FSXA MegaSceneryEarth Airports Project: KMMU

[Gaiiden]

It was requested that this airport be next - so it shall be!

However there are some logistical problems causing me some headaches slowing this airport up. The main issue is how out of date the ground textures are with the current airport. It's making me wonder if I should take the time to learn to implement my own ground polys but that at the same time undermines the whole point of what I'm doing. In the end it will be trouble but still easier to work around what's already there then build anew. I want to move on quick.

Oh there's also the fact that I managed to somehow screw up my FSX install to just render a black screen but otherwise run perfect in all other aspects. If anyone thinks they can lend a hand in solving this issue head over to the AVSIM forum thread on it - and thank you.

More updates when I have the taxiways and aprons completed...

current airport layout of main apron

The out-dated and completely different FSX ground textures I need to work around

 

[GHD]

You could easily make a photographic insert using SBuilderX or FSEarthTiles.

The problem would be matching the bmps to the horrible MSE colours.

 

[SoloWing]

Color matching can be done relatively simply with some patience and Photoshop. It's matching the projection that could be difficult. Unless imagery sources remain constant, you'll find differences in angle, resolution, and positioning. At best, it'll fall into place with no effort. At worst it won't line up at all. Most likely you'll be looking for ways to blend or hide the edges.

Does GlobalMapper have any tools to help match these needs should they become necessary?

 

[Gaiiden]

Yea see what I'm talking about guys? Already more complex than it needs to be I can cover the whole area with an apron and do what I want with it. The grass apron is horrible but it'll just be for a few spots between the taxiway and the parking area so it won't be all that bad.

Now I just need to effin fix FSX...

 

[Gaiiden]

Been slow to pick this back up after finally getting FSX running again earlier this week (just did a Repair from the FSXA disc).

Completed all the aprons and taxiways (smoothed and aligned) and added the perimeter fencing, which you see in the first shot. Still working my way through the taxi lines, about 80% done with those. Some completed areas (with placeholder objects for taxi signs) are in the second shot.

Getting the main tarmac area to match what's currently there wasn't as hard as I feared, and only one grass poly was needed to cover up some aircraft images on the ground textures. I'll have barrier objects blocking off the two taxiways still visible but no longer existing in real life

 

[Gaiiden]

Alright, made it to a point I'm pleased to stop at for a few days as I take a break to attend a game development conference out in Austin, TX through next Thursday. I've scheduled in an additional week after I return to wrap KMMU up.

Aprons, taxiways, taxi lines, taxi signs and runway markings are all done. Check the images below for details. See everyone in a week!

Runway 13 - as in real life the previous Runway 12 markings are still visible before the alignment was updated and threshold stripes were added (same for Runway 31, formerly Runway 30). The taxiway is angled to match the old taxiway on ground textures but in real life has since been curved so this is depicted with taxiway border lines. Behind that you can see the dotted taxiway border lines that run along Taxiway K

Here are some more taxiway border lines matching what exists in real life

Funky taxiway lines that exist on one of the new aprons built since these satellite ground textures were made

Although the touchdown markings are a bit thinner and smaller than in real life, their position is accurate - FSX would have drawn the Runway 13/31 touchdown markings over the other runway, for instance. The precision markings on Runway 5/23 are also placed objects. I removed the runway to ensure they are placed accurately

Three of the taxiways leading off Runway 23 have extended sides on the left and use side lines to keep proportions

This took some thought and planning and tweaking to get right, but I am immensely pleased with the results and continuing to be able to accurately depict the taxi lines found at the real airport

 

[Gaiiden]

West Tie Down

What time I had today was spent laying out the parking for the West Tie Down area - all 135 of them. The exact number isn't known, because the stalls all the way to the left in the images below are not all in use anymore. However the other 6 rows of stalls are all the same amount as seen in the aerial photos. Some measuring was done in Google Earth (I should do that more often) to ensure spacing and everything was as accurate as possible.

Still need to clean up the taxi lines a bit and make the curves coming off Taxiway K shorter, but this'll do for today. Also the apron was changed for this image to asphalt from bitumous for better contrast so you could see the taxi lines and T parking more clearly

Google Earth

FSX MSEA KMMU

 

[Gaiiden]

AI Pathing done

No new screenshots today but I did have time to lay down all the AI paths - I almost forgot to assign the taxiways before I laid them all down and would have had to go back and select all the paths and assign them... been a long time since I needed to assign taxiways. Damn towered airports, haha.

I haven't had time to test fully but I suspect that my taxi line method will once again prevent ATC from giving you taxi directions to parking other than clearing you to taxi to your destination. Unfortunately this means AI traffic will not taxi in and will disappear from the runway after landing. Taxi out works just fine. Considering once again making a generic taxi line version for people who want taxi directions for both in and out... but haven't heard a single complaint about this yet so probably won't.

I also put in additional parking on the main tarmac area for larger turboprop and jet aircraft that won't fit in the West Tie Down area. Going to start throwing in some airport objects tomorrow.

 

[Gaiiden]

Airport objects

time has been very short this week, will have to extend the project into next week at least. It doesn't help that this is one of those airports with lots of little details. Oh drat I forgot to change the West Tie Down parking apron back to Bitumous. Oh well...

