FS2004 scenery in FSX

[saabpilot 0]

So far:I have not yet noticed any adverse problems with FS9 AFCAD2 file in FSX at the one airport I have under construction. (ESSB).All runways, aprons and taxiways are generated from that AFCAD2 file.The FSX airport traffic, surrounding road traffic as well as the static airport vehicles all show up.Some of the default FSX static airport vehicles looks like they "sink" some 1-2 feet into the ground while others seem OK.Flattens compiled with scasm seems to work ok.Mesh res is set to same as Luis - 38m - it seems a slight overkill to use any denser if you do not have any extreme mesh installed.Sometimes there are problems with the taxiway lines, they become white instead of yellow on some PC:s, why I do not know.Also ground bitmaps with semitransparent textures seem not to work.XML taxiway signs compiled with the FS9 BGLcomp works OK, but get an ugly jet black backside. This might be easy to "repair" by instead compiling with the FSX BGLcomp.Bjorn

[ShezA 176]

It looks like there will have to be some workarounds and new tools to adjust the FS9 stuff to FSX. The good thing I see from your investigations is that the FS9 Bglcomp can be used in FSX. I guess it was too much to expect the FSX BGLComp to be compatible with FS9 stuff.Shez

[jvile 1]

LuisThanksYes 38m seems to be the magic number and gives me something to work with for the flattens.BjornEvery airport I have checked so far including ESSB has been shifted in FSX by so many Meters or the entire world shifted and the airport remained stationary.In order to see the problems this creates you must 1. Set the slider for Airport vehicle Density to Maximum2. Set the slider for Scenery Complexity to Extremely DenseThese setting assure that all the airport scenery is displaying prior to making changes. Now when you copy a af2_ESSB from FS9 into FSX you will see it does not work.1. Control Tower is now gone2. Red Blast fence that sits on the center of the parking ramp is gone.3. All Airport Buildings are in the wrong place based on the af2_ESSB bgl that was made with FS9.4. All Taxiway signs no longer align and some are sitting in the middle of the runway. The windsocks are on the runway also.5. All the ILS GUIDS are no longer aligned with the threshold of the runways6. Many airport buildings are sitting on taxiways.7. Ground traffic tracks cause vehicles to drive right through buildings and on the grass textures8. Airplane parking stands misaligned9. etc.These are just a few of the visuals that no longer align or have been removed by AFCAD.If by chance a Airport has updated freq's, changed runway numbers, night apron lighing, changes ILS Navdata, etc. this is the unseen scenery and AFCAD blocks this and replaces the default FSX data back to what FS9 had.Also if someone tries to update a more complex scenery airport (using a FS9 AFCAD) like KATL, EHAM, etc., all the default animated Jetways are removed. This is because FSX links the Jetways to the parking spot and AFCAD knows nothing about that type parking spot or its XML data. I am not sure what you are working with but I can assure you a AFCAD for FS9 in most cases is not working correctly with FSX by using copy/paste.

[arno 1]

Hi Jim,>The model data that we were compiling in FS9 such as your>Jetway mdl's are not recoginzed by the FSX BGLCOMP compiler.>Error messages are saying those are not FSX mdl's. The element>line statements also require removing the>name="b5dee8749cbd1c549016f1ad5c7f6a00" but the sourcefile=>line must stay. My work around (as a temp) was to compile>using FS9's BGLcompiler and then copy the scenery into FSX.>That part still works.As already noted the GUID notation has changed (but that is only in the XML code, in the binary code they are the same). The major difference is that the GUID is stored in the MDL in the FsX MDL format. So that means it can be put in when the designers exports his object and he does not have to "find" a GUID when he adds it to the XML file.

[saabpilot 0]

Jim,Thanks for your clarification.Very interesting findings.What may cause a problem for us is what you mention as the "unseen" scenery.But what I meant was that a revised FS9 AFCAD2 + an exclude seemingly work as usual at least what I can see visually.That is - you can use Lee Swordys AFCAD2 to create a new and revised runway/taxiway/apron system usable in FSX.I fully agree with you that you cannot copy/paste any FS9 AFCAD into FSX and believe to get any result :-)It was my intention to use such a method in conjunction with new recreated 3D objects including signs.This is neccessary since none of the 3D objects or signs shows up correct to the degree we want them with the exception of the taxiway/runway system.You made me think of another possible approach that might could solve the eventual problems with "hidden" features in the blocked FSX data. Is it possible at the moment to write an exclude that takes away all 3D objects and approachlights, but leaves the runways/taxiways/aprons intact? E.g. use the FSX efault "Afcad" for the airport "bottom".Bjorn

