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ADE Apron linked to Ground Poly - Bug

tgibson

tgibson

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Hi,

Unless this is the intended result, I have found a problem.

1. Make an apron - I have done it from a Helper shape and by clicking a free form shape.
2. Click the apron, right click and choose Make Custom Ground Poly. I assigned gp_Concrete for a texture, and did not change anything else. Clicked OK.
3. Drag the resulting ground poly away from the apron.
4. Click on the apron to select it. If the outline remains, click a vertex.
5. The apron jumps underneath the new location of the ground polygon.

You cannot have the apron and ground polygon in different locations. Other GP texture assignments did the same thing.

Hope this helps,
 
Hope this helps,
Click to expand...
Just who were you trying to help? It doesn't do much for my weekend :( And, I suspect Jon will be even less grateful. ;)

I was unaware that this feature, i.e., Make Custom Ground Poly when an apron is selected, existed. But, now that I am, I have trouble visualizing much use for it. (The general use for GPs is to draw lines or symbols on aprons and other surfaces, not to completely cover them.)

That being said, given the limited number of apron textures and the potentially unlimited variety of GP textures, I suppose the ability to replace an apron with a GP of exactly the same shape might be helpful (though a GP of that shape could have been created initially rather than an apron). Insofar as creating a GP in the exact shape of the apron, ADE-GP seems to be up to the task. But, if this is the intent, the only issue I see is that wasn't deleted (instead of being hidden under the GP).
 
Sorry about that. :) It hopefully helps the users of ADE, eventually. BTW, this does not happen if the source of the shape is a Helper Shape, only an apron. It gets even worse if you try to hide the ground polygon. Then things may just not be movable at all, and the aprons sometimes turns into a ground polygon (in the display).

I am using it because there is a limit on the number of aprons and vertices in the FS9 BGLComp compiler. Thus quickly converting some aprons into ground polygons provides welcome spare aprons and vertices.

Another advantage of this procedure is that you can create a ground polygon in three relatively simple steps:

1. Create the apron and edit it to get the shape exactly right.
2. Make Custom Ground Poly, assign texture in GP Editor, adjust as needed.
3. Delete apron.

In contrast, creating a ground polygon from scratch is a bit more tricky (but not much, I'll give you that):

1. Create the ground polygon by clicking the shape.
2. Assign texture in GP Editor.
3. Back in ADE edit the polygon so it is exactly the correct shape (not possible to edit shape in step 1).
4. Back to the GP Editor, click Reset, adjust if needed.

Also, aprons can be made partially transparent using Shift O so you can see a background image underneath. You can't do that with ground polygons.
 
Since any changes to address this would be accomplished in ADE, I'll let Jon respond.
 
Well the good news is that this is the first time it has been reported. The bad news is that it is found now ;)

I will add it to the list but I guess there are workarounds which helps
 
My main workaround is that to delete the apron after creating the ground polygon I:

1. Make Custom Ground Polygon from apron.
2. Drag the resulting ground polygon away, exposing the apron.
3. Click the apron to select it. It will snap under the ground polygon, but it's still selected.
4. Unlock apron (if needed), then press the Delete key.
5. Move ground polygon back to its original position.
 
Jon, seems to me all that needs to be done is delete the apron upon successful creation of the GP - and perhaps change the name of the function from Make Custom Ground Poly to Replace with Custom Ground Poly

If GPs are the solution to the limit on number of aprons, then I could add the taxi textures to ADE-GPs complement of textures. This would eliminate the visual difference between the unreplaced aprons and the replacement GPs. And, if Jon sent the texture name along with the apron coordinates, GP texture selection could be automatic and the whole process would require but a single click. As a side benefit, the developer could align the lines in the concrete taxi (and other) textures as desired. Any thoughts?

3. Back in ADE edit the polygon so it is exactly the correct shape (not possible to edit shape in step 1).
Click to expand...
Tom, what's preventing you from creating the exact shape in Step 1. Generally, the only difference between creating an apron and a GP is that when creating an apron, you select the texture before creating the shape.
 
Hi

I have been making Custom Ground Poly from previously drawn aprons for many years in ADE and I find the easiest way to get rid of the replaced apron is, once the Ground Poly has been completed untick GP Objects from the 'View' drop-down menu and then delete the apron and then turn GP Objects back on. No moving things about!

Iain
 
Don, at my age I can never click click click the vertices to the exactly correct positions the first time. I need to edit the locations of the vertices after the initial creation process. I can only do this in step 3, not step 1. When I double click the last vertex in step 1, ADE takes me directly to the GP Editor and step 2. No vertex editing allowed until I go back to ADE in step 3. I'm not saying this is a bad procedure - I think it is the best that can be done. It just takes a while.

Iain, the View option is another good workaround, I agree, It depends on the situation for me - sometimes one is faster, sometimes the other. One deciding factor is if the background image (if any) allows me to return the ground polygon to the exact location the apron occupied. If not, your way is better.
 
Before anyone gets too excited about converting aprons to GPs or otherwise using GPs in place of aprons. there are a couple side-effects that need to be considered.
  1. When an aircraft taxies on an apron, FS adjusts the audio and video to reflect the characteristics of the apron surface. For example, on an apron whose texture is "taxi_dirt", dust rises from the tires and the video suggests a slight bumpiness. If an apron is replaced with a GP, the underlying surface would be the landclass, which may result in incorrect audio/video indications.
  2. Where a portion of an apron lies under a runway or taxiway, FS displays the runway or taxiway texture. If converted to a GP, the GP texture would be on top.
These may not be the only drawbacks. While they don't defeat use of GPs in place of aprons, you will have to be very selective of where such GPs are used on the airfield. Wholesale replacement of aprons with GPs may not be appropriate.
 
I agree with all of that, Don. We had lots of little apron circles on the airport - lots of vertices and no traffic on them.
 
OK - another way to do this - I think it needs a ProKey. Create your apron and then the GP. Select the GP and press F8 to hide it. Delete the Apron. Hold down the D key and click the GP to restore it.
 
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