Scenery tools

[Del Hopkins]

:-/I have several problems with various scenery tools that I can't solve alone. I need some serious help here! I know that when I have problems, it's usually my own fault. Here goes:

1. AFCAD is good, have no problems with it. Instructions are clear and even a moron like me can understand them.

2. A lot of the programs I downloaded require MSXML4. I downloaded it. When I try to install it, it doesn't know where to go and asks me (duh!). Where do I install the files to? One of the files is called MSXMLDOC.MSI. Is this an information document? I can't open it in a readable format.

3. I downloaded the new XML scenery creator, and it's update, from the AFW site, and object placer, but I can't get it to do anything. What have I done wrong here?

4. I can't get BGLCOMP to compile any XML file into a bgl scenery file, even ones I have downloaded. What am I doing wrong?

5. What is the lat-lon problem? Each of the programs I downloaded want the lat-lon in a different form; some want fractional degrees, some want degrees and fractional minutes, some want degrees, minutes and whole seconds, or just two fractional points. Some want west longitudes in negative form, some want N and E beginnings. I have no problem calculating these, I created an Excel spreadsheet that will calculate them back and forth. My problem is having to do this with each different program. Why is there no unity between the programmers?

6. When I create scenery and place it in the Addon Scenery section of GW3, I use Windows Explorer to be sure it's there. I don't leave out starting locations. When I go into GW3 to install the new scenery and tell it to look in Addon Scenery, it doesn't see any of my files, or anyone elses! Yet when I tell GW3 to go to an airport in Addon Scenery, the only one that shows up is Hillcrest in WV. When I go to my sights, they are seldom there. Please, please, what am I doing wrong?
Del.

[Admin]

buffler said:

6. When I create scenery and place it in the Addon Scenery section of GW3, I use Windows Explorer to be sure it's there. I don't leave out starting locations. When I go into GW3 to install the new scenery and tell it to look in Addon Scenery, it doesn't see any of my files, or anyone elses! Yet when I tell GW3 to go to an airport in Addon Scenery, the only one that shows up is Hillcrest in WV. When I go to my sights, they are seldom there. Please, please, what am I doing wrong?
Del.

Supplemental to my e-mail, I misunderstood what you meant here. If you put scenery into addon scenery\scenery folder you don't need to activate it as it is automatically found by FS9/GW3.

In the Goto Airport menu only pre-FS2002 scenery will show up there. Scenery with AFCADs will show up in the regular go to menu

[ScruffyDuck]

Del

I will try and answer you points as far as I can

2. A lot of the programs I downloaded require MSXML4. I downloaded it. When I try to install it, it doesn't know where to go and asks me (duh!). Where do I install the files to? One of the files is called MSXMLDOC.MSI. Is this an information document? I can't open it in a readable format.

I can't remember having any problem in installing this. When you say it asks you for an install location does it offer a default? If not then I would expect that you can install it anywhere that suits you.

Files with an msi extension are Microsoft installer packages. double clicking it should run it and install it's contents (in this case presumably documentation)

3. I downloaded the new XML scenery creator, and it's update, from the AFW site, and object placer, but I can't get it to do anything. What have I done wrong here?

I assume by you comments and those above that you are planning to primarily create xml scenery. You are talking about two different programs from two different authors here. Which program can't you get to do anything? Object Placer is designed to place one or two xml objects into a scenery - it is probably not the greatest for scenery design of airports etc.

4. I can't get BGLCOMP to compile any XML file into a bgl scenery file, even ones I have downloaded. What am I doing wrong?

The file bglcomp.xsd as supplied by Microsoft is corrupt and does not work. There is a new one which I think is on the Airport for Windows site. If you cannot find it then I'll mail it to you. Without the revised one nothing will compile (as you have found out)

5. What is the lat-lon problem? Each of the programs I downloaded want the lat-lon in a different form; some want fractional degrees, some want degrees and fractional minutes, some want degrees, minutes and whole seconds, or just two fractional points. Some want west longitudes in negative form, some want N and E beginnings. I have no problem calculating these, I created an Excel spreadsheet that will calculate them back and forth. My problem is having to do this with each different program. Why is there no unity between the programmers?

