FSX Freeway traffic

[GaryGB]

The last link there gives a 404 error when I click on it.

I have 3.15 now

Please verify that you have used the download link I posted above to replace the dead Google Drive link by Dick:

Install this complete folder chain provided by Dick:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/sbuilderx-v315.441705/

Dick said:

"I have made a full zipped version of the program, with all folders filled for immediate use without a previous installation of version 3.14:

Full SBuilderX v315":

https://www.mediafire.com/file/9oq6h2uv96b9a4s/SBX315_Full+SbuilderX+v315_Rhumbaflappy.zip/file

Otherwise, we may be in for more downloads and installations of Windows and Visual C++ run times etc.

I need to revise what I said earlier, I cannot copy and paste the files to any other folder or I get the memory error, I can only append the files from the ADE folder. Copying them to anywhere else won't let me load them.

As far as loading the files, I guess I'll have to just stick with loading them from the ADE directory. As long as I don't do any compiling until I'm done I should be ok.

There are ways to make Windows-11 less overly-protective of file / folder access, but that is a subject unto itself.

My initial focus currently must be on generating your test-of-concept, and cleaning up your ADE CVX vectors.

I have noticed that not all of the roads are showing up. May be still some road vectors are still not aligned or something. I'll have to look at that later, one step at a time. I want a proof of concept first, I just want to put freeway traffic or road traffic on the two main roads, the one up to the North, and the one over on the East going North/South. Those are the two main roads. Once I figure those out, and get a good idea of how to do them, I can move on to some of the other roads. Let's just stick to those two main ones for now.

I noticed that when I load the *.SHP files,I don't see any of my roads, all I see are the polys that are under the roads. Those polys are there to remove the vegetation from the roads they are exclusion polys, without them I get trees and other vegetation on my roads.

None of my roads are showing up in SBX. Without knowing where the roads are I couldn't very well add traffic vectors to them.

Is there something wrong with ADE not compiling the roads into the SHP files?

Could it be I still have misaligned vectors on my roads? I'm lost.

OK, thus far I do not see any CVX vector Road vectors in ADE; rather you seem to have used Taxiway Paths.

I will need a few minutes to Append CVX ESRI *.SHP files derived from the newer downloadinto SBuilderX so I can answer your questions.


Many thanks are due to Patrick Germain for making CvxExtractor available to us at FSDEV.

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

I did have to use Taxiway paths to connect the roads to the parking spots. Should I have not done that? If that is my problem then I can go in and remove the parking spots, but then I have no places to actually put my vehicle except on the runway or in a Gate. Should I have used Gates instead of parking spots. Without using taxipaths, to connect the roads to the parking spots, when I did a error check it would always tell me that the road isn't connected to the network. Is there a way around this? I think I will stick with the mountain problem first, this traffic thing is getting to be a bit more complicated. I may have to play around with the roads and parking to eliminate the Taxiway Paths. That might very well be the problem.

 

[Tomt478]

It just appeared to me that I did not add any road vectors when I put the roads in. Should I have done that? I just drew the roads without adding any road vectors. Should I just go back in and put those road vectors in on the roads I want traffic to flow on.

 

[GaryGB]

I did have to use Taxiway paths to connect the roads to the parking spots. Should I have not done that? If that is my problem then I can go in and remove the parking spots, but then I have no places to actually put my vehicle except on the runway or in a Gate. Should I have used Gates instead of parking spots ?

Without using taxipaths, to connect the roads to the parking spots, when I did a error check it would always tell me that the road isn't connected to the network. Is there a way around this?

I think I will stick with the mountain problem first, this traffic thing is getting to be a bit more complicated. I may have to play around with the roads and parking to eliminate the Taxiway Paths. That might very well be the problem.

It just appeared to me that I did not add any road vectors when I put the roads in. Should I have done that? I just drew the roads without adding any road vectors. Should I just go back in and put those road vectors in on the roads I want traffic to flow on.

OK, lets address the "Roads" issue before we set the CVX vectors aside for now, in favor of my first completing a test-of-concept 'Hill'.

In ADE with your latest build of KWR1 loaded, navigate:

ADE Menu > Lists > Terrain Polygons

Notice in that long list, there are no CVX vector Road objects.


But we may be able to use Freeway Traffic on top of the other objects, since you already cleared Autogen in 'road corridors'.

If you want 'paved' surfaces (other than the small areas of Apron surface texture), you would have to place CVX vector Roads.

If you want that, we 'may' be able to copy an existing CVX object, paste it in place, then change its attribute to a Road (need to test).


