FSX | FSX-SE Scenery Design Forum - How To

Hi,Quite some time ago I made some scenery objects with GMAX, more than likely the first version.I am trying to make the objects with v1.2 of GMAX for FS2004 in the xml format and make the into a library object.I have loaded and converted some objects without problems, but one object is causing errors when exporting from GMAX as a scenery mdl.==================================================================The error is:MakeMDL was not found, or failed to convert the model specified C:...Check your system path to ensure MakeMDL is on it.===================================================================followed by:Export module failure=====================================…

I'm sure this must have been asked before, but I have given up on googling and visiting websites... though an RTFM answer would be perfectly acceptable as long as the manual is pointed out to me.I am trying to do my first work in scenery designing, specifically targeting FS2004 where I want to replace an airport. I felt that a good first step would be to remove the default airport and replace with just a (photoreal) texture... enter problem.It was my initial understanding that I could use Ground2K4 for this, but I can not get it to generate any files... except the exclude.bgl, and something is fishy with that one. If nothing else, the exclude tool just have 4-5 specified …

This is a really basic question.For a couple of years I've been using gmax 1.1 and the MakeMDL that (probably) came with the FS2002 SDK. The bgl objects created with this worked in FS2002 (obviously) and seemed to work okay in FS2004. Until now I saw no need to change anything, but I've been told that using the older tools may be a reason why my objects cause problems with some autogen in FS2004.I've now downloaded gmax 1.2 and some of the FS2004 SDKs but I'm not sure I've got my head around the new process for creating bgls.Am I correct that exporting the object from gmax now creates an .mdl and .xml file and that the .xml file needs to be compiled into a .bgl with MakeB…

I was going to give scenery creation a bit of a rest for a few weeks but then I decided to give Autoasm a go using images created with Terrascene. Not much luck so far. How do you create images if you don't have FlyII. I seem to get errors when trying to render in Terrascene which seem to need FlyII to resolve.

Hopefully someone can tell me how to use Gerrish Gray's trees with FSSC .I've made some sceneries but used single trees by other authors so far- but in my latest project I really want lots of trees and GG's trees seem to be the obvious way to do it. I already have the trees V3 installed(FS9/textures) as well as the bgl(FS9/scenery) - for use with downloaded scenery.However if I try to place his tree APIs in my new project using FSSC nothing shows up in the exported scenery in FS9 tho the icon for each tree is present in the FSSC view. I understood that the API uses the tree textures as Libobjs so why am I seeing nothing? Should I be placing copies of the relevant t…

Hi :)Could anyone tell me how taxiway lighting is controlled in the sim?Is it through the CFG? or in some .DLL etc??I know how to adjust runway lighting size by using the FS9 CFG but this doesnt edit the taxi lighting size.Any info appreciated.Thanks.Mark.

I'm having a problem with a crash at N48 43 39 W125 04 56. Can someone tell me which bgl is there? I can fly south past this point and it goes.... flying north produces a crash to desktop.The only sceneries in this area are the north west corner of the FSG West Coast Mesh. I have uninstalled this and I still get the crash.I feel it's in the default bgl at this point. If I know which bgl it is, I can extract it from the CD.ThanksJoe W.

I've searched to no avail about how to move an airport. I fly out of Decatur Municipal Airport a lot and since purchasing USA Roads find that the road to the west of the airport actually runs through the hangars, terminal etc. Is it possible to move the airport about 100 feet to the east? If so, how would one go about doing it? It is on flat land already so no flattening would be required. Anybody willing to help me?Bill

Is there a way to completely remove a default FS airfield?I can get rid of almost everything, but the flatten area. The position is completely wrong and even when I move the rumway to the correct heading and location I am still left with a hole in the ground. I have tried the re-mesh in G2K4 but it won't "fill in the hole"The FSSC exclude gets rid of most things but not the flatten..AFCAD does the runway...Any ideas?Geoff

Hi. Does anyone know whether there's a way you can convert Ground2K4 bgl's so that can work in FS2K2?Cheers,Matthew.

I'm designing an office tower with a rooftop helipad in FSDSv2.1 and am running into some very strange display issues. With the helicopter sitting on the pad from the spot view, everything displays fine. But slip into the virtual cockpit (or 2d even) and the scenery bleeds through the cockpit along a thick band near the bottom. See pics for details.Have any FSDS users come accross this issue before?-nP.S. I am exporting the object to an API and placing it with AFW after increasing the V2 values to fix the disappearing issue.

Arrrghhh. I've been looking for almost an hour, but obviously not in the right place. Where can I find the AFCAD program? I'm finding billions and billions of files MADE with AFCAD, but can't find the program download itself.help!Thanks in advance-------Justinhttp://www.fsgenesis.netHigh Quality Scenery for FS200x

Hi all,trying to alter some road textures; no, it's not related to USARoads ;-)I use the following procedure:1. Load the road texture in DXTBmp, then send both texture and alpha to Photoshop2. After I'm done with the edits I save in Photoshop and refresh both parts in DXTBmp, then save as Targa image (alternatively, I combine the texture and alpha directly in Photoshop and save as tga or psd)3. In Imagetool, I open the tga, change to 8-bit, create the mipmaps, and save as bmp.However, the source and altered textures differ in that the former says "Alpha: Alpha" and my new one "Alpha: Colorkey". It seems that this prevents the blending from working as intended as my roads …

