Traffic Database Builder?

[Guest Hugo]

Hi all,I'm trying to give a shot at Traffic Database Builder to see it could be set to produce adequate traffic to for floatplane, mainly having them to actualy float and not roll or slide on water surface. Something that Ttools fails to acheive in its present form, as it doesn't handle the surface type parameter in its airport datads as TDB can and does. Shure whish that Ttools would be updated to tame that switch as well. This prog is so convivial where the SDK so dry!Now before I can do anything with Traffic Database Builder, I have to be able to, at least, execute the command line properly! Something that stills eludes me. :-(I have put all the SDK files into a single Directory (TrafSDK) to which I have attached a subdir (Stats)Then I made a .bat file that contains this single command line :TrafficDatabaseBuilder/Airports=airports.dat/AircraftTypes=AircraftTypes.dat/StatsDir=c:trafSDKstats/Output=traffic.bglNormaly this should (in my mind at least) produce a traffic. bgl files to be placed into the directory and some txt ones, among which AirportSchedule.txt, in the subdir.When I go to DOS and run the bat file it seams it works. At the end a Command Usage screen appears and the prog ends without reporting errors. But when I look in the directory and its sub, I don't see any added file.Could someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?Thanks,Hugo

[Guest]

Hi Hugo,If your folder TrafSDK is on drive c: just add in your batch file AutoRoute=yes before /StatsDir,you can omit the drive letter c: in the following parameter/StatsDir=trafSDKstatsDo not forget to put a blank between each parameter.In the subdir "stats" you should have after running the batch command 7 files:aircraft.txtairportCoords.txtairportLabels.pltairportSchedule.txtairportStats.txtInstanceCounts.txtCells.txtFSMIC

[Guest Hugo]

Thanks FSMIC for the reply.I had just found the exact way to write it down. 'Been few years I hadn't tackle DOS commands and realy got quite rotten at it ;-)Here's the proper way to write it downTrafficDatabaseBuilder_/Airports=Airports.dat_/AircraftTypes=AircraftTypes.dat_/StatsDir=c:trafSDKstats_/Output=traffic.bglHere the underscore "_" actualy represents a space (blank caracter) that should precedes the "/"Here's how the command should look in DOS :TrafficDatabaseBuilder /Airports=Airports.dat /AircraftTypes=AircraftTypes.dat /StatsDir=c:trafSDKstats /Output=traffic.bglEverything then works fine. traffic.bgl is compile and save properly. By its size 11,087 Mb which is precisely the size of the original one. So, I think, one can assume the dat files that come with the SDK are the same that were used to create the original.>In the subdir "stats" you should have after running the batch command 7 files:>aircraft.txt>airportCoords.txt>airportLabels.plt>airportSchedule.txt>airportStats.txt>InstanceCounts.txt>Cells.txtYep! That's exactly what I got!!BTW the produced stat files amounth to about 72 Mb. So, unless you have ample space on your hd (which is not my case, have about 1.2 GB left in the partition), guess one should delete them after consultation.One question though. Why should I add the entry AutoRoute=yes in the command? I will make rerun using this entry and compare the results to the byte to see if this has been used for the creation of the original fileNow I can move on on my quest of getting "floating" floatplane :-)Thanks for your infos FSMIC. I realy appreciate,Hugo

[Guest Hugo]

Well, from my perspective, things are not looking great for floatplanes AI. To me, if it could be done, it could only be with Traffic Database Builder as it has a switch for strip type (Hard, Soft, Snow and... Water) in its Airport datas, something Traffic Tools has not.With Afcad I created a new aiport overlay on a lake long enough to accomodate the the Amphibian and typed it as water runway. Added the usuals (taxiways, com., parking). With TD Builder I created a custom airport and assinged it as a water surface as well. Also created an IFR customRoute between this site and a nearby (40 nm) controled apt and back.I choosed to set autoroute=no in the DOS command (it is set to yes by default). This way it only creates an fp for for the proposed trip. A lot faster to compile and much smaller stat files to examine. The compilation went ok. In FS, I went to the lake just minutes before a scheduled take off. The Amphibian was there on its parking spot waiting to depart well sit on its... weels... on top of water. At due time she started her engine, rolled to runway and took off as schedule. Exactly the same behavior that happens with flightplans made with TTools. I have checked and rechecked times over to make shure I hadn't forgot something in my own programation. Recompiled, shut and restart the computor few times to clear things to the rock bottom. I even added a small scene of water runway, on top of the lake, I made with Aiport 2.6, just in case .... No luck :-(I tried to make an fp between Port of Poulsbo Marina Moorage (83Q) a waterstrip 12,000 by 8000 on the pacific, few miles west of Seatle and Seatle but TD Builder will not accept a 3 letter ident!!! 83Q can be retreived in Afcad for those interrested.Well, as it stands now, much of my hope resides in earing from someone who had success with floaplanes AI, as some have reported in other threads I red. All suggestions welcome.Thanks for reading.Hugo