Terrain Designing

[wsieffert 0]

I have spent most of the past 3 1/2 years designing things above the default terrain. I am using SceneGenX to redo Orlando Executive (KORL) to replicate the actual airport for FS2004. Most of the changes are taxiways, aprons, and buildings since the runways are correctly located. The biggest issue for me is the Autogen placed on the Southeast area of the airport with the Control Tower buried in the middle of the Autogen. This area is actually fairly barren and the control tower in certainly not surrounded by buildings.The airport skirting allows for the autogen to fill in this area. I used LWMViewer to looked at and decompile the source of the associated ABxxxxx.bgl for this area. I found the area in question and used TCalc2004OnTop to slew around this area for the various points. I then modified the points and recompiled the file to observe the results. The modification provided the desired results. However, since this is a modified ABxxxxx.bgl, I don't want to provide this as part of my package, if and when I upload it.I have some questions:1. If one doesn't modify the default terrain files, do replacement files require terrain exclusion functions similar to 3D scenery exclusions?2. Can a terrain file contain several elements, such as airport skirting, roads, water, exclusions, etc similar to 3D scenery files?3. Can terrain files be placed in the same third party addon folder as the 3D scenery files? I used DefArea to eliminate some terrain generated High Tension Electrical Poles for Orlando International's (KMCO) new RW 17L/35R and placed this exclusion file in the same folder with the 3D Scenery files with no problems.4. If the terrain file calls a default texture, will placing a Texture folder in a third party addon folder cause any problems, i.e., memory holes.W. Sieffert

[arno 1]

>1. If one doesn't modify the default terrain files, do>replacement files require terrain exclusion functions similar>to 3D scenery exclusions?What kind of replacement files are you talking about here? If you are happy with the default terrain I would say there is no reason to exclude them.>2. Can a terrain file contain several elements, such as>airport skirting, roads, water, exclusions, etc similar to 3D>scenery files?Yes, I think they can, but in the default scenery MS has splitted it all in different files and most designers follow this standard.>3. Can terrain files be placed in the same third party addon>folder as the 3D scenery files? I used DefArea to eliminate>some terrain generated High Tension Electrical Poles for>Orlando International's (KMCO) new RW 17L/35R and placed this>exclusion file in the same folder with the 3D Scenery files>with no problems.Yes, you can place them all in one folder. Should work correct.>4. If the terrain file calls a default texture, will placing>a Texture folder in a third party addon folder cause any>problems, i.e., memory holes.I think this is only the case for lanclass, I have not noticed it with VTP poylgons either.

[wsieffert 0]

Hi Arno,>1. If one doesn't modify the default terrain files, do>replacement files require terrain exclusion functions similar>to 3D scenery exclusions?What kind of replacement files are you talking about here? If you are happy with the default terrain I would say there is no reason to exclude them.What I am talking about here is making the airport skirting the way it should be vice the was it is in the default ABxxxxx.bgl. I would copy the information from the default file into a new file, make the appropiate point changes/additions and compile into a *.bgl.For 3D objects, an exclusion file might be necessary so the default 3D doesn't show through the new scenery. I didn't know if terrain acted the same way, in that, part of the default skirting that I didn't want might show around the new skirting.W. Sieffert

[arno 1]

Ah, now I understand it. I think you can best use a VTP Exclude (made with DefArea for example) to remove the default grass and then make a new polygon like you want it to be. That should work fine. You end up with those files in that case, the exclude and a file with the new polygon.

