Need help with my first photo scenery

[LordAkshay798]

Hello everyone! I am in the process of creating a freeware photoreal rendition of Melbourne Intl. Airport and its surroundings in Melbourne, Florida but I don't know how to make or add custom autogen. Can anyone please help?

 

[Lionheart]

Hey LA,

When you say 'custom' Autogen, do you mean Autogen someone else created? or do you mean Autogen that is stock and you are placing it in a new zone that needs AG placed?

.....or... do you mean, creating your own new Autogen from scratch and you need to learn how to create boxes and things in Gmax and export them?


Bill

 

[jdhaenens]

For how to use the Autogen Annotator from the SDK, try this:
http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=Autogen_-_Editing_with_Annotator

Jim

 

[LordAkshay798]

Lol, I meant placing autogen someone else created and the default fsx autogen. I also need to know how to remove the default fsx runways taxiways, jetways, etc. and create custom ones.

 

[falcon409]

Lol, I meant placing autogen someone else created and the default fsx autogen. I also need to know how to remove the default fsx runways taxiways, jetways, etc. and create custom ones.

Ok, still a bit more differentiation. Autogen (for me) means the default objects (buildings and vegetation) that are default for FSX. If you mean scenery objects designed by others and available for placement in a custom scenery as bgl files. . .different (to me anyway). I use Instant Scenery from Abacus (payware).

As for the AFCAD (taxiways, rwys, parking spots), there are freeware programs out there that you can download and use (ADE, FSX Planner, etc) and one payware program that I use AFX. These programs will allow you to do just about anything you want to do related to the on-airport adjustments.

 

[spotlope]

Terminology is the first thing to understand, so people know what you're referring to. "Autogen" is a term for buildings, objects, and vegetation that are placed using the annotator tool. Most anything you find on the airport grounds is not autogen, but custom objects. Autogen is the filler that covers the ground elsewhere in the sim, outside of airports.

Custom objects are single objects, such as hangars, static vehicles, etc. that are either designed from scratch by the developer using Gmax or some other 3D modeling tool, or called from a library of existing objects within FSX. They're placed in the sim using a placement file that's compiled by the BGLComp.exe tool. Generally, the buildings at an airport are done this way.

Then you've got your airport facilities file, commonly referred to as an "AFCAD", which contains the airport layout, including runways, taxiways, aprons, and flatten/exclude switches.

The first thing you want to do when redesigning a stock FSX airport is to create a new AFCAD file. My favorite tool for doing so is Scruffy Duck's "Airport Design Engine" (ADE), which is freeware - download it here. I suggest you get a copy of ADE and read that manual. That'll at least get you started.