Search the archive:
YaBB - Yet another Bulletin Board
 
   
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print
AFCAD Tarmac Question (Read 313 times)
May 15th, 2006 at 10:08pm
South   Ex Member

 
Is there an easier way to apply Tarmac (the "black lines" around the edges of the taxiways in places like KATL and such) to the taxiways of an Airport other than just going click by click all the way around the airport? lol
I find it rather difficult to do it the LONG way, is there like a utility or a way in AFCAD2 to quickly apply tarmac to the outer edges of the taxiways?

Thanks in advance guys!!  Smiley
 
IP Logged
 
Reply #1 - May 15th, 2006 at 10:37pm

wji   Offline
Colonel

Posts: 1644
*****
 
The word 'tarmac' is not used in AF2. The commonly used term is 'apron'; neither of which, refer to any lines around the edges.

Lee Swordy's definition of 'apron' as it applies to AF2:

"38. Aprons
Aprons are expanses of concrete or other material that aircraft can park on or taxi over.  Apron surfaces are not just used for parking areas, they can be used anywhere at an airport that extra pieces of pavement are needed, such as to widen a taxiway for a waiting area, or turn-around bays on runways, or for enlarging junctions."

Using the Apron Tool in AF2 is explained in the AF2 Readme file. Hope this helps.
 

... PhotoShop 7 user
IP Logged
 
Reply #2 - May 15th, 2006 at 10:42pm
South   Ex Member

 
yes yes lol, i know how to use the Apron tool in AF2 lol.
i'm just asking if there is an easier way to apply an apron to the taxiway edges, because it takes a very very long time to apply aprons to the taxiways in airports like KATL (which i am currently working on) lol.

thanks in advance!  Cheesy
 
IP Logged
 
Reply #3 - May 15th, 2006 at 11:33pm

MIKE JG   Offline
Colonel
Gravity Always Wins...
Ohio

Posts: 845
*****
 
Yes is the simple answer to your question.  You can get AFCAD to draw all kinds of interesting things for you if you just use a little creativity.

For your specific question you can try this:

Instead of drawing endless line vectors using the apron tool trying to get them to eventually connect and close the section so AFCAD will draw it, use the taxiway draw tool to make your apron borders instead.  This way will go much faster especially when working on large areas at once.  Look at this example of a relatively complex AFCAD that I have been working on.

In this screenshot you will notice that nowhere have I used the apron tool to create boarders for the taxiways or even the large ramp area.  I've done all of it with multiple taxiways.  The look on the AFCAD screen is quite complex and can get a little messy if you accidentally connect taxiways that you really mean to use as a border, but the end result is worth the extra effort IMO.  

...


Now the end result:  As you can see doing in this way creates very smooth, even looking borders for both taxiways and ramp areas.  I use the taxiway tool to draw all kinds of things, roads, dirt paths, circles, pretty much anything you can think up.  The nice thing about doing it this way is that you can set lighting, choose the type of surface you want to use and create very smooth looking borders to your work.  Using the taxiway tool allows for nice smooth curving borders around corners and intersections.  You can even make sharp 90 degree angles if you want (just run the taxiway nodes on top of each other but DO NOT let them connect).


...

However there is a catch, isn't there always a catch Roll Eyes with FS9.  You have to understand the layering concept that AFCAD uses to draw the various surfaces of an airport that you are working on.  

There are two very important layering orders that are not changeable.  They are:

1)  That runways will always show on top of taxiways which will always show on top of apron polys.   So it's runway, taxiway, apron surface in that order.  This is very important when using this method.  But this is also extremely helpful as well.  Since there is this "pecking order" so to speak you can get away with some things that can be taken care of by layering a taxiway or runway on top of the other surface.  IOW so what if my ramp/apron that I've drawn isn't exactly straight.  If I'm going to give it a nice crisp border using a fake taxiway, it will cover up the sloppiness of my apron work.  But using this method you just have to make sure that you don't leave gaps in your work between apron edges and fake taxiways that you are using as borders.  Sometimes the gaps are almost too small to see in your work in AFCAD, but when you fire up the sim and see grass showing through it can be a real headache.  The key it to overlap your fake taxiway ever so slightly over your ramp surface to again cover up the edges.

2)  The other biggie is the order of appearance for surface types, that big drop down list that you can use to set the apron, runway or taxiway surface to the type you want.  Basically it follows the order of the drop down list.  Concrete being the first one on the list gets covered up by every other surface type with "tarmac" being the last entry on that list therefore it shows up over any other surface type as long as it's the same thing, ie taxiway vs. taxiway or ramp vs. ramp etc.  So again you have to be careful because AFCAD will not always show it that way on the design screen.  Sometimes it will follow the order and sometimes it won't.  I've yet to get a good grip on that one yet.  IOW let's say you've drawn a square ramp area and selected "tarmac" for the surface type.  Then you come along and draw a second square ramp area over top of the first making it large enough to completly cover up the "tarmac" square.  Now for the second square area you choose any other surface type other than "tarmac".  Chances are, and again I'm not 100% on this, but chances are that in the AFCAD design screen, it will cover up the original square of "tarmac" with whatever surface you've chosen for the second, larger square.  The first square is still there but it's being hidden by the last thing you've designed, in this case the second apron square.  But here's the catch, since AFCAD has to follow the order for drawing surface types, when you start FS9 up and look at that section, low and behold the first square of "tarmac" will be showing through anything that you've designed on top of it as long as it was another apron/ramp area.  Does that make sense?  It gets a little crazy but it's critical to understand that if you are not carefull that you can get some big surprises when you fire up the sim to check your work.

So to end this massively out of control reply that I've written here is another example of what you can do using AFCAD, layering techniques and a little creativity.

...

 

Good luck.
 

-Mike G.

...

Military AI traffic packages and scenery for the Microsoft Flight Simulator series.
IP Logged
 
Reply #4 - May 15th, 2006 at 11:40pm
South   Ex Member

 
wow, thanks!!  Shocked
I will try it sometime!
thanx again!! lol
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1
Send Topic Print