excluding area preoblem

[Guest]

I was trying to exclude an area around an airport I a m working on the get rid of the original buildnings etc. Then this happens when I am pressing the Compile button in Airport2.6.What have I done wrong?? RegardsThomas

[Guest jlwoodward]

I tried doing the same thing and nothing happened- no error messages and the buildings were still there. I finaly had to type the exclude line into the scenery cfg file, and that got rid of the buildings. Unfortunately, it also prevents you from putting anything else there. Airport seems easy to use until something goes wrong.There are some other recent posts on this subject. You might have more success than I did.John Woodward

[Guest Barney1]

Try to refrain from using the scenerydb folder as the parent folder.Instead, create your local folder system under the Main Scenery Folder like this:Main FS Scenery Folder/ Your Scenery name/ Scenery TextureI believe what is happening has to do with the priority/scenery level. Exclude commands/switches function best when they are in the immediate folder of the applicable scenery area. You should not have to resort to manual editing of the scenery.cfg file. I've been using Apt 2.6, and earlier versions, and creating exclude *.bgl's for a few years now, and haven't had to edit that file.The above method of a folder system utilization gives you more control over what files go where, the ability to enable/disable individual scenery for troubleshooting purposes, and allows for the removal of areas without corrupting other areas which may depend on particular files.Of course, you will need to re-input the pathes to the "new" folders via the Directory Menu within Arpt design program.

[Guest]

Hey ,well I tried the moving the whole file, but same problem appearing...RegardsThomas

[Guest]

When I noticed that Airport included an auto-install module, I was instantly turned OFF. This is a huge mistake for a product like this. It keeps the beginner from ever seeing the intermediate files. Its the seeing, handling, and exploration of these files that produces learning.Automation is fine unless its not. If your goal is fastest transit from process point a to process point b, then it had better ALWAYS WORK. If it usually works but can break once in a while, then you'll be so uninformed about the itermediate steps that you become unable to do troubleshooting.Tiny rant.....I really wanted to use Airport as my design assembler to replace ASD, mostly to honor the freeware position of the authors and to honor the extent of development that has be ongoing, but the complication behind this setup sent me looking for simplicity. That's why I chose FSSC as my main assembler, its a small program that only does what I want, no bells and whistles. If something goes wrong, I have only a tiny number of posibilities to look at. Bob Bernstein

[Guest]

OK, is the FSSC a freeware program? in that case wher can I download it??Kind RegardsThomas

[Guest]

http://www.geocities.com/dleung8/fssc/it is free! Unfortunately for you, exclusions are the only thing I haven't found that fssc will help with. I don't care about that problem myself, because the exclude files are so simple, I just write them in a text editor. Here is an example of an exclude scasm file:Set( areamx 128 )Header( 3 49:30:00.0000 45:30:00.0000 -116:30:00.0000 -125:00:00.0000 )GenExcl( E:flyingTacomascenerytac_5_01.bgl 147:16:37.2571 47:15:46.0329 -122:34:22.3687 -122:34:53.846947:16:37.2571 47:15:46.0329 -122:34:22.3687 -122:34:53.8469 )That's all there is, no point in not using a tool for the want of 6 lines of typing!Bob B

[Guest Barney1]

While you might be comfortable writing that text, those just beginning with design may not. For that reason, I would suggest they use Apt2.6. One can apply up to 6 exclude commands within one scenery area with this program and when used can also be fairly precise with respect to "removing" single items.The tool uses a box, with a fixed north-south alignment (this is a minor inconvenience perhaps, but may also be necessary due to the way the default scenery is generated) and can be contracted/expanded to accomodate any specific area.For example, once I have my exclude commands completed, and I'm happy with the results after viewing in FS, I change the file attribute to "Read only" and that's it for that *.bgl; it is kept separate from the actual scenery.I then select a new menu, with it's own name, to begin creating the actual airport/scenery *.bgl.I think that some of the difficulty folks have with exclude commands is not making the target area big enough. If the coordinates do not match those of the default scenery tile, or mesh terrain tile (whatever its called), then the command may not work. By playing with the "box" in the Apt. menu, one can quickly make any adjustments, re-compile and verify in FS within a few seconds.

[Guest]

If this guy could make airport 2.6 work there wouldn't have been a thread in the first place!LOLB

[Guest]

<>Do you think this is an Airport problem? I've been having no problems excluding items as small as a single refueling square. B

[Guest]

Bob,Thanks for those six simple lines of eloquent code. As you indicated why bother going to a Tool to do something so simple, if one knows how to do it. I for one will copy this code example down and start using it. I personally do not like the way the new Airport package works, and have refraimed from using it, I also prefere the simple not balony way FSSC operates. It would not flatten an area I ask it to do, and in the process would not correctly display a surface polygon. Perhaps I simply do not understand why one cannot ask for a large flattend area then place a colored surface object over that area. Statement here, not seeking an answer.cheers all,George B.

