How to Create Waypoints in FS?

[CPA156 0]

Hey guys am trying to create the new RNAV procedures for VHHH and I need to add 2 new waypoints, they are:RAMEN N22 09.7 E114 05.2RUMSY N22 04.9 E113 48.3CheersPatrick

[mgh 89]

Create a .xml file using Notepad (see following example for a single waypoint) and save it in the folder containing bglcomp.exe and bglcomp.xsd from the BGLCOMP SDK.Compile it using bglcomp.exe to get a .bgl file with the same name as the .xml file. You can compile by simply dragging the .xml file onto bglcomp.exe. However, if there's an error in the .xml file you won't get the .bgl file and you won't get an error message. In this case use Command Prompt having changed to the folder containing the files as "...bglcomp .xml"Copy the .bgl file to C:Program FilesMicrosoft GamesFlight Simulator 9Addon ScenerysceneryThen run FS.Example code follows:Repeat the code from inclusive for each waypoint you want to create.I found that it's necessary to include the airport ident information to get it to compile but I don't think it matters which airport it is. The example given in the SDK won't compile in isolation.

[CPA156 0]

Hey thnx for the info just one question, how do you get the lats and longs to be so precise like:lat="52.087500"lon="-0.318167"cheers

[mgh 89]

Nothing magic. I just converted by dividing decimal minutes by 60 and adding the result to the degrees. To 6 decimal places yours would becomeN22.161667 W114.086667N22.081667 W113.805000

[Guest visualflight]

BGLCOMP is quite flexible in the formats it will accept for latitudes and longitudes, so you are not tied into one particular format if you already have the data in another, and there is often no need to convert.One very handy format is:N000* 00' 00.0000W000* 00' 00.0000i.e DDD MM SS.ssssThe reason this is handy is that you can get FS2002/FS2004 to display the onscreen co-ordinates (Shift-Z) in this format by adding a line DISPLAY_FRACTIONAL_MINUTES=0 to the MAIN section of FS9.CFG/FS2002.CFG. This is a lot more accurate than the default co-ordinate display, and can be read directly from the screen if you are using FS itself (e.g. Top-Down view) to position objects.Also, this format is the format used in saved flights (*.FLT) to save the current position etc, so can be copied and pasted from there if that suits your way of working.IMPORTANTWhen using this format in a BGLCOMP XML file:1. You MUST surround it in double quotation marks.2. You MUST skip the final double quote (the seconds indicator) from the co-ordinate itself in order that you do not end up with two double quotes at the end.3. You MUST replace the normal circular degree symbol with an asterisk.Get any of the above wrong and your XML will not be valid, i.e. will not compile. See the example below for how to apply the above three rules.EXAMPLElatitudeMinimum = "N052* 52' 18.2979" latitudeMaximum = "N052* 52' 18.3047"longitudeMaximum = "W002* 32' 03.3214" longitudeMinimum = "W002* 32' 04.8291"As I've said, this is just one example of an acceptable format for the co-ordinates, but hopefully a useful one for the reasons I've described.John FarrieVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.nethttp://www.visualflight.net/london/images/signature.jpg

[mgh 89]

You are quite right.However, I had to make the change from Imperial to SI years ago so now I prefer to stick to rational units with decimal places ;)

[Guest visualflight]

I've no problem with that.(Posted at 2005.8353500761035007610350076104) :-)JohnVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.nethttp://www.visualflight.net/london/images/signature.jpg

[mgh 89]

There's always one isn't there? ;)

[Guest visualflight]

Unfortunately yes, and on this occasion it's me! :-)Actually, I'm a bit of a pedant on the side, and I have some further thoughts on this which may possibly be of interest to the wider scenery design community (or not, as the case may be). Please don't take any of this the wrong way - it's intended as expostulation rather than criticism:Patrick asked how to get the co-ordinates to be "so precise" as your decimal co-ordinates. In fact, the most precise representation of his co-ordinates is the format they were given in. By converting them to decimal, precision is lost, particularly as a couple of the results involve recurring numbers.In this particular instance the loss of precision is almost certainly entirely academic as the original co-ordinates are only specified to one decimal place of a minute, corresponding to approx 170m-180m on the ground (varies N-S, E-W), but technically at least, the most precise way for Patrick to enter the information into the XML file is to leave it formatted as closely as possible to the original, i.e.:lat="N22* 09.7"lon="E114* 05.2"orlat="N22* 09.7'"lon="E114* 05.2'"(the difference between the above being the minute 'ticks' which are optional for BGLCOMP)Sticking as closely as possible to the original format also helps prevent transcription errors (e.g. "E" to "W") or errors in the calculations themselves. When the conversion is unnecessary, can the risk of human error be justified simply in order to replace one system of units with another? (I won't even mention the extra work involved).I didn't really fully explain my point about the increased accuracy of setting FS to display fractional seconds rather than fractional minutes:For anyone using FS to position scenery or scenery objects, the maximum positional resolution using the default FS onscreen display is approx 18m (at the geographic position Patrick cited). That may be accurate enough for many scenery projects, but someone doing a finely detailed airport scenery or trying to line up more than one scenery object more precisely, an increase in accuracy may be desirable or even necessary. By setting the onscreen display to show decimal seconds (DISPLAY_FRACTIONAL_MINUTES=0), the positional accuracy of the onscreen readout is increased to approx 0.003m (at the location in question), far better than is realistically needed or useable in FS itself (I assume), but at least it gives someone trying to align an apron light onto a particular pixel of a VTP poly (for example) the accuracy they need.My advice to scenery designers in general would be this:1. If you have source information in a particular format, leave it in that format if at all possible, Conversion is hard work and may introduce errors, and BGLCOMP (and MakeMDL and BGLC for that matter) are flexible enough to take the most common formats (with the provisos I described in my original post).2. If you are acquiring positional information via FS itself, set it to display fractional seconds and use the resulting more accurate format for entering data into XML files etc.Obviously you know your own needs and preferences in this area, and can make your own decisions (as I've said, none of the above is intended as criticism), but I thought the additional information may possibly be useful to someone else reading this thread.JohnVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.netPS. The SI unit of angular measurement is radians. I'm not sure where that leaves us! :-)http://www.visualflight.net/london/images/signature.jpg

[CPA156 0]

Hey GuysThanks for all the help, This is what i came up with but BGLComp doesn't accept it, is there a lot wrong?all the bestPatrick Rostron

[Guest visualflight]

Patrick Almost there. You just need to lose the backslash from near the end of the first line and it will compile OK.John

[CPA156 0]

Cheers MatePatrick

[mgh 89]

No offence taken :)Your post contains valuable information. I'm a VFR Photographic Scenery and Terrain user so I'd expect that.

[Guest visualflight]

I suspect we've already chatted on the Visual Flight Forums. Nice to meet up somewhere else for a change. :-)JohnVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.nethttp://www.visualflight.net/london/images/signature.jpg

[mgh 89]

Yes we did a while ago. :)