AFCAD as a scenery design tool

[Guest]

Most of us probably use AFCAD (if you use it at all) to add more parking to default airports to accomodate more & more realistic AI, but I was reading the AFCAD docs this afternoon and realized that it's potentially a very, very, powerful tool for all sorts of scenery work, even the small 'bush' strips that so many of us build.Lee Swordy writes: "The facility data is completely independent from the visual scenery, so it doesn

[Guest]

Here's some working AFCAD code to demonstrate. This uses Ken's Rhumba Lake scenery, and adds the runway to 2k2 without sacrificing it's unlevelled bumpy nature! There's a start point at each end of the runway, but because they're at different altitudes, there's no problem with the sloping runway. There's also one GA parking spot, if you want to use that.With the water runways in Rhumba Lake itself, I've done something a bit different. There's two runways laid out (one N-S, one E-W) BUT the start points aren't on the actual 'runways'! Instead they're next to the docks of the four lodges on the shores of Rhumba Lake. The two runways also show up on GPS, which will help you find the lake on dark and stormy days.The airport code for the whole setup is AKRB.Finally, I've moved the Tower viewpoint to the best airplane viewing spot near Rhumba Lake: the roof of the large lodge next to the airstrip. You can see the whole lake from here, but if you're under 18 expect to get yelled at by your Mom for being on the roof!Cut and paste everything between the ;///// into a text file and name it something like "AKRB.txt"; import the txt into AFCAD and save to bring it into FS2k2. Take a look around and tell me what you think!Brian.;///////////////////; Flight Simulator Airport AKRB (Rhumba Lake); File generated by AFCAD Version 1.3.2; HomeFile( "alaseafd.bgl" );Set( fsvers 0x800 )Header( 1 N61:28.7835 N61:23.0038 W149:15.1182 W149:24.3390 )AI_Border( N61:28.7835 N61:23.0038 W149:15.1182 W149:24.3390 )Container( APT 1 ) APLocation( N61:26.0399 W149:19.9799 1554.00 ) ICAO_ID( AKRB ) ;---- Runways and associated ILS units RwyLoc( N61:26.0373 W149:19.9751 473.66 271.000 25.0 2100 150 N 25 DIRT 0x50 304.8 ) RwyLoc( N61:25.8149 W149:19.7585 471.53 222.000 25.0 2000 250 N 37 WATER 0x50 304.8 ) RwyLoc( N61:25.8210 W149:19.5031 471.53 261.000 25.0 3000 250 N 38 WATER 0x50 304.8 ) ;---- Marker Beacons (if any) ;---- Helipads (if any) ;---- Communications ;---- Start Locations SetupLoc( N61:26.0365 W149:19.6462 471.83 271.0 1 N 25 ) SetupLoc( N61:26.0419 W149:20.3156 478.54 91.0 1 N 7 ) SetupLoc( N61:26.0842 W149:19.1415 471.53 172.7 1 N 37 ) SetupLoc( N61:25.7036 W149:19.7675 471.53 332.1 1 N 41 ) SetupLoc( N61:25.8033 W149:19.2171 471.53 321.0 1 N 38 ) SetupLoc( N61:25.9645 W149:19.6767 471.53 146.8 1 N 42 ) ;---- Control Tower Tower( N61:25.9889 W149:19.7927 486.16 0 ) ;---- Taxiway and Parking data AI_DataStart TaxiwayPoints( 0 -316.17 3.28 0 325.45 -6.45 0 253.35 -5.36 0 -5.35 -645.16 0 397.72 -188.43 0 -30.24 -475.57 0 872.55 -332.19 ) Positions( 252.71 21.56 10.00 180.0 0x00200081 ) TaxiwayPath( 1 30.5 500000 2 0 0 1.0 0 1 30.5 500000 2 1 0 1.0 0 1 30.5 500000 3 4 0 1.0 1 1 30.5 500000 5 6 0 1.0 2 2 30.5 500000 2 0 0 1.0 0 ) TaxiwayNames( " " ) AI_DataEndEndCNameList( 409 ) NameEntry( REGION 0 "North America" ) NameEntry( COUNTRY 0 "United States" ) NameEntry( STATE 0 "Alaska" ) NameEntry( CITY 0 "Rhumba Lake" ) NameEntry( AIRPORT 1 "Rhumba Lake" )EndNL;///////////////////////////////////////////

[Holger 0]

Hi Brian:great ideas! I'll check out your AFCAD files as soon as I'm done doing with final testing and uploading of my BC terrain mesh.I'm also working on AFCAD files and flightplans for most of southern BC's airfields (I hope to upload those withing the next 10 days) and it includes an AFCAD file for Michael Carr's great Blizzard Run (Quadra Island) scenery. The airfield doesn't exist in the MS default scenery but I had no problem getting it set up in AFCAD. Now I have small aircraft bumping up and down the runway/main street.A common problem I encounter with making AFCAD files for small airfields is that it can be VERY tricky to make the aircraft taxi exactly where you want them to. If taxiways and parking spots are close to one another they make AI pilots take shortcuts, wrong turns, or taxi through buildings. Moreover, aircraft have different turn radii, so some of them don't line up well on narrow airstrips or miss taxiways. In other words, it takes a lot of testing and watching AI aircraft.Cheers, Holger