[Guest]

thx for all the advises gyes, really helped. I downloaded the FSSC and are understanding the program very well, now just waiting for the answer from a fax I sent to Entebbe asking them if they could send me a air photo of the airport.Thanks againKind regardsThomas

[Guest]

While you'll always hear of people's preferences for their tools, designing for fs2002 is such that no tool really performs all the tasks that discerning designers want to do. After recommending fssc to you, I then read your post regarding adding mountains, and whether fssc could do that. That made me feel a little bad, because that's very far from the type of task I ask of fssc, and I doubt that fssc has anything to offer in that regard. Let me list the actual tools I use and for what purposes, just so you don't get mislead by my recommending fssc.For enhancement of terrain: Resample.exe/tmf2bgl.exe by Microsoft from the fs2000 terrain sdkFor designing photoreal terrain textures: same as above with the "custom" flag used for inf file type. See the archeives of the Terrabuilder forum dating back to November 2001 to January 2002 for information.For placing Macros, and taxiways: FSSC by Derek Leung. Simple and allows the use of either scm or api macros. While I make 99% of my own macros, this helps me because I used to use ASD, and so many of my own macros are coded as .scm.For placing an invisible runway to eliminate bumpy taxi artifacts: Airport for Windows, ver 2.6.For excludes: Scasm by Manfred MoldenhaurFor macro creation: GMAX by Discreet/AutodeskFor taxilines/holdlines: ScasmI may be forgetting something, but hopefully that puts my recommendation for fssc in perspective.Bob Bernstein

[Guest JR Morgan]

>>>When I noticed that Airport included an auto-install module, I was instantly turned OFF. This is a huge mistake for a product like this. It keeps the beginner from ever seeing the intermediate files. Its the seeing, handling, and exploration of these files that produces learning<<<***Hello Bob... I don't understand the "turn-off". I think Apt26 is the most "open source" software (that I've seen) available for s scenery design. All one, including the beginner, has to do to quickly study, copy, compare to SCASM docs, etc, the code that assembles-to-cenery .bgl files is to use 2 mouse clicks; . From there, you can do anything you wish to edit the code as long as you don't severely violate SCASM syntax, including choosing not to use the automated installation, which is nothing more than running the "SCASM MY SCENERY.sca (or any 3 character file extension; you can even name it "My Scenery.bob" :-) as a command line. Frankly, when I was starting to try and learn something about scenery design, I thoroughly appreciated seeing quick results in FS so that I could then go back in a matter of minutes and correct the things I didn't like.I think the original post in this thread was based on exclude failures. Although I've not experienced this on EXCLUDABLE objects using Apt26, that's not to say that something I haven't experienced is not taking place. For example, I note that Apt OR manually written excludes don't seem to exclude original (scenerydb) grass at some airports I've tried it on. The only way I could exclude such was to find the applicable .bgl in the scenerydb world and rename that file to .bgX or something that would disable it. That wasn't a good thing to do because it also disabled all the other airport grasses in the applicable LOD area.I certainly agree with you that for the "fullest experience" in scenery design that we may benefit from using all or some of the other design softwares, based on their utility and our individual preference(s) but I do want to point-out that Apt26 is a very very easy to use and flexible tool. One cautionary drawback in using it is that we must realize that It's being maintained attempting to keep it compatible with the older versions of FS, For example, both You and Arno have pointed out that the Monitor3d command should have stopped with FS98. We must also realize that it's maintaining authors are doing it for free, for the benefit of freeware AND ALL designers. Also, they have jobs and schedules to keep and may make a few errors in the interface coding now and then but I notice they're usually faithful to correct it when users point them out. Thanks for listening.Best Regards; J.R.

[Guest]

I have Airport, and use it for some things...and I did learn how to avoid the automatic installation.That was my only turn-off, the auto installation deal. The rest is fine, just filled with bulk, like you pointed out...overhead. Please note, however, that the autoinstallation looks to be the root cause of the guy who started this thread, and the program makes it very easy to think that using this feature is recommended. Its fine if you like it, and I'm glad its available. Its just that scenery design has evolved, it used to be there was value in a bulky design product with many features. Now, I find I use these kind of programs only for placing macros. I find the bulk a bit more than I like to deal with. Each to their own.B