Aircraft Carriers: Can you "plant" a CV as a Library Object?

[expat]

Was wondering - lot's carrier ops threads here at the moment - if anyone has succeeded in taking a STATIC, i.e, non-AI aircraft carrier scenery bgl (e.g. AS Big E; some of the cv's at teh Shipyards site) and been able to place it in any spot of one's choosing, as you can with many library objects, using a scenery placement tool, such as ADE, which is what I use. The moving carriers are great, particularly with the tracks, but to set up AI carrier ops (working on a Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club) I like to include a static boat or two.

Thanks
expat

[michael davies]

As far as I know theres two ways, one that definately works, one that should work but I've not had time to try. The definate way is to compile the model as a scenery bgl, that has the co-ordinates hard coded inside it, the other I think can be done from inside FSx, theres a tool called scenery placer, a sort of walk around window, you view that and then select the scenery you want to add and where, I dont know what format the scenery has to be in for that utility to place them, ie static bgl or mdl.

If you want static bgls then I think you need the original author to compile it as such, though there maybe static bgl compilers out there that will take a moving mdl and compile it as static, dont know, not got that far yet.

I was going to look at that later this week when off work.

Best

Michael



Was wondering - lot's carrier ops threads here at the moment - if anyone has succeeded in taking a STATIC, i.e, non-AI aircraft carrier scenery bgl (e.g. AS Big E; some of the cv's at teh Shipyards site) and been able to place it in any spot of one's choosing, as you can with many library objects, using a scenery placement tool, such as ADE, which is what I use. The moving carriers are great, particularly with the tracks, but to set up AI carrier ops (working on a Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club) I like to include a static boat or two.

Thanks
expat

[Mickey D]

Was wondering - lot's carrier ops threads here at the moment - if anyone has succeeded in taking a STATIC, i.e, non-AI aircraft carrier scenery bgl (e.g. AS Big E; some of the cv's at teh Shipyards site) and been able to place it in any spot of one's choosing, as you can with many library objects, using a scenery placement tool, such as ADE, which is what I use. The moving carriers are great, particularly with the tracks, but to set up AI carrier ops (working on a Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club) I like to include a static boat or two.

Thanks
expat

Yes you can. Very simply too. There is a utility called BglX180 or BglXml180 ( the name seems to keep changing, do a Google). By dragging and dropping the bgl onto it's icon it will bring out the CV as a model file. You can then add it to a library and place it anywhere you want. Much depends on how the author compiled the original eg. it doesn't work on the AS Big E I think Ninja Mouse did something devious when he compiled it. :). But many others do. You will then have to create a new AF and AI Traffic file. ModelConverterX will also do it but they lose their hard decks in my experience. Unless I'm missing something.
Remember to seek permission from the author first though.

[jagl04]

Yes you can. Very simply too. There is a utility called BglX180 or BglXml180 ( the name seems to keep changing, do a Google). By dragging and dropping the bgl onto it's icon it will bring out the CV as a model file. You can then add it to a library and place it anywhere you want. Much depends on how the author compiled the original eg. it doesn't work on the AS Big E I think Ninja Mouse did something devious when he compiled it. :). But many others do. You will then have to create a new AF and AI Traffic file. ModelConverterX will also do it but they lose their hard decks in my experience. Unless I'm missing something.
Remember to seek permission from the author first though.

You are right: when a mdl file passess through MdlconverterX hard decks are lost. Arno Gerretsen, the author of that software, is working to add landable surfaces in the new versions .

I find two options:

1.- Create a AI traffic file with the AI carrier in the same position all the time
2.- Take the mdl file from the AI-ship folder and copile it with bglcomp (from FSX SDK) adding the coordinates. Remember that mdl files are the same for static and flyable or AI objects in FSX. Also remember to ask the authors permission.

[expat]

You will then have to create a new AF and AI Traffic file. ModelConverterX will also do it but they lose their hard decks in my experience.

Thanks - I am interested in going the other way:

Option 1) take a non-moving, hard deck/landable scenery CV (including ones released for FS9 but that also works in FSX, e.g. the Big E) - not AI - and finding a way to convert it to a scenery library object and then be able to move it easily, like with the Library Object placement tool in ADE that allows you to add various library scenery objects, e.g. hangars, buildings, static planes and vehicles, etc.

