Sim Director

[Larry Burke]

Does anyone know of a simple tutorial for Sim Director? I just started using it and in my stumbling around I have been able to build a scenario, place some objects and export the file as a bgl. I cannot see any thing except the straight down view.
Sure would appreciate any help at all.

 

[jacklyon]

hi
you need. to put. the bgl on a /scenery folder
and activate on P3D

there some tutorials for simdirector. on SDK documentation
at Prepar3D site

Envoyé de mon SNE-LX1 en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv4/scenario_tools/simdirector/simdirector_overview.html

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv4/scenario_tools/simdirector/simdirector_course.html

GaryGB

 

[Larry Burke]

Thanks for the reply. I was looking for a very simple tutorial, but I guess i will have to study the one at Lockheed Martins web site. I know how to place objects and export the file but am having trouble with general use of sim director.


Hello Gary!!!

 

[David Love-Brice]

Hi Larry,

If you (or anyone) needs any help with SimDirector, please reach out. I've been using it in work for about two years now, so I can help to an extent.

David.

 

[=rk=]

David, thanks for your offer. If you would extend it to this request, I would like to see your procedure for locating and saving a single scenery object, in the form of an addon scenery style .bgl. If you would like, I can provide the model, or it can be a default library model.

 

[David Love-Brice]

Okay, the following is a simple exercise, but the fundamentals should be valid.

To create a BGL file from an SimDirector scene, try the following;

1. Open SimDirector from the P3D menu or desktop shortcut (if you have one).
2. When the scene is loaded, you can add scenery objects into the scene via the Catalog Window (shown below).

3. Select the object you wish to add via the list below the catalog window. You can search using the search bar at the top of the screen if that helps. For this, I've picked Gen_Plane_LoopyLarry.

4. As you can see on the screenshot below, I have three objects, the PC-21 is my ownship object, the F-22 Raptor is a previously added object that now resides as a BGL file (and thus not selectable). Finally you have the red loopy larry aircraft which is the object I want to add.

5. To export the BGL file, go to 'File' > 'Export' and name the BGL file whatever suits you. Be sure that scenery xml and BGL files are selected.

6, After exporting the BGL, simply grab the BGL file (you don't need the XML file AFAIK for this exercise). Drop the BGL file as part of your 'scenery' folder and refresh the scenery cache in P3D to reload it.
7. Check the object is there. Bug me if it isn't lol.

When you export the BGL and SXML files, you can then import the SXML file at a later date and edit the scene. Think of the SXML file as a SimDirector save, and the BGL file as the hard coded scenery file (not readable by SimDirector). As such, you don't need to package the SXML as part of the scenery (unless you want others to edit it.)

David.

 

[=rk=]

Thank you, this looks perfect, will test later.

 

[Larry Burke]

Hi Larry,

If you (or anyone) needs any help with SimDirector, please reach out. I've been using it in work for about two years now, so I can help to an extent.

David.

Hi David,

Your tutorial is excellent. I have had no trouble placing objects and exporting the file, however I have found that unless you are in the scenario used to place the object it does not show up in P3D. I really don't care for the scenario concept. I like to use P3D by starting from the default scenario. I then choose an aircraft, choose a location, choose a time and season, etc. But as a result the scenery that I just created is missing. Must I use scenarios?

 

[David Love-Brice]

Hi Larry,

You shouldn't need to load the same scenario. I copied my BGL into a Prepar3D v4\addon scenery\test\scenery\ folder and made sure to add it to my scenery library. Then I loaded the default P3D scenario and moved the aircraft to edwards where I had placed my objects and they appeared.

If you're able to explain your process to me I may be able to help troubleshoot it with you.

 

[Deano1973]

Hi David,

Your tutorial is excellent. I have had no trouble placing objects and exporting the file, however I have found that unless you are in the scenario used to place the object it does not show up in P3D. I really don't care for the scenario concept. I like to use P3D by starting from the default scenario. I then choose an aircraft, choose a location, choose a time and season, etc. But as a result the scenery that I just created is missing. Must I use scenarios?

