Ground 2K4 Query...

[Guest abent]

Can I use G2K4 without having to put a background image into it? I would just like to draw the roads by hand while looking at a map. The problem, believe it or not, is that I don't have a compatible word processing program on my computer so I don't get any of the illustrations in Ground 2K4 for Beginners. It makes it kinda hard to figure out. I was experiencing frustration trying to get it working with a background image.This will be the finishing touch on 4 airport sceneries that I will release soon. Well, except for the AI. Here's a few pics of my latest 'little' project - CYQD...Thanks, Adamhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/67494.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/67495.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/67496.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/67497.jpg

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Adam.Ground2K for Beginners is now in HTM format... just view it as a web page:http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?DLID=...luis&CatID=RootTo use Ground2K4 without a map, just make a fake map with MS Paint. Make an image 2000x2000 pixels, 256 colors, all white, and save as a bitmap ( Ref.bmp ).Then start Ground2k4, new, load the Ref.bmp and give it some lat/long coordinates for the corners.Dick

[Guest abent]

Thank you very much Dick. I will implement your described method.Cheers, Adam

[Guest Tony_A]

Hi Adam, After looking at your screen shots, I think you may get a better result by using AFCAD2 to place your roads around your airport. Ground2K roads would probably be too "blurry" close up but if you use AFCAD2 to put in taxiways as roads you will get much sharper edges and rounder curves. Depends how far from the airport you wan to extend your roads. I am working on a country airport scenery where I have put in Ground2K dirt roads and then added AFCAD2 taxiways over the top of them. I've still got a bit of work to do but the result does look fairly good as a narrow country road. Tony

[Guest Tony_A]

Hi again Adam, Pardon my ignorance, I meant to compliment you on your scenery. It puts my efforts way back in the field when it comes to detail. I'll attempt to attach a screen shot of what I was referring to in my last post. I use "Cellgrid" to create backgrounds for both AFW and Ground2K4 to work on my sceneries. If you go to top-down view then slew to the top right, bottom left of the LOD cells that cover the area you're working on and note the positions and LOD cell numbers in FS9 and then use the screen shot in Ground2K4, after trimming to size in your graphics program so that your picture fits the LOD cells exactly, and using the co-ords you can get a good representation of the FS9 version of the airport area. I usually then load up the best map I can find and by trial and error try to get it to the same scale then copy it and add it as a new layer to the screen shot image then change transparency of the layer until it looks like something I can work with and use the result as my background image. It's a bit clumsy and a bit of trial and error but works for me..... Tony

[Guest abent]

Thank you Tony, Your roads look ideal for my scenery. I really like them and would love that 'effect' in my scenery. I'm attaching a pic of what I did with GMAX (unless we reached the pic limit already). I tried to match the color with the surrounding 'natural environment'. The problem is that as soon as the elevation changes (leave the flatten area of the airport), the roads start to float above or go below the ground. Plus, as you say, the curves look way better in yours. It's too much work trying to do every curve in GMAX. Will AFCAD2, which I do use, make the road snap to the ground so to speak? I dunno, I got really frustrated with Ground 2K4 and I don't relish going back to it but I will if I can get the results you do in conjunction with AF2. I was just hoping I could use FSConnect and just load up FS and draw away. All this overlay and sizing stuff seems like a pain in the butt. Also, I have searched extensively and cannot get a map of the area for which I want to do anyway.I still have to map some of the textures on the road to make them less stretchy and more uniform, though this may be moot anyway if I go your route.Thanks again, Adamhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/67666.jpg

[Guest Tony_A]

Hi Adam, The AFCAD roads/taxiways will sit on the surface and not float, or I should say they do in the scenery I've done. It is a relatively flat area. I haven't tried to lay them on a hilly area. If you use just the AFCAD taxiways as roads you could get the problem of autogen trees etc. poking through them which you would have to exclude. The G2K4 roads exclude the autogen scenery. The AFCAD "roads" without the G2K4 underneath (and slightly wider) look too perfect for my liking. Once you get used to using Cellgrid to make your backgrounds for G2K4 I think you'll find that it'w worth the tinkering around... Tony