FSX Scenery Issues

[AirCoaster]

Hi Gang,

I have AFX, and it works fine, no issues so far on my XP x64 OS. I have SBuilderX, and all I have is tremendous problems with it. It's like everytime I save something new I have to go through three weeks of work just to get the darn thing working. I guess my question is this, Does anyone know how to hand code a flatten polygon for FSX. I understand there is some new way of doing it, and if I could be pointed to a good tutorial on making a flatten polygon in FSX it would be much appreciated. I find SBuilderX a non-productive tool for me.

[scubakobe]

I am also having trouble with SBuilderX.

I made a post over at FSDeveloper, so if youre having similar problems you may want to follow it.
fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?p=48784#post48784

Making flattens, VTP polys, lines, or anything in FS-X manually is time consuming. It involves CFG files for each .SHP file you make and there are many parameters that need to be specified and are easy to mess up.

The next best thing to use is FSX KML. You can make a polygon in Google Earth, export it as a .KML file, then import it in FSX KML where you can specify it to be a flatten, VTP poly, or exclude, or anything.

I used FSX KML for most of my AirPark scenery, since SbuilderX is close to useless.

However, your problems from SbuilderX could possibly appear in FSX KML like they do for me.

I'd recommend that before trying to do it manually, but if you do want to do it manually I can try to show you how. Not much fun though.

[AirCoaster]

Thanks young one, for the fast response, I am not one who is beyond learning from the younger generation, so stick with me here.... ;D, gonna be a bumpy ride. I will look into the FSX KML. SBuilderX just gives me one error after another when compiling, obviously it has to do with the program not being developed for all different OS, which is understandable. I have all my programs that aren't x64 in the X86 directory, and running in Windows XP compatability.

Hand coding is not beyond me, cause I remember doing a lot of hand coding back in FS98(SCASM). To try this FSX KML program, do I need the FWTools200 program? I am going to work on this tonight for a bit to figure out what I need to do. Creating airports without flattens is about as useless as **** on a bore hog.......

I'll check back before the night is through.

Thanks again Scubakobbe

[scubakobe]

Could you post some of the errors you are getting? Are you getting something like this?



Doing it manually with the FSX SDK involves learning to manipulate this command line for MSDOS Command Prompt:

>shp2vec "Vector Examples\Example1\SourceData" 7824

Note, "7824" is just the base name of the .SHP file, there can be many 7824's:

HPX7824
FLX7824
STX7824

to list a few.

Your Shape files must be named accordingly, like if your shape file had roads it must be named "RDX----.shp"

The first step is to make the shape file, though, and you can do that by tracing polygons or lines in Google Earth, exporting to .KML, then converting to .SHP.

FSX KML, however, rids of the need to do all of that I listed above. See how useful it is now?
What FSX KML does is takes your .KML, sets GUID + UUID appropriately, then converts it to .SHP where it then sends it to Shp2Vec tool for compilation.


Go ahead and download it and I'll try to walk you through it.

(Time permitting I'll make a video tutorial, but I've already had a few other video tutorial requests before this)

[AirCoaster]

This is the error I get when trying to compile a flatten polygon with SBuilderX.



It has the correct AB_Flatten_ExcludeAutoGen GUID for creating a flatten-Exclude AutoGen Poly. Also, the altitude in meters of the Flatten is entered for the correct altitude of the airport in question.



The problem is in the compilation, the Save As, and Save are fine. The Project Work file always comes up with the last data I saved. Remember, I have an x64 OS, and the SBuilderX program is in the x86 directory for x32 developed programs using WoW64. The SBuilderX program is also set for Windows XP compatability.

[scubakobe]

Looks like a bug in the SbuilderX program itself.

Try the Legacy_LWM_Land_Flatten.

When trying to duplicate what you're doing, it doesn't crash, but instead I get that annoying -ADDTOCELLS error which Luis over at PTsim is evaluating right now.

