FSXA fsx sdk question

jyarddog · 17 Dec 2017

I have the SDK, but I do not see it in my control panel. I think I remember it must be there........ ergo- installed.

so- even though I have my FSX SDK on my hard drive, do I need to install it so it does show up I control panel? something tells me this is necessary. yea / nay? Bob

2wheelsup · 27 Dec 2017

I just find the location of the SDK and put a shortcut on the desktop. Find the SDK folder, right click and then 'send to desktop, (create shortcut)'. DONE and easy to find.

jyarddog · 27 Dec 2017

I do that with a lot of stuff that take about 200 clicks to get to!!! hahaha. Yep- later I realized it does not show up in control panel. I have another issue going on and thought this might have been the cause, but it's not. Thanx, Alan

Pyscen · 28 Dec 2017

Bob...

Why are you worried about it in the first place? What's the reasoning behind it?

jyarddog · 28 Dec 2017

I am looking any possible reason why my FSDS Tweak doesn't work anymore. My FSDS works great 3.5.1 Recently became aware that Tweak won't work right. reinstalled it, set it up correctly. nada. build exterior screen pops up a second time which is not right. X out of that second screen and the dos screen completes. But then I try to add the resulting mdl to my library I get the message "this mdl is not usable."

So I am just trying different ideas as to what (if anything) might be interfering with Tweak. Sent Tweak to a friend... his doesn't work. Sent another to another friend... his does! So trying to find out the diff. bob

Lacev · 24 Oct 2018

I need tips for:

1. How to identify bgl's of default buildings in Prepar3D v4, such as those in the attached photo that are in the water after to install ORBX FTX-VECTOR.
2. How to edit the new coordinates and height to position the buildings in the correct place.

Thank you.

jyarddog · 24 Oct 2018

Lacev- You might not like this but here goes-

I hope you have FSX and perhaps Orbx installed there as well. If Orbx is not installed there it will be a bit tougher but still can be done.

After install your scenery in FSX, go to that scenery in top down (perhaps the easiest) and then open Instant Scenery 3 -right click and choose "extra bgl's" In the little window you see 'miles' change that 10 to a 1. hit OK and wait. it will take a few minutes.

Suddenly a whole mess of green labels show up. (sometimes some of these are on top of each other - hard to read but can be done most of the time)
slew around to find the buildings in question - Now- in the little IS3 box you now see a drop down arrow, click that and you see a list - first one is your scenery next is your main ADE and scenery location, but the next one is object name then then next to last is library name and finally library and object name together. these last 3 are the ones you pay attention to.

If these are buildings you added and placed with ADE then the library is most likely your obj file. If it isn't then you have to do some searching - names are like apxxxxxxxxxxxx (x=numbers) obxxxxxxxx and/or scenery 0112 0120, etc.

These will be located somewhere in your FSX (and same I nP3D4) folders like scenery/world.... and here you are going to have to fuss through NWAM, GLOBAL, ETC and see which of these carry the scenery number like 0112 and such.

once there you might be able to then grab it with IS3 and move it to where you want and drop it.

after all is done That your entire scenery and put it back into P3D4.

Reason- It seems that Konnie K of Instant scenery does not wish to upgrade IS3 anymore. My opinion is he could change IS3 from 32 bit to 64 bit and sell that puppy to us, but he won't. So many of us make our sceneries with IS3 in FSX and send it over to P3D4- works like a charm.

You really do need ADE new version which allows for FSX compile AND P3D compile. If you have an old scenery you like and put it over into P3D4, use the ADE P3D4 compile and go to list, the taxilinks and change the columns that deal with detail draw and draw surface (both columns and change all the no's to yes's. You can 'select all' - sometimes it takes a few moments to ADE to select all.

OR...………………………………….. Use ADE to exclude those buildings then go choose new buildings and place them yourself with ADE. Bob

Lacev · 27 Oct 2018

Thank you for the tips. I wrote down. I always write down and keep everything that interests me. I will go continue searching the internet for a home-made solution, that is, without using payed addons. I'm finding some interesting things that can work. I'll let you know.

