checked - no double afcad files, the LEMD Gran Barajas add-on is higher priority than Aerosoft's Barajas, I put the correct AFCAD file in the LEMDGB scenery folder. Any solution? Maybe I should try deleting and again adding the LEMDGB area at the scenery library in FS ?

If you want your AI to not land on 36L/R, you must also close 18L/R for landings too. Afcad runway assignments only work for both ends.Disregard if you already knew this :(

It is tricky to modify what appear to be AFCAD files furnished frequently with payware. In an airport search you may sometimes see three layers. If you open one of these it may show nothing but the airport center dot. These are special non-visual approach files and special navaid files that AFCAD is not capable of handling.When using AFCAD there should only be the base default layer and only one other layer that show runways, taxiways, etc. Those "blank" layers are OK and don't count toward the rule.AFCAD was designed before the Microsoft SDKs with scenery documentation were published with complete information. AFCAD automatically in every case contains automatic excludes. It also can corrupt the code of an add-on layer that has special elements but has certain properties that make it an AFD type file that AFCAD recognizes in its search.If you want to insure your AFCAD file has priority just create on your FS disk a folder such as AFCAD2s with a scenery folder under it (no texture folder) such as F:\AFCAD2s\scenery. Place an AFCAD2 type .bgl file in the scenery folder. Go into your FS scenery library and add AFCAD2s and keep it at the top (#1) position. Restart FS to reindex it, Now the AFCAD file has top priority as will any other AFCAD .bgl you put in that folder. Now the AFCAD excludes will be at top priority.What may have happened is that an Aerosoft scenery file was transparent (no excludes) that had priority over the AFCAD so you had multiple layered taxiways and runways with your AFCAD file providing the background.I also if you do this often investigate an airport scenery editor called ADE9X for both FS9 and FSX. It will not corrupt SDK standard code nor provide automatic excludes. This gives you the opportunity to change specific items and select an exclude of just that item. It also edits another layer which contains approach code and also navaids that AI use. As an example ILSs that you add with AFCAD will not show up on the FS default GPS. Your aircraft will respond to it but AI especially under instrument conditions will not. ILS mods and additions with ADE9X will show up in the default GPS. You can also add STARs and specific approach for your new ILS that AI will follow. It takes some learning but I am now starting to see more freeware airports using it produced by meticulous authors.Also, if you have a traffic program that added afcad type files to enhance traffic flow, if you install add-on scenery that contains an AFD property file including one made by afcad, the find that traffic program afcad file and rename the extension to .bak instead of .bgl to disable it and prevent conflicts.

If you want your AI to not land on 36L/R, you must also close 18L/R for landings too. Afcad runway assignments only work for both ends.Disregard if you already knew this :(

Really ?! No I didn't know that... So there is no way I can close only 36L/R for landings?? In reality only 33L/R and 18L/R are used for landings and opposite directions used for take-offs so I wanted to set this config in the FS...

If you want to insure your AFCAD file has priority just create on your FS disk a folder such as AFCAD2s with a scenery folder under it (no texture folder) such as F:\AFCAD2s\scenery. Place an AFCAD2 type .bgl file in the scenery folder. Go into your FS scenery library and add AFCAD2s and keep it at the top (#1) position. Restart FS to reindex it, Now the AFCAD file has top priority as will any other AFCAD .bgl you put in that folder. Now the AFCAD excludes will be at top priority.

Wow, Ronzie thanks for the extremely detailed explanation, thanks for this :D Had to read it a few times :DSo if I set my AFCAD file higher priority than the add-on scenery, only the data included in my AFCAD will show up? But then, I will see only default FS textures for runways, taxiways and aprons instead of aerosoft textures, am I right?

Really ?! No I didn't know that... So there is no way I can close only 36L/R for landings?? In reality only 33L/R and 18L/R are used for landings and opposite directions used for take-offs so I wanted to set this config in the FS...

You see, Afcad will only work properly if you assign both ends of the runway.There is a way to do what you want but it's not very practical. You can create 2 separate AF2 files, one used with northerly winds and the other with southerly winds. To be more precise:When the winds are blowing from the south, anywhere from 100 to 260 degrees:- 36L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 33L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 18L/R closed for take-offs- 15L/R closed for landingsWhen the winds are blowing from north, anywhere from 270 to 090:- 18L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 15L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 33L/R closed for take-offs- 36L/R closed for landingsGive it a try and seen how it works. It may be tricky to choose either one so if LEMD is your landing airport then check out the TAFs before you fly.You should implement crosswind runways so all runways can be used together. You can either do it yourself or find one in the library suiting your scenery. I'll post the link to Jim Vile's tutorial too if you want to take a look:http://www.scruffyduckscenery.co.uk/index.htmlHere, go to the download center>Tutorials>Airport design. You will find the crosswind tutorial there.LEMD is one of those airports diffucult to replicate in FS in terms of preferential runway usage unlike LFPG for instance where the outer runways are landings and inners for take-offs.Hope this helps

You see, Afcad will only work properly if you assign both ends of the runway.There is a way to do what you want but it's not very practical. You can create 2 separate AF2 files, one used with northerly winds and the other with southerly winds. To be more precise:When the winds are blowing from the south, anywhere from 100 to 260 degrees:- 36L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 33L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 18L/R closed for take-offs- 15L/R closed for landingsWhen the winds are blowing from north, anywhere from 270 to 090:- 18L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 15L/R closed for take-offs and landings- 33L/R closed for take-offs- 36L/R closed for landingsGive it a try and seen how it works. It may be tricky to choose either one so if LEMD is your landing airport then check out the TAFs before you fly.You should implement crosswind runways so all runways can be used together. You can either do it yourself or find one in the library suiting your scenery. I'll post the link to Jim Vile's tutorial too if you want to take a look:http://www.scruffyduckscenery.co.uk/index.htmlHere, go to the download center>Tutorials>Airport design. You will find the crosswind tutorial there.LEMD is one of those airports diffucult to replicate in FS in terms of preferential runway usage unlike LFPG for instance where the outer runways are landings and inners for take-offs.Hope this helps

Thanks for the link, I will take a deeper look at it as soon as I get home but I (more or less :D ) know how to create crosswind runways, I have already done it at El Prat and it's even working properly ! :DHmm so this is the method that the developers of LEMDGB used. The installation folder also contained two AFCAD files NORTE and SUR and suggested turning on/off one of them depending on the winds, however I also think that the method is not practical... But it seems that it is the only possibility to get real Barajas operations :) I am considering acquiring the updated Aerosoft's Mega Airport Barajas X but I'm not sure whether it works fine with FS2004... Anyway thank you all very much for your help, I really appreciate it ! :)

ade9x available from the scruffyduck link listed has a tool to automate creating crosswind pseudo runways I recall.

ade9x available from the scruffyduck link listed has a tool to automate creating crosswind pseudo runways I recall.

ADE does provide some automation for crosswind runways - this works for both FS9 and FSX.

If you want your AI to not land on 36L/R, you must also close 18L/R for landings too. Afcad runway assignments only work for both ends.Disregard if you already knew this :(

I'm confused by this statement. That would stop landings altogether on both of the two runways at either end. It should be possible to force landing always at one end buy closing both 36L and 36R to landings and take-offs using AFCAD settings. I have set this at many airports where mountains restrict descent and it seems to work although I haven't tested it to death under all conditions. Of course, you then can run into problems with departing AI flying into mountains but generally speaking they climb quicker than they descend.What I don't think can be done by conventional means is to have take-offs in the opposite direction to landings.John

I'm confused by this statement. That would stop landings altogether on both of the two runways at either end. It should be possible to force landing always at one end buy closing both 36L and 36R to landings and take-offs using AFCAD settings. I have set this at many airports where mountains restrict descent and it seems to work although I haven't tested it to death under all conditions. Of course, you then can run into problems with departing AI flying into mountains but generally speaking they climb quicker than they descend.What I don't think can be done by conventional means is to have take-offs in the opposite direction to landings.John

You're right, John, the "L/R" there is a bit misleading. What I actually meant was that you have to close a given runway at both ends for a certain operation so Afcad works correctly.Like you say, I've also found it to be possible to use only one end of a runway only by completely closing the other end hence the 2-afcad solution I offered above for LEMD.