Are you running Windows Vista? SBuilderX was designed for XP, so I don't see why you need to seperate it from other programs.

If you give me the coordinates to the 4 corners of the flatten I can try to create the BGL for you.

[AirCoaster]

As my original post states, I am running Windows XP Pro x64, and as I stated in my last post, most programming is produced assuming most people are running x32 OS (x86). When I installed SBuilderX I had trouble with the registry, but got that resolved thanks to some chap at the PTSim forums.

The FSX_KML program I am still trying to figure out. Actually I am looking for an all-round LWM, Land Class program that will work for me. If you create my flattens it will take me twice as long to create the airfields I want to do. No offense intended, of course.

Geez, now I wish I hadn't taken a break from scenery design. This stuff for FSX is pretty much all new to me, and it is hard to get anyone to guide you the correct way for obvious reasons. But I do thank you Kobbe for trying to help out.

I look forward to your next post.

[scubakobe]

The best tools available (Possibly the only) for FS-X right now are SbuilderX and FSX KML unfortunately. Which is why I'm not big on FSX at the moment.

I attempted to make you a video tutorial for FSX KML last night but on compile I got that -ADDTOCELLS error. Very frustrating!!

With FSX KML you can do anything SbuilderX can do, except the landclass process is a little different. You would have to make polygons in GE for forested area, cities, etc and it wouldn't blend in to the surrounding landclass.

Landclass tiles work fine for me in SbuilderX, so I can only guess that the problem is with you running XP 64-bit.

If all else fails you can do it the time consuming way through FS-X SDK.
Personally, I get a headache reading in to the second sentence, but if it's the only option then you can probably do it.

I had to read the SDK for doing traffic, autogen, mesh and pop. density.. yuck

[AirCoaster]

FSX-KML is a Wonderous Thing, when you put the information in correctly.




This pic isn't the best, but it shows that the FSX_KML is working. The thing I didn't do was to place the altitude in the information....... Anyway Kobbe, I think I have the flatten problem licked. I wish I could get SBuilderX to work properly, so I can use the texture polys for airport grass. The textures that come with AFX leaves a lot to be desired.

Actually, this is all contributed to my lack of staying in the scenery design community, I am certain. The learning curve is much greater than it was back in FS2002.

[scubakobe]

Also make sure you enter the altitude of the flatten as meters. When I first started out in design I was lost as to why it would make deep craters.

My only suggestion for SbuilderX, reinstall it completely. Delete the program folder, then make sure you run the uninstaller from Control Panel, and install it again.

[AirCoaster]

Will do, my friend. I'll let ya know what occurs. I may not attempt that til Monday, "Honey do" list is in effect....... And if I remember correctly, I ran one of those registry repair programs to repair a registration. I will go back and check the registry too, cause I had to fake the registration for SBuilderX, had to make it look for the program in the x86 directory.

[AirCoaster]

Well, after checking my registry, and file locations it seems SBuilderX doesn't like to do any LWM polys. I did get it the process a VTP texture poly, but when viewed in FSX the ground texture is black. It kinda looks like the texture GUID never made the cut for the BGL assembly. I'm not sure I did something wrong, or I didn't. The FS9 SBuilder loaded up the world textures automatically, where SBuilderX seems to allow a choice. I used the base airport grass texture 128su for this particular VTP poly. I even removed the AFX-FSX AFD file so it wouldn't interfere with this poly. Still it was black...... *scratches head*. I'm thinking the SBuilderX doesn't recognize the world textures as it is now.

Any ideas?

[scubakobe]

No, I've done VTP textures fine with SbuilderX, and LWM polygons. THe problem is that you're running it in a buggy form with the x64 system.

Check the "Work" folder and examine the XML files, or decompile the BGLs created by SBuilder to get the XML.

Double check the GUID and UUID against the list found in the SDK.

[AirCoaster]

yah, I intend to work on that this weekend, at least I was headed in the correct direction.