Creating/modeling airports with 2 or more runways with AC3D

  • Hi:

    Following the excellent videos from Rodeo using AC3D to create/model airports with one runway makes the process relatively simple, as the procedure is carefully explained in those videos. Now, when you are talking of airports with 2 or more runways, I understand the process could be similar, but I'm asking myself how to deal with a situation on which we'll have two or more airport__runway polys overlapping with two or more airport__outside polys?. Could anyone or maybe Rodeo suggest some guidelines?.

    Thanks in advance.

    Cheers, Ed

  • Simwerft - do you know a way that 2 overlapping runways could be separately made the simple way in AC3D (make the mesh of runway width cells with a strip cut away for the runway and the rest of the square mesh is __outside) and then placed over each other and merged somehow without hand tweaking the vertices?

  • Hi,

    sorry i use AC3D only for conversion. I do all my modeling in Blender because i know it way better.

    no problem - thanks for the response

  • This looks very much the same here in AC3D:

    There is no overlapping between the runways, taxiways and ramps on one side and the outside area on the other side.

    But unintended I did an overlap of the both runways and it works, although I would rather suggest a non overlap here as well.


    Rodeo

  • Simwerft - do you know a way that 2 overlapping runways could be separately made the simple way in AC3D (make the mesh of runway width cells with a strip cut away for the runway and the rest of the square mesh is __outside) and then placed over each other and merged somehow without hand tweaking the vertices?

    Spit40 ,

    I'm not sure how you went with this, but if not easy, I have found a way:

    1. Starting with two cubes (not boxes) instead of meshes as runways

    2. Use the boolean methods to cut the intersection out, (keep a copy of the cubes as you will lose it in the process)

    3. Cut the top surface off, and discard the rest.

    4. Create the other mesh, and cut away the area for the runways.

    5. Use the create 2d mesh function by picking the outer vertices to fill the gap.

    This will give you a tight fitting outer mesh, with runway polygon not cross each other. I found the inner most surfaces from the runway that had the cut needed to have the textures turned slightly differently.

    I can see how it could be scripted, but admit it would be slightly convoluted...

    -coffeecup

  • Many thanks. Yes I did find a way similar to yours.

    1. Make a big mesh that covers everything
    2. Make a cube that is runway shape length/width (like you did) and about 10metres high
    3. Place it so it goes through the mesh
    4. Boolean > Knife and cut away
    5. It gives 2 meshes but you can do repeated cutouts this way
    6. Adding texture to the new cutout mesh is a little funny. I need to do a texture remap top for some reason. I'm not sure what it is about meshes made this way

    I think people would find it easier than Rodeo 's original version as you can draw your box to exactly fit the runway and there's no vertex/surface picking. I reckon you could even make polygons for the exits this way. Might be worth another video.

  • I'm struggling to visualise some of your steps, but I realised that I could get away from the vertex picking entirely by creating my _outside mesh as a box and rely entirely on 3D boolean operations. Never the less, I would be very interested if you did a video, and I'm sure it would be helpful for others coming in these tracks.

    -coffeecup

  • For anyone else who is struggling with how to cut crossing runways, taxiways and aprons without overlapping, AND getting a tight fit on the outer mesh in AC3D, I created a video demonstrating a method using blocks and 3d boolean operations to avoid having to manually manipulate vertices to create 2d meshes. Hopefully might be of help to someone:

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