However, the "Road" building process itself, is actually rather simple:

SBuilderX Menu > Tools > Line > (draw line; Right-click 'closes' end of line) > Left-click to select Line > Right-click Line > set Properties

Properties > {Vector Line} tab pick-list offers many types and widths for Roads, so custom-made CVX vector 'polygons' are rarely needed.

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

Yes I noticed there were no "roads" of any kind listed there. I did an experiment a few minutes ago and just for the heck of it, put in a Road Vector and compiled it. I then loaded it up in SBX, it shows up but hovering over it, SBX says it's a line imorted from a land poly or something like that. I then looked at the list again and it shows up as a road at the end of the list. Should I have done that to begin with? I never thought of adding vectors when I built this thing, didn't really know what the heck they were for to be honest. If adding Road Vectors is all I need to do, I can do that, it'll take a bit of time as I have lots of roads as you can tell, but it can be done with no problem.

 

[GaryGB]

Yes I noticed there were no "roads" of any kind listed there. I did an experiment a few minutes ago and just for the heck of it, put in a Road Vector and compiled it. I then loaded it up in SBX, it shows up but hovering over it, SBX says it's a line imorted from a land poly or something like that. I then looked at the list again and it shows up as a road at the end of the list. Should I have done that to begin with? I never thought of adding vectors when I built this thing, didn't really know what the heck they were for to be honest. If adding Road Vectors is all I need to do, I can do that, it'll take a bit of time as I have lots of roads as you can tell, but it can be done with no problem.

The "Russian" techno-talk threads cited above were intended to describe a sequence of steps to use if Appending CVX vector *.SHP files.

"SBuilderX - Appending A Polygon Shapefile" > 'Get From The Field' pick-list offers GUID instead of "Polygon imported from a shape file".

That might prove useful if you remember 32-character long Windows Registry format GUID strings (great for working in a Auto parts store).

The intent of the pop-up tooltip name for objects is to distinguish imported from custom-created data within the SBuilderX workspace.

But the choice is yours; see what works best for you with labeling imported objects from *.SHP files.


Note that above cited threads offer examples setting colors to match FS SDK TMFViewer, and also to make colors display 'transparent'.

If we make colors display 'transparent', in SBuilderX, we can see through several superimposed 'layers' better as we work.

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

I do have one last question before I go, once I turn the lines into a road vector in SBX, what do I do. Do I export the SHP file then place it in place of the one created by ADE.?Or does SBX just automaticaly change it in the SHP file and I don't have to do anything.

 

[GaryGB]

I am on the "Road" at the moment, but basically, from memory, in SBuilderX, one selects all Road and any other 'Line' type CVX vector objects, then...

In SBuilderX Menu:

File > BGL Compile > SBuilderX BGL Compile dialog > Select Type of Scenery > check: 'Terrain Vector' > [Compile] button

NOTE: Polygon objects group separate from Line objects, thus if we select both Polygon and Lines, (2) CVX BGLs are compiled by SBuilderX.

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

then what do I do with the bgl file?

 

[GaryGB]

Assuming all CVX vector *.SHP files derived from the original ADE CVX BGL were Appended to SBuilder:

If all original ADE CVX vectors, and any 'new' CVX vectors created in a SBuilderX work session are 'selected', then compiled in a single operation, (1) CVX BGL is output for lines, and another (1) CVX BGL is output for polygons

Those BGLs should then be used as substitutes for the original (1) ADE CVX BGL in the ADE project \Scenery sub-folder.


NOTE: This discussion has not yet addressed the ADE-GP which is a special flat / level 3D textured meta-object (a "scene" of multiple parts).

That latter ADE-GP (aka "G-Poly") is distinct from textured 2D CVX vector flat / level 3D textured meta-object (a "scene" of multiple parts.

Technically it is correct, but risks confusion if when called a "Ground Polygon"; it is best IMHO to call these CVX objects "Terrain Polygons.


FYI:

FS2000 Terrain Scenery SCASM / ASM code uses a term "VTP", referring to "Vector Textured Polygon" (or was it "Vector Terrain Polygon" ?).

VTP layer numbers are assigned to control display priority to textures mapped onto these vector type Terrain scenery objects.

Like ADE-GP Editor, Arno's MCX G-Poly Wizard works with these objects in very detailed ways for FS2Kx versions up to / including P3D.

Because such flat / level 3D objects are not CVX objects, they do not compile with CVX vector code into CVX vector BGLs.

Rather, as 3D scenery objects, they are handled via either SCASM / ASM code or via MDL / BGLComp code and placed on top of ground.


IIUC, your ADE-GP may continue to display properly from the original ADE-GP BGL provided its placement is still aligned on the ground.

