How to add parking places without loosing library objects?

[PHo17]

I tried to edit by ADE9X (v.1.65) more parking objects on one freeware airport (made by ADE). While compiling and saving however all unknown library objects disappeared from the airport scenery. Without those the airport doesn't look good.

Is there any way to increase parking spots on that airport without loosing all unknown library objects. ADE v.1.65 made it possible to compile some unknown objects, but it doesn't work with this one.

Pekka

[Butcherbird17]

You need to add the objects library for the scenery to ADE. Then you can add the parking and compile.

Joe

[PHo17]

I have done that for some libraries, but I don't know what library is this unknown in question (I don't have it). Well, must catch somehow the author and ask him. What I ment with the question was "is there any way to turn around this problem?"

Thanks for the answer anyway.

Pekka

[falcon409]

I have done that for some libraries, but I don't know what library is this unknown in question (I don't have it). Well, must catch somehow the author and ask him. What I ment with the question was "is there any way to turn around this problem?"

Thanks for the answer anyway.
Pekka
What freeware airport are you working on? I've never heard of "unknown objects" before.

[fxsttcb]

...but I don't know what library is this unknown in question (I don't have it)...You do have it...somewhere...and, it's in an active scenery folder, otherwise the objects would not show up in the un-modded scenery.
ADE tools / Library Object Manager "Add Folder"... Point it at the airport's scenery folder. If the library is part of the add-on ADE will add the files...Save.
If the library is not a part of the add-on, the author's readme should tell you what else is/was required. Then point ADE at that...Don

[PHo17]

What freeware airport are you working on? I've never heard of "unknown objects" before.

This one: http://www.kolumbus.fi/holopainen.juha/misc/EFxx_FSX_1407.zip and the Joensuu (EFJO) airport in the package (5 files and the main one is EFJO_ADEX_JH.bgl). It's my home airfield. Those airfields for FSX made by Juha Holopainen are former FS2004 freeware airfields mostly made by FISD (FInnish Scenery Designers). He has converted them to FSX and assures that he has asked permissons. Because those are available also on VATSIM Scandinavian forum I assume they are free to share. I wanted just to add parking places on EFJO (for my own use) because there are in reality more of them than in this one.

Pekka

[PHo17]

You do have it...somewhere...and, it's in an active scenery folder, otherwise the objects would not show up in the un-modded scenery.
ADE tools / Library Object Manager "Add Folder"... Point it at the airport's scenery folder. If the library is part of the add-on ADE will add the files...Save.
If the library is not a part of the add-on, the author's readme should tell you what else is/was required. Then point ADE at that...Don

I have activated in FSX all library folders I have, so I think I don't have the one needed in this scenery. There comes one pfd-text with the scenery package, but there is nothing about needed libraries. I must ask Juha.

[falcon409]

Ok, I've installed the scenery files and loaded EFJO into the most recent ADE. . .all the custom objects show as black squares (unknown). Here's what I did; went to "Tools"/"Library Object Manager". From there clicked on "Add Folder" and browsed to the "scenery" folder for the Finnish Airports scenery. From there it will search each bgl looking for objects, you'll have to click through each one but when you're done it will have loaded all objects (unknown) into it's system. You can reload the Airport and it will now show all custom objects available. From there, I would think adding parking spaces will work fine. When you loaded the airport into ADE and added your parking spaces, then saved and compiled it was eliminating all the custom objects because it couldn't find them.

[PHo17]

Thank you very much Falcon.

Pekka

Edit: My mistake. I thought that one can only add specially made object libraries to ADE. I didn't thought that I could assosiate objects from separate bgl files too (and didn't read the manual well :banghead:).

[PHo17]

Strange? I have added all of the objects to ADE but it don't work still :banghead:.

1. Now when I start editing the EFJO_ADEX_JH.BGL (404 KB) file I see all the objects of the scenery as known objects. No unknown ones anymore (just as it should be).

2. I add parking places, save and compile the scenery. The size of the BGL file changes from 404 KB to 17 KB? Does this mean that the "unknown" now known objects drop out of the BGL file? Why? The same thing they did while those objects ware not added to ADE.

3. I move this edited BGL file into the scenery folder (...\EFxx\scenery) and start FSX. Now I don't see any building or other objects (which ware unknown objects in the original file) at all on EFJO - only runway, all parking spots (also those new ones I made) and so on (like in the old fashioned afcad files in FS2004 times). This is exactly the same thing what happened when I tried to edit the BGL file with unknown objects.

4. I tried to add the original EFJO_ADEX_JH.BGL to the scenery (Yes I know it isn't advisable to use 2 afcads on the same airport - just tried). Then I saw the unknown objects again but not the new parking places I made. The original BGL file somehow covered the new one.

:dizzy:

Pekka

[falcon409]

I've also added new parking spaces and found the same problem. I don't believe it's the parking spaces though. I don't think that has anything to do with it, just a coincidence. It seems that in the "compile" process, ADE is removing the new objects for some reason even though they are in the object library. . . .either that or there is a setting in ADE somewhere that tells it to compile all objects that I don't know about.

