How do I get GA Traffic AI with VoxATC

[Skywolf 992]

Hey guys,

I have AIG working (entire model database) working but those are only Airlines, which is great.

But since I am amazed with VoxATC for VFR flights - I am like I need to fly the A2A GA for a while, while I get the hang of ATC.

Now, I know I can download Orbx NA Aviation pack and get it installed - but those birds will be only in Orbx Airport areas in the Western US; looking at other threads mention that I need to get HTAI models pack which consist of single traffic bgl for cessnas, and then just use the models Orbx redid as HTAI is 2004.  But Orbx is using all the freeware from HTAI - they do not have payware C172 models.  I do not think I even know or have the time to convert the models for P3Dv4 for my own use (so that is not gonna happen)

Problem is buying HTAI - will I even get the download link if I pay via payal - there is like no idea on what is going on with that site.  It looks like the developer closed shop, so I hate taking needless risk. 

So confused on this; why does Flightsim have to so many darn confusing elements.

If someone can help me; I will be grateful.  I just need GA traffic almost everywhere - so that I can let VoxATC use its ATC and do some cool things.

Thanks

[vadriver 252]

18 hours ago, Skywolf said:

I just need GA traffic almost everywhere

hmmm .... i have no simple answer to your wish.

AI is very much about "flightplans with nominated aircraft (models)" & so lends itself more to the "heavies". 

I can't think of a way (& maybe more so with models for the "lighter end" of GA) plans could be compiled for any local without a fair amount of effort ie & not readily available.

i can only suggest you search AIG forums for what may suit.

[jabloomf1230 2,452]

John's right. Here's what I did and it's not simple. I started with the MyTraffic 6 GA schedule and I replaced all the My T 6 aircraft with HTAI (and other freeware versions) GA aircraft using AI Flight Planner. I bought the HTAI Cessna package and then converted all the aircraft to P3d4 with Model Converter X. That added additional Cessna flightplans. One shortcut that you could take is to download the ORBX freeware AI Traffic package for NA. That gives you updated GA models that work in P3d4 and at least some NA GA traffic. You can also use these updated models to revise the MyT 6 GA schedules and the HTAI Cessna schedules. Another option is to use AI Flight Planner to edit the default P3d4 AI traffic BGL file and delete all the commercial airliners and their schedules.

That's the sad story about creating GA traffic. It takes effort to do so.

[mikced76 57]

...and dont foreget to update each AI GA traffic aircraft with "GATE" and not RAMP in the Aircraft.cfg. Using RAMP I get no GA traffic generated while with "GATE" they are generated properly every time. Naturally also with an AFX editor you have to make sure no parking space at your GA ramp is assigned "RAMP" but rather "GATE" to correspond with your Aircraft.cfg edit above. To have even more Control where you want each GA Aircraft type etc you can add a code. I use "SMA" for all my small GA Aircraft and "LAR" for all my large GA so that they are parked accordingly at the ramp.  

[Skywolf 992]

On 12/3/2019 at 9:56 AM, mikced76 said:

...and dont foreget to update each AI GA traffic aircraft with "GATE" and not RAMP in the Aircraft.cfg. Using RAMP I get no GA traffic generated while with "GATE" they are generated properly every time. Naturally also with an AFX editor you have to make sure no parking space at your GA ramp is assigned "RAMP" but rather "GATE" to correspond with your Aircraft.cfg edit above. To have even more Control where you want each GA Aircraft type etc you can add a code. I use "SMA" for all my small GA Aircraft and "LAR" for all my large GA so that they are parked accordingly at the ramp.  

Hi,

I do not follow this - do I really have to do this.  I do see GA planes parked at GA airports....I am using Orbx NA GA Airplanes

[Skywolf 992]

On 12/2/2019 at 12:26 PM, jabloomf1230 said:

John's right. Here's what I did and it's not simple. I started with the MyTraffic 6 GA schedule and I replaced all the My T 6 aircraft with HTAI (and other freeware versions) GA aircraft using AI Flight Planner. I bought the HTAI Cessna package and then converted all the aircraft to P3d4 with Model Converter X. That added additional Cessna flightplans. One shortcut that you could take is to download the ORBX freeware AI Traffic package for NA. That gives you updated GA models that work in P3d4 and at least some NA GA traffic. You can also use these updated models to revise the MyT 6 GA schedules and the HTAI Cessna schedules. Another option is to use AI Flight Planner to edit the default P3d4 AI traffic BGL file and delete all the commercial airliners and their schedules.

That's the sad story about creating GA traffic. It takes effort to do so.

Hi,

Thank you for your insights.

Here is what I have done (I did also buy HTAI models and got that traffic bgl), along with FSX files from http://www.flightsim2004-fanatics.com/uploads/DefaultGA/Def_GA_DL.htm  

And then I used AIFP - loaded up the BGL and substitute all those planes with Orbx NA planes (took a while), and I changed some time on the bgl (again I just winging it here) - no compile errors.  I even increased the traffic activity to 75-100.  I want all airports filled lol.