Lacev · 28 Oct 2018

I think the necessary steps to correct the location of a generic scenery object are those below:

1. Position an aircraft over the scenery object.
2. Take note of coordinates in degrees and enter with those coordinates into BGL_LOCATE.xls. Will be shown the bgl number and scenery folder number where bgl is.
3. Inspect the scenery folder to make sure the desired bgl is inside in it. In our study case, it is the OBX36400.bgl.
4. Decompile the OBX36400.bgl with bglx21.exe.
5. The result of the decompile will be the objects' mdl around area 0405 and a xml file for all those objects.
6. Locate in the xml the target object. Use LAT and LON values to discover it.
7. Open the mdl with ModelConverterX130 to see if it is really the target objetc.

I belive that changing the xml to a new location and compiling it with bglcomp.exe to generate a new OBX36400.bgl, the buildings into water will be moved to a place on the ground.

Does anyone with more experience could analyse the steps above and help me?

BGLX21 => https://flyawaysimulation.com/downloads/files/18863/fsx-bglxml-21/

BGL_LOCATE => https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/locating-fsx-bgl-files-solution.3609/

ModelConverterX => https://www.scenerydesign.org/modelconverterx/

Lacev · 28 Oct 2018

Now I want to do a simple forward displacement (over the ground) with all five objects. Obtained the coordinates for object marked with B has how mathematically calculate the coordinates for the other four objects to move them equally? There is a formula to apply?

Lacev · 29 Oct 2018

I am studing how calculate the distance between the two coordinates A and B and also how add this calculated distance to the other four coordinates and so get the new numbers of LAT and LONG for remainder objetcs. Is it a way? Let's see.

jyarddog · 30 Oct 2018

I did something like this with my friend/co designer in the past when we were working close to Ford Island, Hawaii. we wanted to get rid of some stock ships here and there. Tough to do but workable.

I understand there is a way to do this with Model Converter X, but I haven't learned how yet. I will find out and let you know how, step by step. Long ago many tried to teach me how to do a photoreal. They were very helpful but for two months I could not learn how. They used terms I did not know (big mistake when teaching someone) - When I asked what this was or that was they said that is outside of this effort! Whoa!!!

When I finally learned (through much pain and anguish) I wrote down step by step instructions and posted them on XbuilderX forum. Luis Tirado wrote back and said, Bob, that is exactly right! Thereafter I taught about 14 guys how to do photoreal EACH guy in about 20 minutes.

I noted that these were instructions on how to get you up and running... the basics. Much more to it (and you never try to teach everything all at once!)

Once I learn the MCX procedure I will invite you to my Skype and we can walk through this together. Bob

Lacev · 30 Oct 2018

[QUOTE = "jyarddog, post: 808989, member: 2587"] ...

Once I learn the MCX procedure I will invite you to my Skype and we can walk through this together. Bob [/ QUOTE]

I will appreciate your invitation. For simplify this correction I think I will make a layer to apply in the Addon Scenery. This way if FTX VECTOR will be removed the layer must be removed also and the original bgl will be remained. For this process I will create a exclude polygon to the area of the five buildings and make a new xml file to the five buildings with their positions realocated and generate a new bgl to be placed into Addon Scenery.

jyarddog · 31 Oct 2018

Yes-If you can exclude them - easiest, then go choose your own substitutes. Just exclude with ADE. forget all this xml stuff.

