mini DTM runway project - sloped runways

[Team_P3DSpacePort 6]

YEs, they are, as this module produces a default style mesh. The surfaces will behave exactly the same as the underlying default meshMisho

[Guest pecrowther]

I wonder if hardening surfaces consumes a lot of processor time? I guess we'll find out and, if necessary, cut down the number of hardened surfaces.Phil

[Guest bones]

The data for this is available but I'm not sure how easy it is to obtain for each country.As part of the airfield licensing each airport has to provide data on obstacles around the airport and, more specifically, within the the approach areas. Runway elevations are included in this and a profile shown of the changing gradients.In the UK the chart is called a Type A chart but this is not published - it is only used to provide data for the UK AIP. Other countries (Ireland is one example) are better and the Type A chart is included in the AIP data.The information is there - it is just a matter of luck whether you can get hold of it or not.An example of a Type A chart (for EGPC Wick, Scotland) can be found at http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/64/DAP_ACD_TYPEA_EGPC1.pdfEdited to add a further link..A full list of UK Type A charts can be found at the following page:http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?category...=68&groupid=787I hope other countries are as helpful.

[Guest pecrowther]

Christian,I am not going to let this topic die :)I have converted the taxiways and runways on my Tinian airfield to gmax and am going through the slow process of cloning and hardening each of the segments. For example, each runway is 8500 ft long and has 66 segments. I have completed one runway and, so far, everything is working fine. The aircraft is taxing on top of the runway and is not sinking in - a major improvement. I will upload it to the board when I am done, so you can try out a "real world" runway.On a completely different topic, can you harden an animated object? For example, on a static aircraft carrier, if would be neat to add a little motion to the ship.Thanks,Phil

[Guest knnygar]

>Dick, the platforms in GMax are not really suitable for this.>If you use too many in one area you get strange crashes of FS>on exit. And also there is a limit of the amount you can use>in one MDL file (compilation will fail).>Does anyone have any more info on this problem?I have made my local airport in Gmax with sloping runway, but I get the crash when exiting FS.The runway platform has 235 faces in Gmax.I have used VTP3 polygons to flatten the terrain under the runway.

[Guest christian]

Sorry for the silence. I was busy with finishing 2 other projects and will be still for another couple of weeks, but then I'm quite keen to get back to this.My plan was to use LWM3 polys as surface hardening. In regards to how to do this, theoretically, you could have a poly every 4.8m if you're using the default LWM resolution. In practice, most contries don't publish mini DTMs for their runways, but SRTM is quite a good source for that. There usually are no builtup areas or forests right on the runways or aprons, so those heights should be fairly accurate. If you have extra measurements (eg the NZ AIPs give the heights at each end) you can calibrate the SRTM data easily...Misho, you're tool looks great. Would it be possible to integrate LWM3 poly into that, so when exporting one would have 2 data sets - gmax and LWM3 for hardening the slopes?The big remaining question is how does AI paths affect this? Has anyone tried? Some people say when adding a taxi layout for AI aircraft everything gets flattened again, which would be a serious drawback...Good work so far guys, I'll have a play myself shortly... looking forward to see what other people have come with so far.Cheers,Christian

[Guest statto]

I just completed my AFCAD this morning for Davis-Monthan AFB and yes, if you add AFCAD taxiways everything is flattened at the elevation that you specify, sometimes badly so.For instance, I added taxiway Echo to the scenery, it goes a ways to the east and outside the default flat switch for the airport.The way I added it, the taxiway branches off outside the default flat area, so that one taxiway goes to the west end of an apron and the other taxiway runs parallel to the apron (about 50 feet away) and joins up with the east end of the apron. In between the taxiway and the apron, there is about a 40-foot high hill where FS didn't automatically flatten it.The possible way around this is the apron taxiways. I don't know if FS flattens them or not - if it doesn't, though, you'll have to have an AI AFCAD and then an underlying concrete layer. If FS does, then your sloped airport will not be able to handle AI.However, your airport would have to be without any taxiway or apron surface (though you could somehow do this, but not using AFCAD or XML).I believe X-Plane has sloped runway capability?

[Guest christian]

>I just completed my AFCAD this morning for Davis-Monthan AFB>and yes, if you add AFCAD taxiways everything is flattened at>the elevation that you specify, sometimes badly so.Not good news. Just to confirm, it uses the airport elevation (taxiways don't have elevations specified with them)?>I believe X-Plane has sloped runway capability?Indeed it does, but i don't know how well it works.Christian

[arno 1]

As I wrote :), when you have too many FS will crash when you quit (so it is not really a super worse crash). I have tried a lot to find out why this happens, but it seems there is nothing you can do about it, it is just a bug in FS. The only thing that helps is to reduce the amount of platforms you use.