Hi,Just wondering if there's any easyish way to get this really nice looking freeware fs2000 Jorge Pagano St. Barthelemy scenery to start showing in fs2004. Even by today's standards it looks really nice!! (and it's freeware too)Check out these pics, would be a shame to see this nice little freeware scenery die..http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/84531.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/84530.jpgThanks for any helpPierre

I Have been a Sim user for quite a long time, and like a lot of people i am sick of waiting for other to make sceneries and sell them to me. i have decided to put some time into scenery making. but my question is where do i start. what software dont mind buying as long as it makes the job easier and get it done. I would like to make scenery from the ground up building my own buildings and all. So you guys feel free to drop me feedbackHere's my email [email protected] Best Regards Adib Afraj

Hi hall in library creator when I try to modify the GUID to personalize it, the program it gives me "The GUID is not valid,please enter a new one." And this happens for every letter or I numbers that look for to modify. What am I wrong??? Hi Antonio

Is there any way to change the texture on a default building? There are several terminal buildings that MS somehow put a "hanger" texture on. Is there any way to replace this with a different one?CH

Hi all,In an ongoing effort to make myself indispensable...No, wait, wrong start! Try again! ;-)I'm happy to see that more and more people seem to be interested in starting their own projects with Ground2K4. Unfortunately, many quickly get frustrated by the difficulties of finding and setting up - in lat-long WGS84 - a suitable background image.So, here's my idea and offer:For all my G2K4 work I've been using free Landsat satellite imagery in various formats. There are thousands of these images (as geocoded spectral "bands") available from all across the world here http://glcfapp.umiacs.umd.edu:8080/esdi/index.jsp and on other sites. The resolution of 15 or 30 m is not go…

I'm trying to call the Cessna 182S library object in this API so I can place it using Airport. However when I place the following API, all I get is a large red box. Any ideas?AdrianArea( 4 %1 %2 22 )IfVarRange( : 346 %12 5 )PerspectiveCall( :L1 )ShadowCall( :L1 )Jump( : ):L1mif( %11 )RefPoint( 2 :E1 %4 %1 %2 E= %11 v1= %10 %13 %14 )melseRefPoint( 7 :E1 %4 %1 %2 v1= %10 %13 %14 )mifendRotatedCall ( :R1 0 0 %5 )Return:R1CallLibObj( 0 90b2bbe8 11d2f24a 1000849c 2ae60c5a ) :E1ReturnEndA

What are the alternatives for flattening the coastline in a harbour to stop the water riding up the hills where the mesh doesn't match? For smaller areas I've remeshed using Ground2K4, which has the advantage of allowing me to improve the default mesh (LOD8)in local areas.In my current project, though, there's just too much to remesh by hand, plus the bits I have done need the alteration to the FS9.cfg file, to show the LOD10 remesh, and I don't want to make users alter their cfg files.I've looked at Coastline Maker, but can't make much sense of it. Ideally I want something which I can just drop the photoreal source image into, complete with co-ordinates already estabishe…

Can anyone tell me where I can find any kind of tutorial or instructions for Ground2k4. I understand what it is supposed to be able to do-but , lacking any kind of instructions I haven't a clue how to even start.I want to use it to change the lanclass scenerey for an airfield I am making from the " town" type of stuff to basic " green fields"Any help or pointers in the right direction much appreciated.Dave

Are there any programs to move objects around visually? I know there weren't a few months ago. I'm speaking of something similar to FSA or ASD, where you could import .bgl's and then move the buildings from a top down perspective. It seems there should be a better way then having to know lat. and long. coordinates, headings, etc. It gets old having to open FS2004, look at the placement, adjust coordinates, recompile, import, re-open FS2004, etc. Is anyone even working on something to make this easier?CH

Hello,First of all sorry for my lack of experience, I am a fresh newbie in scenery design.I am designing a local airpot for FS2002. I have downloaded and installed the following programs:1) Airport for Windows (updated)2) FSSC (updated)3) EOD (updated)4) GMax (V1.2)5) FS2002 Scenery SDK6) FSREGEN (updated)My question is: the airport's runway has a semi-circle in each threshold (I don't know the exact word for that in english), so the planes have to backtrack, turn into this 'platform' and line up for takeoff. I wonder how can I implement these 'platforms' in any of the programs above. I already have the runway, navaids and alike done in either FSSC and AFW, but I don't kn…

Hi to everybody to realize my sceneries I are created me with Gmax the objects, and then the library (cars, houses, floating etc) with the characteristics typical of my country. I have taken then SceneGenX, and with a background image of a topographical map 1:25000, hoped to be able to position to the best my objects. Unfortunately SceneGenX doesn't visualize the real dimension of the object but it identifies it with a simple square or a triangle, he succeeds me difficult therefore to understand if the object is justly positioned. Does someone have a solution??? Or does it know another fit program to the purpose?? Thanks Antonio

Hi all,well, I keep receiving requests for more information regarding my particular methods for editing default landscape scenery files. At some point, writing a one-shot tutorial is more economical than many emails and posts ;-) Attached is the draft (in MS Word) of a basic tutorial for editing default LWM and VTP landscape scenery files, such as lakes, roads, etc. The main incentive for landscape designers for messing with the default files is to remove the bl**dy flattened areas and lineaments associated with them but also to save on excludes and provide a nice "blank slate" for a project.I'd appreciate feedback on content, clarity, and style (my email is in the Word f…