Elevation problem at SKCL....?

[WebMaximus 372]

Hi,This is what SKCL looks like in my FSX installation with FSGenesis mesh installed, is this what it should look like and what it looks like IRL or does this indicate a problem with the elevation in the mesh files?http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192282.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192283.jpgTIA,

[GHD 21]

It's probably the mesh. Try the default mesh:

[WebMaximus 372]

OK, thanks for confirming what the mesh/elevation should look like. Not sure how to use the default mesh only for this area since I would like to keep the more detailed mesh elsewhere but I have posted the same question in the FSGenesis forum and will hopefully get help there how to fix this in the best possible way.

[Guest jshyluk]

It's complicated for the casual/average sim pilot to alter terrain meshes on their own, which is frustrating. MSFS tries to use the best terrain data it can, and yet it also has to be able to fit its entire program code onto a couple of disks. FS9 had some big problems in remote Asia. Everest looked like a very tall rounded hill, for instance. And there was a trench in China that you could fly straight down for a couple of miles. I recall there was a contest to see how far you could take the Cessna below the Earth's crust before you crashed. FSX is improved over FS9, but there are still some rogue data floating around.It's not unexpected that you would find problems. FSGenesis uses a data matrix that's different from FSX, so that there can be a discrepancy in evelations between the products, especially outside of the continental USA. The easy solution is to not use custom terrain in FSX, but then you've just wasted your money if you bought a terrain add-on.My limited experience with FSGenesis is that they are good about patching elevation issues. With smaller non-American airports, though, it may be a while before you see it fixed. Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[Mace 1,902]

The FSGenesis mesh is not incorrect at SKCL.The airport elevation itself is incorrect. This does not surprise me. Much of the default airport elevation data in FS is not correct, especially in areas outside the USA, due to source data problems.The correct elevation of Cali's airport/runway is 3162 ft/962m above sea level (verified by two sources; FallingRain and GoogleEarth). FSX default has it at about 2500 ft as you can see in the above screenshot.What is needed at SKCL is a preload bgl to fix its elevation problem.Once the airport elevation is corrected, then and only then if there is still a trench or plateau issue, at that time it would be time to get the mesh adjusted. But first things first...fix the airport itself.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[Mace 1,902]

Later when I am at my FSX machine I will verify what I posted above, If the airport elevation is in fact off by that much, I will see if I can adjust it without breaking anything in the process.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[Guest jshyluk]

Rhett, you are likely right. I oversimplified my statement. A lot of FSX terrain data has been refined over FS9, but a lot of airport data is not correct, or at least has not been updated to match terrain. Add to that the problem that FSX has where all runways must be flat, and you have even more issues.Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[WebMaximus 372]

Thanks alot guys for your input and I'm happy to hear FSGenesis itself probably isn't the problem because except for these kind of problems (and this is actually the first I've seen in FSX) my experience with FSGenesis is very good and what it does to the terrain is really nice and then together with GEX and UTX you get a very detailed and real-looking terrain.Rhett - would be great if you think you could fix the elevation error at SKCL because I'm stuck there for the moment in a way since I'm flying the IVAO IFR WordTour and next leg is SKCL-SEGU and I can't say I'm looking forward to taking off from SKCL the way it looks right now...;-)I'm very interested in how to fix these kind of issues myself since I guess this might not be the last time I encounter this kind of problem, is there any good site where you can learn how to fix these kind of things in FSX?

[WebMaximus 372]

Just for the fun of it, below are some pics first from real life and then from FSX...the difference is quite obvious...;-)http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192289.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192290.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192291.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192292.jpg

[WebMaximus 372]

Just found this great pic inside the docs for the FSX SDK and with it's help I managed to find out what FSGenesis BGL files I needed to delete until someone is able to fix the elevation for this airport to match the real/FSGenesis elevation. Thought I post it here for anyone else with a similar problem, I hope that is OK from a Copyright perspective and if not...please feel free to remove this post.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192293.jpg

[Mace 1,902]

Patience! Patience my friend! :) No don't delete your FSGenesis data! It's accurate!I did a quick and dirty fix. I did load it up once at it worked. However I did not test other aspects of the scenery that may be affected. I also didn't change anything else at the airport.See attached...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192294.zipRhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[Mace 1,902]

Oh, and be sure to install the Preload bgl into your SceneryWorldScenery folder. Failure to do so, will mean continued problems at SKCL!RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

[WebMaximus 372]

WOW Rhett, that sure was a quick but still great working fix - thank you so much :-) !!!Is there any chance you could tell me the secret how to come up with these kind of fixes so I don't have to bother you next time ;-)Below are a couple of screenshots showing how good the result is!http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192295.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192296.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/192297.jpg

[Justin Toposim 16]

Thanks Rhett,I am finding that there are many non-uS airports that are misplaced, some by a bit, a few tens of meters, some by significant margins, hundreds of meters or several KMs. Using Google earth or Virtual earth as a reference, at least in Mexico, only the larger International and some regional airports were spot-on. The rest required some adjustments. Once their location and elevations were properly adjusted, there was only a handful of airports that required terrain adjustment, too, and those were the ones that had significant slopes in real life.I don't think we can or should blame Aces for much of it because with a program of this scope they obviously don't have the time or resources to manually check every last airport, and have to rely on published data, which often is not accurate. Besides, if it were all perfect there wouldn't be much for folks like me to do. :-)I plan on getting to most, if not all, of these over time, but as one may imagine, it can be a slow tedious process.-------Justinhttp://www.fsgenesis.netHigh Quality Scenery for FS200x

[Mace 1,902]

NICE Avianca MD-80! Is that the Flight1 MD-80? I sure am glad that worked, I did that super-fast. I used:1) ADE by Jon Masterson (available in the file library here)2) bglcomp for the preload bgl (comes with the FSX SDK)Once you get the hang of it, it is relatively easy to change these types of things. There are plenty of errors in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru--in fact the most of any location in the sim that I have seen. The reason is due to inaccurate elevation data as Jeff Shyluk mentions--often carried over from FS2004 and FS2002. Fly over Peru. You'll see lakes and rivers on plateaus all over the place.The thing I did not test at SKCL, was the approach data. Be wary of this. I don't think any of the approaches would be adversely affected by the elevation change, but I would have to double-check myself (look at the approach code) to make sure. I think the preload should take care of any AI issues.Glad it worked!RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT