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One click hangar

GaryGB said:
Hi Morten:

Thanks for this updated package; "AFCAD.rb" does now run in Sketchup 8 with no start up errors. :D


FYI: Because I also develop for FS2Kx, I attempted import of a FS9-format AFCAD2 (aka "AF2") format BGL; I got this message:

"Bytes left: 1496. ID: 3"
Click to expand...
The AFCAD import has just been created for FSX AFCADs, however the differences between FS9 and FSX AFCADs aren't that many and I should be able to get something to identify which version it is for. The "Bytes left:" message comes up if it hits a subsection within the AFCAD file which it does not what is (usually because it has not been added yet), but could also be because it is an AF2 file.

I'll look through a few AF2 files to see what the file structure is. I think I may have a manual somewhere to read AF2 files as well.


GaryGB said:
Direct conversion (with no edits) of that BGL to a FSX format "Airport" BGL via ADE imported instantaneously with no message. :wizard:
Click to expand...

Excellent. At the moment though, there will be some files where it can't read them fully, usually when hitting unknown subsections.

GaryGB said:
Sketchup Menu > Window > Model Info > Geo-location

...showed ARP Geographic coordinates as a truncated 6-decimal place version of original 9 decimal places seen in ADE (FSX Mode):
Click to expand...
I believe this is a limitation of SketchUp. If you go to manually geo-locate a model and add more decimals, SketchUp will automatically truncate it to 6 decimals. When reading the AFCAD file, the Import AFCAD feature does read and tries to geo-locate the model to 9 decimal spaces, but I am not sure if SketchUp actually geo-locates is as precisely, or if SketchUp geo-locates it with 6 decimal spaces. A difference in longitude of 0.000001 at Equator is approximately four inches, which I am not sure you will notice in FSX/FS9/P3D, even though it is rather annoying if it is out by that much.

GaryGB said:
ADEX Menu > File > Airport Properties > [Airport Tab] > Location


In that same Sketchup Menu > Window > Model Info > Geo-location dialog, the "location" still shows Boulder (CO), rather than the actual State and City names.

BTW: State and City names are stored as text within the airport "AFD" BGL format of all MSFS versions (seen as ASCII text near the end of the file ...when displayed in certain Hexadecimal mode file viewers).
Click to expand...

It should be possible to get it to set to something other than Boulder (CO) (which was where SketchUp's original developer @last Software were based). I'll look into it.
 
GaryGB said:
Sketchup Menu > Window > Model Info > Geo-location

...showed ARP Geographic coordinates as a truncated 6-decimal place version of original 9 decimal places seen in ADE (FSX Mode):

ADEX Menu > File > Airport Properties > [Airport Tab] > Location


* Is it possible to import, retain, and display the full original 9 decimal places for an airport BGL ?


FYI: I use minimum 13 decimal places, Google Earth and SBuilderX tile server data captures use 14 decimal places, and some MSFS saved *.FLT files actually use up to 16 decimal places ...to maintain needed precision.
Click to expand...

charlymorton said:
I believe this is a limitation of SketchUp. If you go to manually geo-locate a model and add more decimals, SketchUp will automatically truncate it to 6 decimals. When reading the AFCAD file, the Import AFCAD feature does read and tries to geo-locate the model to 9 decimal spaces, but I am not sure if SketchUp actually geo-locates is as precisely, or if SketchUp geo-locates it with 6 decimal spaces. A difference in longitude of 0.000001 at Equator is approximately four inches, which I am not sure you will notice in FSX/FS9/P3D, even though it is rather annoying if it is out by that much.
Click to expand...

FYI: With my test FSX airport BGL converted by ADE, un-edited Sketchup object(s) created by your "Read AFCAD" script from:

Sketchup Menu > Plugins > Read AFCAD

...were Exported (without edits ) into a *.KMZ file format via:

Sketchup Menu > File > Export > 3D Model...

...then copied, renamed to *.ZIP, and de-compressed; when the internal "doc.kml" file was viewed as XML:

* Latitude was stored with 11 decimal places

* Latitude was stored with 10 decimal places

* Range was stored with 9 decimal places

* Altitude was stored with 9 decimal places


As you may know, what gets stored internally in data files may sometimes be truncated in the data field display of a GUI "form". ;)

Hope all this info helps further with the development process. :idea:

[EDITED]

PS: AFAIK, Sketchup can move selected project content to numbered and color coded "Layers", which are viewed (and their display toggled) via:

Sketchup Menu > Window > Layers


I'm wondering if the "drawing layer" numbers ADE assigns to objects in its GUI workspace might be detected from the imported airport BGL and/or otherwise matched to that used by ADE, then assigned to the grouped individual objects and/or their layers created by your "Read AFCAD" script ...for continuity of information and ease of use during FS development ?


