Mesolonghi Airport - Rio-Antirio Bridge and scenery

[Dimus]

I had this in the stove for a few months. I started building the small airport of Mesolonghi in Western Greece. When nearing completion, I thought that FS was really missing the big suspension Bridge that connects mainland Greece with Peloponese that was finished in 2004, being the biggest in the world of the fully suspended type. The bridge project turned out bigger than the airport as I ended up doing photoreal coasts with autogen, the medieval castles on both sides and finally, the typical, Greek-style double ended ferries that served the straights for decades before the bridge and still offer a cheaper and, to some, more relaxing alternative. They are now going back and forth as AI boats 24/7.

The scenery will very soon be in the library.

Features of the Mesolonghi airport scenery include:


- Photoreal area with seasonal variations and watermask
- Custom hangars and containerised buidings
- AI default trike performing TnGs (in P3D it will work only if you copy over the FSX trike)
- The technical shool of fisheries on the north side
- Customized shorelines, to fit with ORBX Global Vector
- Optional shoreline fix for default scenery


Features of the Rio-Antirio bridge scenery include:


- Custom bridge model, bump mapped textures with hard platform surface and vehicle traffic
- Night lighting textures and custom roadlights
- Photoreal scenery for north and south shores, including hand placed autogen and night textures
- Custom castle models on north and south sides, with bump mapped textures and night lighting
- Custom model of the toll post on the north side
- Custom AI ferry boats with constant shuttle service between Rio and Antirio piers
- Customized shorelines, to fit with ORBX Global Vector
- Optional shoreline fix for default scenery
- Optional HDR optimized photoreal textures

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did building it. Dusk/dawn are the best times for the bridge. A soon to be released AI boat plan by Henrik who was king to share it with me is passing under it.

Some pics:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-6-43-225_zpstfjimgmd.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-6-43-225_zpstfjimgmd.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-5-54-944_zps3zj5uczx.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-5-54-944_zps3zj5uczx.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-7-37-869_zpsssete0ie.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-7-37-869_zpsssete0ie.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-9-31-757_zpsbm59ttck.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-9-31-757_zpsbm59ttck.jpg.html)

[Dimus]

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-54-22-446_zpsgzpi4dkv.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-12_23-54-22-446_zpsgzpi4dkv.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-12_1-38-55-423_zpsczmzpw3x.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-12_1-38-55-423_zpsczmzpw3x.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-03-04%2000-46-11-37_zps2nb4tpcu.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-03-04%2000-46-11-37_zps2nb4tpcu.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus050/2016-3-11_23-46-48-277_zpsmice2kcw.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus050/2016-3-11_23-46-48-277_zpsmice2kcw.jpg.html)

[Dimus]

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-13_22-50-36-413_zpsdthabghm.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-13_22-50-36-413_zpsdthabghm.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-13_22-52-30-399_zpsgjle7wpb.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-13_22-52-30-399_zpsgjle7wpb.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus051/2016-3-13_22-44-13-88_zpsiznbpsad.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus051/2016-3-13_22-44-13-88_zpsiznbpsad.jpg.html)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/VDimus/VDimus052/2016-3-13_22-57-19-340_zps51nqv2e6.jpg~original (http://s264.photobucket.com/user/VDimus/media/VDimus052/2016-3-13_22-57-19-340_zps51nqv2e6.jpg.html)

[Navy Chief]

Very VERY nice! Looking forward to this, and thank you for your efforts! NC

[Dimus]

It seems the file is larger than maximum for the SOH library. I will try to reduce it and try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, it will be soon up at Avsim, filename: Mesolonghi airport - Rio Antirio Bridge.zip

Edit: I see that limit for zip is abt 500 MB and this one is less than 350. I'll try again.

[kl791]

It seems the file is larger than maximum for the SOH library. I will try to reduce it and try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, it will be soon up at Avsim, filename: Mesolonghi airport - Rio Antirio Bridge.zip

Edit: I see that limit for zip is abt 500 MB and this one is less than 350. I'll try again.

