Airport Rotating Beacon

  • Take a look at the latest (downloadable) workshop as the easiest way to achieve this is by using cultivation. Here is a general way to do this:

    1) add these lines to your TSC file:

    <[list_tmsimulator_scenery_cultivation][cultivation_files][]

    <[tmsimulator_scenery_cultivation][element][0]

    <[string8][filename][keywest]>

    <[bool][auto_height][true]>

    >

    >

    Note the filename: keywest, this file name will be the name that YOU make for your TOC file

    2) make your TOC file with the following in it:

    <[file][][sample name]

    <[cultivation][][]

    <[string8][coordinate_system][lonlat]>

    <[list_light][light_list][]

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-81.7564683 24.5537345 16]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][1.0 0.1 0.1]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][1 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    >

    >

    >

    Now let's look at this file. Find the coordinates of where you want the flashing light and change the above code to reference it (position). After the coordinates you will find the number '16', this is the height of the light in meters. The 'flashing' line makes the light flash, changing the first '1' to 2... will make it flash faster.

    The 'color' line is based on r/g/b so you can change the color to your liking but what I listed here is red already.

    When you make your TOC file and name it, make sure that the name of that file is exactly what you have in your TSC line.

    You can add as many lines to the TOC file; this string represents one light:

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-81.7564683 24.5537345 16]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][1.0 0.1 0.1]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][1 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    I hope this helps :)

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • Jeff,

    Thanks for the explanation. I tried doing taxiway lights. I copied the taxiway lights from the kdwh.toc file, to the new .toc file for created for the airport I did, changed the coordinates, and file name. Added the correct lines to the .tsc file for the airport. No lights appear. I must be missing a step.

  • you Need a ground file to make the Taxi lights Show up. If you don't have a 3d Runway, take a Dummy from the Hawaii scenery Airports. Please Check the tsc as well to contain both the runway and the toc.

    Rodeo

  • Hi Rodeo,

    I've been making simple airports with airport lighting systems. I copied the runway.tmb file from one of the Hawaii airports, to the location of the airports.

    I copied this to the .tsc file for the airport.

    <[list_tmsimulator_scenery_object][objects][]

    <[tmsimulator_scenery_object][element][0]

    <[string8][type][object]>

    <[string8][geometry][runway]>

    <[vector3_float64][position][-122.5320411 48.7944292 0]>

    Runway lighting works.

    To do taxiway lights, created this .toc from the KDWH .toc file

    <[file][][kbli]

    <[cultivation][][]

    <[string8][coordinate_system][lonlat]>

    <[list_light][light_list][]

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-122.5371700 48.8019594 0]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][0.1 0.1 0.9]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][0 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-122.5367846 48.8019561 0]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][0.1 0.1 0.9]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][0 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-122.5364013 48.8019534 0]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][0.1 0.1 0.9]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][0 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-122.5360193 48.8019546 0]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][0.1 0.1 0.9]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][0 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    Added these lines to the .tsc file

    >[list_tmsimulator_scenery_cultivation][cultivation_files][]

    <[tmsimulator_scenery_cultivation][element][0]

    <string8][filename][kbli]>

    <[bool][auto_height][true]>

    I followed the tutorial for KDWH cultivation, I think I did it correctly.

    the kbli.tsc, kbli.toc, runway.tmb are in one folder

  • The TSC file and the TOC file should be placed directly into the airport folder that you placed in your 'Documents\Aerofly FS 2\scenery\places' folder. Not in a separate folder. Also, make sure that you have the proper '>' close group symbols in your TOC file. Look at my sample above.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • I've attempted to add a flashing light (rotating beacon?) to the airport I'm working on as well, but am having zero success with it. I've been over it and over it and just cannot get a light to show up. Have to be missing something in the tutorial, but don't know what. I placed the building textures folder from the airport design folder in my airport folder as stated in the tutorial, but doesn't make a difference. At this point have given up as I'm clueless on what I'm missing.

    I do have working runway lights, and have added a tower that shows up.

    Here is my cultivation file:

    <[file][][klou_bowman]

    <[cultivation][][]

    <[string8][coordinate_system][lonlat]>

    <[list_light][light_list][]

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-85.660190 38.227002 16]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][1.0 0.1 0.1]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][1 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    >

    >

    >

    Here is what I added to my tsc file:

    <[list_tmsimulator_scenery_cultivation][cultivation_files][]

    <[tmsimulator_scenery_cultivation][element][0]

    <[string8][filename][klou_bowman]>

    <[bool][auto_height][true]>

    >

    >

    Any suggestions are welcome... I must have missed a step somewhere but cannot find it.

