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Ferry traffic
- Thread starter GHD
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Hi George,
I suppose you use AIBTC to make your traffic file.
Have you set the kind of vessel to ferry? If cargo or other they 'dock' within a certain radius from the firstlast waypoint. But I guess you know that.
I also suppose you are trying out your Gmax creation.
What is the static cg of your object and what is it in the sim.cfg? Maybe it sits too low or too high (I set my ferry static height to 0 in the sim.cfg and adapt the cg of the ferry in MCX so that it lies correctly in the water).
Just speculating.
Roby
I suppose you use AIBTC to make your traffic file.
Have you set the kind of vessel to ferry? If cargo or other they 'dock' within a certain radius from the firstlast waypoint. But I guess you know that.
I also suppose you are trying out your Gmax creation.
What is the static cg of your object and what is it in the sim.cfg? Maybe it sits too low or too high (I set my ferry static height to 0 in the sim.cfg and adapt the cg of the ferry in MCX so that it lies correctly in the water).
Just speculating.
Roby
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- 299
Thanks to Roby , l have ferry traffic in all my projects and l like what l see .
One thing l noticed is that the starting point shouldn't be too far away from the second waypoint , just enough to go astern from , say a dock and turn around . l don't pay attention to the last waypoint , and l see the boats returning and docking nicely . As Roby pointed out the CG should be zero in
the sim.cfg .
Apart from that l don't get the coordinates from the kml file made from GEarth as l was doing initially , but from my ADE project (more accurate) and apply them to sample kml files l have , depending on how many boats l want .
All above provided one uses AIBTC .
One thing l noticed is that the starting point shouldn't be too far away from the second waypoint , just enough to go astern from , say a dock and turn around . l don't pay attention to the last waypoint , and l see the boats returning and docking nicely . As Roby pointed out the CG should be zero in
the sim.cfg .
Apart from that l don't get the coordinates from the kml file made from GEarth as l was doing initially , but from my ADE project (more accurate) and apply them to sample kml files l have , depending on how many boats l want .
All above provided one uses AIBTC .
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I don't thinl it has anything to do with the sim.cfg.
I have seven traffic files, five work and two don't.
In this particular case, if I set the time slightly before the departure time, the ferry is sitting as shown, but at departure time, it disappears.
These are the waypoints in Afcad2 from which the kml file was made:
Note. This is a very restricted harbour.
If I set the time to slightly after the departure time, the ferry is pointing in the opposite direction, but it doesn't move. If I use Trafic Toolbox to "Warp to next waypoint", it jumps to the second waypoint and then continues its journey.
On the return trip exactly the same happens at the other harbour, ie. disappears/doesn't move.
If I set the time to midway between the departure and arrival times, the ferry spawns half-way along the route and docks correctly at either destination.
I have seven traffic files, five work and two don't.
In this particular case, if I set the time slightly before the departure time, the ferry is sitting as shown, but at departure time, it disappears.
These are the waypoints in Afcad2 from which the kml file was made:
Note. This is a very restricted harbour.
If I set the time to slightly after the departure time, the ferry is pointing in the opposite direction, but it doesn't move. If I use Trafic Toolbox to "Warp to next waypoint", it jumps to the second waypoint and then continues its journey.
On the return trip exactly the same happens at the other harbour, ie. disappears/doesn't move.
If I set the time to midway between the departure and arrival times, the ferry spawns half-way along the route and docks correctly at either destination.
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Hi George GHD and George Geobas,
First I would like to express my thanks to the first George because he is the one that convinced me to use AIBTC to make boat traffic.
Next, and only another guess, I wonder whether below your photoscenery you have waterclass i.o. landclass, because if the latter is the case that might explain why your vessel does not move and disappear.
What is very odd though is that you say your ferry "spawns" halfway? You mean it is there when you start FS and go to the spot where it is supposed to be around that particular time, which is normal? Or do you mean something else that would be abnormal?
Another thing: how come the start position is different from the first waypoint? Your startposition is afaik your first waypoint?
First I would like to express my thanks to the first George because he is the one that convinced me to use AIBTC to make boat traffic.
Next, and only another guess, I wonder whether below your photoscenery you have waterclass i.o. landclass, because if the latter is the case that might explain why your vessel does not move and disappear.