Sounds like you forgot to drag and drop the scenery BGL into the active scenery folder in P3D v4. A second way of doing it is to drag and drop the scenery xml over BGLComp, which will then compile the BGL into a useable format. You can then drag and drop that into the active scenery folder of your choice as David's outlined. Scenery that isn't placed in these manners, that is created using the Sim Director tool, will only ever appear within scenarios, not free flight.

 

[Larry Burke]

Hi David,

Your tutorial is excellent. I have had no trouble placing objects and exporting the file, however I have found that unless you are in the scenario used to place the object it does not show up in P3D. I really don't care for the scenario concept. I like to use P3D by starting from the default scenario. I then choose an aircraft, choose a location, choose a time and season, etc. But as a result the scenery that I just created is missing. Must I use scenarios?

Hi David,

Problem solved! I had to move the scenery folder I was working on up in the scenery library. One question though, when Sim Director opens it is at Eglin AFB. How do you get somewhere else?

Larry

 

[David Love-Brice]

Hi Larry,

To adjust your position and scenario settings on initial load, follow the below actions;

1. Click 'File' on the top left.
2. Click 'Scenario' from the right hand window.

This area allows you to set up your initial conditions, such as vehicle, location, date and time, weather and more.

To change aircraft, click vehicle.
To change airport, click the small text next to the location button that reads 'Choose Airport as Location'.

Once you've adjusted your preferences to your requirements, clock the Save As icon to save a new scenario. Then to go back to SimDirector's main GUI, click the back arrow on the top left of the screen.

Hope it helps.

 

[David Love-Brice]

Just for some context, I think it's only fair to disclose that I actually work for Lockheed Martin here in Australia, specifically as a Prepar3D courseware developer making SimDirector content as part of air force pilot training. As such, whilst I have a fair bit of experience within SimDirector, it's only in the scope of procedural training, (emergency procedures training, familiarisation, aircraft handling demos etc.) While I have run training sessons on SimDirector, there's so much more to SimDirector than my skill set currently covers and I'm always learning.

I'm not 100% on using SimDirector as a scenery placement tool, though if you need details on creation of missions, adding objects, AI entities, and other funky stuff, I'm happy to help.

Basically, I know enough to be dangerous lol.

David.

 

[Larry Burke]

Sounds like you forgot to drag and drop the scenery BGL into the active scenery folder in P3D v4. A second way of doing it is to drag and drop the scenery xml over BGLComp, which will then compile the BGL into a useable format. You can then drag and drop that into the active scenery folder of your choice as David's outlined. Scenery that isn't placed in these manners, that is created using the Sim Director tool, will only ever appear within scenarios, not free flight.

Thanks Deano. I found the problem. I have Orbx scenery installed and needed to move the folder in question above the Orbx folders in the scenery library.

Larry

Hi Larry,

To adjust your position and scenario settings on initial load, follow the below actions;

1. Click 'File' on the top left.
2. Click 'Scenario' from the right hand window.

This area allows you to set up your initial conditions, such as vehicle, location, date and time, weather and more.

To change aircraft, click vehicle.
To change airport, click the small text next to the location button that reads 'Choose Airport as Location'.

Once you've adjusted your preferences to your requirements, clock the Save As icon to save a new scenario. Then to go back to SimDirector's main GUI, click the back arrow on the top left of the screen.

Hope it helps.

Hi David,

Thanks so much for your help. I believe you have told me everything I need to know to be able to use Sim Director for placing scenery objects.
About 20 years ago I retired from Sandia National Laboratories which was managed by Lockheed Martin and at the ripe old age of 85 I'm surprised I can do anything at all on a computer! I could do about anything I wanted to do with Microsoft FSX but have struggled a bit with P3Dv4.5.
Thanks again - it was nice to chat with you.