    Thanks

    Ken

  • OK, let's try this. Below you will find my work folder for my Key West International Airport, what the final output folder should look like after conversion, and the TSC file. See below for some detail of each step:

    ThT

    This is what your airport work folder should look like
    In this folder you will find all of the texture map files (_color) for each of the textures used in the scenery. In the folder you will also find the TSC file (see the image below for this detailed), and the three TGI files (these are the files created when exporting each group from your 3D program (_obj -=objects, _decal -=decals, _rwy = ground) and of course the convert file that you use to get your scenery into Aerofly.

    This image shows your completed folder which gets placed into your 'Documents\Aerofly FS 2\scenery\places\xxx' folder. The converter should do this automatically. In this folder you will see that I added a TOC file, this is the file for the light cultivation.

    And this is the TMC file made properly. If you look on the bottom of the file you will see the lines that trigger the cultivation file (TOC).

    Take a good look at this as this converts perfectly into Aerofly.

    Let me know if you need further help with this and I'll do what I can to get this working for you. Also, if you want, upload your TSC file and your TOC file and i'll have a look.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • Jeff,

    OK, I think I need to regroup. I have not acquired AC3D yet, but will soon and will attempt to try my hand at more serious scenery creation for AFS2.

    What I have done is create a simple airport file for a local airport, added a dummy runway and runway lights in the tsc file, added a control tower (a tmb and ttx file) and placed it in the tsc file, and then tried to add the rotating (blinking) light using the cultivation file. (The code I posted above). I added the building_texture folder (one with converted ttx files) to my scenery folder but I still don't have the rotating light, so as I said I'm missing or misunderstanding something. Apparently one can't just add those lines pertaining to the cultivation files to the tsc file and then create a toc file and have lights show up in AFS2.

    I'll regroup and re-read some things and try to figure out what I'm missing. Thanks for the examples and extra info.

    Ken

  • Ken,

    are you trying to convert the TOC file with your airport? You should add the TOC file directly to your airport folder in your documents folder AFTER the conversion.

    Also, your scripts are correct but I noticed that you named the first line the same as what your file name should be according to your TSC cultivation lines.

    Try to name the first line just maybe 'bowman'. The name of the TOC should be exactly what you have named in the TSC. So in your case: change the TSC entry to this:

    <[file][][bowman]

    <[cultivation][] []

    <[string8][coordinate_system][lonlat]>

    <[list_light][light_list][]

    <[light][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-85.660190 38.227002 16]>

    <[vector3_float32][color][1.0 0.1 0.1]>

    <[float32][intensity][99]>

    <[vector4_float32][flashing][1 0 1 0]>

    <[uint32][group_index][0]>

    >

    >

    >

    >

    And the TOC file should be named like this: klou_bowman.TOC

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • Hi Ken,

    please let me get in here and make some points clear:

    We cannot make a rotating beacon, but we can make a slowly flashing light of any color.

    Runway lights are defined in the TSC. To show up, we need a runway object (a graphics runway or a dummy object).

    Adding cultivation objects buildings, trees, lights are done with a TOC file. We only need to declare the cultivation file in the TSC.
    Nothing else is needed for it, no graphics objects are required.

    The building folder is for the cultivation buildings. It is not necessary for the lights.

    The code lines are hard to read. Please use the code function </> in the posting header.

    My suggestion is:

    Please attach both your TSC and TOC here, and either Jeff or me can support you and get this solved.

    Regards

    Rodeo

  • Rodeo, Jeff: thanks again for your help here, and Rodeo thanks for the clarification of what is required in regards to cultivation files.

    The good news: I "solved" this late last night. I had been trying to add the flashing light by inserting only the code for lights into my cultivation (toc) file. It occurred to me that perhaps all three sections of code were necessary for AFS2 to recognize them in the sim. I added the code for buildings and vegetation ( one object each), looked up an appropriate location for each, and tested the result. All three objects were now visible in the sim.

    Whether intended or not, it is apparent that the user must have all three sections in their "toc" file in order to work properly. If that is not what the team's intention is, then perhaps the code can be tweaked to allow just those sections the user wants to include in their scenery.

    Thanks again for your help guys, and I hope this feedback of mine helps you.

    One more question: what are the numbers for a green light vs red?

    Ken

  • Ken,

    glad as well you didn't give up.

    Now I suppose it was an error in the cultivation file, perhaps with the arrows.

    Because you can have a cultivation file only with lights, I sent this many times to Jeff.

    Also the other cultivation classes like buildings and plants can be stored in separate files. This is even another feature to isolate cultivation classes in different files, especially for large numbers above ten thousands... ;) for a better control.

    Rodeo

  • Rodeo,

    Thanks for the support. Interesting that one can have a single cultivation class in the toc file, but I went over and over it and the tmc entry and could not find an error. Guess I just did not recognize it.

    Anyway, got it working!

    Thanks again to both you and Jeff for your help.

    Ken