With the sdk, not to hard! You going to have to run the TrafficDatabaseBuilder in Command Prompt, found in all programs Accessories. But first you'll have to make some cvs files, and some routes using Google Earth. If you can't make your own cvs files do this. Look in your up to date SDK, in Environment kit folder>Traffic Toolbox SDK. Copy AND PAST these files, BoatRoutes.cvs, BoatTerminals.cvs, and fs10.BoatTypes.cvs. And also the TrafficDatabaseBuilder Application. Past em in a work folder some where (desk top - make one).
Delete all the info ( open with note pad - edit select all ) in those cvs files, so you can make your own info for your routes, boats, and terminals. You can leave the notes ( # List of boat types to use in the traffic database) in the .cvs. Thats done save, NOT SAVE AS.
1) Start with the fs10.BoatTypes.cvs making your own boat type list, should look like this.
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Note the commas, have to have those.
# List of boat types to use in the traffic database
# typeKey,Title,Cruise,routeTypes,AutoSchedule?
carrier01_high_detail_sm,veh_carrier01_high_detail_sm,25,CARRIER,yes
cruiser01,VEH_cruiser01,25,CRUISER,yes
destroyer01,VEH_destroyer01,25,DESTROYER,yes
Belleau_Wood,Belleau_Wood_missions,25,CARRIER2,yes
water_yacht_280ft_sm,VEH_water_yacht_280ft_sm,25,YACHT,yes
cargoD,VEH_water_cargoD_sm,25,CARGO,yes
cargoC,VEH_water_cargoC_sm,25,CARGO,yes
tanker01_sm,VEH_water_tanker01_sm,25,OIL,yes
tanker02_sm,VEH_water_tanker02_sm,25,OIL,yes
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typeKey = a unique keyword used to identify this type of ship (max 15 chars)
title = the title string from sim.cfg
speed = cruising speed in knots - may not run if more than 25 knots.
routeTypes = one or more of: OIL|CRUISE|CARGO|FERRY - You can make your own route types. Multiple boats can share the same route type (note the cargo, and oil ships), or make individual route types. My boats have individual route types. Route types will be used in your BoatTerminals.cvs..
AutoSchedule? = automatically generate schedules for this boat type (yes/no) - has to be auto for bouts, TrafficDatabaseBuilder will not schedule boats traffic.
2) Now make your own BoatTerminals.cvs, should look like this.
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#ID, Capacity, TypeMask
72015,1,CARRIER|CARRIER2
74165,1,CARRIER|CARRIER2
78217,3,CRUISER|DESTROYER
81875,3,CRUISER|DESTROYER
84221,5,CARGO
85663,5,CARGO
88226,5,CARGO|OIL
89987,5,CARGO|OIL
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The first number is a unique ID for the terminal. Can be any number id, the last id in the stock BoatTerminals.cvs is 62360.
The single digit, 5 in these examples, is the capacity of the terminal (in ships). no more than 5. If you have alot if routes your gonna need alot of terminals, two terminals (start and end point) for each route in the BoatRoutes.cvs...
The third entry is one or more of: CARGO|OIL|CRUISE|FERRY - Terminal that your boats are going to use from the fs10.BoatTypes.cvs. CARRIER|CARRIER2 , CRUISER|DESTROYER are my own boat terminals.
3) And now make your own routes in Google Earth.
You'll be surprised how accurate it is in FSX.
First after opening GE. Look at the top menu bar in GE. under tools, go to options.
And set the Lat/Long to Decimal Degrees (the Sim only wants Decimal Degrees for boat routes).
Now make a path in the water you want your boats to take. Left side-side bar. Left click Temporary Places to high light, right click Temporary Places and add a path. New path box comes up, name, and decription does not matter. (routes are not actually going to use this, it's just what the route is going to look like. But you may want a record of the routes in kml. form so go ahead and name it.) Left click on one part of water, left click on another part of the water, and another beyond that. Length of the route will not matter, what ever you want. Click ok, now your gonna need place marks to get the Decimal Degrees from. Left click Temporary Places to high light, right click Temporary Places and add placemark. One at the beginning, end, and every point your path changes directions. Note the place mark has the Latitude and Longitude in the info box. Click ok. Minimize or move Google Earth to your other monitor for now.
