Ok, I've been reading some of the FSX beta SDK documents and these are some interesting things I've found with the SimConnect SDKUsing SimConnect a 3rd party program can:-1. Create (parked or enroute) AI aircraft and delete AI aircraft. 2. Set or change AI aircraft flight plan. Assuming the aircraft fly all the waypoints in the flightplan then this means AI aircraft could fly realistic routes. :)3. Set position, airspeed, altitude, heading etc of AI aircraft.4. Release AI control of aircraft so that it may be controlled by program. This means that an AI aircraft could be made to fly SIDs and STARs. To fly a STAR, the program would release AI control at the start of the STAR and then vector it to the runway using the waypoints, altitude and speed restricitions required for the STAR. Likewise, the program could make the AI fly a SID by vectoring it using the waypoints, altitude and speed restrictions of the SID, and then assigning it a flightplan (see 1 above) so that FSX AI control can take over.So it looks like Radar Contact could easily make AI fly SIDs, STARS and realistic routes.There are many other things SimConnect SDK can do. It looks very powerful.:-jumpy

Also.. SimConnect SDK can create, delete and move other custom objects and also query the FSX weather. What does this mean... How about1. A program could check weather and create forest fires in hot, windy conditions2. Populate harbours with pleasure craft when its sunny, but not when its rainy.3. Populate the Serengeti with herds of wilderbeast, maybe evening start them running (with lots of dust) when your plane gets too close :)The possibilities are endless!Seems like the "Dynamic Living World" notion of FSX can be expanded greatly with the SimConnect SDK.Great job ACES... FSX is going to be amazing when third parties start producing addons using SimConnect.:-jumpy

Intersting find :DIm sure it will make for some interesting and enhanced add-ons

Any mention of a native TCP/IP or UDP/IP interface (i.e. alternative to WideFS) ?Thanks

I don't wanna ruin your party, but as far as I remember these options have already existed in FS2004 TrafficTools SDK and no designer has ever tried to use them in hisher products.

<<>>FS2004/TrafficTools SDK contains no documented API to control AI aircraft in real time via third party software. According to the description, SimConnect provides this. I anticipate programs such as RadarContact and VoxATC will greatly benefit. Perhaps SquawkBox and IvAp will leverage it too.

I dont know about the FS9 traffic tools SDK... but the SimConnect SDK seems far more powerful.There's an example in the SimConnect SDK where a Mooney Bravo is created and then sent a small programatically created "flight plan" (list of waypoints, with altitude, and speed restrictions) which makes it circle at the end of the runway.Seems to me that this would allow an ATC program using SimConnect to make AI aircraft fly Stars and Sids even stack AI aircraft in holds! :-jumpyBTW the example also shows how other objects such as a hot air ballon, truck and whale and assign them waypoints too. :)

SimConnect is based on TCP/IP.

Thanks Mike... really looking forward to it. :-beerchug

GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Good stuff!

You will need a sid/star database. There are different formats for Pmdg, Feelthere etc. Thats a problem..

Well now that navigraph are taking-over/looking after the navdata sets, there may be some sort of consolidation in the future :)

The waypoints for SID/STARs are already in FS2004, and it appears FSX.They are not grouped as a SID/STAR.There is a much more extensive section on approaches in the FSX SDK included in the fileplanet beta.

Great! This gonna add a lot of fun for non-multiplayer users. Formation flights, military ops, etc.Of course all of these functions were already in the FS9 traffic sdk, but not in a programmable way, so unless you were a disassembler kiddie it was really gadget.Does the SDK contains anything about ATC ? Except for changing voices (using vpedit), there was nothing about it in FS9.

The SDK contains TrafficTools (very similar to the FS9 version) and has instructions on controlling AI traffic through a programming API