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Photoreal aprons and runways

L

luisr

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27
Country
germany
Hi guys,
I'm working now very much with SBuilderX and got a question about airport design.
I've seen a lot of add-ons with custom apron textures and they were treated as hard surface by FSX. Maybe you can think about my question already - How can I tell FSX that this area has a hard surface? Should I use Gmax? If yes, how?
Thanks in advance.
 
Hi,

Your airport will normally have a flatten, that will make the area flat. That is enough to make it hard, no platform or so is needed for that. It will still be "bumpy" though, that can be fixed by defining the aprons and taxiways in the XML file (for example with ADE). If you use custom ground polygons these XML aprons and taxiways are covered by them, but they are needed to make the surface smooth.

Hope this helps,
 
Thanks Arno,
but how can I save the Airport as an XML file? And what changes should i do?
 
Hi,

Are you making an existing airport or a completely new one? If it is an existing airport you can open it in a tool like ADE and make the changes you want.
 
No, I'm creating an existing airport from a satellite image (which I want to use for designing the asphalt/concrete). I'm using ADE, but I haven't found it yet. Where is it, please?
 
Humm, where is what? If you use ADE already, you can just draw a taxiway or apron in it. That will make it smooth for the aircraft to taxi on.
 
I don't find the airport XML and I don't want the default (or REX) textures. I thought I could add aprons with my image from SBuilder.
 
Hi,

You can import the airport into ADE from BGL. You can then make changes and save it again, ADE will make the XML file for you.

You are only making the apron in ADE to make it smooth. Afterwards you can cover it with a higher resolution custom polygon. I usually make them with GMax, but SBuilderX might also be able to do so (I never tried that).
 
arno said:
If you use custom ground polygons these XML aprons and taxiways are covered by them, but they are needed to make the surface smooth.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately he is not using custom ground polygons but photo textures. XML aprons will be displayed on top of photo textures.
 
I must have misunderstood the question then. If he is making resample style photo scenery and wants to use that for the aprons, there is no easy way to make them smooth.

I don't think using the photo scenery is a good way to make aprons anyway, since you need the ADE style airport anyway if you want AI and other features like that.
 
But in several sceneries i saw AI planes on photoreal aprons/runways taxiing or taking off. I would use ADE for making it smooth. But after that, I'd put my photo over it. And I know it works, guys ;)
 
Yes, that will work. But I am not sure you can make it with SBuilderX, most people use GMax for such custom ground polygons.
 
Thanks, but I don't know how to use GMax. Is there a good tutorial or even another way to add the photo to the runway/apron?
 
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