As I said, if you had IS3 and used it in FSX you could do the same, then port it back over to P3D as I and others do. But then- whatever works. I'll keep in touch. Lately I've been getting rid of default land sticking out under my photoreal. sometimes regardless of how many times you redraw your blend mask something always sticks out! hahaha

Lacev · 31 Oct 2018

Done. I have created a exclude polygon (SBuilderX130) to remove the generic buildings from water, created a new xml file with the objects into the desired location and generate a new bgl called FIX_01_OBX36400 to be placed into a layer over FTX-VECTOR into Scenery Library of P3D V4.3.

jyarddog · 31 Oct 2018

WELL DONE! What is your procedure in placing your new buildings... or any object? Bob

jyarddog · 31 Oct 2018

SBX is good, but why not use ADE? or IS3 to exclude AND to place new objects? Doing this by xml, adjust heading and lat and long then compiling to a bgl and ploacing in your scenery7 is what we used to do about 10 years ago!!!

Then along came rwy12 program which took most of the work out and was a real game changer. THEN along came Easy Scenery which blew the doors off of the industry. Konnie then changed companies and made various upgrades of that to Instant Scenery. Easy fast, efficient, precise.

This can also be done with ADE, albeit a bit slower but very good. AND you can place library bgl's with ADE OR mdl's if there are any models you have made with programs like Gmax, FSDS, Blender, Sketch Up. I use FSDS... Easy to use, easy to learn, does 99% of everything I've ever wanted to do. Bob

Lacev · 31 Oct 2018

I picked up the xml statements for the five objects shown in the pictures from OBX36400.xml file that was the output of bglx21 as described here in a post of mine.

After that I calculated the distance (500 meters) to move the objects ahead. Five hundred meters is equal 0,926 nm. Dividing 0,926 by 60 give 15.43 which in turn divided by 3600 results in 0,0042861 geodetic seconds. This 0,0043 (rounded) is the displacement (negative to up) to be added to the each one latitude in the xml for each one five objects. I used bglcomp.exe to compile the xml and get a new bgl to place into Scenary Library.

Example: -23.013650 - 0.0043 = -23.009350



<SceneryObject lat="-23.009350" lon="-43.333367" alt="0.00"
altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" pitch="0.00" bank="0.00" heading="0.00"
imageComplexity="DENSE">
<LibraryObject name="d38821b14a432db3c9a3a7a92ee55e93" scale="1.00" />
</SceneryObject>

jyarddog · 31 Oct 2018

Like we did back I the stone age (before FS9 , rwy 12, easy scenery and such.

Are you aware that you can make your own objects as mdl, put those mdls into a library you create, then use that library to place each object? The library is a bgl. Inside that library are the mdl's you made. You then can place these mdl's (each object) where you want them without that lengthy and time consuming process you mentioned above.

Or you can create your models and always put them in one folder you might call MODELS. then in ADE you open 'lists' choose 'models' then add - and you navigate to your model folder and choose whatever model you want and add it. Then you can use ADE to right click - add- model- choose the model you want and place it. - save airport and compile to you scenery you are working on. You can do similar in ADE choosing default libraries or perhaps libraries you made.

This will make life so much easier for you and your fine abilities in designing sceneries. Bob

Lacev · 31 Oct 2018

jyarddog said:
Like we did back I the stone age (before FS9 , rwy 12, easy scenery and such.

Are you aware that you can make your own objects as mdl, put those mdls into a library you create, then use that library to place each object? The library is a bgl. Inside that library are the mdl's you made. You then can place these mdl's (each object) where you want them without that lengthy and time consuming process you mentioned above.

Or you can create your models and always put them in one folder you might call MODELS. then in ADE you open 'lists' choose 'models' then add - and you navigate to your model folder and choose whatever model you want and add it. Then you can use ADE to right click - add- model- choose the model you want and place it. - save airport and compile to you scenery you are working on. You can do similar in ADE choosing default libraries or perhaps libraries you made.

This will make life so much easier for you and your fine abilities in designing sceneries. Bob

I have a little notion of the things you have mentioned, but I still prefer the tools of the age of the chipped stone.

I had stoped my project for the Rio 2016 Olympic. Now I'm thinking going back to it. A lot to do yet, but being a retired, I need to divide my time between cable TV, NETFLIX, walks, beach, old friends, internet, modeling projects for flight simulators and, of course, give some attention to my wife... lol!