Adding static aircraft FSX

[GHD]

Hi Dave,

Your problems were inspired by the awful MS instructions, in fact the SDK instructions can be read only after installing

You can do in ADE everything you could do in Afcad and heaps more.

If you need any help, shout

[DaveB]

Thanks George

I have to say it looks very comprehensive.. AFCAD and then some! I like the way it shows buildings too. Can't wait to 'give it a go'

My 'problem' started by accident in FSX. I don't use big airports much as I generally only 'play' in FSX rather than do anything serious so I've been populating it with AI and the ACG airfields. I have UK2000 VFR's installed but many of these have scant parking.. particularly the more off the wall, military airports so I've found it easier to use the ACG's with AI knowing the AFX files will have all the parking I need.
One airport, Waddington, suffers ground tile bleedthrough on my system and while it looks ok with the JF tile underneath 'at a distance'.. this all goes to pot when you're on the deck. I made sure all the EGXW files were removed from UK2KVFR part3 but something in the system didn't like this at all. After rebuilding the FSC database, connecting to FS put me in the Atlantic rather than at Marham Panic in the city! So.. I took the ACG (it's pre ACG really but still by JY) Waddington out and put UK2KVFR version back along with the Vulcan AI and the AI are nowhere to be seen. This is why I wanted a way to look at the UK2K AFX file so I could see exactly what parking was available.
In the event and during a moment of momentous genius.. I took the UK2K AFX file out and plonked the ACG AFX files in.. keeping the remained of the UK2K scenery intact (minus statics) and it kinda works but it's untidy as the taxiways don't match the UK2K GenX ground tile. There's also another annoyance. When I put the FSX Vulcan traffic file in, my ACG Coningsby BBMF traffic disappears. Why TF that happens is beyond me. No mention of any such foul play over on the ACG forums so I guess it must be something else. I've actually kept the Uk2K Coningsby and the BBMF aircraft find suitable parking there despite the mass of statics GS placed there.

So there you go. It all started with a desire to look at UK2KVFR Waddington as the AI wasn't showing (I tried the AI first without installing the ACG airfield) and one thing led to another ending in this mornings SDK marathon

ATB
DaveB

[GHD]

The most probable reason for your traffic problem is that you have mixed FS9 and FSX format traffic files.

AIFP has a scanner to convert all FS9 format files to FSX format

To open an existing AFD file in ADE, select "File -> Open Airport from Bgl" and browse to the required file.

Don't forget that you need to compile after making changes and to "Save" the source file. Having saved the source (AD2) file, never re-open from bgl, always use "File -> Open Airport" and select the .AD2 file.

[DaveB]

Hi George

Thanks for all of that I just tried reading through the manuals and couldn't keep my eyes open. It's like the 'ABC of licensing law'.. I never managed to stay awake long enough to read the lot

Those traffic files should be FSX compiled already.. they were FSX downloads but I can run them both through AIFP to make sure Something is dodgy in there. When I load up FSCommander having rebuilt the database, it now shows 'Waddington Vulcans' in red to the south of the airfield. Never seen anything display in red before and the help file isn't helpful I wonder if it's a hold for the AI Vulcans. I followed one up in the JP5 this morning and it did appear to hold in that locale Having removed both the AI Vulcan traffic file and ACG Waddington, rebuilding the FSC database still shows 'Waddington Vulcans'. Odd innit

ATB
DaveB

[GHD]

Sorry, I know nothing about FSCommander. I use Plan-G to visualise where the AI are.

However, now that you have the SDK installed, set up Traffic Toolbox. this will allow you to see all traffic within a 40 mile radius and from which files they are generated.

[DaveB]

Hiya George

Ah yes.. Plan-G. Didn't bother much when I first heard about it as I was a died in the wool FS9 user and refused to leave FSNavigator behind. FSC is similar but it has to be said, nowhere near as good as FSNav in my honest opinion. Traffic Toolbox is an idea

ATB
DaveB

[GHD]

Plan-G is most useful if you have a second monitor or a networked PC since it uses a fair bit of real estate.

I am presently tweaking the aircraft.cfg and .air files for an AI Skyraider (taildraggers are a right sod as AI).

Here is Plan-G showing the Skyraider out of Elvington with a couple of AI floatplanes off Scarborough:



And Traffic Toolbox overlaid on top of the FSX display:

[DaveB]

I think WWIII has started mate..



I ran the Vulcan traffic file through AIFP2 and it warned that it was an FS9 file converted using PF something or other and did I want to treat it as such. Not knowing what to say, I said yes It came up with a shedload of errors pertaining to flights not arriving before the next departure time e t c but I let AIFP recompile it and had another look. The shot above is what happened. My BBMF had reappeared at Coningsby so I quickly went to Waddington to find every Vulcan there on the move.. some taking off from one end of the runway and another lot making their way to the other end. The QRF Vulcans you can see to the right of the screen. They did a LH cct and came back to land. The Vulcans taking off from the other end all went to the left of the screen into a hold. That shot doesn't show them all either.. more were waiting to takeoff Needless to say, FSX gave up in the end and threw up an aiplayer.dll error. I've seen this a lot lately with ACG traffic files For peace of mind, I think I'll put the Vulcans back into history where they belong and put Gary's AFX file back

I run FSC on a second monitor too George. Can't have it cluttering up an already full screen. Thanks for those screenies

EDIT: BTW, those Nimrods are Vulcans. The AI model supplied is by UKMIL and the Gaffer used the Nimrod airfile for it

ATB
DaveB

[DaveB]

George..

Do you ever wonder why you started something?? I did with this

I tried a pile of stuff.. editing the UK2KVFR AFX file's parking spaces to be cargo instead of combat.. still no Vulcans. I put the original back and changed the aircraft cfgs to read MIL_COMBAT on a few entries.. still no Vulcans. After everything, I gave up and put UK2K Waddington back as it should be but minus statics (a shame because I like some and not others) then binned the traffic file. I knew something wasn't right but I just couldn't put my finger on it.
After a while, I went back to AIFP and looked again at the remade traffic file. Then.. it dawned on me. The Vulcans go to some hold point which although was in the airport dat.. I couldn't find it anywhere else so I pulled up the airport data and tracked it down. I'd removed both bgl's earlier in the day (after they'd all gone potty in the screenie above) and kept them safe.. too safe
So.. final plan.. dragged my modded AFX file back, renamed the Vulcans parking slots back to Cargo and added the 2 AFX bgl's for the Vulcans waypoints to addon scenery/scenery and Robert is your uncle UK2KVFR EGXW with Vulcan AI AND.. the BBMF are still alive and well at Coningsby

Think I'll start learing what our Mike is up to.. making statics next. I'll have a rest first though

ATB
DaveB

[Airspeed]

Thanks for the extra info George. Studied that with the full 20 page manual.
Turned out that what I was doing was working, except that none would show in the Moorabbin scenery!
As soon as I tried changing their locations outside the payware airport, there they were.
I've asked ORBX if they can help.