Also, since we cannot open CVX vector BGL files to access data for anything beyond visualization in TMFViewer (or within FS itself), perhaps OneClickHangar could also implement features to import and display the ESRI *.SHP shape file data used as 'intermediate work products' to create vector CVX BGLs, and which are found (immediately after compilation) in ex:

* [Airport Design Editor install path]\FSX\shapes\

* [SBuilderX31x install path]\Tools\Shapes\

* FSX_KML's equivalent assigned "work" folder containing *.SHP files

...as an alternative to the somewhat obscure (-and possibly malfunctioning ?) "enjshape" shape file importer for Sketchup ?

https://github.com/enjalot/enjshape

[END_EDIT]

Again, many thanks for your innovative work on OneClickHangar to enhance precision and options for use with both FS9 and FSX airport BGLs ! :)

GaryGB
 
Last edited:
It appears you are right. The location should then be as accurate as it can be for AFCADs.

The location name and country should be read from the AFCAD in the next upload. I have tested it with a few of my own AFCADs and it appears to be working ok so far.

I'll have a look at the AF2 files next.
 
New version of Hangar Dev, with limited support for AF2 files. They should load, however taxiways are not shown (apart from apron taxiways). I've tested it on a couple of AF2 files and they seem to load ok.
 
charlymorton said:
New version of Hangar Dev, with limited support for AF2 files. They should load, however taxiways are not shown (apart from apron taxiways). I've tested it on a couple of AF2 files and they seem to load ok.
Click to expand...

Hello:

I tested the new development version, and was able to import a FS9 format AFCAD-2 (aka "AF2-type") Airport Facility Data (aka "AFD") BGL into Sketchup, and it appears identical to the on-screen visual display for the FSX conversion of that original file. :D

Although the Sketchup Menu > Window > Model Info shows identical "Statistics" for the 2 different (FS9 and FSX) imports, I'm wondering, based on examination of the XML code for the FS9 de-compiled BGL ...what "taxiways" attributes and/or objects might otherwise have been displayed from the FS9 file ? :scratchch

Thanks again for your work with this ! :)

GaryGB
 
Last edited:
Taxiways will be shown in AF2 files on the next upload. I believe there are a few differences between taxiway links in FS9 and FSX AFCADs, so I had to figure out the corresponding values. There may be a few instances where taxiways are not drawn, as I have only checked two AF2 files.
Not having used SketchUp 8 since some time last year, I'm quite surprised how much faster it draws AFCADs and buildings, compared to SketchUp 2014.
 
charlymorton said:
Not having used SketchUp 8 since some time last year, I'm quite surprised how much faster it draws AFCADs and buildings, compared to SketchUp 2014.
Click to expand...

Indeed, regardless of the PR announcements about Sketchup 2014 being "faster" (in certain tasks ?) than Sketchup 2013 and/or Sketchup version-8, questions are raised about what Trimble may actually have done to performance with that newest release ...in this thread: :redflag:

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=58075


charlymorton said:
Taxiways will be shown in AF2 files on the next upload. I believe there are a few differences between taxiway links in FS9 and FSX AFCADs, so I had to figure out the corresponding values. There may be a few instances where taxiways are not drawn, as I have only checked two AF2 files.
Click to expand...

I'll look forward to testing that when it's ready. :)

GaryGB
 
I have updated it again. Taxiways are shown for both versions and each taxiway section is drawn with with its proper width, although there is no smooth transition between each taxiway section. The plan is to allow for custom textures to be added to each taxiway segment at some point in the future.
 
New development version has been uploaded to the first post.

Main new features are:
Quicker drawing of hangar rows and double nested t-hangar rows.
Convert basic shapes to hangars (currently only for SketchUp 2014). Video showing process available on my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/OneClickHangar
Menu for creating hangars has been modified.
 
New development version has been uploaded to the first post.
I'm in the process of changing the hangar creation forms from SketchUp's own input box to html based forms. I've not completely finished the first form, however I have included it in the zip file.
To use the new form when creating hangars, go to Plugins--Development features--Custom hangar forms. This should work in all versions of SketchUp.
 
Hi Morten:

The new GUI looks very good; I especially like the use of a strategically-positioned thumbnail image ! :D


BTW: Do you plan to dynamically change the image seen under "Door Information" ...to match the user's selected "Type" within each 'Custom hangar forms' configuration session, as they tentatively 'select' types (in order to view a "what would it look like if..." preview image) ? :scratchch


I don't know why so many Ruby developers seemed to abandon the HTML GUI option accessible via Ruby scripting that was 'popular' up to the last year or so, apparently struggling (many unsuccessfully) to access Win32 dialog boxes / controls; the HTML option has more visual appeal to me. ;)


PS: I haven't had time yet to work on any airport BGLs to refresh my memory on whether a 'visible' component is seen in FS at run time when taxiway "paths" are used at an airport.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526978.aspx#TaxiwayPath


But I shall otherwise report that I saw identical results in Sketchup-8 when comparing the two 01-07-2014 versions of the OneClickHangar "AFCAD" script. :idea:


Thanks again for sharing your creations with us; keep up the great work ! :)

GaryGB
 
Last edited:
GaryGB said:
Hi Morten:

The new GUI looks very good; I especially like the use of a strategically-positioned thumbnail image ! :D


BTW: Do you plan to dynamically change the image seen under "Door Information" ...to match the user's selected "Type" within each 'Custom hangar forms' configuration session, as they tentatively 'select' types (in order to view a "what would it look like if..." preview image) ? :scratchch
Click to expand...