Ran the Vox indexer - and loaded up the sim

We should share the traffic files on here (the free ones).

I hope I am doing things right?

 

[jabloomf1230 2,452]

Looks good from here.😉

At one point in time there was an MS Excel add-on that generated flightplans from an airport list, but I'm not sure where it can be downloaded now. And that still doesn't solve the problem of finding P3d4 compliant models for GA aircraft.

[vadriver 252]

3 hours ago, Skywolf said:

I even increased the traffic activity to 75-100.  I want all airports filled lol.

this may sound counter intuitive but ....... setting higher activity means you won't see that flight unless your sim slider is set to more than 75 etc. (but that's without Vox where sim slider is at zero).

leaving the activity at 1 allows vox's slider to be the master of AI (not sure if setting 75 affects / restricts the Vox AI as i've always used activity 1)

[Skywolf 992]

15 minutes ago, vadriver said:

this may sound counter intuitive but ....... setting higher activity means you won't see that flight unless your sim slider is set to more than 75 etc. (but that's without Vox where sim slider is at zero).

leaving the activity at 1 allows vox's slider to be the master of AI (not sure if setting 75 affects / restricts the Vox AI as i've always used activity 1)

Yeah - my traffic in sim is set to 0 (as per Voxatc instructions), Vox is set at 50 and bgl's are at 75-100.  You do bring a good point and I am absolutely going to look at that when I am home in the evening.

But I still do not understand mikced76 post about changing ramp to gate.  Is that necessary? would change ramp to Gate make all the airplanes go to gates at big airports.  I really do not want to see Cessna's going to Gate with Jetways...lol

[mikced76 57]

Everything above 10% on the slider within VoxATC will generate more than 100% real schedule coverage. I have my setting at just below 10%. If you put 50% you will see more traffic than the real actual scheduled traffic. An easy way to test this is to compare the traffic density by switching between default AI and Vox AI and compare the amount of traffic. 100% within default FSX or P3D equals 1:1 real world scheduled traffic. If you see more in Vox then you have a too high setting 

The problem with VoxATC is that it gives priority to aircraft that have atc_parking_codes=GATE. So if you want to see GA traffic you are left with two choices Either "treat" them like large commercial traffic by changing RAMP to GATE OR increase the traffic setting and you will see GA traffic but at the expense of more overall traffic than the schedule actually intended.

Im no expert with VoxATC but I have probably spent more hours testing back and forth than I should have so I am just sharing my findings.

Mike   

[Skywolf 992]

23 minutes ago, mikced76 said:

Everything above 10% on the slider within VoxATC will generate more than 100% real schedule coverage. I have my setting at just below 10%. If you put 50% you will see more traffic than the real actual scheduled traffic. An easy way to test this is to compare the traffic density by switching between default AI and Vox AI and compare the amount of traffic. 100% within default FSX or P3D equals 1:1 real world scheduled traffic. If you see more in Vox then you have a too high setting 

The problem with VoxATC is that it gives priority to aircraft that have atc_parking_codes=GATE. So if you want to see GA traffic you are left with two choices Either "treat" them like large commercial traffic by changing RAMP to GATE OR increase the traffic setting and you will see GA traffic but at the expense of more overall traffic than the schedule actually intended.

Im no expert with VoxATC but I have probably spent more hours testing back and forth than I should have so I am just sharing my findings.

Mike   

I absolutely appreciate your findings - thank you for the explanation

[vadriver 252]

33 minutes ago, mikced76 said:

If you put 50% you will see more traffic than the real actual scheduled traffic.

mike

an interesting note ........ i set  voxatc 50% (& it seems "similar" to default.

i might try & compare with AIG's forecasts.

 

 

 

 

 

[mikced76 57]

I tried the slider the other day at Edinburgh Airport, a fairly large airport at which I have prepared the AFX file with real world parking locations and airlines. With 100% on the VoxATC slider every single gate was occupied many different test times during the day. Then I switched to default at 100% and about 1/3 of the gates were occupied. Studying real world images of the airport and local knowledge and Flightradar 24 and other sources about 1/3 is the kind of average density at the airport (of course it goes up and down a bit but never ever are all gates occupied) So for sure setting 100% will adds more traffic than each airline schedule intend from AIG.    

[mikced76 57]

"I do not follow this - do I really have to do this.  I do see GA planes parked at GA airports....I am using Orbx NA GA Airplanes"

I bet you do get GA traffic at GA Airports with no airliners using GATE parkings. As I said earlier VoxATC gives priority to GATES and if there are non,  no problem 🙂 Try an Airport with mixed traffic that use GATES parking and see if you see any small GA Aircraft, probably not. Please let me know if you do.

[vadriver 252]

On 12/5/2019 at 6:29 PM, mikced76 said:

I tried the slider the other day at Edinburgh Airport

I find flight plan visualizer more than helpful understanding what can be spawned at an airport

https://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=212254