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FSX Adjuting FSX Terrain

S

Southwest

Messages
1,101
Country
unitedkingdom
Hi All,

I'm currently designing a sloped runway with ADE (Thanks Jon, great tools :santahat:)

Its a grass airfield so its not a problem, my current issue is that in the Scenery/0501/Scenery folder the cvx file name "cvx4614", when activated is causing the below effect, is there anyway to adjust the "yellow" with a new custom file? Without this file install the flatten works correctly, with this file installed the below effect is created.

c29abffd.jpg


6ff79d89.jpg


Ofcourse, editing the Microsoft file and distributing would be illegal. Removing this file creates issue with the sea aswell as removing alot of other airports.

Any help is appreciated.
 
S

Southwest

Messages
1,101
Country
unitedkingdom
I'm still having this problem - even with an airport that contains no slopes. I can't seem to "override" the stock airport/flatten data. I'm using ADE by the way as I intend to release my airport as payware....

Any ideas please?
 
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S

Southwest

Messages
1,101
Country
unitedkingdom
Yep - I'm trying to reshape the airport to my own specs, but the default (Stock) flatten is making this difficult to achieve. Is there anyway of, in effect, exlcuding or removing the stock flatten from the airport?
 
N

NoNewMessages

Messages
173
Country
unitedstates
Use either SBuilderX or FSX KML to draw a polygon, tag it Exclude_All_Airport_Boundaries ( as it reads in SBuilderX), compile and add the BGL. Once you're sure the old airport boundary has been removed, go back into SBuilderX or FSX KML and draw your new flatten and add your sloped polygons to smooth out the area.
 
S

Southwest

Messages
1,101
Country
unitedkingdom
Hi George - This is my own version of St.Just - thanks for the help guys.
 
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GHD

GHD

Messages
12,242
Country
england
No, I meant that I had no problem replacing the default flatten with a blended one.

Default



Blended:



This was done two years ago, if I were to do it now I would do it slightly differently.

I used Jim Keir's Bln2Shp to create the exclusion and flatten.
 
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G

GaryGB

Messages
6,694
Country
us-illinois
Golf-HotelDelta said:
No, I meant that I had no problem replacing the default flatten with a blended one.

Default



Blended:



This was done two years ago, if I were to do it now I would do it slightly differently.

I used Jim Keir's Bln2Shp to create the exclusion and flatten.
Click to expand...
Hi George:

Having been curious about the manner in which you create such fascinating triangulated "skirting" at the edges of sloped flattens around airports in your screenies from time to time, I must ask again, how do you make them ? :confused:

And now I'm even more curious as to exactly what would you do different "now" when making such a "skirted" sloped flatten around the airport in your screenie above... so I'm further compelled to ask: would you be so kind as to explain this in some detail please ?


I've found far too little documentation on this in online help which accompanies FS scenery utilities, and naught but a paucity of vague references on that subject have turned up so far in FS scenery forums that I've searched (...and thus far, all without any substantially useful explanation of making such "skirting" around sloped flattens, BTW). :banghead:


I'm currently of the belief that until international regulations enforce accurate reporting of real-world airport elevations for all RWYs, thus bringing about an update of existing inaccurate airport elevation databases, the future of "fixing" airport terrain blends to eliminate FS' longstanding problem of airports in plateaus and troughs, will involve use of such blended sloped flattens... NOT in hacking higher LODs out of terrain mesh. :rolleyes:


Would you share your insight on how such "skirted" sloped flattens can be made... for the good of the FS Community knowledge base ? :teacher:


Many thanks for any help you'd be willing to offer in relation to this IMHO, under-documented aspect of FS. :)


GaryGB
 
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GHD

GHD

Messages
12,242
Country
england
GaryGB said:
And now I'm even more curious as to exactly what would you do different "now" when making such a "skirted" sloped flatten around the airport in your screenie above... so I'm further compelled to ask: would you be so kind as to explain this in some detail please ?
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I do not have the time to explain in detail.

I have found it unnecessary to create so many triangles, I now use convex polygons with the height of each outer vertex equal to the mesh height.
 
G

GaryGB

Messages
6,694
Country
us-illinois
Hi George:

Thanks for the update ! ;)

Would I be correct that by now you have further developed a procedure using software that logs the intended polygon vertex coordinates, and then queries (via SimConnect or FSUIPC), the current FS ground elevation (as rendered mid-flight for a given active local terrain mesh file and in-sim terrain mesh resolution / complexity slider settings) to then "connect the dots" and triangulate the vertices for subsequent processing into a sloped flatten polygon BGL? :rolleyes:

IIOW, are you rarely if ever, doing these by hand any more ? :p

GaryGB
 
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G

GaryGB

Messages
6,694
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us-illinois
Hello "Southwest" (since no person's name is given):

Indeed for custom sloped flatten "convex polygons" we are referencing in this context, Triangles... with all interior angles less than 180° such that all the vertices will point outwards, away from the interior of the shape.

http://www.mathopenref.com/polygonconvex.html)



It would seem that any custom sloped flatten solution will only be properly usable for one's current FS ground elevation as rendered for a given active local terrain mesh file, and in-sim terrain mesh resolution / complexity slider settings.

Thus, unless one always intends to use a specific local terrain mesh file (ex: default or a particular 3rd party FS add-on), and specific FS in-sim terrain mesh resolution / complexity slider settings, no one solution can be made for all end-user FS installations and flight scenarios.

It is understandable that end-users seem to expect that a solution to the ongoing problem of "airports on plateaus and in troughs" should be included with all terrain meshes... and this has long been a bone of contention between mesh-makers and mesh-consumers.

But it is not the "fault" of mesh-makers that some 'dufus-es' stumbled out on the tarmac, wet a finger and held it into the wind to 'presume a heading', and then 'guess-timated the elevations' for their local airfield RWYs before reporting their "empirical" results to aviation authorities for inclusion in databases, maps, and (dare I say it ?) flight management computers and/or flight planning software for real world aircraft that carry real people ! :eek:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Dufus


IMHO, if it weren't for the shoddy data in airport elevation databases, mesh-makers could simply take accurate terrain elevation data from 'proper surveys' and make meshes that only need a simple central airport flatten to get the job done for FS scenery building (...and that only if end-users wanted flat RWYs for AI aircraft operations). :mad:


In the mean time, since George is busy (...and this question once again refers to an airport in the UK :stirthepo ), may I refer the OP to this additional post: :D


http://www.newsite.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10663


Hope this provides some additional help ! :)


PS: As a Brit, for a bit of comedy relief, may I recommend you to enjoy Monty Python's "Dennis Moore" sketch... Part 4 (at 1:20):

"Oh, honestly, it's absolutely pointless trying to do this if you're going to cheat. It really is awful of you..." :rotfl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgX1zXfWV8&feature=related


GaryGB
 
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rhumbaflappy

rhumbaflappy

Administrator
Staff member
Resource contributor
Messages
5,059
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us-wisconsin
If this is FSX you could use SBuilderX. Make a poly to cover the area and assign type "Exclude_All_Airport_Boundaries". ( That failing, "Exclude_All_Terrain_Items" would do it. )

Note that the runways and taxiways may have flattening properties... but those can be excluded using ADEx9.

With a sloped runway, you'll lose the ability of the AI planes to use the airport properly.

Dick
 
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