Generic Hangars

[Fern]

Hi,

Are there hangars and other airport buildings hidden in the Default Object Library in FS2004? (I can't find them.)

I can't believe that the zillions of hangars in FS are all "special" buildings or even generic buildings (I know how to do those). I am looking for something I can locate with a couple of clicks with ObPlacer.

Any chance of those being somewhere?

Thanks

Fern

[EssieP]

Look here:
http://lc0277.nerim.net/sceneobjects/

[meshman]

withdrawn.

[arno]

Hi Fern,

Most of the buildings at the default airports are auto generated by MS, so they do not use the generic buildings. But they are also not library objects, because they are geo-locked due to placement in the same BGL file. If you want to reuse them on the same airport that should not be a problem though. They are in the OB* BGL files.

[DougMatthews]

Hi Fern,

Most of the buildings at the default airports are auto generated by MS, so they do not use the generic buildings. But they are also not library objects, because they are geo-locked due to placement in the same BGL file. If you want to reuse them on the same airport that should not be a problem though. They are in the OB* BGL files.

Actually, where they are rectangular footprints (and not at a "high detail" airport) they are almost certainly Generic Buildings. Most of the hangars in the game are.

Where they are not rectangular, we have some tools that take non-rectangular building footprints and auto-generate .X files (using the same textures as Generic Buildings) which are compiled with XtoMDL and baked into the BGL that contains the placement data. Lots of airport terminal buildings go through this pipleine. Unfortunately, as of FSX the .X file generator used for this purpose is not part of the SDK.

-Doug

[arno]

Hi Doug,

This thread is about FS2004, were the same techniques used there?

[Fern]

Hi,

There are a lot of times when a "library" hangar would do just fine, and would save a lot of time. Making "generic", rectangular hangars with generic buildings can take a bit too much time for what we get, not the least of which is the "faking" two of the "non-door" walls with the "Texture Index" nubers.

I stay away from non-FS libraries because I upload all my scenery, and I have a "rule" that my packages are self-contained, so they do not require the user installing libraries of any kind, not even one I would supply.

I have created some ObPlacer XML files with hangars created with generic buildings, and I just save them and re-use them elsewhere, by adding the same object "at the end of the list" and removing the original one. It works and it is fairly quick, but it would be nice to find them all lined up in there somewhere, especially those "small airport" hangars, ridge-roof, closed, but T-hangar style, such as the one at KCNC airport.

Fern

[Manny]

Hi,

There are a lot of times when a "library" hangar would do just fine, and would save a lot of time. Making "generic", rectangular hangars with generic buildings can take a bit too much time for what we get, not the least of which is the "faking" two of the "non-door" walls with the "Texture Index" nubers.

I stay away from non-FS libraries because I upload all my scenery, and I have a "rule" that my packages are self-contained, so they do not require the user installing libraries of any kind, not even one I would supply.

I have created some ObPlacer XML files with hangars created with generic buildings, and I just save them and re-use them elsewhere, by adding the same object "at the end of the list" and removing the original one. It works and it is fairly quick, but it would be nice to find them all lined up in there somewhere, especially those "small airport" hangars, ridge-roof, closed, but T-hangar style, such as the one at KCNC airport.

Fern

WOW... Someone thinking the way I do. Yeah...there are some freeware objects that I could use..but they all have some restrictions of sorts and I prefer using FSX defaults (I use FSX only). And there are some nice hangers out there in FSX..But I can't find them in the standard library. BTW..I am using Instant scenery as placement tool.

I'd like the same thing Fern is looking for, but for FSX.

MAnny

[DougMatthews]

Hi Doug,

This thread is about FS2004, were the same techniques used there?

[I was not personally present for FS2004, but I did do extensive research into the evolution of Generic Buildings in the FS2004 code base.]

The techniques evolved a bit from FS2004 to FSX. Main changes were to our internal toolset, to the texture sets and some bug fixes.

At FS2004, we had rectangular (and regular n-sided) Generic Buildings that are the essentially same thing as FSX.

At FS2004 we (ACES) could "group" intersecting Generic Buildings. The building groups would be processed to create the footprints that were ingested by the .X/XtoMDL process I mentioned earlier in this thread.

For FSX, I rewrote much of our internal .X generation process and we added the ability for our Data Techs to directly draw arbitrarily complex footprints (rather than grouping rectangular Generic Buildings).

So, for FSX default scenery, we have a mixture of pure Generic Buildings, and a great many generated models of both the "grouped" and "complex footprint" flavors.


I can't believe that the zillions of hangars in FS are all "special" buildings or even generic buildings (I know how to do those).

Start believing!

-Doug

[Fern]

Hi,

Thanks, Doug. Nothing like the guy who made the stuff being around to answer the questions!

Well, I created some hangars of 4 or 5 different dimensions using "generic buildings" and placed them with ObPlacer. I saved the xml files, so I can reused them elsewhere as many times as I want, so I am out of the tall weeds.

The result isn't bad, but for the "non-door" walls all I know how to do is to stretch the texture so the doors disappear, and I have to keep door at both ends.

Is it possible to make the "non-door" walls look a little better?