Larry

 

[tombestor3]

this a genius start. i can't tell you how refreshing it just became to finally understand even one simple thing about using simdirector.

unfortunately, from what i understand of your reply, the initial problem hasn't quite been faced. that problem is this: many of us just do not want things -- anything -- conditioned upon using some particular scenario; we simply don't do scenarios and never have since FS8. simdirector is very tightly focused around building something for and within a scenario -- and quite rightly, that is how you probably have to design missions. however, for those of us who have no mission (or missions0 in life, this approach applied globally is simply weird and frustrating. so (again) one big problem we face (well i face anyway) is how to do all the things which simdirector promises those who are mission- and scenario-oriented, without having to become scenario- or mission-oriented ourselves.

is there any hope for us?

thank you for listening. and everything before

tombestor3

 

[WildLynxPilot]

When producing my latest sceneries for FSX/P3D and looking around for new tools and interesting stuff I stumbled upon some sceneries with very nice looking 3D grass. I tried to figure out how they were done, and tested the layered grass and made some vague attempts to do planes with grass textures and alpha. Didn't really work out to my satisfaction... Then afterwards I found the P3D Simdirector, played around with it and realised that when you write "grass" in the Catalog sections "Add object" field you will get a list of all grass objects - and there is a lot! The list includes various ORBX objects and objects from other sceneries, it seems, but also a lot of objects just simply called "grass_...something". Using this as a tool I placed various kinds of this generic (?) 3D grass in my EFKG scenery to test it out. Quite easy to do, and you can easily rotate and scale the patches, clumps or lines of grass to get variation. Exported the result to bgl, copied the bgl to my EFKG scenery directory and voilá - the grass is there. As David explains above you don't need to be in a scenario - the objects are there however you load your scenery. Nice. And further - the bgl also works fine in FSX (at least in FSX:SE)!!! The grass is there! So Simdirector is a nice tool for adding 3D grass to your sceneries!

Question: Where do these grass objects and textures reside? In some library, I presume, but I haven't found out where. Could they be placeable using ADE?

Here is a FSX:SE-screenshot from EFKG with grass placed in the P3D v4.5 Simdirector and exported to bgl. The low grass along the taxiway is the same kind as the longer grass, only scaled down.

 

[nbrettoner]

Hi Larry,

If you (or anyone) needs any help with SimDirector, please reach out. I've been using it in work for about two years now, so I can help to an extent.

David.

Hi Larry, good name
My mate Larry pointed me in your direction.

I have p3d v4.5 with simdirector showing in the menu bar under Tools.
Trying to start it is a fruitless activity. Usually stops @ 69% & goes no further.
I have turned off a lot of scenery, and on only three occasions succeeded in getting SimDirector up & running. One time I was able to save a bgl of placed objects.
But several menu items were ghosted out.
I would really appreciate a helping hand / guiding light in resolving how to get simdirector up and running; both from within p3d & if possible also directly?. and if you could please point me to a good video tutorial once I can get it actually working??.

Kind regards,
nbrettoner

 

[wcarson]

I have used simDirector to add objects to airports as David Love-Brice states. However I do NOT create scenarios.
I start P3d which on my machine defaults to KONT. I then go to tools simdirector and it loads fine- then as David shows- go to files then over to right next to Location - choose airport.- it brings up the list and I change it to whatever airport I am adding things to. I If I have an existing sxml scenery I have been working on, I go to Import and import that sxml. , other wise I start adding new objects- when done adding, I go back to file and chose EXPORT and as David says, either use same sxml file name to include all items, or enter a new name ( I use a -p at end of name to signify placement bgl. I check both sxml and bgl. I export to my work directory.
I then use the left arrow at top left of screen or FILE menu tab to get main menu and drop down to bottom and check exit. AT THAT POINT I DO NOT check the Save scenario Yes tab as it would overwrite my default. I just say NO and exit.
I then move the -p.BGL ot the scenery folder in the airport I was modifying and all works fine---- I don't like messing with scenarios either..

hope this makes sence..

 

[nbrettoner]

Hi Larry,

If you (or anyone) needs any help with SimDirector, please reach out. I've been using it in work for about two years now, so I can help to an extent.

David.

Hi David Love-Brice,
I would dearly love to begin 'dressing' some small outback airstrips with catalogue scenery items, but I have a problem getting SimDirector to load.
If I attempt from within p3d, it takes forever and doesn't load.
If I fire it up directly (but with p3d running) it still takes almost-forever, but sometimes actually gets as far as loading the scenery library, where it sits wheels turning but not actually finish loading same.
On three occasions, after far-too-long a wait, I actually got it open and the library loaded.

Is there anything I can check/do, to get it to actually work, as it appears to do from some of the posts here on this thread please??

kind regards,
Noel B.