MSFS20 How to add Simobjects

[jgarnold]

I have just downloaded a 'library' of animated flags and windsocks and can't work out how to use them in ADE. I read that the package needs to be copied to the community folder but not how to use them within ADE.
The folder structure is as follows -

There is NO .bgl (library file) anywhere.

How do I implement these to use within ADE
What I tried was to place the tsr-windsocks in my (packagesources) modellib folder but when I did a build I got the following errors -

 

[GaryGB]

You may wish to review Dick's post here:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/t...e20-msfs-devmode-pick-list.452743/post-883852

GaryGB

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Gary. Too easy EXCEPT that I added just one of the 'models' eg model.RedWhite (see my folder/file structure above) and it then comes up in (add) Sim Objects and I select and place it then build (no errors) and copy to community folder but it does not show in MSFS where I placed it. The package is in my community folder. I must be doing something wrong but don't know what.

 

[jgarnold]

And now after adding another 'model' I get an error loading ADE.
I removed the added 'model' and still get the error.
Then removed BOTH 'models' and still get the error.
Had to go back to the backup I made of the file for ADE to work again.

 

[jgarnold]

Hurrah I have solved it. After reading Dicks post I followed what he said which got me nowhere.

Then I opened the sim.cfg and noticed a list of all the different windsocks available and noticed the NAME was tsr-windsock_redwhite which I added to the adeSimObjectList.dat file.
I still cannot locate in Dick's post that the sim.cfg file needs to be opened to obtain the correct names to add. Maybe I'm a bit dum but I thought that the 'tutorial' covered everything.

 

[GaryGB]

Hurrah I have solved it. After reading Dicks post I followed what he said which got me nowhere.

Then I opened the sim.cfg and noticed a list of all the different windsocks available and noticed the NAME was tsr-windsock_redwhite which I added to the adeSimObjectList.dat file.

I still cannot locate in Dick's post that the sim.cfg file needs to be opened to obtain the correct names to add. Maybe I'm a bit dum but I thought that the 'tutorial' covered everything.

Add the SimObject package to the Community folder.

The ADE_2020_Alpha_19 folder has a sub-folder named F20. Inside that folder is a text file named adeSimObjectList.dat (a good idea to backup this file here). That file is a list of SimObjects. The entry structure is pretty simple. Add the name of the new SimObject to the list (preceded by ||).

Now within ADE, open a project and you can place a SimObject. The recently added object should be in the list. Save the project, build it, add the package to the Community folder, start the sim, go to the airport, and the new SimObject should appear.

Hi John:

A clarification to Dick's helpful mini-tutorial quoted above:

Sim.Cfg files utilize a "Title"- rather than a 'Name'- parameter value

https://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv5/sdk/simulation_objects/simulation_object_configuration_files.html?HTML_TreeMenu_Listbox_1=sdk/simulation_objects/simulation_object_configuration_files.html#fltsim


Perhaps others here may derive more benefit via insights from your recent inquiry, if you write a clearly worded, step-by-step tutorial.

Our goal here is to end up with "Windy Things" that can be utilized easily in FS development, (...trying to impart a bit of levity here).

Windy Things for Microsoft Flight Simulator | MSFS

✓ Windy Things is a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 mod created by trfsto. A collection of SimObjects that respond to wind speed and direction, featuring windsocks, flags from 306 different nations and US states, and decorative windmills. Includes a tool to create custom...

flightsim.to

Otherwise we may see:

Coming Soon ...from GaryGB: "Wordy Things"

GaryGB

 

[trfsd]

Hurrah I have solved it.

John, I am going to try to write-up what you and Dick came up with, then save it as an FAQ in the Windy Things listing. Hopefully, in the future ADE will natively support SimObjects in its library without this hack.

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks trfsd that would be great.