Oh hey does anyone know a library where I can get hangars like these?

control tower and main winsock within the seg circle

parked and taxiing AI craft, radio/cell towers and shack (ground shadows are in the textures) fuel depot in the background

a closer shot of the fuel depot. You'll be able to fill up next to the fuel truck on the tarmac-side of the fence

ILS localizer array in the lower right and an annoying landing aircraft in the ground texture. Oh well. You can barely see the windsock off to the right of the threshhold markings - all four runways have one at their ends

PAPI lights for Runway 31, taxiing AI craft in the background

ILS antenna (checkered shed at the end of the MALSR strip as well) and some departing aircraft. The lighter circular patch left of the first precision markings houses another windsock

Dusk shot looking east over the fuel depot and West Tie Down area

 

[Gaiiden]

West Tie Down complete

Well, 98% for the most part. I still have some things I want to go back and tweak and the hangar needs to be dressed and not all the parking is there on the opposite side of the terminal building but besides that this section is basically done.

AI aircraft disabled, this is what the West Tie Down static craft parking looks like. Why can't it ever be this colorful for real?

shot closer to ground level. All the lights are placed and even oriented as they are in the real airport thanks to aerial images showing them perfectly

Getting ready to head out... in the background you can see I found my T Hangars (had em all along just forgot to include the library in ADE) and started working on the hangar area east of the tie downs

Once again, aerial photos lent inspiration to the location of these 4 cars and the jets and twin parked in the background with cones around them

Fenced area off to the side containing stuff I couldn't make out in the photos so I just put some dumpsters and detritus in there

The hangar and terminal building are both too short (real terminal is 2-stories) so I might change these but I want a useable hangar here and that cuts down on my options

 

[Gaiiden]

slowly but surely....

overview of the airport so far. Just have the back hangar areas to complete

closer look at the main tarmac where the bigger planes go to park, as well as most of the helicopters

the GA hangar area, with one hangar open for parking. Note in background I've found a bigger hangar to use and have a 2-story terminal next to it.

Still not sure if I'll be done this weekend but trying to be....

 

[Gaiiden]

Taxi in works!!!

I still don't know the exact cause for why ATC doesn't give proper taxi to gate/parking instructions at all of my airports. My best guess is due to the way I overlay my AI paths on top of a separate taxi line path (rather than have the AI paths be the taxi line paths) - the two path nodes so close together in some instances can apparently screw up the AI.

However I must have done something right this time, as ATC will tell you how to get to parking!

At least, it works currently - I'll try not to adjust anything that might break it! And someday I need to sit down and give this AI bug a serious study so I can get it working (hopefully) at all my controlled airports - which aren't numerous thankfully

 

[Gaiiden]

Airport buildings complete

Getting there! Next I'm going to begin vegetizing. Also, have to extend this project another week, at least :/

 

[Gaiiden]

Vegetation

Meant to post this Monday. Have to take this week off from development but here's a shot of the trees going in to take the flatness out of the horizon when you're on the ground.

Wow about to bust through 1000 views. Thanks all for your continued interest hope to wrap on this project by the end of next week...

 

[GreenGriffon]

Hi Drew,

Great work so far on KMMU. Can't wait to fly there when it's done!

Since you clearly strive for a high level of accuracy in your projects, I just thought I'd point out one small detail if it helps. In the area I circled below, there is a flight school that trains students on Diamond aircraft.

If you have DA20 or DA40 aircraft available in your scenery library, they would be perfect here!

 

[Gaiiden]

Hi Drew,
If you have DA20 or DA40 aircraft available in your scenery library, they would be perfect here!

Sorry, no Diamonds in my scenery library, tho if you or anyone else knows of a freeware library that has them I will certainly use them here thanks!

In fact a lot of the static aircraft I use even have Australian tail numbers

 

[GreenGriffon]

Haha, no problem. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing KMMU released.

 

[Gaiiden]

Beta test release?

Hey everyone - I'm still delayed on this project but I don't want to keep people waiting longer so while I finish up the vegetation and lighting I'm willing to release the airport as-is for people to test for me and look for AI traffic issues and any missing objects or mis-aligned aprons or whatnot. (as well as be able to use it!) That way when I have veg and lighting in and go for my final tweak pass I can jump right on any issues and not have to spend more time testing myself.

However if no one's interested I'd rather save the time it'll take to package and release and use it towards completing the airport.

Sound off here or over in the comments on msea.com (no registration required)

Thanks!

 

[Gaiiden]

Moar Trees

So yea, project's been extended another week but just to show that work is being done here's a new shot of the airport approximately 50% vegetized. Note that the last image I posted showed all the trees currently placed, and the same applies here. Again if anyone's interested in beta testing the airport just reply here and I'll email you the latest build.

 

[Gaiiden]

75% vegetation complete (approx)

Here we go - almost there! Just the northwest corner of the airport needs to be filled in and a few spots within the hangar/tarmac areas. The view from the ground is excellent, limiting visibility where it should (you can't see the end of a crosswind runway from another one, for example) and there's enough tree coverage that you'll pay dearly for a shallow approach to any runway. Tree heights were checked prior to placing so trees in the vicinity of runways are as high as the hazards listed for that runway. Still pulling for a release at the start of next week...