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

So if I just select the Road Vectors and compile them only, I would take that BGL file place it in my FSX addon/scenery folder and remove the original CVX file that was created by ADE. Now how do you get vehicle road traffic to use your new airport. I set all my sliders for road vehicles to max.

 

[Tomt478]

OOppss, can't remove the original BGL, that takes away my ground polys. I just put the new BGL in the scenery folder. But I'm not seeing any road traffic, how can I get road traffic to use my airport. Do I need to use some sort of AI editor?

 

[GaryGB]

Your goal is to generate any required new CVX vectors (Roads and Freeway Traffic) and select them, along with all other existing CVX vectors from the *.SHP files Appended to SBuilderX ...after extracted / derived from the original ADE CVX BGL, then compile them.

Those (2) SBuilderX CVX BGLs will replace the original ADE CVX BGL.

BTW: In SBuilderX, did you also create the Freeway Traffic lines separately, in addition to creating the Roads ...all as 'new' vector objects?

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

Do you mean the Road Vectors? Where do I create the Freeway Traffic Lines there is no such thing in ADE, is it in SBX?

 

[GaryGB]

Do you mean the Road Vectors? Where do I create the Freeway Traffic Lines there is no such thing in ADE, is it in SBX?

Yes, ADE does not create / edit Freeway Traffic CVX vectors: those are handled by SBuilderX, which was the basis for our discussions today.


As for the "ground polys", IIUC, those are land class CVX vector objects, and are separate and distinct from your ADE-GP / G-Poly.

See the edited content I added to this thread above ...here:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/freeway-traffic.459599/post-930831

GaryGB

 

[Tomt478]

Whala!!! It worked, I now have traffic flowing on my two main roads, now, how the heck do you change directions of flow for the other lane? That should be interesting to figure out.

 

[Tomt478]

Never mind, I figured it out. Whew! it's time consuming, but it works. I didn't really need to compile all the poly SHP files, only the one containing the road vectors. Once I changed all the lines to traffic lines and set the direction, I just compiled that shp file and placed it in my ..addon/scenery folder in FSX and it worked fine. As long as I add the road vectors before I compile the airport I have all my road lines and all I have to do is change them to traffic lines and compile. Been experimenting with it and it works without too much trouble. I want to thank GaryGB for helping me out. Now we can get back to the mountain issue, that one seems a bit harder, but if anyone can figure it out, he can I'm sure. Thanks a bunch! I'll be working on my traffic while you figure out the mountain thing. If you need any more info on it, let me know and I will do what I can to get it to you.Again, thanks so much for the help with this project. Looks like I'm gonna have to make some traffic signs now. Think I will practice my flying now, still trying to learn to land on the darn runways, never did get that down right, always used FSXPilot to land the plane, but that's no fun, I want to do it myself. Takeoff and flying, no problem, landing...wellll.. not so much.

 

[GaryGB]

Never mind, I figured it out. Whew! it's time consuming, but it works.

I didn't really need to compile all the poly SHP files, only the one containing the road vectors. Once I changed all the lines to traffic lines and set the direction, I just compiled that *.SHP file and placed it in my ...[FSX install path]\Addon scenery\Scenery sub-folder in FSX and it worked fine. As long as I add the road vectors before I compile the airport I have all my road lines and all I have to do is change them to traffic lines and compile. Been experimenting with it and it works without too much trouble.

Ideally we extract all CVX info from the original ADE CVX vector BGLs, and combine it in a SBuilderX project to be compiled.

Another important consideration is making sure we do not retain any duplicated CVX objects at the same coordinates, as we can not always be certain that loading priority in Scenery Library or loading priority via alpha-numeric BGL file naming always excludes duplicates.

However in your Scenery 'load priority', SBuilderX's CVX BGL 'before' original objects in ADE's CVX BGL, latter CVX duplicates "exclude".

I want to thank GaryGB for helping me out. Now we can get back to the mountain issue, that one seems a bit harder, but if anyone can figure it out, he can I'm sure. Thanks a bunch!

I'll be working on my traffic while you figure out the mountain thing. If you need any more info on it, let me know and I will do what I can to get it to you. Again, thanks so much for the help with this project.

Glad I was able to help.

More to come on the "Hill" object tomorrow (Tuesday).

Looks like I'm gonna have to make some traffic signs now. Think I will practice my flying now, still trying to learn to land on the darn runways, never did get that down right, always used FSXPilot to land the plane, but that's no fun, I want to do it myself. Takeoff and flying, no problem, landing...wellll.. not so much.

Now, that's what I like to see: a FS Developer that actually "flies" in FS now and then.

GaryGB