Back in 2005/FS9 days Paul Clawson released a USS Stennis with a bgl converter exe where you had to very carefully edit the XML file to add your lat/long/alt, but I found that this did not work more often than not and was not worth the trouble ;






<CENTER>FS2004 (ACOF) - FS2004 Scenery </CENTER><CENTER>FS2004 Scenery--CV-74 USS Stennis[ Download (http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=94920) | View (http://www.flightsim.com/zview.php?cm=list&fid=94920) ] </CENTER>
Name: cv_74.zip (http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=94920) Size: 1,160,128 Date: 11-15-2005 Downloads: 4,753

http://www.flightsim.com/k/cv_74.gif FS2004 Scenery--CV-74 USS Stennis. This scenery object is an update from the previous version which had a hardened deck and a carrier wake effect. It now has deck lights, fantail lights, more visible arrestor cables, rotating beacon and a rotating radar antenna. The .mdl and .xml files are included so it can be relocated with Bglcomp. It is presently located just off the San Diego Naval Station, California (CA). The text files for the rcbco-20 catapult and arrestor zones are also included. By Paul Clawson.
Option 2) convert an FSX moving AI carrier, e.g. Javier's latest Nimitiz, the Clemenceau to a fixed library scenery object (i.e., hard deck, landable) and then be able to also place this easily in any fixed location, as above.

Thanks and regards,

expat

[michael davies]

Yes you can. Very simply too. There is a utility called BglX180 or BglXml180 ( the name seems to keep changing, do a Google). By dragging and dropping the bgl onto it's icon it will bring out the CV as a model file. You can then add it to a library and place it anywhere you want. Much depends on how the author compiled the original eg. it doesn't work on the AS Big E I think Ninja Mouse did something devious when he compiled it. :). But many others do. You will then have to create a new AF and AI Traffic file. ModelConverterX will also do it but they lose their hard decks in my experience. Unless I'm missing something.
Remember to seek permission from the author first though.

Mike, I think Expat is trying to go the other way ?, ie create statics from current moving ones, not moving ones from static, either way, it is possible to do it with some jiggery pokery.

Best

Michael

[expat]

Mike, I think Expat is trying to go the other way ?, ie create statics from current moving ones, not moving ones from static, either way, it is possible to do it with some jiggery pokery.


Michael - that's exactly right - see above. Was hoping to find a way to reduce some of that jiggery/pokery if possible, i.e. conversion of a "normal" scenery bgl to a library object that can be moved with scenery placment tool and eliminate having to manually edit the xml file and convert with the bgl converter etc.

Looking forward to that straight deck Essex!

Regards,

expat

[vora]

I think what expat wants, for option 2 at least, is something like Arno's Library Creator XML.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=Library_Creator_XML_2.0

Have a look at it, expat, you can convert existing mdls into library objects quite easily.

[expat]

That looks like what I am after. Will give it a go. Thanks all.

expat

[blazefox2]

im gonna throw out another question, is it possible to add ships to aicarriers like the USS belleau wood?

[jagl04]

im gonna throw out another question, is it possible to add ships to aicarriers like the USS belleau wood?

It is

Go to the cfg file of AI carriers, and add the next file

[formation.xx]
title=Lone belleau
unit.0=BELLEAU_WOOD_MISSIONS, 0, 0

XX has to be the next number among your ship´s files, and the name of the unit has to be the exact name of the folder containing the ship in "boats" (folder: simobjects). You can add most of the ships developed for FSX (the Ark Royal, the Clemenceau, the Nimitz), and you can change the coordinates or make formations of several ships, this way:

[formation.xx]
title=cabot
unit.0=USS_cabot_AI, 0, 0
unit.1=DD445_AI, 100, 100

This last one places the Fletcher class unit DD445 100 feet north, 100 feet right from the Independence class carrier USS Cabot. Remember that, if you want to keep the formation, you have to equal the speed of the ships in the formation changing the speed in the cfg file of the ships.

Best and have fun