And, if you guys have the time, go have a look at KCNC (Chariton Municipal). There is a long (6 doors), low, ridge-roofed hangar there. How is that one done?

I am begining to believe...:D

Thanks!

Fern

[DougMatthews]

And, if you guys have the time, go have a look at KCNC (Chariton Municipal). There is a long (6 doors), low, ridge-roofed hangar there. How is that one done?



Like this:

<SceneryObject instanceId="{7EC79017-D017-4FE3-8A85-8B7C2846A39A}" lat="41.01525180" lon="-93.36280133" alt="0F" pitch="0.00000000" bank="0.00000000" heading="89.73061330" imageComplexity="DENSE" >
<GenericBuilding scale="1.00000000" windowTexture="112" bottomTexture="136" roofTexture="37" >
<RectangularBuilding roofType="RIDGE" sizeX="120.01000000" sizeZ="22.01000000" sizeBottomY="5" textureIndexBottomX="384" textureIndexBottomZ="64" sizeWindowY="0" sizeTopY="0" textureIndexRoofX="10223" textureIndexRoofZ="5114" sizeRoofY="2" gableTexture="1112" textureIndexGableY="256" textureIndexGableZ="64" />
</GenericBuilding>
</SceneryObject>

-Doug

[Fern]

Hi, Doug

Thanks. However, is this an FS2004 object? BGLcomp doesn't identify half of the stuff in it. I can copy and paste the errors here, but I think you gave the xml for an FSX object, no?

(My AMD FX 55 overclocked to 3.2 GHz doesn't give me the frame rate I want with FSX, that is why I am still with FS2004)

Thanks! And sorry for the delay; I am up to my alligators in scenery.

Fern

[DougMatthews]

Hi, Doug

Thanks. However, is this an FS2004 object? BGLcomp doesn't identify half of the stuff in it. I can copy and paste the errors here, but I think you gave the xml for an FSX object, no?

(My AMD FX 55 overclocked to 3.2 GHz doesn't give me the frame rate I want with FSX, that is why I am still with FS2004)

Thanks! And sorry for the delay; I am up to my alligators in scenery.

Fern

I pulled it out of the FSX SP2 code base.

BglComp is probably choking on the texture indices as these were extended at FSX. The format, however, is the same.

-Doug

[jvile]

BglComp is probably choking on the texture indices as these were extended at FSX. The format, however, is the same.

Very True and they have been extended


I have been using generic buildings since FS9 was released. These type sceneryObjects are not locked in FS9/FSX. Many airports use these type built buildings including as a Main Terminal.

This is a Blue building similar to what FS9 uses as a Main terminal.

<SceneryObject
lat="22.3295748117273"
lon="114.193717902796"
alt="0.0000M"
altitudeIsAgl="TRUE"
pitch="0.00"
bank="0.00"
heading="41.59"
imageComplexity="VERY_SPARSE">
<GenericBuilding
scale="1.00"
bottomTexture="67"
roofTexture="24"
topTexture="7"
windowTexture="40">
<RectangularBuilding
roofType="FLAT"
sizeX="60"
sizeZ="240"
sizeBottomY="10"
textureIndexBottomX="896"
textureIndexBottomZ="1280"
sizeWindowY="25"
textureIndexWindowX="192"
textureIndexWindowY="256"
textureIndexWindowZ="80"
sizeTopY="3"
textureIndexTopX="468"
textureIndexTopZ="232"
textureIndexRoofX="256"
textureIndexRoofZ="256"/>
</GenericBuilding>
</SceneryObject>


You can use the SP2 SDK compiler on any FS9 Generic building but you cannot use the FS9 SDK compiler on a FSX Generic Building in most cases. Some of the attribute values have changed for FSX such as the windowTexture = 112 in FSX but FS9 only accepts up to 103 (see Doug's example above). There are other differences in the bottom texture and a roof texture that appear to have extended indices.

The building that Doug listed above will only compile in FSX. My building above will compile with either FS9 or FSX SP1a, SP2 compilers. I also don't call a instanceId="{

[Fern]

Thank you, fellows

That last recipe there probably can be modified to make the hangars the way I want.

Thanks, all!

Fern

[Fern]

Hi, Fellows

Sorry, I still have problems with this.

This is probably so simple I am getting embarassed here...

I don't know how to use two different textures for the X and the Z sides of the generic building, like this one in the attached picture. I can changed the IndexTexture, but that is not the same as two different textures.

How do I do this (front and side with different textures)?

Thanks.

Fern

[DougMatthews]

Hi, Fellows

Sorry, I still have problems with this.

This is probably so simple I am getting embarassed here...

I don't know how to use two different textures for the X and the Z sides of the generic building, like this one in the attached picture. I can changed the IndexTexture, but that is not the same as two different textures.

How do I do this (front and side with different textures)?

Thanks.

Fern

For the normal hangars I am not aware of a way to do what you ask. The T-Hangars textures employ a little voodoo to pull that off.

-Doug

[Fern]

Hi, Doug

VooDoo... I'd prefer magic.

Is that a suggestion to give this up and make my own hangars, as that would be easier?

Thanks.

F