[Butcherbird17]

This might be a known bug if the original bgl was compiled with TTools. Something you might try is to edit your new file with your parking added, then delete all other parking and taxi links so that only your new parking and links are left. Then you will need to edit the airport properties and rename it something like EFJ1. You will also need to name your new bgl to the same, then place it into the scenery folder. This is basically an overlay bgl, if you want to get a better look at this type of overlay at work check out ACG's recently released RAF Wattisham 1991 scenery. It uses this type of overlay for the QRA Phantoms to take off together. Then if you want AI to use your new parking you will need to create flightplans for it.

Joe

[falcon409]

This might be a known bug if the original bgl was compiled with TTools. Something you might try is to edit your new file with your parking added, then delete all other parking and taxi links so that only your new parking and links are left. Then you will need to edit the airport properties and rename it something like EFJ1. You will also need to name your new bgl to the same, then place it into the scenery folder. This is basically an overlay bgl, if you want to get a better look at this type of overlay at work check out ACG's recently released RAF Wattisham 1991 scenery. It uses this type of overlay for the QRA Phantoms to take off together. Then if you want AI to use your new parking you will need to create flightplans for it.

Joe
Isn't TTools only associated with traffic/AI? The bgl we're concerned with is an ADEX AFCAD bgl not related to AI Traffic. I don't see a correlation between AI traffic and custom scenery objects being left out after a recompile.

[Butcherbird17]

[QUOTE=falcon409;945550]Isn't TTools only associated with traffic/AI? The bgl we're concerned with is an ADEX AFCAD bgl not related to AI Traffic. I don't see a correlation between AI traffic and custom scenery objects being left out after a recompile.[/QUOT

Brain freeze:dizzy: I meant Afcad2, don't know why I put TTools.

Joe

[falcon409]

[QUOTE=falcon409;945550]Isn't TTools only associated with traffic/AI? The bgl we're concerned with is an ADEX AFCAD bgl not related to AI Traffic. I don't see a correlation between AI traffic and custom scenery objects being left out after a recompile.[/QUOT

Brain freeze:dizzy: I meant Afcad2, don't know why I put TTools.

Joe
Most definitely, since the original scenery was done for FS9, he may very well have used Lee Swordy's AFCAD2 program. However, when it was recompiled for FSX, it was done in ADE (what version though, I'm not sure). If you load the scenery "as-is". . .then all the custom buildings display as they should. The problem comes when you load the ADEX file into the current ADE version and make a change as simple as adding some additional parking spaces whereby it has to be "compiled" again. Once compiled, all custom objects are stripped and you get an airport with no buildings.

I've posted the question on the FSDevelopers website and "Scruffyduck" has been answering in a "back and forth" conversation this morning, but thus far nothing has come to light that would fix the problem.

[falcon409]

I've sent the zipfile to Jon to install and see if he recreates the same problem.

[PHo17]

This might be a known bug if the original bgl was compiled with TTools. Something you might try is to edit your new file with your parking added, then delete all other parking and taxi links so that only your new parking and links are left. Then you will need to edit the airport properties and rename it something like EFJ1. You will also need to name your new bgl to the same, then place it into the scenery folder. This is basically an overlay bgl, if you want to get a better look at this type of overlay at work check out ACG's recently released RAF Wattisham 1991 scenery. It uses this type of overlay for the QRA Phantoms to take off together. Then if you want AI to use your new parking you will need to create flightplans for it.

Joe

Thanks Joe. I might try that. However I managed to get it working with another trick.

I separated the afcad and objects parts of the scenery I had edited (while saving) from ADE settings. Got two files. Left off the object one (that obviously didn't include all the objects because it was only a couple of kB by size) and added to the EFJO scenery both the original JH afcad bgl (with the original objects) and my new one without any objects. Then I changed the name of my afcad so that it became after the original one in alphabetic order. Now everything looks like it should. Haven't found any problems yet (knock knock...) though now I have some parts of the scenery twice in FSX (which isn't recommended I think).

Pekka

Edit: I asked the author (JH) about the scenery on FSNordic site. He told me that the objects are not part of any public library. They have been ripped off from the original EFJO scenery for FS2004 made by FISD. He didn't tell me how he did it (I tried it once myself with no success). He said that he has made those sceneries in this package totally with ADE. Most of the objects of EFJO are taken from EFJO FS2004 scenery available on FSNordic file section (and only there I guess).

[falcon409]

Sorry for the delay in answering, however Jon (Scruffyduck/author of the ADE program) was installing this scenery to look into your problem. I will refer you to his answer on FSDevelopers website here:
http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/custom-objects-disappear-on-recompile.433612/#post-706070

Basically what it comes down to is that the custom objects are mdl files and ADE strips those away (hence the smaller file size after the recompile) when changes are made and added back into the same scenery folder. He explains your alternatives in this detailed answer however. Best of luck to you with any future changes you decide to make.

[PHo17]

Thank you Falcon, You have been very helpful.

Pekka