Since MS published the new scenery SDK I've been messing around dropping new objects around the UK. Here are a few which are either just additional eye-candy or add objects that have been missed or plain 'change' what's there (eg green fields to industrial).

Oil refinery on Teesside (it's not green fields there!)


'ICI' Billingham (same comment!)


'ICI' works at dusk


Carrier (landable) off Portsmouth


Supertanker and ferry, Solent


Cruise liner, Southampton Water


Orford Ness Nuclear P/Station


I've also added things like rigs (off Norfolk and Spurn Head) which unfortunately aren't landable because of an MS programming error, and other stuff

Now here's the point.

The objects are all standard MS library objects - no customising or specials. One person could spend a lifetime doing what I've been doing OR a whole load of guys who are interested could SHARE THE PROJECT.

This is possible because it's ALL DONE BY SIMPLE CODING.

So.....if someone places loads of boats in the UK Lake District, if they send me their code I can just paste it onto mine - and so on.

Pretty soon we end up with a file that has THOUSANDS of additional objects in it. At regular intervals I would then upload the updated file to the download area so everyone could enjoy it.

There would have to be a few rules - eg every file I received would have to have a list of all the objects it contained with lats and longs, and we might have to agree on scaling, because not everything his best at a scale of 1 (eg my ships are at 2.5 and 3).

And if you see my pics, you can include some great effects - like the 'ICI' smoke and the Orford steam.

What do you think?

If people think it's a good idea I'll publish a 'How To' guide. It's easy and fun, especially if you haven't done any scenery design before. Great way to get into it.

AND while we're doing the UK maybe some other groups might like to do Australia, W. Europe etc etc.

The potential for improving the sim is HUGE



BTW

This is FS9 ONLY

Great idea! I would be very interested in helping but know nothing of scenery design. I am a quick learner thou so if you make that tute ill try my best to help.
So much for M$ saying "as real as it gets" they should say, "as real as we are gonna make it, if you want as real as it gets go to SimV and get it."

LOL

Kevin

All default objects? how about the effects?

I never was able to grasp creating fx files, although adding effects to scenery objects is quite easy once you know how

Is there any sort of Map that could be used as sort of a standard? I unfortunately (in this respect) am not old enough to have a good knolwedge of industrial heartlands etc so most things would be a complete guess really. Perhaps the mutimap arial photos would give a good enough idea?

So how do we put these objects into the scenery?

Is the scenery SDK freeware or payware?

If freeware, where can I find it?  ???

Hi all

Just a quick update. Haven't had time to do a 'tute' yet as I'm working on something that could be rather interesting if it works. Something no one has done before I think.

Anyway, let you know more as soon as I can but I'm having to do a LOT of exploratory work with the new SDK.

Roger

Right!

For anyone interested I've uploaded a package called 04ScenPk.zip to Simv which contains everything you need to get started on FS2004 XML scenery design.

You don't need any prior experience or know-how as there's a detailed tute and full instructions included. I've even put MS's XML installer in to save you searching around on their website as I know one or two people have had problems finding it.

As I mentioned before, if people are interested in enhancing the UK (by putting in factories where MS have put green fields, boats on lakes etc where there is just empty water and so on) I'll be very happy unless it goes totally mad for people to send me their XML code for incorporation into a 'master' UK added-bits file.

This WILL NOT be for things like whole airports - upload those yourself when you've done them - just for little features and changes to the landscape that add to the overall pleasure of using the sim.

Look forward to feedback

Roger

Thanks Rollerball, Ill download that tomorrow when it comes available

Thanks Rollerball (again).........

I've just read through the readme files and you've explained everything excelently! Unfortunately I don't have Excel at the moment though. I think when my new computer comes it will have something called "Ability office" which apparrently is fully compatible with Excel.

PS. As I can't see the object files at the moment  - Can I place baggage handlers and Aircraft stairs with this??

Hmmmmm

That's how the data was stored in the SDK.

I've now put it into a Word file. If you like, I'll put that onto my website where people who don't have Excel can get it.

Give me half an hour or so.

OK

The Word file can now be got from the download page on my website.

Just look for the heading 'FS2004 Scenery SDK'

That's yer lot Bird! For the moment you'll have to add some APIs in FSSC for stairs.

But don't panic just yet.

The New MakeMdl SDK is due out soon and until then nobody knows how to add custom objects to the library. When that happens that's when it'll all REALLY start happening.

Now you see the principles, see where it's going?

What you've been doing manually AFCAD will do via its GUI (graphical user interface) ie you'll just click on a point on the screen (which will automatically get the lat and lon) and say insert library object 'X' at height 'Y' on heading 'Z'. Already AFCAD has got hold of 'drawing' in aprons and taxiways and the next bit (adding library objects) is about to happen I think. That's why it's all gone quiet for the moment.

Obviously FSSC and Airport will have to be re-written to do the same - I don't envy the poor so-and-sos

I've found a coupla problems. I can say now because it didn't work, but I made a file containing several carriers (might upload it sometime). What I then tried to do was put an 'airport' on each with taxiways and parking with the idea of getting AI to fly between em.

Nice eh! You could not only land on em yourself, but you could also have F15s or whatever flying between em as well (would just need to adjust the FDE - no big prob).

Everthing worked EXCEPT due to problems with the way the new scenery system works, (and AFCAD therefore repeats the problem) the sea level was brought up in a steep slope to the level of the carrier deck. See what I was saying about your height problem - the new method will automatucally bring everything together. Trouble was, I didn't want it to but no way to prevent it.

Anway, there ya go.


Roger

Remember in the movie 'Castaway' when Tom Hanks figured out how to build a fire?  I kind of feel like that now!  I just placed a crane on a building in downtown Chicago and it looks awesome!

I predict two things:

1.  Sales of Lago's Scenery Enhancer are about to plummet.

2.  The Simviation Scenery Library is about to expand BIG TIME!

Is there an easy way to remove an object?  I'm trying to do some stuff around Jacksonville, and there is a bridge right where the Mayport Ferry should be.

Welcome aboard Andy!

I looked very closely at the carrier thing and mentioned it a while ago. Unfortunately you can't do it.

I have a file which I haven't uploaded with carriers in groups of 3 in various regions of the world. I wanted to have them landable and also have AI (F15s for example) flying between them 24 hrs a day and doing circuits. Great fun fitting into the patterns to land and take off yourself!

However, for it to work you'd have to have an 'airport' on each one with taxiways, parking etc for the AI to work. You can do everything I found and I got an AI Cessna doing circuits from a carrier.

EXCEPT only one problem.

As soon as you connect up the parking and runways because of a quirk in the way FS9 now stitches the scenery levels together, something weird happens as you can see from these pics.





The sea climbs up the sides of the carrier. It's not the carrier that's the problem - check out Meigs and you'll see the sea does exactly the same there. It's a fault in the FS9 scenery system which I think either M$ didn't notice or they hoped people wouldn't either notice or care about.

I think I was the first to notice it and I've raised it on the 'pro' scenery forums but so far no results.

It's a pity because I have the carriers appearing in the airport list with navaids making them fully flyable. By fiddling the FDE of some fast jets it wouldn't be difficult to make them land and take off from the decks - but there ya go.

Maybe if M$ can solve the levels problem......

Quote:




Hey Bird - not so useless.......



......because it works!

I've got so much on my plate right now I hadn't bothered doing any more with this one but I thought I'd just play with your suggestion for a coupla minutes as I had the stuff on my PC already.

This may be a first - it's a Cessna 182RG AI doing touch and gos on a carrier!

Maybe I'll do my package now!



Roger