(N57) In Toughkenamon, Chester County, Pennsylvania (PA), USA. By Christopher G. Clawson.

[Butch1]

In both P3DV4 and V5 will render a lot of grass on the runway. I tried to do an elevation change but that did not fix the issue.
Open to suggestions as to what the fix may be.

Link to original is here

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Butch:

The add-on N57 cited above does not change the Airport Reference Point or Airport Boundary / Background (aka "AB") Flatten Altitude.

https://flyawaysimulation.com/downloads/files/15627/fsx-new-garden-airport/


That, and appearance of the small rise on the airfield that does not obey N57's default FS AB Flatten Altitude suggests N57 is "Not Guilty".

Instead this appears more likely to be an "Orbx" issue.

Do you have any OrbX add-on scenery installed ?

If so, depending on which one(s) a simple, or not-so-simple, fix may be required.

Please let us know whether you do- or do not- have any OrbX add-on scenery installed,

If not, there may a need for some further detective work to sort this out.

GaryGB

 

[Butch1]

I have a few Orbx freeware sceneries, Orbx Objectflow, Terraflora V2. Global airport pack (freeware).

I don't have any of their Global base packs which was a prerequisite for the Global airport pack.

 

[Butch1]

Just for grins, I installed the N57 to P3DV3 and grabbed a couple screen shots

FYI, I don't have any Orbx stuff in P3D V3

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Butch:

I get the same at N57 with this add-on installed into P3Dv4:

The CVX Vector BGL made by ADE is a suspect, rather than an incorrect Airport Reference Point (aka "ARP") Altitude.


The P3Dv4 default N57 AB Flatten = 132.892807006836 Meters / 435.9987 Feet

The P3Dv4 default N57 ARP = 132.892 Meters / 435.9961 Feet


N57 Add-on ARP = 132.891 Meters / 435.9928 Feet

N57 Add-on RWY = 132.891 Meters / 435.9928 Feet

SDK TMFViewer shows the CVX Vector BGL made by ADE does not contain a replacement AB Flatten

BGLViewer shows the ADE CVX Vector BGL does have "-AddToCells" set, so it is not directly implicated as a file like some OrbX BGLs.

However, that BGL uses a mix of CVX Vector Park-type Polygons assigned to 0 Meters AGL and Roads assigned to "-9999" Altitude values.

Both of those values should result in terrain mesh clinging textures mapped to those CVX Vector Polygons.


SDK TMFViewer shows the P3Dv4 default terrain mesh DEM0302.BGL has a variable Altitude AMSL in Meters along the N57 RWY axis.


I'll need to check some things in Terrain.Cfg to see if Park Polygons "Fall Back" to terrain mesh DEM Altitude versus the ARP or AB Flatten.

I'll also need to check to see if those CVX Vector Park-type Polygons in question are changed by OrbX in Terrain.Cfg.


I'll need to think this one over a bit more before I reply further.

GaryGB

 

[Butch1]

Hi Butch:

I get the same with this add-on installed into P3Dv4:

View attachment 97786

The CVX Vector BGL made by ADE is a suspect, rather than an incorrect AB Flatten or Airport Reference Point (aka "ARP") Altitude.

The default N57 AB Flatten = 132.892807006836 Meters / 435.9987 Feet

N57 Default ARP = 132.892 Meters / 435.9961 Feet


N57 Add-on ARP = 132.89 Meters / 436 Feet

The CVX Vector BGL made by ADE does have "-AddToCells" set, so it is not directly implicated as a file like some OrbX BGLs.

However, that BGL uses a mix of CVX Vector Park-type Polygons assigned to 0 Meters AGL and Roads assigned to "-9999" Altitude values.

Both of those values should result in terrain mesh clinging textures mapped to those CVX Vector Polygons.


The P3Dv4 default terrain mesh BGL shows a variable elevation as Altitude AMSL in Meters along the RWY axis.


I'll need to check some things in Terrain.Cfg to see if Park Polygons "Fall Back" to default terrain Altitude versus the ARP or AB Flatten.

I'll also need to check to see the Park Polygons in question are changed by OrbX in Terrain.Cfg.

I'll need to think this one over a bit more before I reply further.

GaryGB

Thanks Gary for your looking into this. I hope it can be corrected to work in P3DV5.4 I think there is a nice collection of AI aircraft included and I added to my object library for other airports.
Some of your response was a bit greek to me but I appreciate it.

 

[GaryGB]

Indeed, there was a generous amount techie stuff in that reply; I typed it as I was thinking this one through.

I'm thinking you may have meant "Geek" rather than 'Greek', with techie stuff like this thread involves.

I'll test a couple of things to see what is required to fix it (I'm confident there is a way to do so; I just need to refresh my memory on it).

GaryGB

 

[Butch1]

I'm thinking you may have meant "Geek" rather than 'Greek', with techie stuff like this thread involves.



GaryGB

Well... now that you mentioned it maybe that too...

 

[GaryGB]

Hopefully I can take another look at it tomorrow (Tuesday); I have been keeping a lot of late night hours recently.

GaryGB

 

[GaryGB]

Just a quick update to show that the anomaly is also seen in FSX.

I shall look into this further to see what may fix it, since it does not appear to involve OrbX files at this location.

