Question for Bob B (Bob5568)

[Guest BobL]

Hi Bob:It's been awhile and my FL project is coming along nicely now. Thank You. If you're interested I'll send a screenshot or two of some of my creations.I started looking for a different scenery software that I could use in both FS2000 and FS2002. The primary reason for my quest is that ASD is eliminating the TZ lighting at those airports where it exists in the default .bgl and ASD doesn't support that feature and I'm not computer smart enough to attempt to alter the scasm code...at least not yet.As you know, I've been using ASD and I recall that you recommended Airport 2.60 in another thread (which seems to be the standard as far as available macros are concerned) and Lago's FSSE.So, I've got three questions that I wonder if I could impose on you for some additional tutoring:1) First, If I put an exclude on an entire state (as I did with FL) and then start populating all the airports and tweaking as I go, what effect will that exclude have on the FS2002 Autogen? Will that be excluded in addition to the static scenery?2) I d/l Airport 2.60 and there is no documentation with it and the tutorial is dead ended. And once again, I'm afraid that it's not intuitive enough for me to figure out. It (the tutorial) briefly turns to an hour glass but nothing happens. And I can't seem to find any type of manual, like maybe a .pdf. Where do I start with 2.60 for someone who has never used it? Is there a way to import a default airport and then start making changes? How?3) I located another product called FS Architect. Wonder if you could give pros/cons for FSSE as well as FS Architect. Are these complimentary programs or two of the same thing? If they are two of the same thing, which is better? If complimentary (i.e. they serve two different purposes but work together for a total scenery package, are they both worth it? I don't mind spending for quality FS Utility software if it's useful, intuitive and most important works...I just don't want to throw money away on trash...which I'm sure you understand.I appreciate your time and patience and thank you in advance.BobL

[Guest]

try this forum for a whilehttp://snn.simflight.com/cgi-bin/dnewsweb?...itect2000&utag=

[Guest]

Hi Bob, I'll take a shot at an answer. Don't know about ASD removing lighting, but I take your word for it. The coding for runways isn't hard, but I can imagine you'll be happier eventually for other reasons changing design tool.The exclude WILL eliminate autogen. I'd only exclude the minimum possible area around each field, if I were you.FSSE by LAGO is NOT what I recommended, its payware, could be ok, but it can't be shared..what you design can't be used by anyone else.What I recommended was FSSC, flight simulator scenery creator by Derek Leung. Its not perfect, I couldn't find a feature to do excludes in it, but they are very easy to hand code. Otherwise, the simplicity of the interface appeals to me, and it accepts macro code in either scm or api format. It allows one to enter a background bmp to design on top of, a major flaw in ASD.Airport 2.6 does have a learning curve. I'm no expert at it. I hated the set up which is there to help people avoid the problem of putting files in the right place to fly the scenery, I like to do that stuff myself. EAch to their own. Ken Nelson has a website with great tutorials for airport, try http://www.flightsimnetwork.com/webads/Airport also lets you import a photo to work over, and that seems like the way to go to me.Don't know architect, it's payware, I already have enough tools so I never wanted another payware product. I've recently heard many sour comments about architect and lack of support, but that's pure hearsay.What I actually use is resample.exe from the sdk for fs2000 to create my ground surface, and fssc to create runways/taxiways and to place macros, and sometimes ASD if I can't figure out how to do it in fssc.Along with the effects replacer for autogen and some manual coding, I'm learning gmax and I love fsds for macros....and you have the fs2002 toolbag!Best of luck,Bob BPS...ever get my vor to show up?

[Guest BobL]

Okay...I'll go and find FSSC. Do you have a sample of the handcoding for an exclude? Where does it go?I'll visit website you provided for Airport.Does resample.exe have a tutorial? Windows interface? I'm afraid that I don't know command line stuff. That's one of the reasons I've liked ASD. Although there are un-documented tricks...it's point and click. And for the VOR, alas no...the scenery engine doesn't like it. Not sure why. It crashes FS with one of those *.dll errorAnd thanks for the tutoring...again!!!!!BobL

[Guest]

I wrote a tutorial on excludes recently, I'll send you a copy tonight. A disjointed version is in a thread on this board about removing a building.the ins and outs of using resample per the fs2000 sdk were written up several times on the terrabuilder forum. My most recent effort was contained in a thread IHOR started titled "water everywhere but not a drop to drink". There are windows interface, the one I know of is terrabuilder lite. I have it but don't use it, so others will have to help if you have problems with it.Bob B

[Guest]

>FSSE by LAGO is NOT what I recommended, its payware, could >be ok, but it can't be shared..what you design can't be used >by anyone else. We have over 600 FSSE files on our site for download and many users download all of them. Of course the limitation is that the second user will need the product as well because our code, and textures are in our product and are nmot send out with the scenery. We did this to ensure that the resulting scenery is as fast and stable as we intented it to be. That's a limitation, but as you can see, with some many files on our site people do share the files created with FSSE.Mathijs Kok

[Guest]

Certainly true, Mathijs...my comments were made from my own perspective. That is the creation of unique 3d objects is a major factor in my feeling immersed at an airport. Long ago I concluded that unique objects made from photos of the actual objects, are crucial elements in design. Not that I started there, at first scenery design is complex enough just getting something accomplished, so for the first year or so..I used other peoples macros...and during that time, had your product been available, I might have enjoyed it, HOWEVER...it wasn't long before I questioned my contribution as I'd began to see many of the airports being little more than a re-sorting of the same objects I was using, and the designs I most appreciated were those with "special" elements not available to the masses.That interest led me to learn 3d modelling tools, VOD first, then FSDS, and now GMAX....AND led me to learn to use graphics software, Photoshop, Photopaint..The needs of object modelling also led me to edit and later learn the basics of scasm....Then terrain modelling.....which would be VERY difficult if not impossible without already understanding graphics files.then object libraries...And on and on!Now that's REALLY what I like about design is that the learning never stops....its a continuom. I do see the object design phase as a turning point that helped me learn many new tools and concepts.Sadly, your program, as I understand that, denies the pleasure of object modelling to your customers. I agree that as the number of available objects increases, you may delay the point in which people conclude they'd like to be able to do that, but your policy does seem to inhibit the growth of future design expertise amongst your clientele.That's partly why I'd steer a budding designer like Bob L toward a different approach.Best Regards,Bob Bernstein