Edit a bgl file?

[Guest jacilore]

Hello:I don't know if this is the proper forum for this question, but anyway I will ask it and stand corrected if neccesary.Is there any utility easy to use to edit a bgl file?Thanks in advanceJacilore

[RFields5421 1]

There are two utilities which will partially decompile SOME of the .bgl files.Most .bgl files in addon scenery cannot be decompiled.Depending upon the file - it can either be edited in XML and recompiled.Or data extracted to create a supplemental file which FS will use to replace the data in the unedited original file - that is how we add new approaches. We don't actually touch the original file.The concern is always that the decompiler does not extract everything correctly and in the right schema for recompiling.The utilities are New BGL Analyze by Winnfred Orthmann (newbglanalyze_143281.zip in the Avsim library) and BGLXML 1.8 by Alessandro Antonini (bglx180.zip in the Avsim library).You will also want this file of Winfried's in the library - fs2004_bgl_structures_version2.zip - explains a lot.Could give a better answer if I knew what you are wanting to achieve.

[1mikel151 71]

Reading this and other threads lately I sure wish there was a new format in FSX that could not be altered after it is compiled. :-(Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/ambanner.jpg

[rcbarend 37]

>Reading this and other threads lately I sure wish there was a>new format in FSX that could not be altered after it is>compiled. :-(>>Regards, Michael>KDFW>>http://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/ambanner.jpgI don't know what the reason for your "wish" is, but let me disappoint you: whatever can be compiled, can be de-compiled and altered; whatever the format.Regards, Rob

[Guest jacilore]

Ok. thanks. For more information, what I want to do is to add an airport to a bgl file of FS98 standard scenery file, called AFRAFD.BGL. That file includes all Africa FS98 default airports, which are not too many.The airport I want to include is an addon airport, and it works itself without doing this, but, as I want to create traffic to it, the only way I have found is that FS98 considers it a default airport, as there's an utility to generate traffic to all default FS98 airports.I hope this long explanation is not very hard to understand.Thanks.Jacilore

[1mikel151 71]

>I don't know what the reason for your "wish" is, but let me>disappoint you: whatever can be compiled, can be de-compiled>and altered; whatever the format.>>Regards, RobThanks Rob, knew I could count on ya! :-)So I guess you would have a problem if someone took your VTOL gauge and decompiled it, made lots of changes and uploaded it with no credit to you at all? All those long hours of work for nothing, tsk tsk.Sorry, I am just playing freeware devils advocate and seeing both sides of things. If you plan to create something for this exact purpose that someone can do what they want with it, that is great, but if you use your creative "vision" to create something for the community and want it to stay as you envisioned it, then I guess you are SOL. It's a great thing to share, but quite another to have your generosity taken advantage of.Jacilore, sorry to hijack your thread. As for your request, I understand what you are trying to do, makes sense. Seeing as I have't tried it don't know how it would be done. Was there AI traffic in FS98?Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/ambanner.jpg

[jvile 1]

>what I want to do is to add an airport >to a bgl file of FS98 standard scenery >file, called AFRAFD.BGL.You do not need to decompile any default scenery to add a new airport that does not exsist in the database.The AFCAD program will create a new airport for you and place it anywhere in the world.TTools will create the Flightplans so the airport comes alive with traffic.The only thing left at this point is write approach data so the airport will not close if the weather becomes less then 3 mile visibility.hope this helps

[n4gix 4,947]

>I don't know what the reason for your "wish" is, but let me>disappoint you: whatever can be compiled, can be de-compiled>and altered; whatever the format.Is that so? Then you could take a gauge written in C++/GDI+ and compiled to a dynamic link library (.gau) file, decompile it and then have something you could actually understand? :)Nope. The best you'd wind up with is an assembly language file which is pretty well useless. :-wave

[RFields5421 1]

Sorry - I have no information / understanding of the file formats in Flight Sim 98 - since these forums are named FS2004 - that is what I though you were using.But I understand that FS98 forums are very few and hard to find.

[RFields5421 1]

We have to be able to see what's inside the default files and how they work if we want to understand the lessons in the BGLComp SDK.Of course the real beauty of FS9 was that we never needed to modify the default files - that FS would read our modifications and use them from a supplemental .BGL file.Just a couple days ago, Jim walked an excited fellow through changing runway designators at an airport to match the new ones.People will say that it can be done with AFCAD - and yes it can - but that's about 25% of what has to change and breaks the approach system - and messes up the ATC for AI which are now on a visual approach.We need to extract the existing approach data - so that we can modify the runway numbers and create the new addon file.The original remains untouched.If SceneGenX becomes the airport parking modification program in FSX - replacing AFCAD should it not work well - then we will only be able to modify an airport's parking by decompiling.Personally I'd prefer that people not redo the AFCAD files I create - but I also understand that no airport in FS works perfectly with AI traffic, unless the parking is customized for the individual flightplans on that individual computer.Real world parking spot placement be danged - if the parking doesn't match the flight plans - the AI never works right.That's just one example.But to be unequivocal - it is NEVER acceptable to decompile someone's work, modify it for your desires and distribute it or share it!!

[jvile 1]

Well ---If he is refering to FS98 instead of FS9 then disregard my answers.

[scott967 62]

You could probably take a hack at FS98 using BGLAnalyze and Airport for Windows, at least for airport scenery.scott s..

[Guest jacilore]

Thanks to all for the answers, even to the "stealers" :-) jvile:Yes, I was refering to FS98.Rfields:I always thought that this is not a very good place to find help about FS98 since it is misused, but yes, it is hard to find a better one. Anyway, surely I am too blind, but I haven't seen any reference to FS2004 forum. Where is it?1mikel:Yes, there can be traffic for FS98, though it looks to work in a quite primitive way, but I find it also exciting. The only possibility I know is through a program called FSTraffic for FS98RegardsJacilore

[mgh 89]

>>But to be unequivocal - it is NEVER acceptable to decompile>someone's work, modify it for your desires and distribute it>or share it!!>Does that apply to Microsoft's work? The FS9 EULA specifically states: "

[FlyingsCool 3]

"If SceneGenX becomes the airport parking modification program in FSX - replacing AFCAD should it not work well - then we will only be able to modify an airport's parking by decompiling."That's a rather odd statement? The only way AFCAD is able to read an airport is by "decompiling" the bgl that contains it. SceneGenX does nothing different, just the commands and interface are different.If we were unable to decompile, this hobby would basically be dead. The whole reason this hobby grew was because many dedicated people spent many thousands of hours decompiling and testing and figuring out how the code works, then spending again thousands of hours creating tools to edit old and create new files. Lets hear it for everybody who has contributed to making this hobby what it is. Thank you :-)(hmm, an addiction? then again, maybe we shouldn't thank them lol :-) )On that note, man, I sure hope AFCAD2.21 continues to work, or perhaps that Lee allows somebody else to pick up the banner from here, just as was done with AFW/SGX.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)