I can only confirm from the sneak preview of the beta that this is a very nice scenery - it brings life and realism to a corner which before was compeletely forgotten in FSX. I had a nice flight over the area and it will of course have additional ship traffic in the new AI ship traffic that I am about to release.

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=36051&stc=1

[Dimus]

Second try did not work. File is abt 310 MB. I wonder why...

Anyway, I'll let you know when it's up at Avsim.

[Astoroth]

Now that is an impressive bridge! Very nice work!

[Roger]

Second try did not work. File is abt 310 MB. I wonder why...

Anyway, I'll let you know when it's up at Avsim.

Great work there Dimus:applause:

Regarding file size, a common issue is the size of the thumbnail picture which is reported as if the upload were too big.

[huub vink]

Dimus the scenery looks really great!

As already said by Roger, it is in most cases the size of the included images which causes these problems. I don't know whether you have included some high resolution screenshots, but if you did you can best reduce their size to a maximum of 1024.

Cheers,
Huub

[Dimus]

You're right guys, it was the thumbnail. I'll try again with a resized one. The scenery is up at Avsim now, soon here too.

[DaveB]

I happened to watch a programme about the conception and building of this bridge a couple of weeks ago (Megastructures/Extreme Engineering..) and you've certainly done it proud Dimus:encouragement: In impressive bit of scenery if ever there was one;)
ATB
DaveB:)

[Dimus]

Thanks Dave and all!

The file is up in the library here now:
http://http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/local_links.php?action=jump&catid=113&id=21035

Let's see some bridge buzzing action!

Hint: the two larger ferries have hard decks. I've left some space free on both ends for daring (small) helo pilots. The bridge road surface is also hard. P3D avatars can walk on it but they run the risk of being run over by a truck!

[xpelekis]

Εντάξει Δήμο... Απίστευτο scenery... Είμαι από Αγρίνιο και ανεβοκατεβαίνω
Αθήνα -Αγρίνιο. Στο α/δ Μεσολογγίου δεν έχω πάει, αλλά έχω πετάξει με
παιδιά της Αερολέσχης paragliding στα Ρέτσινα (πολύ κοντά στο α/δ).
Είσαι από Αιτωλ/νία ή Πάτρα ?...

For me, being familiar with the area since I was born 40Kms northern, this is
just fantastic and very realistic !... Thank you very much !

[Dimus]

Από Αθήνα, αλλά περνάω κάε χρόνο ανεβαίνοντας στην Ιθάκη για διακοπές. Είχα επικοινωνία με τον αντπέραρχο Πρεβεζάνο στο Μεσολόγγι για λεπτομέρειες. Πετάω με την αερολέσχη Αθηνών και Δεκελείας και σκοπεύω να πάω σύντομα με Cessna στο Μεσολόγγι. Βασίλης

I know its all Greek to you guys but we are exchanging experiences of passing and flying in the area. xpelekis is living very close, I am usually driving by on my way to summer vacations and plan to visit Mesolonghi on a Cessna very soon.

[johnwillimas2]

I know its all Greek to you guys.

Δεν πειράζει. Υπάρχουν μερικοί από μας που μαθαίνουν ελληνικά που είναι ευτυχής για την πρακτική! ... :greece::wavey:

[racartron]

Wow is all I can say! One awesome piece of Greece. You have already considered most every thing one could ask regarding options and completeness.

However, I did find one wee error in the install instructions. The bridge is 14.5 miles East of the airport -- not West. I did get to see a lot of great bits while searching for the bridge, but finally resorted to looking up the bridge online and there she was in all her splendor -- East of the airport. I've spent the last hour fliting up and down her length in my A2A piper on floats just taking in all the wonderful details.

Thank you so much for this.

[Dimus]

The bridge is 14.5 miles East of the airport -- not West.

What a dumb mistake! Thanks for noticing!

Corrected readme:
36068

To Rami or moderators: Is it possible to replace the readme in the zip file that is in the library?

I am very glad you're enjoying this!

[johnwillimas2]

Σασ ευχαριστώ, Διμο. Εξαιρετικό scenery.

