How to start all of this...

[badderjet 181]

Well, I think I already fiddled around with sceneries, back in the days of Airport 2.1 and FSASM some years ago, what I'd like to know, what has changed? E. g. is SCASM still current and does it support FS9, I heard about BGLC, what is that? Is there any (beginners) tutorial how to make sceneries which are 'up to date' in the sense of being 100% FS8/FS9 compatible?Thanks,Etienne

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Etienne.SCASM is still the compiler of choice. Airport for Windows and FSSC are the main freeware uilities for placing objects and runways.BGLC is the MS compiler, but for most sceneries you don't need to understand it. GMax can make scenery objects, but there are placed at a Lat-Long by default. GMax can output ASM ( BGLC ) code, and that allows us to alter that code to make relocatable library objects from Gmax. EOD can still be used to make objects.BGLC is mainly used to make terrain for FS2002 and FS2004. Again, you don't really need to understand it's internal coding.Ground2K, CoastlineMaker, LWMDraw, Terrabuilder, Landclass Assistant, EZLandclass, and other programs use BGLC to compile terrain lines, polygons, land/water masking, landclass. Mesh is compiled using BGLC, but usually it involves hand coding an INF file, and is a little more technical than using the above programs.All these are freeware programs.I usually place library objects and effects with BGLC, using BGLPlacer, free from MS. SCASM and BGLC both create an identical machine language code that FS can read to create scenery. FS2004 is backwardly compatible to a large extent. Some older techniques may not work... we're in the process of sorting that out now.What you need to decide is exactly what you want to change or add, and work from there. And asking questions at AVSIM is a good idea once you have narrowed down your area of interest.There is no "universal" scenery design textbook. But by using the above programs, we can usually stumble onto the scenery tricks we need.Dick

[badderjet 181]

>Ground2K, CoastlineMaker, LWMDraw, Terrabuilder, Landclass>Assistant, EZLandclass, and other programs use BGLC to compile>terrain lines, polygons, land/water masking, landclass. Mesh>is compiled using BGLC, but usually it involves hand coding an>INF file, and is a little more technical than using the above>programs.>>All these are freeware programs.Hey Dick,first of all, thanks for the detailed insight. I am more interested in airport design than covering larger areas/meshes.I haven't heard anything from Airport for Windows for quite some time now. I think version 3 has been announced for ages, but it still does not seem to be released.Where to get the above stuff? You said all free, that's good for getting into it.Not a big problem if I had to learn some kind of new coding language, I am pretty used to that.Thanks so far,Etienne

[arno 1]

If you are interested in airports mainly I would try Airport (http://www.airportforwindows.com) or FSSC (http://www.avsim.com/fssc). And then you need some program for the objects and I would advice GMax there (comes with FS). At the moment I am working on some sort of BGLC tweak tutorial that gives examples of how to change GMax source files to get a specific effect.

[badderjet 181]

That's cool, Arno. I doubt FSSC will be the problem, but more gMax. I will have a look into it.