FSX Airport Elevations

[GHD]

I am at a loss.

Was FSX running when you compiled?

 

[GHD]

Download TCalcX from

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4273&highlight=tcalcx

Run FSX then TCalcX and slew around the airport in top-down view. What ground altitude is displayed when you are on, and not on, a taxiway or apron? It should be 609m in both cases.

On Apron:



Off Apron:

 

[scruffyduck]

ADE provides the same display George - the red numbers near top left of the screen when ADE is connected to FS. It uses the same code logic as TCalcX.

 

[GHD]

ADE provides the same display George - the red numbers near top left of the screen when ADE is connected to FS. It uses the same code logic as TCalcX.

I know but ADE uses a large window, TCalcX has a small dialog which sits nicely on top of FSX.

 

[scruffyduck]

I know but ADE uses a large window, TCalcX has a small dialog which sits nicely on top of FSX.

True of course

 

[hamoody]

Download TCalcX from

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4273&highlight=tcalcx

Run FSX then TCalcX and slew around the airport in top-down view. What ground altitude is displayed when you are on, and not on, a taxiway or apron? It should be 609m in both cases.

I tried that (but with ADE as TCalcX cannot install on a 64-bit system). When I am either on the tarmac or off the tarmac, the altitude is roughly 609, with the altitude varying between 609.something and 608.9something. Around the airport, the altitude is less (in the 500s), but gets higher when I am around the west end of the airport. And, FSX was not running when I compiled.

 

[scruffyduck]

I am sure you did this but can you please check in File > Airport Properties that the altitude described there is correct.

I am also at a loss other than the possibility of some other file being involved. Do you have any third party terrain enhancements installed?

 

[Tejal Bernardo]

but the process should be very simple, you have to make a flatten polygon, what ever be the height, if the height is not correct and you want to change it, just go to "Tools" and "change airport altitude, this will create automatically a height file which will be located at Fsx/Scenery/world/scenery when compiled. and then make a flatten with this height. just that, good luck.

 

[GHD]

I tried that (but with ADE as TCalcX cannot install on a 64-bit system).

Try the attached which works for me on 64bit W7.

I'm sure Dick won't mind me uploading here.

 

[hamoody]

I am sure you did this but can you please check in File > Airport Properties that the altitude described there is correct.

I am also at a loss other than the possibility of some other file being involved. Do you have any third party terrain enhancements installed?

609 meters, as it should be. I do have the FSGenesis Syria terrain enhancement, which was causing the problem in the first place (I think I mentioned this on Avsim).

 

[GHD]

Your very first screenshot shows a trench between the taxiways:



Can you slew to that position and measure the ground altitide:

 

[hamoody]

Your very first screenshot shows a trench between the taxiways:



Can you slew to that position and measure the ground altitide:

Yes, but this is gone and now the airport only sits on a plateau, with all else being normal. The ground altitude is 609 meters consistently throughout that area.

 

[GHD]

Yes, but this is gone and now the airport only sits on a plateau, with all else being normal. The ground altitude is 609 meters consistently throughout that area.

Aha.

That is to be accepted since all you have defined is a large "S" shaped flat area.

Strictly you need to create some sloped polygons to blend from the flat area to the surrounding mesh.

Unfortunately I don't have the same mesh as youself so cannot be of more assistance.

I could create a blended skirt to suit the default mesh.

 

[hamoody]

Aha.

That is to be accepted since all you have defined is a large "S" shaped flat area.

Strictly you need to create some sloped polygons to blend from the flat area to the surrounding mesh.

Unfortunately I don't have the same mesh as youself so cannot be of more assistance.

I could create a blended skirt to suit the default mesh.

Thanks, but with the default mesh it is fine, so that will not be necessary. I will try to contact the developer of the mesh and see if he can get this straightened out for me. Even if he cant, the mesh cost me less than $5, so its not a huge loss. Anyway, thank you all very much for your help and patience in trying to solve this issue for me. I guess this was a learning experience too since I now know WAY more about scenery design than when I stared!
Thanks again,
hamoody

 

[scruffyduck]

You are very welcome

 

[GHD]

hamoody,

If you are feeling a little masochistic, here is a method to blend your flatten to the surrounding mesh.

First, in the scenery library, inhibit base 0702 and your flatten to remove any influence of the default or your flatten.

Next, add a polygon near one of the edges of your flatten and set it to Airport Background/Flatten with "Edit individual points" checked:





Copy/paste the vertex coordinates from the original flatten to the new polygon:



Now, for move the user aircraft to each vertex in turn, edit the vertex and copy the lat, long and ground altitude from TCalcX to the vertex.



You will need to add polygons to all of the edges of your original flatten and will need to experiment with the number of vertices.

I do this automatically via a custom program but it should be possible to achieve an acceptable result manually.

Goog luck

 

[hamoody]

hamoody,
Copy/paste the vertex coordinates from the original flatten to the new polygon:

Could you please tell me how to copy/paste them? Screenshots would be helpful (The coordinates are greyed out when I click on verticies)

Now, for move the user aircraft to each vertex in turn, edit the vertex and copy the lat, long and ground altitude from TCalcX to the vertex.

How would I position the aircraft exactly on the vertex?

 

[GHD]

Could you please tell me how to copy/paste them? Screenshots would be helpful (The coordinates are greyed out when I click on verticies)

Select a vertex and right-click, select "Copy coords":



Select the new vertex and right-clicj, select "Paste coords":

How would I position the aircraft exactly on the vertex?

It doesn't need to be exactly on the vertex, just use "Move aircraft to here" and after copying the coordinates, you will be moving the vertex to the aircraft position.

 

[hamoody]

Select a vertex and right-click, select "Copy coords":

When I right click on the vertex, I dont get the option to copy or paste coords.

 

[GHD]

I have just purchased the Syria mesh, I will probably be able to create a blended flatten for you tomorrow.