Adding enhanced runway markings

[Butch1]

With ADE, what is the best way to go about adding the enhanced taxiway center line markings?

This is a sample of what my hold short line is like now, I would like to add the enhanced taxiway center line markings.

This is sample of real airport with enhanced taxiway centerline markings.

 

[tgibson]

You could use ground polygon line for that. If there is no line pattern you can use in the default textures provided, you would need to create your own. Note that some people using P3Dv5 appear to have some display issues with this.

 

[Butch1]

I added a ground poly to one of the sample ad4 projects and it did not produce a visible enhanced hold short centerline in P3D V4 or V5.
I used one of the line sheets supplied in ADE and cut a snippet from it to simulate the centerllne image. In ad4 it shows as a green rectangle but no image in the sim. Hummmm,,,,,,,,

 

[tgibson]

Did you move the compiled GP BGL file into the airport's active scenery folder? It's in addition to the regular BGL file.

 

[Butch1]

Did you move the compiled GP BGL file into the airport's active scenery folder? It's in addition to the regular BGL file.

I thought i'd experiment with one of the airport bgls that come with ADE and see if I'd have any luck making an
enhanced centerline taxi hold line
Yes I did.

 

[Butch1]

My Ah Ha moment......

Eureka, I think I am beginning to get the hang of it, sorta.. I kept trying over and over with this, finally, the light bulb came on. It looks crude but I had to enlarge the runway stripe there to get
some idea of width and when I add the custom poly, it hides behind the solid yellow stripe already there. Sizing this image is hard to work with. It needs to be a bit narrower and that becomes
tricky for me.; Much trial and error. This is just a practice experiment with one of the airports that comes with ADE to see if this will work.
One on my issues adding polys in ADE and not showing in P3D5 was not having the proper reciprocal image in the P3D texture folder.

 

[tgibson]

If you are trying to place one polygon on top of another, make sure that the upper polygon has a higher layer number than the one below. The layer number is in the upper left of the ADE-GP Editor.

 

[Butch1]

I changed the layer number from 24 to 29 as you suggested, Will that number revert back to 24 for future uses, is that the default?
What does changing the layer number accomplish?

The big red ball makes it difficult to position my poly in green box area?
As it is now for me it is a trial and error. When I try to edit the poly I click on the shape and its orange
outline will show but the green poly inside is a bear to click on to edit. I can move both the poly and
the shape but placing both in green area is a real bear to do. Is there a way to move both at same time?

 

[Butch1]

I raised the layer to 60 and the green box turned red. But it looks like the line is now flush with the horizontal line.
I guess if I wanted to make the line longer, then add a 2nd poly to start with the 1st one ends.
I thought raising the poly line would make the outline of the poly visible above the red circle.

 

[tgibson]

The layer number in ADE-GP makes no difference to their priority in the ADE display. For many objects you can select it, right click, and choose Move Up to bring it to the top of the display. But this is for ADE display only, not in FS.

Also, you can make your GP lines as long as you want - they don't only have to be one bitmap long. ADE and FS will tile the texture along its entire length. Thus you only need one line for the entire runway.

 

[Butch1]

The layer number in ADE-GP makes no difference to their priority in the ADE display. For many objects you can select it, right click, and choose Move Up to bring it to the top of the display. But this is for ADE display only, not in FS.

Also, you can make your GP lines as long as you want - they don't only have to be one bitmap long. ADE and FS will tile the texture along its entire length. Thus you only need one line for the entire runway.

Thanks for that nugget of news. Interesting and most informative. Thanks.

 

[Butch1]

I rotated the texture file 90 degrees so that I could try to add more length to texture on the runway. In trying this I was not having much luck creating a longer line using the tile mode.
I started with a create shape rectangle (3.5 ft x 20) and then added the centerline poly and in GP editor attempted to resize the texture.

I tried the tiled option and didn't notice a longer line when resizing the texture.

 

[tgibson]

You are using the GP Polygon button in ADE to create your lines. You need to use the GP Line button (Add Custom Ground Line). And you need to define your texture as a line in Tools/GP Texture Editor. Details in the manual.

 

[Butch1]

You are using the GP Polygon button in ADE to create your lines. You need to use the GP Line button (Add Custom Ground Line). And you need to define your texture as a line in Tools/GP Texture Editor. Details in the manual.

Not sure what you mean. This is a pictorial of how I am do it:
This will ensure I have a square rectangle instead of making a flubbed one with the G poly button,

Here I specify my size.

Here I will select the texture in the GP poly editor and size it to my needs. After all this is done, I can and have removed the shape and just moved the poly to where I need
it all the while the shape of the corners maintain 90 degrees

I tried to comprehend your directions with the tile process and just could not duplicate what you wrote nor understand the manuals directions. I looked at what I thought
what was the relevant section concerning tiling and just lost with the verbiage used. Sorry.....

 

[tgibson]

No, do not start with a shape. Click the button at the top of the screen with a line and a G on it (tooltip says Add Custom Ground Line). Then draw a line down the entire length of the runway. Double click the end of the line (the last vertex)(it can be more than one segment for other purposes, but here you only need a single segment). The ADE GP editor will come up. Enter the width of one of the three lines that makes up your centerline and then choose the texture (use the standard line texture with yellow solid and dashed lines)(gp_PatternedLines_40F). Use the drop down box to select the line format (dashed, etc.) - go with the solid yellow line for the center one. That will get you one of the three lines in your centerline. Drag it right to the center line. Then select the line, right click and choose Copy Object, then without it selected right click and choose Paste Object. Move it right next to the original line. Select it and double click it to open the GP Editor. Change the line format to dashed yellow. Now Copy Object and Paste Object and drag it to the other side of the center line. Done.

If you want it to have a black background you would need to copy the original lines textures (gp_PatternedLines_40F) and paste them back into their original folders (Textures and Textures_Dpy). Give them a new name that makes sense (gp_PatternedLines_40Black, for example). Then in DXTBmp give the DXT version a white alpha channel so the black background is not transparent as it is in the default texture. Then add it to the GP system using the GP Texture Editor (after writing down all the various settings in the default texture for both Texture and Lines), entering all the info you wrote down before.

 

[Butch1]

Hi Tom.

I could do/understand the first three or so lines then I got to the part where you said "Then select the line, right click and choose Copy Object," and then it was all stop for me.

I outlined in red the solid yellow line, (so that you can see what was selected) When I selected the solid yellow line then the GP editor had auto positioned around the line I highlighted in red.
When trying to do the next step, "Then select the line, right click and choose Copy Object," was where I could not find a copy object option.
As I said, when I selected the solid yellow line, the lines automatically went around the solid yellow line. So the next step is where I am stuck.

 

[tgibson]

Sorry, after doing the editing in the GP Editor, click OK. Then when back in ADE, select the line, right click, and choose Copy Object.