That one has always puzzled me

Can I make a suggestion? I presume you are planning to create some scenery for GW. There is one tool - SBuilder which handles most every type of object - the newer library objects and older macros (both API and ASD macros) It can also place RWY12 objects (which are xml objects packaged into a library). Additionally you can place roads, streams, landclass and a bunch of other stuff.

Most of the custom objects such as those produced by Bill Lyons and Frank Betts (for example) are in API format. Although Microsoft is moving us to xml the older style objects are still fine and compile into scenery files which no trouble

I use AFCAD to create the basics and then SBuilder for everything else. Like all these tools it has a steep learning curve if you are not familiar with it - but at least you are working with just two tools to do everything

Dunno if that helps

[Del Hopkins]

Thanks a million, scruffyduck. You are a life saver! Can you tell me where Sbuilder can be found? Avsim, probably? I'll look there first.
Del.

[ScruffyDuck]

You may want to visit the Forum to get the latest build

www.ptsim.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=18

It is the sticky at the top. You will also want to get the objects pack and fences pack. There are on AVSIM for sure. I think there is also a set of images for the library objects so that you can see what you are using.


Scott Gridley of Freeflow has written some good tutorials on SBuilder they are in the Freeflow Forum

www.fs-freeflow.com/forum2/index.php

Look under shop talk

Be prepared for some heartache getting it set up - believe me it does all work It takes a while to get the macros folders sorted out and it has some very irritating traits if you are not expecting them. For example selecting objects - there are a bunch of tabs but only the one which you select from the radio buttons bottom left will be active (took me ages to figure that out). Also you need to select things before the compile routines will do anything.

Anyway once you get set up let me know and I can talk you though how I use it (Cross City - pix in this forum) is created using SBuilder and AFCAD) if that would help.

Since I have another 125 airfields to do in Florida I am trying to develop a process!

If you get stuck setting up the do yell

[fredz]

Del, For a neat lat-lon converter go to AVSIM and get cg_lat_lon11.zip Works great and can be set up to always stay on top making it easy to use.
Later,
Fred Z

[Del Hopkins]

Thanks, fredz, I will get that! Del.

[Del Hopkins]

To: scruffyduck.
I downloaded the latest version of SBuilder, (2.05), along with the upgrade and other files. I place everything in its own folder. I hit the program button, it told me to wait while it loaded some bitmaps. It started loading, the gave me an error message number 53, file not found. When I click it again, the same message pops up. Have I done something else wrong here?
Del.

[Del Hopkins]

To: scruffyduck;
The only version of BGLCOMP on the AFW site comes with their new scenery creator. It is version 0.0.0.4, which is the one I have been trying to use. Is that not the corrected one? If not, my email is [e-mail]. Del.

[ScruffyDuck]

Del - does it tell you which file is missing? - The problem is that there is a texture file in your main texture folder which SBuilder is expecting and it is not there

www.ptsim.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=216

I seem to recall it happening to me. Hopefully it will tell you which one if not let me know and we can compare Folders

email on it's way

[Del Hopkins]

To scruffyduck;
SBuilder doesn't say which file is missing. What now?
Del.

[ScruffyDuck]

OK it is looking for one of a smallish set of files which are the landclass set. Do you have a standard FS setup as well as a GW3 setup? Lemme have a dig about and see if I can find which files it is trying to create bmps for - it maybe that I can figure it out

[ScruffyDuck]

OK I have just taken a load of textures out of my system to get it to re-load the bmps - it has stopped on one but told me the missing file name. I think I know what file set it is though.


I am going to email you a zip with a bunch of files in it. I will include the info as to where to put them in the email

[ScruffyDuck]

Del Check you PMs

Jon

[Del Hopkins]

Jon, I just checked my emails. Nothing yet from you. I do have some good news, though. I double-clicked on MSMXL4, and it installed a bunch of .dll files into the windows directory. I installed your copy of BGLCOMP. Now I have a few programs that are working correctly. I also unzipped the SBuilder files again and pasted them into the old SBuilder directory and ran the program again. As soon as it started, I got the same error message. It didn't even look again for files. Del.