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AutTower

Posted: 05 Dec 2006, 11:48
by nigelb
Maybe a bit off topic but check this out:

http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?Ca ... DLID=94422

A great little utility that moves the tower view with your aircraft so when you land and switch to tower view, you get ... ahem.. a view from the tower not from who knows where. Needs FSUIPC 3.71. Has an ini file that allows you to tinker with the settings if you like. For me, it works just fine out of the box. I just wonder why Microsoft could not have implemented this simple solution. (I know they fixed it in FSX but this is for FS9 only).

When it first runs it builds a database of airports - this can take around 4 or 5 minutes, depending on your system.

Posted: 05 Dec 2006, 11:50
by DaveB
Tks Nigel.. a useful tool :wink:

Landing at Ronaldsway on the IoM always makes me titter as the tower view comes from the other side of the airfield.. at sea!!! :madhead:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Posted: 05 Dec 2006, 23:24
by DanKH
I've been testing this small gimmick for Christian, and it is a nice tool.

Be sure to read the readme, especial the thing about building the .dat file...

some funny things:

I've tried it a HECA on a 3. party scenery, where the developer has modelled a tower but forgot to place it with AFCAD. Hence autower tries to figure the best point for a tower, and that is NOT the place where the developer has placed it ;-)

Simple solution is to go into slew mode, place the aeroplane at the basement of the tower, TAB out of FS open ACAD and lock it to FS, and place the tower yourself. Back to FS elevate to the top of the tower and read the height ASL with SHIFT-Z, back into AFCAD and insert the height.

I shouldn't be necessary to recreate the dat file but consult the readme on that issue..

Several other airports may have similar problem, but that relates to the design of the airport, not autower.

All in all a nice little tool.

Posted: 06 Dec 2006, 08:24
by Brian Franklin
Dan, I've just tried Autower and I love it - great little utility. One quick dumb question about your adjustment explanation - how do you recreate the dat file, is that manual or does Autower do that automatically?

Brian

Posted: 06 Dec 2006, 09:22
by RAF_Quantum
Hi Brian,

I followed the readme instr's about starting the exe ouside of FSim, let it build the dat file, tweak the ini as you like (I adjusted tower heights @40-50m lower) and then move the dll/ini/dat files to the modules folder. Not sure if the dat file is built if you put the dll on it's own in the modules folder.

Great little utility BTW, thanks for the heads up Nigel

Rgds

John

Posted: 06 Dec 2006, 10:12
by DanKH
The dll builds the dat file as well, but I find it easier to use the exe, and then copy the dat file down into the modules folder (all written in the readme ;-)

Btw. NO questions are dumb.

You might also take a peek here:

http://christoph.rosenkeller.org/autower/