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Platforms - Why Do Some Not Work

P

pecrowther

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us-kansas
I had created a sloping airfield using FSDS. I have now converted the airfield to gmax and am attaching platforms to each segment of the runways and taxiways. For example, each runway has about 66 square segments.
In most cases, the platform works fine. However, in about 1 out of 20 cases, the aircraft will "fall through" the platform. Is there a reason this is happening?
I assumed that it was because the segment was not perfectly flat, so I replaced the original square platform with two triangles. But that made no difference.
Any thoughts?
Phil
 
Hi Phil,

When it does not work, does that mean that you fall through it when you try to land on it? Or even when you just drive over it?
 
Just taxiing over it.
For example, I might be taxiing (or taking off) on a runway with several segments, each of which has a platform. While taxiing on the first segment, I am on top of the platform for that segment. But, when I reach the next segment, the platform doesn't hold and I fall through to the ground (only a short drop since the runway generally "conforms" to the underlying terrain). I continue to taxi and, in the next segment or so, am "relevated" on top of the platform for that next segment.
Mighty strange.
Phil
 
Falling trough a sloping platform

Hi,

If I am right... this can be solveld by installing an invisible runway at the same height of your platform (first step) and then place a second invisible runway at ground level als anchor (always second step)... as you do for landable flightdecks aircraft carriers.

José.
 
Hi José,
Could you give a breif desription of how you would do the 2 invisible runway thing, I'd be very interested to learn that, thanks :)
 
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Now that I think about it, the problem seems to occur on the corners of the scenery. For example, one of the models includes 4 east/west runways. The problem is greatest at the beginning and the end of the north and south runways. That corresponds to the corners of the model.
I will try putting an invisible part/platform out beyond the corners and see if that helps.
Phil
 
Why do you use platforms in the first place? And why not only one for the whole runway? Do you want to simulate the concrete-platforms of the runway with the joints? Or is there another necessity for that?

Sorry, no help at all, but I'm always keen to learn more about scenerydesign. :o ;)
 
I was building a runway on an island and realized that the terrain had a significant slope. I was able to get some high resolution mesh, so I decided to see if I could create a runway as a FSDS model. Since the aircraft "falls through" the FSDS runway, I had to conform the runway to the terrain. I broke the runway into 200 foot segments. By manipulating each point, I was able to get the runway within 6 inches of the terrain. (I would have been able to get closer if the runways had been straight east/west, but they are angled a couple of degrees.) Recently, I learned enough about gmax to convert the runways to gmax models and to create hardened platforms on top of each runway segement - so the plane would not fall through.
I works great except for about 2-3 segments at each corner of the runways, where the platforms don't seem to work. I tried to fool the computer by creating "outlying" invisible segments, but no luck. I saw the same kind of question posted on another board, but there was no reply.
It's a bit baffling.
Phil
 
Phil,

When you say segments, do you mean they are individual parts or just pairs of faces of one large part?

When I redid a CFS2 aircraft carrier, the flight deck is 75 faces and not flat at the ends, but all one piece. So simply making a clone and then making it a platform worked. Seems your situation is similar but just a different shape and size and over ground and not water.

Lou
 
Each runway is a single object with many polygons. Because (unlike an aircraft carrier) the runway is not level, I had to clone each polygon in each runway and make a platform out of that. Works fine, until I get to the corners of the whole gmax model, i.e. the first and last 3 polygons of the top and bottom runways.
Phil
 
Do I understand you right, that you build kind of a stair-runway with a lot of very small steps (=platforms) so the aircraft can roll over them? That's a good idea. :)

Although the AI-traffic won't be able to use the runway.
 
Hi Thorsten,

Why would that be a good idea, if you can make a sloped runway with the platform code?
 
Errrrm,... :o :o

Didn't occur to me. Actually I never thought about it too much because I want the AI-traffic to use my runways so I always make them plane. :o

But why divide them into several platforms then? :confused:
 
You need to use multiple platforms if you are going to make the runways like real world runways, which have dips and humps and if you are going to sit on top of the runway.
It is not something I would generally recommend. It was very time-consuming and has several disadvantages. But in my particular case it worked fine. I just uploaded the Tinian scenery to avsim if you want to take a look.
(But it is probably only a matter of time, before someone tries something really strange like one of the "Hot Wheels" loops.) :)
Phil
 
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I "recut" the airport files and it seems to have eliminated the problem.
I had previously cut the airport file into 3 different files because makemdl would not handle the hundreds of platforms. I had one file for runways, one for taxiways and one for 3d structures.
This evening I moved some of the taxiways to the runway file - in order to even up the file sizes. That change has apparently eliminated the soft spots on the runway. I assume they have moved elsewhere, but at least the runways are all hardened.
I have no idea why that made a difference, but it did.
Phil
 
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