GaryGB

 

[Butch1]

Just a quick update to show that the anomaly is also seen in FSX.

View attachment 97789

I shall look into this further to see what may fix it, since it does not appear to involve OrbX files at this location.

GaryGB

Yet when I loaded it to P3DV3 it looked normal (at least on my rig) see my images in my post #4 above.

 

[GaryGB]

I am still testing potential factors; maybe my FSX.Cfg and P3D.Cfg file [TERRAIN] settings allow things to be displayed others do not see.

I use these setting in FSX.Cfg:

[TERRAIN]
LOD_RADIUS=4.500000
MESH_COMPLEXITY=100
MESH_RESOLUTION=25
TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=29
AUTOGEN_DENSITY=5
IMAGE_PIXELS_FOR_AUTOGEN_POLYGONS=1024
DETAIL_TEXTURE=1
WATER_EFFECTS=7


I use these setting in Prepar3D.Cfg:

LOD_RADIUS=4.500000
TESSELLATION_FACTOR=85
MESH_RESOLUTION=25
TEXTURE_RESOLUTION=29
AUTOGEN_VEGETATION_DENSITY=5
AUTOGEN_BUILDING_DENSITY=5
DETAIL_TEXTURE=1
HIGH_RESOLUTION_TERRAIN_TEXTURES=1
WATER_REFLECT_CLOUDS=1
WATER_REFLECT_USERAIRCRAFT=1
WATER_REFLECT_SIMOBJECTS=0
WATER_REFLECT_TERRAIN=0
WATER_REFLECT_AUTOGEN_VEGETATION=0
WATER_REFLECT_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS=0
WATER_REFRACT_CLOUDS=0
WATER_REFRACT_USERAIRCRAFT=0
WATER_REFRACT_SIMOBJECTS=0
WATER_REFRACT_TERRAIN=0
WATER_REFRACT_AUTOGEN_VEGETATION=0
WATER_REFRACT_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS=0
ENABLE_BATHYMETRY=0
WATER_CLARITY=30
WATER_DETAIL=2
UseGlobalTerrainView=False

I have not tested / tinkered the above Terrain setting in P3D for years, as I hardly ever use it (FSX has better performance than P3D).

That said, MSFS has as good- or better- performance on the same computer ...than either FSX or P3D.


Since there do not seem to be any G-Polys in the add-on, current chief suspect is the AB Flatten being too high relative to ARP / RWY.


P3D default N57 AB Flatten is above P3D default N57 ARP / RWY


The P3Dv4 default N57 AB Flatten = 132.892807006836 Meters or 435.9987 Feet

The P3Dv4 default N57 ARP = 132.892 Meters or 435.9961 Feet

132.892807006836 Meters or 435.9987 Feet (-) 132.892 Meters or 435.9961 Feet = 0.000807006836 Meters or 0.002647652 Feet

Round up the "8" as a significant value into the next (Left) decimal place by adding "1" = .001 Meters = 1 Millimeter



P3D default N57 AB Flatten is above P3D Add-on N57 ARP / RWY

The P3Dv4 default N57 AB Flatten = 132.892807006836 Meters or 435.9987 Feet

N57 Add-on ARP = 132.891 Meters or 435.9928 Feet

132.892807006836 Meters or 435.9987 Feet (-) 132.891 Meters or 435.9928 Feet = 0.001807006836 Meters or 0.005928482 Feet

Round up the "8" as a significant value into the next (Left) decimal place by adding "1" = .002 Meters = 2 Millimeters


Yep, "A Silly Millimeter Longer" (...or 2 ...higher) is N57's tiny interval above its ARP / RWY, CVX Vector Terrain Textures drape onto.

I plan to test a new replacement AB Flatten Polygon shortly, and will post my results soon.

GaryGB

 

[Butch1]

There were some other issues in N57 as noted in attached screen grabs.
There is a yellow stripe with no asphalt taxiway underneath and a wind sock that is airborne.

 

[Butch1]

Ok...if I deleted the cvx file then the overgrown grass on the runway is gone.
There is still an issue where there appear yellow striping with no asphalt underneath and that windsock needs to be fixed or done away with.

 

[Butch1]

Giant windsock. Don't know how to fix or get rid of it. Looks awful.

 

[GaryGB]

Ok...if I deleted the cvx file then the overgrown grass on the runway is gone.

Which CVX file ...the default FSX / P3D "CVX27170.bgl" ?

FYI: CVX27170.bgl contains all CVX Vector content for [FS install path]\Scenery\0302\Scenery area ...which is LOD-5 sized !


Instead, we must use a corrected AB Flatten with the Altitude set to match that of the default N57 ARP / RWY AFD infrastructure.

Attached below is a BGL to exclude- and replace- default N57 AB Flatten (Altitude corrected to match N57 ARP / RWY AFD objects).

Notice we no longer see terrain textures draped onto the ground popping up over the RWY by ~1mm -or- 2mm in FSX:

There is still an issue where there appear yellow striping with no asphalt underneath and that windsock needs to be fixed or done away with.

Giant windsock. Don't know how to fix or get rid of it. Looks awful.

OK, I'll also take a look at these.

Where do I find the "yellow striping with no asphalt underneath" and "Giant windsock" (decimal Geographic coordinates, please).

GaryGB