4) Time to make the BoatRoutes.cvs.
It's going to be a long list if you have alot of routes with alot of way points.
The way point are the place marks Latitude and Longitude in GE.
It should look like this,
this route has few way points, doesn't go far, and is only one route.
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#ID, TerminalFrom, TerminalTo
1812,72015,74165
{
44.084984, -87.642436
44.084525, -87.635269
43.914002, -87.453111
43.319733, -87.599716
43.081307, -87.653393
43.014982, -87.882565
}
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The first number is the route ID, can be any unique number id, unique for each route. The stock BoatRoutes.cvs unique route ID ends at 1740.
The second two the terminals (departing from, and destination).
From the BoatTerminals.cvs you made earlier. Remember you need two terminals for each route (beginning and end point). The Capacity, TypeMask (boat type) of those terminals (in the BoatTerminals.cvs) the route is going to use has to match each other, but not the unique terminal ID .
Within the brackets are the latitude and longitude of the way points of the route. Where the route starts, first way point. The change in direction of the route, second, third, fourth way point. And where the route ends, last way point. Go back to Google Earth, and get the latitude and longitude off each place park (copy and past). Do this by high lighting the first place mark, right click it and scroll down to it's properties. And left click properties.
Their they are the latitude and longitude of that way point.
Remember the commas! And save.
After getting all the latitude and longitude way points from GE.
Save your routes as .kml as a record if you want, and close google.
You've just made the three .cvs, BoatRoutes.cvs, BoatTerminals.cvs, and fs10.BoatTypes.cvs. Needed by the TrafficDatabaseBuilder.
5) The last part, Command Prompt.
On my computer the command prompt runs from my user folder (the start, menu top right, your name) Open your user folder, and move the BoatRoutes.cvs, BoatTerminals.cvs, and fs10.BoatTypes.cvs. files you just made. And also the TrafficDatabaseBuilder Application out of that work folder to your user folder. Or if you know how to run the Command Prompt to another folder, just leave them thier. Running Command prompt their.
Bring the Command Prompt up/online. found in all programs Accessories, double left click. A black window is now on your desk top, enter this command exactly(copy/past from here):
TrafficDatabaseBuilder /BoatTerminals=BoatTerminals.csv /BoatRoutes=BoatRoutes.csv /BoatTypes=fs10.BoatTypes.csv /Log=logfile /Output=trafficCustomBoats.bgl
The command will run (if it says can't read, check that .cvs some things wrong in their, check it, and recheck it tell it runs!) when finished it will spit out a new traffic bgl. in your user folder. The output bgl name can be any name, just not the stock traffic.bgl's names. Or you'll over write them, no reason to do that. Look at the log file, make sure all routes are running.
I had a route that was not running, and I found the problem in the BoatRoutes.csv. A bracket { } was the wrong direction.)
Now move the new bgl to your Simulator. FSX Main directory> Scenery> World> Scenery. Put it with the stock traffic files, in the World Scenery - In it's Scenery folder.
If you add boat routes just keep adding to the BoatRoutes.csv and recompile the bgl. Or you'll have alot of boat traffic bgl's.
Scheduling and auto scheduling AI aircraft world wide can be done in the same manner, with aircraft you don't need routes or GE..
But the Airport.DAT list is very long.
NOW SOME ONE TELL ME HOW TO MAKE AND LIST AS SOURCES " land/water mask " and " Blend mask " Tif images for photo real scenery, Please. kidding just want to know how to produce really cool scenery's.
Came up with this step by step by studding the SDK, and reading lots of posts on lots of forums. And typing it out step by what I had learned.
