Pylon Air Racing and POI Creator Tool apps

Hi Juan,

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... I will not add images of the sim at least IPACS says I can do this. ...

- Whereby I created all screenshots in post #98 myself with my FS 4.

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... I have a question: how are the green transparent arrows used in the missions placed in the sim? ...

These elements are created in FS 4. In FS 4 they are used as approach aid, for routes and for missions.

I think the TMB files are here:

• '/.../Aerofly FS 4 Flight Simulator/objects/approach_guide/approach_guide.tmb'
• '/.../Aerofly FS 4 Flight Simulator/objects/navigation_guide/navigation_guide.tmb'

I had once tried to use the objects for the various approach methods at aircraft carriers - so far without success.

Tschüss, Michael

Quote from Jugac64

... What's next: ...

Hi Juan,

Great work from Claude and you - I can't test so quickly how the updates come. But the ideas come to me much faster at the moment, which will not go on for long, because soon PCT will be pretty perfect.

To my point (5) (Post #91) - local XREF folder:

Rodeo gave me the opportunity to try out with his pylons, whether they also work as XREF in the user directory? And indeed, it works.

=> Now it is important to find a way for PCT to also read the local XREF folder in the user directory:

• '/.../Aerofly FS 4/scenery/xref'

The challenge is that, unlike the FS 4-XREF, there are no TMI folders in the user XREF and usually the TMB files there are compiled.

Example:

IPACS has a red FS 4-STOP-Cube that probably everyone has seen before. This FS 4-STOP-Cube is in the original FS 4 directory and waits there patiently for its use.

A long time ago I copied this FS 4-STOP-Cube as a standalone TMB-STOP-Cube to use it as a dummy when creating AIRPORTS, POI and then also AIRCRAFT.

And after today's successes with the XREF pylons from Rodeo, I have now also copied the TMB STOP cube to an independent XREF STOP cube. It can now be positioned, rotated as well as enlarged and reduced as desired. However, you have to know that his name is "box" <[string8u][name][box]>. I doubt PCT would find out. I changed the original name of the TMB file from "fallback" to "box" so that you can get to the internal name faster.

However, I will only publish the XREF version after approval by IPACS.

Back to PCT - I can imagine that in the PCT we use a placeholder for the local XREF objects. Then the user positions everything appropriately with PCT and has to replace the placeholder name with the local XREF name in the TOC at the end.

(6) Heliports and smal airports

Basically, the difference between POI and AIRPORT is not big, both use the same TOC file and only call it up slightly differently:

• POI: TSL und TOC Datei
• AIRPORT: TSC+WAD und TOC Datei

Theoretically, the PCT could also create a TAP as a basis for airfields. But because there is basically a tool for this, I am not looking at this path further.

For me, the situation is different, especially with heliports. From my experience, heliports in areas with good IMAGES do not need any further ground markings and may only need the elements that the PCT can already do today. I can imagine something comparable later for UL airstrips or small glider airfields.

To show how the PCT extended by a heliport element could look like, I will now create a small practice park for helicopters with the XREF-pylons from Rodeo, which many have been looking for for a long time anyway.

So far for now, Tschüss, Michael

Quote from Jugac64

What's next: I am working on v0.3, and the big one is chrispriv's autoheight idea from earlier in this thread. If it holds up in the sim, PCT would not need the online elevation lookup at all — export would work offline and objects would sit on the ground by themselves. The test POIs are built and I will report back here once I have flown them. Also on the list: a way to calibrate an object's orientation once and share the measurement, shape hints drawn inside the footprint boxes (Michael's suggestion), and scanning your scenery/xref folder for third-party objects.

Hi Juan,
These are great news!

If you'd like, you can use the attached exclude000m TMB as a reference POI for autoheight: exclude000m.zip

It's only 10 cm large. Even if I place it with the same coordinates as an XREF object, it no longer creates an exclusion of it because it's too small. Placed at 0.1 m height instead of underground, it get visible just for testing purposes.

Even when using autoheight, it should still be possible to make minor adjustments to the height of individual objects. Outside of airports, autoheight works very well overall, but there are often some issues on airport grounds.

I, too, would welcome the additional import of the user XREF folder, since I have already compiled my own XREF libraries on a trial basis in the past. I'll probably have to add the tmi file with all the object data to the folder, so that you can import the user XREF libraries in your PCT app at all.

Best regards,
Christophe

Quote from Jugac64

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3) A question for ApfelFlieger about compiled objects

For compiled/opaque .tmb (like the STOP cube), PCT can't read the internal name or bbox, so it can't generate a correct .tmi by itself — I tried with guessed values and nothing rendered. You said your box works as a user XREF: could you share how you registered it? Does it ship a .tmi, and did you call it from a POI or from an airport (TSC)? A different loader would explain it. That'd help me support compiled objects too.

Next up is building the .tmi generator into PCT. Thanks everyone 🙏

Hi Juan,

Great progress - and I will also deliver my part to the heliports later.

To your question:

It was pure coincidence that I came across "box" while searching for the name of the fallback STOP cube.

I also experimented with the exclude of chrispriv yesterday. These can also be used as XREF, but unfortunately do not fulfill their previous main task at the moment, to hide automatic objects.

Now to the "hidden" names:

In general, the TMB are compiled and it is not possible to read the name. Thankfully, Rodeo o also provided me with the uncompiled text version of the TMB at the pylons, I'll show you an excerpt for the name here:

        <[pointer_list_tmxglgeometry][geometry_list][]
            <[tmxglgeometry][element][0]
                <[int32][id][0]>
                <[string8u][name][pylon_15m]>
                <[string8u][tag][]>
                <[matrix4_float64][matrix][1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1]>
                <[tmxglmesh][mesh_collision][]

It's about this code line: <[string8u][name][pylon_15m]> This is the name that is entered in a TOC for an XREF.

