Hi. Just landed at UK2000 EGLL, great airport scenery. When I zoom in on Little Nav Map, I notice several of the parking bays were missing. For example, on Pier 6 at T3 Bays 307 and 305, 2 of the 4, A380 bays. Not a big problem, I just wondered how LNM worked out the parking bays and taxiways? Was it a scenery limitation? That said, I see some AI parked in bays 305 and 307, but not on LNM. Sort of looks like the terminals are too small for the number of bays required!

Geoff

Is this with the latest LNM build?

4 hours ago, por930 said:

I just wondered how LNM worked out the parking bays and taxiways?

LNM reads the parking from the airport BGL files. Some designers place static aircraft at bays and omit the parking spot to avoid collisions with spawning user aircraft.

Some also model the bay with ground polygons or textures but do not put a parking spot in the scenery.

All depends on the airport. You can also look at the BGL files (listed in LNM's information window at the bottom of the airport tab) with ADE to check if LNM shows something wrong.

Alex

2 hours ago, albar965 said:

LNM reads the parking from the airport BGL files. Some designers place static aircraft at bays and omit the parking spot to avoid collisions with spawning user aircraft.

Some also model the bay with ground polygons or textures but do not put a parking spot in the scenery.

All depends on the airport. You can also look at the BGL files (listed in LNM's information window at the bottom of the airport tab) with ADE to check if LNM shows something wrong.

Alex

Hi Tony, Sort of difficult to see, but above my question, there is a tag where I placed the build, 2.2.4. Next time, I will place it in the text making it easier to find.

Thanks Alex. Yes, I found a series of BGL files in the UK2000/EGLL structure for several static aircraft. By making them inactive, I retrieved the parking bays back for my use. When I now start P3D, it offers me EGLL bays 301,3,5,7, When I select 301/3, P3D indicates me in these bays, and LNM finds them ok. But when I select 305/7, while P3D indicates me in the bays. LNM just places me in a position down from parking bays 301/3, but not in a bay, sort of against the airport building wall.

OK I found the BGL files LNM uses. umm, When I search along its path in the UK2000 directory, I find no entry. 

LNM says says two things:

0501 Base................E:\P3D\Scenery\0501\scenery\APX47130.bgl...........Is this saying I am still using the base scenery?

UK2000 Heathrow Xtreme E:\UK2000\EGLL LONDON HEATHROW V3.12\UK2000 Heathrow Xtreme\scenery\egll_AFX_UK2xGEN.bgl

When I look for the file LNM refers to above, [egll_AFX_UK2xGEN.bgl] apparently there are two instances for it:

E:\UK2000\EGLL LONDON HEATHROW V3.12\UK2000 Heathrow Xtreme\options\egll_AFX_UK2xGEN.bgl

E:\UK2000\EGLL LONDON HEATHROW V3.12\UK2000 Heathrow Xtreme\options\LitAFCAD\egll_AFX_UK2xGEN.bgl

So, some how LNM is finding a version, but not displaying the path to show which way it went. 

This airport has been updated several times, so not sure if its address structure has got mixed up. I will have a look in ADE what it finds and report back.

OK, when I run ADE, using the file LNM mentions, then the airport looks the same as LNM displays. I will have to have a look at the other options UK2000 seems to some how use.

Can the Graphics in the P3D view of the UK2000 EGLL be different to the ADE view? Because there are more parking bays and buildings in the scenery than the ADE/LNM view?

 

Geoff 

Edited February 13, 20197 yr by por930
Later info using ADE

Hi Geoff,

2 hours ago, por930 said:

I retrieved the parking bays back for my use. When I now start P3D, it offers me EGLL bays 301,3,5,7, When I select 301/3, P3D indicates me in these bays, and LNM finds them ok.

Makes sense. They probably have two versions of the BGL file and replace the active one in the simulator.

2 hours ago, por930 said:

LNM says says two things:

0501 Base................E:\P3D\Scenery\0501\scenery\APX47130.bgl...........Is this saying I am still using the base scenery?

Maybe parts of it but probably not. This indication is perfectly OK. FSX and P3D always require to read the base scenery first (except for new airports). An add-on developer can then choose to replace the runways for example and keep the rest of the stock scenery. Important are the other entries which belong to the add-on. The list is in reading order. What is on top will be overloaded by BGLs below. You might find several BGL files there for add-on airports, for example, for altitude corrections.

2 hours ago, por930 said:

OK, when I run ADE, using the file LNM mentions, then the airport looks the same as LNM displays.

Perfect. That means there is no error in the LNM scenery library code. This can still happen but is unlikely, since this program part is quite old and received a lot of fixes.

Alex

6 hours ago, por930 said:

When I search along its path in the UK2000 directory, I find no entry. 

BTW: No need to search. Click on the link (blue filename) in LNM and it will open the Windows Explorer with the file selected.

6 hours ago, por930 said:

Can the Graphics in the P3D view of the UK2000 EGLL be different to the ADE view? Because there are more parking bays and buildings in the scenery than the ADE/LNM view? 

As I said above: Some add only the graphics but not the parking spot. You can use it for your aircraft but no AI will be placed there.

A similar confusion can also happen with taxiways. Some make aprons and taxiways as photoreal background. In LNM these are not visible.

Alex

Thanks Alex, I realise parking positions, allocations, taxiways is a bit of the dark art of flight sim, balancing between the stock airports and that of add ons using some or no parts of the stock airport. Considering where we were many years ago with Bruce Artwick's flight simulator scenery, we are light years ahead. 

Most FSX/P3D add-on airports replace the stock completely. It is much easier for me in X-Plane: An add-on always replaces the whole stock airport.

If you think parking spots are black art you see departure and approach procedures. Implementing these almost drove me nuts.

Alex

16 minutes ago, albar965 said:

Most FSX/P3D add-on airports replace the stock completely. It is much easier for me in X-Plane: An add-on always replaces the whole stock airport.

If you think parking spots are black art you see departure and approach procedures. Implementing these almost drove me nuts.

Alex

Alex, the departure and approach procedures you have working are fantastic. Most times I do not insert a SID/STAR until I have checked the graphics of them to sort out way points.

Way off topic...did you look at the project where we are at a waypoint and  we are offered an airway connection from that waypoint via the connected airways to an exit waypoint. I have the GTN750, for my non FMC aircraft, and with this feature, on any waypoint, where there is an airway connected, it is offered, as well as all its exit points to other airways. I know you have the 'automatic' flight route-airway generator. But most times when I am flying scheduled routes, I need to travel on specific airways / waypoints.

15 hours ago, por930 said:

did you look at the project where we are at a waypoint and  we are offered an airway connection from that waypoint via the connected airways to an exit waypoint.

Manual planning along airways is on the TODO list but not for the next 2.4.

Maybe this helps a bit: You can calculate a route between any two selected points of a flight plan: Calculate for selected Legs.

Alex