What is very odd though is that you say your ferry "spawns" halfway? You mean it is there when you start FS and go to the spot where it is supposed to be around that particular time, which is normal? Or do you mean something else that would be abnormal?
Another thing: how come the start position is different from the first waypoint? Your startposition is afaik your first waypoint?
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No, all of the default hydro-polys and shorelines have been excluded and a blanket "mesh-clinging" hydro-poly applied.
No, I would expect this and, as I said, it continues on track and docks at the destination.
This is what I am asking. All of my ferrys (including those that work) start (and end) somewhere between the first and second ( and second-last and last) waypoints
This is why I use Afcad2 to design the track so that I can interactively nudge the waypoints. I then use a custom program to convert the Afcad2 taxiway to a kml for use by AIBTC.
This is one which works. Note, this is a "forward route". The program I use to create the kml works on a taxiway defined from a parking spot to a hold-short node. The previous shots were for a "reverse route".
And in FSX:
I can see no intrinsic difference between these waypoints and those which don't work.
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- 299
Hi George , hi Roby
l think l'll drop out since Roby is on the scene , especially if photoscenery is involved which is Greek to me . Moreover it is rather awkward the student to have a say when his teacher is present .
Just for info l've made several ports , some more restricted than others and had no difficulty . l'll start FSX , say 5 minutes before departure of the first boat , the boats are there , they start a minute or two later than the time in the plan and as soon as they are out of the port , another 2-3 boats are coming in and dock beautifully .
Just out of curiosity what is the parking doing there . Parking of a boat is the first waypoint .
l think l'll drop out since Roby is on the scene , especially if photoscenery is involved which is Greek to me . Moreover it is rather awkward the student to have a say when his teacher is present .
Just for info l've made several ports , some more restricted than others and had no difficulty . l'll start FSX , say 5 minutes before departure of the first boat , the boats are there , they start a minute or two later than the time in the plan and as soon as they are out of the port , another 2-3 boats are coming in and dock beautifully .
Just out of curiosity what is the parking doing there . Parking of a boat is the first waypoint .
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Hi George,
The parking spot is just to set the position of the first waypoint for converting the taxipath in Afcad2 to a kml for AIBTC.
That is what you would expect, isn't it. Have you tried using TCalcX to check the position of your docked boat against the position of your first waypoint?
The parking spot is just to set the position of the first waypoint for converting the taxipath in Afcad2 to a kml for AIBTC.
That is what you would expect, isn't it. Have you tried using TCalcX to check the position of your docked boat against the position of your first waypoint?
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- 299
Hi George ,
l said l'll drop out , but here l am again .
l am rather confused 'cause l read in Roby's post that you were the one who convinced him to use AIBTC to make boat traffic. Yet you're using it in an unusual way . Instead of feeding AIBTC with the 3 straight forward and easy to make files (Boats.txt,Plans.txt and Routes.klm) , you're choosing the hard way and l can't compehend why .
l am certain you know that a boat will follow exactly the coordinates in your klm file , end up at you last waypoint , start from there at the preset time in your plan.txt and return via the same route to the first waypoint from where she started .
No l never used TCalcX . But using the co-ordinates from ADE ( that's why l suggested to Jon in the new version wish list , one to be able to copy these co-ordinates , so they can be pasted in the kml file) , l can place my boats precisely alongside their respective berths , from where they start at the predetermined time in the plan.txt , go astern to clear the berth , turn around and follow the path between the latitudes and longitudes in the kml file .
l said l'll drop out , but here l am again .
l am rather confused 'cause l read in Roby's post that you were the one who convinced him to use AIBTC to make boat traffic. Yet you're using it in an unusual way . Instead of feeding AIBTC with the 3 straight forward and easy to make files (Boats.txt,Plans.txt and Routes.klm) , you're choosing the hard way and l can't compehend why .
l am certain you know that a boat will follow exactly the coordinates in your klm file , end up at you last waypoint , start from there at the preset time in your plan.txt and return via the same route to the first waypoint from where she started .