And there the program for TMB apparently automatically uses "oart00", "part01" or the creator assigns a name that suits his point of view. If the creator does this for a TMB object, it doesn't matter, because then the TMB is called with the TMB name. But for an XREF object you need to know the internal name.

By the way, this is comparable for objects in aircraft. As a non-TMB creator, I always see only the TMB name and then have to ask for the XREF name. Whereby a TMB can also contain several XREF names.

For the pylons and the version of the STOP-Cube provided to you, I have adjusted the TMB name so that it corresponds to the XREF name.

Back to the example with the pylons: Since there is a separate TMB for each pylon, I have assigned the internal and external names identically with the consent of Rodeo and also named them as I can use them well as a scenario developer.

Tschüss, Michael

Just a note in between your discussion:

I just got the OK from Torsten Hans (IPACS) to publish the xref library. This is currently the link:

aerofly4_xref_library_20260410.zip

Please make sure to save the file, I will keep this open only for a short time.

Jugac64

I have now provided the Air Race Pylon with a TMI - and PCT read that correctly.

But I haven't figured out why

• for "Pylon 12m" and "Pylon 30m" the names are shown differently and
• for "Pylon Air Race" the distinctions "18 4" or "25 5" and for "Pylon Reno" the "3" are missing?

But the main thing is that it works at all.

@all:

Please unzip the file and move the 'xref_air_race' folder to the XREF folder of your user directory:

• '/.../Aerofly FS 4/scenery/xref/xref_air_race'

Quote from ApfelFlieger

(6) Heliports and smal airports

With "Pylon Air Racing" it started a few days ago. From there it was a logical step to the "POI Creator Tool (PCT)". The next logical step could now be the further development to the "Scenery Creator Tool (SCT)".

I was looking for a heliport, which does not yet exist in the FS 4 and which I've always wanted to create. I have made these guidelines:

• As far as possible, everything should be created with the PCT.
• Local XREF objects should also be used.
• The currently missing in the PCT is simply supplemented by hand.

And here is the result:

Originally I wanted to create a small parcour. But when completing the pylon as a local XREF, I saw that we still have to optimize the terrain heights. And that's why it has become so now.

Es geht um diesen Heliport:

• https://metar-taf.com/de/airport/DE-0869

This is what the result looks like:

• GREEN is the POI created with PCT. Actually, only the 'poi.toc' is required from the POI. For the demonstration, I moved the entire POI folder to the AIRPORTS folder and uploaded the 'poi.toc' file. With the JSON file, the TOC file can be revised at any time in the PCT.
• BLUE are the two files for the heliport. From the 'de0869.tsc' the 'poi.toc' is also called.

The two files 'de0869.tsc' and 'de0869.wad' have only few data. The main task of the WAD is that the position of the heliport is read in the FS 4 systematic. For this purpose, the values LONGITUDE, LATITUDE and DIRECTION from the TSC are converted into a different format. I have attached an XLSX file for the conversion and I have already explained this in this post:

• RE: How to create easy airport because i don't know can anyone help

Here is the overview of both files:

In an SCT there would then be two processes that differ only at the start:

• Create POI:
  - the way it already works
• Create HELIPORT (AIRPORT):
  - First put the heliport in the map, align it in size and direction, assign ICAO code (max 6 digits and only in FS 4) and enter name (max 32 digits)
  - then as create POI

Important (but generally applies to all airfields):

• The entry in the ICAO code must be 4-6 digits and may only appear once in the user's FS 4. I personally orient myself to meter-taf.com or ourairports.com.
• The entry in sname (shortname) may be a maximum of 32 characters.

So Claude, now it's your turn - and if you don't know what to do, ask Juan.😂

Hi lads, excuse my ignorance but can someone just explain what this tool is exactly for? I read through the whole thread and I didn’t quite understand - is it a tool to make and implement any new physical objects into the simulator? Could we be able to make airports through this potentially, such as adding taxiways, gates (which I see are implemented already) and basic buildings?

I am watching your project with great interest, I might join in with testing it myself as soon as I just understand the general idea of how this works.

Quote from alphasixx

can someone just explain what this tool is exactly for?

Gladly:

With this tool, you can create small scenery in a very simple way. The tool uses the XREF objects already present in FS 4 on your computer (e.g. airfield vehicles, buildings, etc.) and gives the opportunity to place them in places of your choice. This allows you to make your favorite airfields more interesting. All this works as a POI.

Jugac64 has programmed it so great that you can adjust something very quickly I've been creating scenarios for several years, but it's never been so fast and easy with the existing XREF objects.

The tool can also process XREF objects that you have stored locally. I think there will be some in the course of time. The advantage is that all objects are only saved once and can be used as often as desired.

Earlier I also showed that heliports can be easily created with it. Small airstrips and sailing airfields may still be possible, but nothing more.

But the tool cannot do this:

• No tarmacs
• No lines
• No jetways
• No taxi signs
• No ground text

These elements are created much more complex and must be created and converted via a TAP file.

My assessment is that the tool will gradually be used by those who want to make something beautiful here and there. So if a glider wants to equip his airfield, then that will go very well. Small scenarios for missions can also be created well.

Dare to install the tool, everything stays on your computer and you can't break anything.

Thanks for the update.

There is an error in the footprint display:

• The object rotates in the POI according to the drawing mark.
• The foorprint in the map rotates against the drawing mark.