Gary being a unfamiliar with simobjects that require adding to the adeSimObjectList.dat file (I have only ever added .gtlf, .xml and .bin files to the modellib and then compiled/built into a library with the airport as well as using scenery objects which are already part of a (.bgl) library) I had NO idea that I needed to even look in the sim.cfg files as looking at other simobjects all of which were a single object I thought that I needed to add the name of the folder containing the simobjects (/misc/tsr-windsocks) folder which had names which which had names which looked like what I needed eg model.RedWhite (which I associated with the red and white striped windsock).
At first ADE did not complain and I was able to 'see' them and place them in my project (although of course noting appeared in MSFS).

I have learned some more as a result of this.

if you write a clearly worded, step-by-step tutorial.

I would except now trfsd has already kindly offered to do this. There could be other similar scenery objects packages at flightsim.to although others which I have downloaded are .bgl libraries so maybe the 'tutorial' which trfsd will write up could also be placed somewhere associated with ADE?

 

[GaryGB]

Hi John:

Checking Sim.Cfg and discerning a need to utilize the "Title" for SimObjects to be used for entries in adeSimObjectList.dat was helpful to further establishing a work-around until Scruffyduck finishes implementing a feature in ADE for this (IIUC, like LOM).

Thanks for sharing your test results with this ....to the extent that you have thus far.

And thanks as well to trfsd for his offer to add some additional FAQ info his existing and useful "Windy Things" package.

GaryGB

 

[jgarnold]

Hi Gary

No problem. I was just thankful that I was able to use the windsock as the MSFS stock one is far too large.

I notice that simobjects also are 'afflicted' with the inability to resize/scale them which is a known bug. Do you know if animation is also a known 'bug' as I thought that the windsock I used was animated and I thought that I started a flight with a 'strong' westerly wind yet the windsock was just 'hanging' down.

 

[GaryGB]

Hi John:

I had planned to test those new windsocks tonight, but we lost power due to a severe thunderstorm (using a browser on my mobile phone right now).

IIRC, one must set a custom weather pattern with wind at / near ground level to see a windsock animate.

AFAIK, ADE Alpha 20 also has corrected windsock placements by 180 degrees.

GaryGB

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Gary,
Yes I set custom weather with wind at 43kph at ground level and 10 gusts a minute yet the windsock remains 'limp'.

There is a animations.xml file but I can't see it referenced in and other file I have looked at so far. Is that normal?

I hope you get power back soon. I know exactly what it is like as for the first few years since moving in here 7 years ago we had power outages every few weeks some lasting a few hours (caused by insufficient power resources for the area which they have at last now fixed)

 

[trfsd]

John, are you talking about my windsock from Windy Things?

 

[trfsd]

Here is my draft set of instructions. Let me know if this is clear enough. I have also attached the tsr-windy-things_ADE-List.txt file that has the names of all of the objects in the Windy Things library.

---

Q: Can I use the Windy Things objects in scenery created with Airport Design Editor for MSFS 2020?

A: Yes. ADE can place SimObjects in a scenery file. But it currently lacks a tool to add new SimObjects to its database of default SimObjects. You can add any of the SimObjects in the Windy Things library to ADE by following these steps:

1. Install Windy Things by copying the "tsr-windy-things" directory to your Community folder for MSFS 2020.
2. In the program directory for ADE_2020 you should have a subdirectory called "F20" (unless you configured ADE to store its working files elsewhere). In the F20 directory, locate a file called "adeSimObjectList.dat".
3. Make a backup copy of adeSimObjectList.dat.
4. Edit adeSimObjectList.dat with a plain text editor.
5. Attached is a file called tsr-windy-things_ADE-List.txt. Copy the lines from tsr-windy-things_ADE-List.txt corresponding to those Windy Things objects you want to use in ADE and paste these lines at the end of the adeSimObjectList.dat file.
6. Restart ADE.
7. Open your scene file, right-click / Add / Sim Object, then select the desired object from the list to place it in the scene.
8. Save and Build your scene and save the compiled scene to your Community folder.