[Guest luissa]

>What I am talking about here is making the airport skirting>the way it should be vice the was it is in the default>ABxxxxx.bgl. I would copy the information from the default>file into a new file, make the appropiate point>changes/additions and compile into a *.bgl.Hello,For VTP2 scenery (VTP2 polys for airport skirts, VTP2 lines for roads ...) you could take one of these 2 approaches:1a) Set the "VTP replace/coexist" flag to "replace"1b) Use the same layer as the default1c) change complete Areas (not parts of Areas = LOD1s3)1d) and you have both the exclusion and the reworked/new stuff in a single BGL.2a) make a VTP exclusion BGL and name it as 000_FILE.BGL2b) change complete Areas (not parts of Areas = LOD1s3)2c) make a BGL for this reworked/new stuff and name it as 111_FILE.BGL2d) and you can place both files in the same folder.I hope this is helpful,Regards, Luis

[wsieffert 0]

Hi Luis,When I open the ABxxxxx.bgl in LWMViewer, with the LOD13 Gridlines ON, then I need to include everything within the boundaries of one LOD13 cell in my new file, if I understand you correctly.For instance, AB926210.BGL, Cell 210x174 contains numerous airport skirtings. I would need to copy the entire cell, modify my particular airport skirting, then compile this to a new file.W. Sieffert

[edgarone 0]

Hello W.Sieffert,I think, it would be the easiest way to follow Arnos advise: simply exclude the unwanted VTP layers via an exclude-bgl created with DefArea (or with Ground2k4) and create new VTP bgls with a tool like Ground2k.Although it is possible to put everything in one bgl file, the tools I know create several bgls (at least the exclude and the vtp bgl).When you put them into the same addon folder, you must ensure that the exclude bgl is processed first. Otherwise it would exclude your scenery too. Therefore the suggestion from Luis with the filenames: The bgl files are processed in alphabetic order - 000* before 111* .The advise about changing an area is due to the fact, that the exclude command excludes the VTP objects of an area (you cannot form exclude polygons).Try to exclude all areas, which contain the wrong airport polygons (if I remember correctly, it's layer 7) and create new VTP polygons as replacement with a tool like Ground2k. Put these bgl files in the scenery sub folder of your addon.There should be no need to modify any default scenery files.Best regards,Edgar

[Guest luissa]

>Hi Luis,>>When I open the ABxxxxx.bgl in LWMViewer, with the LOD13>Gridlines ON, then I need to include everything within the>boundaries of one LOD13 cell in my new file, if I understand>you correctly.Hi W. Sieffert,Yes correct. If there are, for example, 2 airport skirtings in the Area (=LOD13 square) and you only need to change/edit one of them, you need to copy the other one (the one you do not want to change) to the new file project. The reason is that exclusions work based on Area and Layer. Even if your graphical tool to exclude VTP elements is capable of drawing an exclusion polygon around the default airport polygon (the one you need to edit), EVERYTHING in that AREA and placed at that LAYER (both default airport skirts use the same layer) will be excluded.>For instance, AB926210.BGL, Cell 210x174 contains numerous>airport skirtings. I would need to copy the entire cell,>modify my particular airport skirting, then compile this to a>new file.You will be lucky if the polygon to edit is the only one on its Area (not Cell. One Cell = 32 x 32 Areas). In that case you forget about the default. You just create a new VTP BGL and use an exclude file.May be you will be interested to know that my next update of SBuilder reads VTP and LWM default BGL files. You could open AB926210.BGL, select the polygon you need (plus any that exist in the same Area) with the mouse, Invert Selection and press Delete. This will retain just what you need. Then you can insert/change points on the polygon, redefine the texture if needed and so one. If you have set the "VTP replace" flag, the compiled BGL not only will create the modified polygon but would exclude the polygon(s) in that Area.Kind Regards, Luis

[wsieffert 0]

Hi Luis,You next SBuilder version sounds like the ticket. I loaded SB201 when I started my terrain investigation the other day. It and the Island Tutorial gave me some of the information I needed. LWMViewer also provided me with a lot of good information.I was wondering if ever thought about importing your *.scm file. I see an import function but it looks for your *.sbx file vice the source file. W. Sieffert

[Guest luissa]

>I was wondering if ever thought about importing your *.scm>file. I see an import function but it looks for your *.sbx>file vice the source file.Hi,I was refering to append BGL files. They become your editing objects as any others that you create manually. Please check your email.Regards, Luis