No l never used TCalcX . But using the co-ordinates from ADE ( that's why l suggested to Jon in the new version wish list , one to be able to copy these co-ordinates , so they can be pasted in the kml file) , l can place my boats precisely alongside their respective berths , from where they start at the predetermined time in the plan.txt , go astern to clear the berth , turn around and follow the path between the latitudes and longitudes in the kml file .
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Hi Georges,
George I is doing it more or less the same way I do.
I use GE kml but for the first or last waypoints I use ADE taxi points, open the ADE xml and copy and paste these last coordinates into the KML before compiling.
I do not understand why you would need Tcalc in that case because the coordinates will always match.
It is a mystery why your ferry does not start from the last/first waypoint.
I do not have this problem either.
The only difference between what you have done and what I have (not yet) done is to blanket the photoscenery with a "mesh-clinging" hydro-poly.
So, maybe there is your problem?
Hey, George II, don't be so humble. We learn from each other as I learned also from you (remember?).
And, a lot is Greek to me as well!
George I is doing it more or less the same way I do.
I use GE kml but for the first or last waypoints I use ADE taxi points, open the ADE xml and copy and paste these last coordinates into the KML before compiling.
I do not understand why you would need Tcalc in that case because the coordinates will always match.
It is a mystery why your ferry does not start from the last/first waypoint.
I do not have this problem either.
The only difference between what you have done and what I have (not yet) done is to blanket the photoscenery with a "mesh-clinging" hydro-poly.
So, maybe there is your problem?
Hey, George II, don't be so humble. We learn from each other as I learned also from you (remember?).
And, a lot is Greek to me as well
!
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No, I am using the three standard files. The only thing I do is create the routes.kml by creating a taxiway in Afcad2 with each node corresponding to a waypoint. I then disassemble the AF2 file and create a kml file with the coordinates from the nodes.
That is what I thought, however, it just isn't true. Can you post one of your sets of AIBTC files so that I confirm your findings.
Edit. I have attached the files for the situation described above. I would be grateful if you could test them for me. Note, you will need to replace the reference in the "boats" file for one that you have installed.
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Hmm,
I have just tried my traffic file using the default scenery and it works
Default
Photo
Note that the starting position is not on the first waypoint
The position where it turns would cause it to cross the photo pier, but this is at sea-level so it shouldn't matter.
George,
I would still be interested to check one of your traffic files.
I have just tried my traffic file using the default scenery and it works
Default
Photo
Note that the starting position is not on the first waypoint
The position where it turns would cause it to cross the photo pier, but this is at sea-level so it shouldn't matter.
George,
I would still be interested to check one of your traffic files.
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OK, I finally got it to move. However, the start position is about 48 metres from the first (last) waypoint. It then pushed back about 100 metres.
I will now try moving the last two waypoints by 48 metres to see whether it will start at the terminal and still push-back correctly.
I will now try moving the last two waypoints by 48 metres to see whether it will start at the terminal and still push-back correctly.
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Could it be because your last waypoint in GE (at least) is on land and in the FSX default scenery it is not?
Edit: In the default scenery the ferry (well my ferry which is something like 90 m long) does hardly push back (5 m or so).
Makes me wonder whether it could also have something to do with the stern position in the sim.cfg.
Edit: In the default scenery the ferry (well my ferry which is something like 90 m long) does hardly push back (5 m or so).
Makes me wonder whether it could also have something to do with the stern position in the sim.cfg.
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I think you have hit the nail on the head Roby.
I believe that FSX is clever enough to recognise the presence of photo-textures even when they are at sea-level.
I moved the start point off the texture of the boat that could be seen at the ramp and it worked fine.
I will now look at the other file which doesn't work.
Thanks.
BTW. The stern position is set at 9 feet in the sim.cfg.
I believe that FSX is clever enough to recognise the presence of photo-textures even when they are at sea-level.
I moved the start point off the texture of the boat that could be seen at the ramp and it worked fine.
I will now look at the other file which doesn't work.
Thanks.
BTW. The stern position is set at 9 feet in the sim.cfg.
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I had the same problem at the other end of the track so I moved the start point some distance away from the land. It worked, however, the ferry started 48 meters from the first waypoint in the direction of the second.
So, the ferry doesn't start at the first waypoint.
This is very unfortunate since the idea is to have the ferry docking at a GMax model of the pier.
