Is the soution 2 tools? a restrict one that allows the "home town" airport change and a power tool?
That is a better way of saying it rather then my previous post that refers to a base tool then adding in more powerful sub-tools.
I suppose there might be some performance hit in having multiple bgl files but I'm not sure that is proven???
That is exactly what does work in FS9/FSX and is promoted by MS if the bgl's are located into the proper folders.
The problem with Airport scenery (what AFCAD works with) cannot be overlayed at a higher scenery priority like other forms of mesh, land class, adding generic buildings etc., etc. When I use a program like Sbuilder all I need to do is select, draw and lay down a new LC which also appears to be layer priority sensitive.
The XML data in the AP*.bgl works differently. FS is always going to load the default AP*.bgl data and then look for instructions written at a higher scenery priority to substitute new XML data. If you write XML data that is in the default AP*.bgl and place it higher it is now duplicated in FS not over written.
AFCAD copies out certain XML data from the default bgl. But the very first instruction written just after the Airport Header is the
<DeleteAirport
deleteAllApproaches = "FALSE"
deleteAllAprons = "TRUE"
deleteAllFrequencies = "TRUE"
deleteAllHelipads = "TRUE"
deleteAllRunways = "TRUE"
deleteAllStarts = "TRUE"
deleteAllTaxiways = "TRUE" />
Six out of many many areas of the default AP.bgl are now copied into AFCAD and can be edited and saved at a higher priority level. End result is that most of the XML in the default AP*.bgl is still used and only the AFCAD XML is used that was copied out at a higher priortity level. If the delete statements are not used and I change something about a runway in AFCAd then FS uses both the original and the AFCAD runway data. That is a sure CTD.
There is no automation when working with certain bgl's. You must first tell FS not to use what is default, then write what will be used.
Notice there is no ILS = False. All the ILS data that is seen in AFCAD gets attached to the Ruway properties because AFCAD also reads the companion NV*.bgl. AFCAD can not or will not edited the default ILS data because it would destroy and no longer agree with the Approach data which ='s FALSE which is also used from the default AP.bgl (see Reggie's post above).
I would go one step further and say that no exsisting Runway number can be changed. There is no Payware scenery that has ever done it right to date. Look at all the high power Payware for EHAM, KMCO, KDEN, LEBL, KIAH, KMIA, just to name a few and when their scenery changed the runway numbers they did not rewrite the approach data. On the visual surface (airport VMC) everything appears ok but then change the weather to less then 3 miles and all the approach data becomes corrupt. When someone makes a AFCAD, that also corrupts the Navaids listed by AFCAD and are distorted severly.
I have had conversations with the designers and the sad part is they continue to blame MS by saying FS has limitation that they can't overcome.
The 2 bgl process mentioned above does work and says all AFCAD airport XML data is in one bgl. I continue to promote removing the ILS data from the runway properties based on the way AFCAD does it. This is so no one can add a new ILS, try to change a ILS or renumber a runway without further knowledge of how to rewite or edit the default Approach data.
The second bgl would have to be a more powerful tool which would add additional 3rd party airport XML building scenery, objects, mdl model data, Navdata, approach data, boundry's, etc.
This is what I have been doing for several years now but I also follow the MS recommendation on where these 2 bgl's should be installed. My KMSP v1.1 on AVSIM is an example of the 2 bgl process but also reqiured me to have a single bgl for the flatten and a single bgl for the LC. All total I made 4 bgl's which included the AF2_KMSP.bgl (AFCAD).
The single most powerful bgl that I hand wrote has all the XML exclusions first then new building scenery, Objects, Guid's, mdl modeldata, new taxiway signs, waypoints and all new Approach data for the new runway which I added with AFCAD. Embedded in this single bgl is also the exclusion for Mall Of America which the default FS scenery put it in the wrong location. I then reinstalled the buildings that make up MOA and placed them in their correct Lat/Lon. The LC bgl is needed to increase the size of the airport ground texture and adding 2 new LC for where MOA was and where it was relocated.
I can only imagine a powerful tool that would let me do all this from one source. I said earlier I am not a tool designer but have been very successful in writting/combining all types of FS XML data into a single bgl and using the requirements that FS understands.
A side note is that AFCAD can read the airport header in FSX (see post above) but needs a code tweaking to decompile the bgl and be able to read the additional bgl's it works with based on there new naming scheme.