Thanks Gary,

Yes, the plan is to have example previews for at least the door types (open and closed), the different beam profiles and possibly the different extensions.

GaryGB said:
I don't know why so many Ruby developers seemed to abandon the HTML GUI option accessible via Ruby scripting that was 'popular' up to the last year or so, apparently struggling (many unsuccessfully) to access Win32 dialog boxes / controls; the HTML option has more visual appeal to me. ;)
Click to expand...

I agree, the HTML GUI allows for much more flexibility in my opinion, however for me it has been something I've been putting off for ages, mainly because I haven't done any JavaScripting for years, so it did take some time to get back into it.
If I am not mistaken, SketchUp will use whichever version of Internet Explorer you have installed, so using an HTML GUI should allow SketchUp 8/2013/2014 users to have identical menus and forms, thus eliminating the need to use "ugly" workarounds to accommodate all versions.
I've previously created a help file using HTML, however it is in desperate need of a redesign and update. Also, I'm planning to include Youtube tutorials in the help file.

GaryGB said:
PS: I haven't had time yet to work on any airport BGLs to refresh my memory on whether a 'visible' component is seen in FS at run time when taxiway "paths" are used at an airport.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526978.aspx#TaxiwayPath


But I shall otherwise report that I saw identical results in Sketchup-8 when comparing the two 01-07-2014 versions of the OneClickHangar "AFCAD" script. :idea:


Thanks again for sharing your creations with us; keep up the great work ! :)

GaryGB
Click to expand...

I'm not entirely sure how FS draws taxiway paths, but I have a feeling they will lie on top of any custom "ground" objects.
I think there are two options available to circumvent this. Either change the width of the taxiway to 0.1 metres, similar to the workaround for AI aircraft on water runways, however I think this will probably make the ground bumpy.
The other way is to draw aprons where the taxiways are, as aprons have a visibility flag (if I remember correctly) and use custom "ground" objects underneath invisible aprons. This way the ground should not be bumpy.
For me, when creating AFCADs, the my main concerns are to make the airport layout to be as close to real life as I can possibly make it and for AI traffic to work. Whether I use taxiway paths, apron paths or runway paths to achieve my goal, is less important.

I do not think I have made any changes to the AFCAD script the last couple of weeks, although I know there are a few issues with it which needs to be resolved, especially with regards to the "texture apron" function.
 
New development version has been uploaded to (hopefully) resolve issues caused by win32ole when importing AFCADs. Also reuploaded hangar 1.zip as this appeared to have gone missing.
 
Hi Folks.

At the risk of appearing dense, I don't get the list of hangers when I click on the Hanger drop-down in the Extensions tab. I have just 'found' Sketchup2015 and have installed the .rb file as explained in the help pdf. I have an extensions dropdown with 'Create hanger' inside it. However, there is nothing inside 'Create hanger'. What am I doing wrong?

Plus, what happens to all the other files inside hanger.zip? I mean the dll file , the och files and the txt files.

I'm obviously missing something somewhere.

Regards...Ken
 
Hi Ken,

Presuming you are using Windows; all the rb and och files should be in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\SketchUp\Plugins folder.
The texture files from hangar 1, hangar 2 and hangar 3.zip should be in the C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\SketchUp\Plugins\TextureFiles folder.
I also recommend you download the hangar dev.zip file last and over-write the contents from hangar.zip in the SketchUp Plugins folder as it contains more features and less bugs.
The dll file is to use with ScruffyDuck's Airport Design Editor and should go in its Plugins folder. It is however not necessary to use the dll file to use One Click Hangar.
 
Hello Morten.

Yes, sorry, I am using windows 7 64 bit. Thanks for the file paths. I'll sort it all out later and post back.

Regards...Ken
 
Hello again Morten.

That has done the trick for me. Everything is now in place. I'll have a try with it later. Many thanks for your time, effort and ingenuity.

Regards...Ken
 
I use win 8.1 and "Sketchup 2015 make" (German edition) and cannot use One Click Hangar...

(the "plugins" Tab does not appear.)

(on Win Vista and SketchUp 2013 Eval English no problem)
 
Hi Günther, I will have a look at this tonight and let you know. In the English version of SketchUp Make 2015, the Plugins menu has been changed to Extensions. Has it been changed similarly in the German version?
 
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