[jvile 1]

Thanks ArnoI fiqured that the name= was put somewhere else so it no longer needed to be listed for the BGLComp compiler. I also read the other post on Mesh that helps me understand what FSX is doing with the Mesh Complexity. I missed that post completely.BjornWhat caught my attention was when you said you haven't noticed any adverse problems and this is ture if all the sliders are turn down in FSX.I am still trying to fiqure out how to revise a FS9 Afcad into FSX. Because we can't open a AFCAD airport in FSX there is no way of knowing where the taxiways or anything is placed. It is too hard to revise a FS9 airport using AFCAD then place it into FSX because nothing is going to align except the runway. Runway and Start Locations at most airports still use the same Lat/Lon that were in FS9.My testing is not about trying to make it work but when we start seeing FSX AFCAD's showup on Web Sites we will know it won't work until the fsdeveloper group get a tool working. Also if we know what AFCAD does to FSX the tool designers can work around those issues.Many scenery designers never consider the unseen scenery in FS9. The same thing is going to happen in FSX. Using a FS9 AFCAD in FSX just compounds the problem. Airport scenery controls the airspace within 110NM radius of the airport. This is some of what I mean when I say unseen scenery. Exclusions are honored by FSX if you just copy and paste the bgl. However, the BGLComp FSX compiler no longer allows for a decimal value to be used such aslatitudeMinimum = "33.6260341676548"If this type format is used the compiler creates a error code. There are utilities that use this decimal format. The SDK shows what formats are accepted. I personally prefered this format because based on the decimal place it was more accurate and drifting of scenery was minimual. I am looking at changing the schema file in FSX to accept this decimal format so I don't have to re-write every single bgl I have designed.

[saabpilot 0]

Jim,"I am still trying to fiqure out how to revise a FS9 Afcad into FSX. Because we can't open a AFCAD airport in FSX there is no way of knowing where the taxiways or anything is placed. It is too hard to revise a FS9 airport using AFCAD then place it into FSX because nothing is going to align except the runway. Runway and Start Locations at most airports still use the same Lat/Lon that were in FS9."For me it does not matter - a revision is a complete redraw of the taxiways and aprons.This I can manage in FS9 with Afcad2 and e.g. a calibrated ortophoto "scenery" aligned correct with the runway.The new AFCAD taxiways/aprons will show at their exact locations as seen in FS9, since the runway end coordinates is the "calibration" tool and since it has not changed the taxiways and aprons in the AFCAD will be at their right coordinates too.But, true, when turning the FSX scenery sliders up or ticking the "airport vehicles" I do see some strangely placed tow-trucks and the like, so there is a need for a tip from someone more clever than me how to exclude those.Bjorn

[jvile 1]

bjorn>a calibrated ortophoto "scenery" aligned correct with the runway.>Not familiar with this photo.Can you elaborate?

[rhumbaflappy 113]

However, the BGLComp FSX compiler no longer allows for adecimal value to be used such aslatitudeMinimum = "33.6260341676548"If this type format is used the compiler creates a error code.This is not my experience. I'm using decimal degreess just fine. Do you have a WindowsXP regional setting that is NOT USA?Can you zip and attach a couple of small XML files that do not compile with BGLComp for FSX?Dick

[jvile 1]

Thank you DickWindows was the problemI thought I was going have to replace all my decimals with a different format but it is working now.

[saabpilot 0]

Jim,Ortophotos are aerial photos corrected for scale/lens errors, nowadays freely available for personal use on Google Earth.They can be used to make a temporary photoscenery which will be scale and area correct and with the use of e.g. FSconnect and Afcad 2 you can then with extremely high precision put out the taxiways and aprons in AFCAD2.Bjorn

[Guest cwright]

>Hi Shez.>>I may have found out how to display FS9 VTP polys and lines in>FSX ( thought to have been broken ). I'll need a few days to>test it, but it looks good so far.Hi Dick, Is there any news on this? My scenery works in FSX except for one problem: the VTP lines don't show...Best regards, Chris