So, the ferry doesn't start at the first waypoint.
This is very unfortunate since the idea is to have the ferry docking at a GMax model of the pier.
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Hi George ,
Sorry l missed your post exchanges last night with Roby , but as Roby knows l still like my nights out (sometimes) .
OK . So l tried your traffic files and they work fine .
Went to your starting point
at 11:55 the boat was there
12:01 started astern and after a good number of manouvres she sailed ... (pix 1)
12:15 enroute (pix2)
12:25 arrived and docked !! at destination . Of course having a large boat the captain was forced to negociate her using the adjacent shore for manouvring
13:55 the boat was there (pix 3)
14:02 sailed
14:25 arrived at starting port and docked !!
Nothing wrong except a visible wake running ahead of the boat (pix 4) which l can't figure what causes that .
Sending you my files won't help because my ports are "custom made"
and your boats will appear in the middle of nowhere .
l have a funny habit of making a port next to my airports . l enjoy looking at AI aircraft and ships coming and going simultaneously . Looks good .
Just for the heck of it l attach a image of a rough airport with adjacent harbour in ADE showing how l do it .(pix 5)
Sorry l missed your post exchanges last night with Roby , but as Roby knows l still like my nights out (sometimes) .
OK . So l tried your traffic files and they work fine .
Went to your starting point
at 11:55 the boat was there
12:01 started astern and after a good number of manouvres she sailed ... (pix 1)
12:15 enroute (pix2)
12:25 arrived and docked !! at destination . Of course having a large boat the captain was forced to negociate her using the adjacent shore for manouvring
13:55 the boat was there (pix 3)
14:02 sailed
14:25 arrived at starting port and docked !!
Nothing wrong except a visible wake running ahead of the boat (pix 4) which l can't figure what causes that .
Sending you my files won't help because my ports are "custom made"
and your boats will appear in the middle of nowhere .l have a funny habit of making a port next to my airports . l enjoy looking at AI aircraft and ships coming and going simultaneously . Looks good .
Just for the heck of it l attach a image of a rough airport with adjacent harbour in ADE showing how l do it .(pix 5)
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Sending you my files won't help because my ports are "custom made"
That is exactly why I would like to see your files.
I am convinced that the boat does not start and end on the first/last waypoints and if your ports are in the middle of nowhere, there should be nothing to interfere with the traffic.
I have made some further tests with and without photo scenery and I still find that in certain cases the boat will not sail. In other cases, they work fine, and I cannot see any significant difference in the tracks.
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But they do George .
By "in the middle of nowhere" l meant you'll see them inland somewhere and most probably they won't move .
Nevertheless the ones l am sending are supposed to move in default water outside Piraeus .
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Thanks George.
I didn't have your "Ferry 1", "Ferry 2" ot "Ferry 3" so I substitited the default "Ferry1" and "Ferry2".
I followed the plan for AC#1 starting at 12:00 on route 7671.
The waypoints are:
23.592677532,37.957185075,0
23.593501634,37.953705938,0
23.556549303,37.954677976,0
23.541567845,37.972233431,0
23.550172650,37.997269440,0
23.485772017,38.010185051,0
23.407322578,37.980619143,0
23.444907193,37.970886231,0
The starting position was some way from the last waypoint:
and the final position was also some distance from the first waypoint:
Since these ferries are much larger than the one I use, the apparent diiference in position with mine is much larger.
I shall post information on my latest test with the small ferry later.
I didn't have your "Ferry 1", "Ferry 2" ot "Ferry 3" so I substitited the default "Ferry1" and "Ferry2".
I followed the plan for AC#1 starting at 12:00 on route 7671.
The waypoints are:
23.592677532,37.957185075,0
23.593501634,37.953705938,0
23.556549303,37.954677976,0
23.541567845,37.972233431,0
23.550172650,37.997269440,0
23.485772017,38.010185051,0
23.407322578,37.980619143,0
23.444907193,37.970886231,0
The starting position was some way from the last waypoint:
and the final position was also some distance from the first waypoint:
Since these ferries are much larger than the one I use, the apparent diiference in position with mine is much larger.
I shall post information on my latest test with the small ferry later.