---

Attachment updated Aug. 11, 2021 (previous upload was missing all the no-pole flag variants)

 

[scruffyduck]

Here is my draft set of instructions. Let me know if this is clear enough. I have also attached the tsr-windy-things_ADE-List.txt file that has the names of all of the objects in the Windy Things library.

---

Q: Can I use the Windy Things objects in scenery created with Airport Design Editor for MSFS 2020?

A: Yes. ADE can place SimObjects in a scenery file. But it currently lacks a tool to add new SimObjects to its database of default SimObjects. You can add any of the SimObjects in the Windy Things library to ADE by following these steps:

1. Install Windy Things by copying the "tsr-windy-things" directory to your Community folder for MSFS 2020.
2. In the program directory for ADE_2020 you should have a subdirectory called "F20" (unless you configured ADE to store its working files elsewhere). In the F20 directory, locate a file called "adeSimObjectList.dat".
3. Make a backup copy of adeSimObjectList.dat.
4. Edit adeSimObjectList.dat with a plain text editor.
5. Attached is a file called tsr-windy-things_ADE-List.txt. Copy the lines from tsr-windy-things_ADE-List.txt corresponding to those Windy Things objects you want to use in ADE and paste these lines at the end of the adeSimObjectList.dat file.
6. Restart ADE.
7. Open your scene file, right-click / Add / Sim Object, then select the desired object from the list to place it in the scene.
8. Save and Build your scene and save the compiled scene to your Community folder.

Thanks for preparing that. ADE does need better support for sim objects - it's on the (rather long) list

 

[jgarnold]

Hello trfsd,

Firstly I didn't realise that you were the same person as trfsto but I guess trf should have 'given it away'.
Yes I am using your windy things windsock (RedWhite) and on behalf of everyone including myself for the instructions you have produced. Great stuff.

BTW is (using) ||tsr-windsock_redwhite supposed to be animated. I set the ground wind fairly high yet just hangs 'limp' when the (Canadian) flag 'flaps'

 

[jgarnold]

I am thinking its yet another BUG in MSFS as I set manual weather then select wind, set the speed fairly high, click on add wind layer (nothing seems to happen and I have also tried not clicking add wind layer), start flight and the windsock is 'limp' and the flag is only slowly 'flapping'. Am I correct (another MSFS bug) or what is the correct method for setting wind speed at ground level?

added later
Well after watching a youtube tutorial (on manual weather setting) it seems that the weather has to be set once the flight has started as I just tried that, started a flight, clicked on 'weather' and set the wind speed higher. Immediately the flag 'lifted' and so did the windsock. Why then is there a 'menu' to set weather when setting up a flight which doesn't seem to 'carry over' to the flight?
Or is there a method to set weather manually when setting up a flight BEFORE clicking on 'fly now'?

 

[trfsd]

Click the Ground Level Wind button:

Then set the wind direction and speed and the gust direction and speed.

Setting custom wind in the Flight Conditions before the flight does not seem to be working for me (unless I save it as a preset). It works if I change the wind conditions in the scene after I load and start the flight.

Looks like the failure to load custom weather is a known bug: https://forums.flightsimulator.com/...sets-to-default-values-on-flight-start/357363

 

[jgarnold]

Yes that is what I also found. I would have thought the user should be able to set the weather BEFORE clicking 'Fly Now'.

I have also found another absurdity and IMHO another bug in MSFS. Floatplanes including the stock MSFS ICON A5 do NOT 'ride' the waves as they would in real life. I set the wind speed to 25kph which resulted in larger waves which swamped all my different floatplanes including the A5 which is totally unrealistic.
Have a look here -

Where do I go to report this so that Asobo can (one day in the dark future) do something about it? My floating docks are also swamped and do not move with the waves.

 

[jgarnold]

Looking back on this problem I had I am now thinking that maybe it is slightly easier to cut and paste to the adeSimObjectList.dat file and copy the package to the community folder than to copy relevent folder (containing the glTF etc files) to the modellib folder (and the textures to the separate folder), then build the library, then update the LOM as well as copying a package to the community folder?