Turning Airport Runway and Taxiway into Polys

[Easton]

Hi,

Is this essentially how you would create an airport taxiway and runway, just going into 3ds Max and create the entire airport by laying out planes? The SDK is rather crude and extremely difficult to understand, in fact I don't even think it mentions this.

If I get 50cm res sat imagery then essentially all I have to do is take the imagery into Photoshop, tweak it as need be, put it into 3DS Max, trace the needed areas in max by planes and adding polygons where the concete and asphalt is, then after that inserting it into my texturing software to manually texture it? Is this basically correct?

From what I have seen i would then create the buildings and props, add my textures to them, then put together the entire airport in Max, basically creating the entire scene in one big Max file. But I am wondering if the entire aiport is exported into P3D like this...

Thanks,

Easton

[aeronauta]

Easton , you are right , the only part that I would comment on is the final files , a model file per model would be the norm ,then from these create a library , and a file for the RW and taxiWays, a big file would be a very difficult thing to correct and change , so small files give you flexibility and the ability to test bit by bit...

Jorge

[Easton]

Ok , so I could make one big file if I wanted to.

My other question then is, how would I make the entire scene in max then import it into the simulator? Would it have to be piece by piece like you stated, in individual files? I am confused about how I would accurately place the airport into the simulator, and even accurately place individual models in it, because I can't do it in 3d space within the sim can I?

Thanks

[WarpD]

Ignoring the visual appearance... runways and taxiways and parking spots are all rather specific items that are coded into a BGL via XML scripts that are compiled into the BGL.

While you can build up a lot of appearance items... the actual runways that the sim will recognize as a runway is defined by XML files that get compiled into a BGL.

[Easton]

I presume then that I would do that after I create the base of the airport? The runways and parking spots are pretty much like putting down spawn points right? I will have to try to find the information about runways and such, I think I remember reading that I would have to basically input all of my specific information into the XML somehow like you said but I don't remember how exactly.

I guess that is how I would put down all of my taxiway lines and such so that the sim can understand it and know where I modeled everything?

I am trying to iron out the process right now, slowly but surely. For now I am working on improving my modeling and texturing skills, when I am ready it will help to at least know the steps to take to start my airport.

The only thing I am wondering about now is how I would actually place the airport into the sim, I guess I would have to have a specific point, latitude and longitude, then put it down exactly where it should go...

[WarpD]

To be honest, not one bit of the 3D modelling or polys matters to the sim when defining an airport. It's all of the XML entries that get compiled into a BGL that will define the airport itself.

I strongly suggest you read up on all of that before going any further as I think you're missing part of the overall picture that's rather important. Here's a really good place to start:

Click here: http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningC ... Center.php
Select "Compiling BGL" on the left-hand side.
Right-hand column... the contents... read up on the "Facility Data" entries.

[Easton]

Yeah, I probably shouldn't jump the gun and get ahead of myself. I will look into it more. The only thing I don't like about the SDK manual is that it is like a maze, written by a computer, just cut and dry and not a lot of answers. I will read about it though and any questions I have ill ask.

Thanks