FSDS Design question.

[Guest Chief_Parrothead]

I am using FSDS v2.24 to design a unique macro.What I am attempting is a tree canopy limbo. What this entails is two trees placed about 170' apart with a canopy about 200' above the ground. The plane will then attempt to fly under the canopy without crashing.In FSDS I have set the project properties to crash detection 'off'. For the individual parts (trunk / canopy) I have set the part properties to crash detection 'on'. But when I compile the macro, the crash detection is on for the entire macro. The plane crashes when it goes in between the trunks.Here is a picture of what I am designing.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/81824.jpgAny help is appreciated.Thanks

[arno 1]

How did you place those tree textures? They look like transparant textures to me, but the crash detection will not notice that. Any part of the polygon, transparant or not, will give you a crash.

[Guest Chief_Parrothead]

I have tried using polygons with tranparent textures for the entire tree, but that only works if the crash detection is off for the entire project.I then attempted to make tubes and texture them with the trunk texture and then added polys for the canopy only with transparent textures. The tubes and polygons are maked crash detection 'on' in part properties but the project properties are set as crash detection 'off'. According to the help menu, this should yield the results, but it is not.

[arno 1]

OK, that sounds good.I have also noticed that sometimes the crash box of an aircraft is a bit too big. So this means that the gap you have to fly through needs to be a bit bigger then the actual size of the aircraft.Also, the crash method used by FSDS (not sure if this is also true for FSDS2 btw) can give you a crash in spot plane view, because the view point hits the crash box, while the aircraft does not. Maybe this also contributes to your problem.

[Guest Chief_Parrothead]

Quote" Also, the crash method used by FSDS (not sure if this is also true for FSDS2 btw) can give you a crash in spot plane view, because the view point hits the crash box, while the aircraft does not."That may be the problem. I will continue to work on it. Have also posted a thread with FSDS Help Desk and they did not have an immediate answer. They said they would get back to me on it, so Ill post the results here once I find out for sure.Thanks Arno!Todd LucasMargarita Air Club

[Guest gorchi]

Hi!Your problem lies in defining the crash box in FSDS. FSDS does not use the new CrashOctTree command and it just uses old crashbox. I persume You have two rectangular polygons in cross there and the crash box has its section the same from ground to the top. So even Your trees are narrow, almost unseable for first 200 feet and after that they widen up to let's say 40ft wide, the crash box will be 40ft wide at the bottom and at the top.The solution might be in defining two parts, one for the narrow part of the tree which has also narrower crash box and wider part for the upper part of the tree. Then You must set crash for EACH object not for the whole project!And two remarks though. If I were You and design the tree, then I would draw ONE, one sided polygon facing north (in top wiew, the normal of polygon would be pointing upwards). This face should be textured, all other polys are not useable.Then after exporting to API, You would get something like this:Area( 5 %1 %2 %3 )IfVarRange( ;ExitComplex 346 %4 5 )...; ShadowCall( ;PC02 ) <<< comment this, the shadows do look VERY ugly;PC02mif( %11 )RefPoint( 2 ...)melseRefpoint( 7 ...)mifendRotatedCall( ;B 0 0 %5 ):SkipReturnChange that RotatedCall( ;B 0 0 %5 ) to RotateToAircraft( ;B 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 )This way the tree will always rotate to the aircraft and if You comment out the ShadowCall(), there will not be any shadow on the ground and some frames spent. And yes, do substitute ; with : - they are here just because of smilies.Best regards,Goran BrumenFS Slovenija 2002 teamhttp://slovenia.avsim.net