Creating taxilines

[fsisland]

EDIT: This post has been moved to the FSDS forum by arno, it was originally placed in the poll about the design tools people use. But that is not a proper place for discussions like this.

I read here that some people make taxilines in FSDS so I thought I might try that. The easiest way to make a straight line, I think, is to make a box and then delete the points that make it 3d. It is hard to set the textures right to polygons and it seem to be easier to control the textures by making a box. Then to import the model to Mdl Tweaker to get rid of the shadows and place it with Object Placer program. However I can not figure out a method to bend the line for example like this:

Since there seem to be people who have done it I wonder what method they used?

 

[arno]

Hi,

I have never used FSDS for this, but I can assure you that it will only work correctly if you use FSDS2 and then tweak the API macro to use a LayerCall command. Else it is not possible to make proper ground polygons.

The same is true with GMax, we need to use the Fs2002 gamepack to make properly working ground polygons. The MDL format is not suited for them.

 

[jdhaenens]

An alternate method for taxilines (and really any specialty line at an unusually striped airport) is to use the material list in FSDS3. Make the line from a polygon, right click and select "Current item properties" hit the material button, add to the color list by simply picking your color. Make the color semi-transparent by knocking down the Alpha to around 128 or less, then apply it to the current runway texture when you get the design done. The runway or tarmac shows through and the line looks painted on the original surface instead of alien to it.

You can make curves reasonably smooth if you draw a couple of tubes or circles for guidelines and use short rectangular piecesto fill in the curve. If you look very close, that's the way most curves are drawn in FS9.

Jim

 

[fsisland]

That is good idea and working too Jim as can be seen on the screenshot. What altitude is best for the ground polygons so they do not sink or the aircrafts sink in them?

 

[jdhaenens]

That's looking very nice! As you may have found, "Flatten" is not really that flat when you're dealing with 2D polygons going onto a 3D surface. It's really just experimentation as far as the altitude to prevent tarmac bleed-through and still make the lines appear as part of the tarmac and not just lines floating in mid air. I've occasionally had to use them at different altitudes in the same scenery, and sometimes had to bridge gaps by making boxes or tubes to allow for 3D misalignment instead of polys.

Jim