Taxiway Markings

[Guest BlueRidgeDx]

Hello all,I've done a search on the subject, but the answers I found aren't too clear. First, I want to design a new version of an existing FS2004 airport. Because I like accuracy, I'd like to use GMAX for it's precision. I've used other programs before (everything from SEE4, to FSSC), and to draw accurate taxiways with proper fillet radii, I have to create polygons, then hand-place thousands of individual vertices. Even, then, I have to fiddle with very unfriendly interfaces to place taxiway lines and markings...This whole desire is born out of frustration with AFCAD. I'm asking AFCAD to do too much, and I think I can get better results by using a true design tool. Here is a link to a few pictures of what I'm trying to accomplish with respect to complexity:http://www.flightsimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44976So it seems that GMAX, with its ability to easily reproduce complex shapes and curves, is the perfect choice to make my new scenery.Now, my GMAX skills are just barely good enough to create the nice curved taxiways that I'm looking for, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to implement my taxiway lines, nor the runway markings... :(I did manage to draw some taxiway centerlines, but they flash horribly within the GMAX viewports. I tried raising them up above the taxiway surface by a few inches, but it didn't help...Finally, to add insult to injury, I can't test my work, since I have no idea how to get the scenery from GMAX to FS2004. I know, that one is a RTFM problem. And I will...I just want to make some progress on the design first.Please help a determined noob! Thanks.Nick

[Guest seev_39]

Hi Nickgmax is an ideal tool for making ground and regular a/p signs.For ground signes use a 2 sided plane and apply the texture to one side only. raise it a little over the 0 line (1-2 inches is enough) and change the transparency to 99% to avoid shadow. export it to FS as all other gmax objects.For taxiway side signs make a box and apply black on all sides and the back side and the texture to the other side, you can add a pole if you wish.Now come the dificult part, how to place them correctly. I made for my LLBG ap (over 150 signs) a Rwy12 library and called it "LLBG signes". Then placed the signes one by one as any other Rwy12 library objects. When I uploaded the scenery I included the BGL and the textures, No need for the user to install Rwy12 program because the objects are no part of the available libraries. You can also place them by using XML but then you have a problem of location. This can be solved with running AFCAD and FS at the same time (it is axplained in the AFCAD tutorial).Here are exampes of the BMP textures;Side signshttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/133908.jpgGround signshttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/133909.jpghttp://www.sk-flightsim.com/

[Guest abent]

Rather than make a complicated plane model in GMAX for the taxiways, why not just make the texture of the taxiway with a gradient mask so your black areas are transparent and the edges feather away with the gradient? Place the whole texture on one single plane. Not sure about FS2004, but in FS2002 Gamepack, you can place gmax ground objects and eliminate the ground flashing by tweaking the .asm file by removing the shadow call. Then create the actual model for the taxiway lines. You can select the layer you want the object to display on.See the pics below of my Charlottetown scenery. If this is similar to what you are looking for, I'd be happy to help you. This is actually my first attempt at this. I owe a great deal to Arno Gerretsen of scenerydesign.org for showing me this stuff.Adamhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/133920.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/133921.jpg

[Guest seev_39]

Forgot to tell you one thing, you have to add "no crash" function to the ground signs. A tutorial is availale here:http://www.sk-flightsim.com/tutorials.htmlhttp://www.sk-flightsim.com/

[arno 1]

Hi Nick,GMax is not really perfect for ground polygons (and the Fs2004 gamepack certainly is not). But you can make it working. The best method to make ground polygons is to use the older Fs2002 gamepack. You then need to tweak the created ASM code to add a layer command. If you set that layer to different levels for your asphalt, markings, etc you can completely solve display problems. Placing them at small altitudes is only fooling FS (and yourself).With the Fs2004 gamepack it is very hard to make proper ground polygons, this is because the code used in the MDL objects is optimized for 3D objects and not for ground polygons.

[Guest KMTC]

Hey Adam, are there any tuturials on how to make taxiway textures like that?

[Guest abent]

Hi Matt,Not aware of any tutorials but if you know PSP7 or Photoshop it's not difficult. Placing it in GMAX is a few minute operation. Rather than get into a lengthy description here with pics, grab Skype and a headset. I do tutorials regularly on building simple structures in GMAX. I'd be glad to walk u through how to do this in PSP. Email me if you would like to do a tutorial.Adam