[Dimus]

Σασ ευχαριστώ, Διμο. Εξαιρετικό scenery.

Now that is something I did not see coming!

Παρακαλώ! Χαίρομαι που σας αρέσει!

[fuzz1]

Outstanding effort Dimus, thank you for sharing this with the community. Added bonus that the scenery is only a stone's throw from 4 nice Orbx freeware airports in the area making for a splendid tour, LGZA->LGKF->LGPZ->LGIO, arriving at Mesolonghi at dusk.

I'm using FSX with FreemeshX, no Global or Vector, and substituted your stock FSX bgl's as per readme instructions. All is working perfectly with no impact on my frame rate or fluidity. Evening lighting is terrific. Well done!

My only possible suggestion for a future release/revision would be for a nice wooden dock setup at the bridge where the boats are presently docked, for float plane/amphibian operations. I would understand if this is too much effort considering differences between stock fsx/p3d and vector; lack of such a facility does not in the least diminish my enjoyment of this wonderful project in any event.

Yiasou Levendi.

[DaveB]

A lovely piece of scenery:encouragement:
http://daveb.cbfsim.org/public/rio5.jpg

http://daveb.cbfsim.org/public/rio6.jpg

http://daveb.cbfsim.org/public/rio7.jpg

FSX.. default in that area so used the supplied CVX files. The only thing I notice is the lack of red's on top of the bridge supports and whites near the bottom.

ATB
DaveB:-)

[gribouil]

Good evening Dimus,
that sounds like a beautiful scenery!!!
Can't wait to give a try in a week... :ernaehrung004:

[Dimus]

A lovely piece of scenery:encouragement:

The only thing I notice is the lack of red's on top of the bridge supports and whites near the bottom.

ATB
DaveB:-)

There are four effects files to be copied to your effects folder. Have you done so? It is very strange as the small white lights used at the pillar base are the same effects used for the light poles so the effect is there, just not showing for you on the base. Another strange thing is that the reds on top and whites on the bottom, as well as the red-white-green lights on the sides of the bridge road are all-day effects while the ones showing in your shots are dusk-night-dawn only.

Can anyone else check this?

[DaveB]

Hello mate..

Yes.. I even double checked (before posting) by dropping the 4 files into Effects again and each one came up. Not that it matters but I downloaded from Avsim.. couldn't wait for it to arrive in our library here:encouragement:
ATB
DaveB:)

[fuzz1]

Just want to report that my bridge lights appear to work fine and are precisely as shown in Dimus' post#2. Hope you get it sorted Dave.

[Dimus]

Dave, the file uploaded here is identical with the one at Avsim. It seems you are not seeing the effects that have no time of day switch. I'll make an alternative bridge object bgl with those effects having a specific switch and send it to you just to see if it makes a difference. Later tonight after work.

To fuzz, about the wooden pier. It would be easy to make and it would fit any setup as I would have it attached to the photoscenery coast. Unfortunately there is no such thing there. Personally, I would love it if there was but, believe it or not, in a country with thousands of islands, floatplane facilities are almost non-existent. A what-if version however would not be a bad idea.

I also wish to thank you for mentioning the freeware ORBX airports in the area. They have escaped my attention and now I have them installed.

[DaveB]

Rgr that Dimus:encouragement: Don't bust a gut.. I'm in no hurry;)

EDIT: In the interest of my own sanity.. I changed the CVX file from the optional 'default' bridge to the ORBX file. No Change other than the obvious. So.. I looked at the bridge in MCX and all the attach points are there for the missing lights.. millions of them!! Re-think... added the red, green and white (not tall) to an old CFS2 Ark Royal conversion I did and blow me down if they didn't display perfectly.. no timing switch added either. I am now at a loss. The attach points for the lights are all showing on the model in MCX and the effects work fine on another model. Why the same effects aren't displaying on the bridge.. I've absolutely no idea!!

ATB
DaveB:)

[Roger]

Rgr that Dimus:encouragement: Don't bust a gut.. I'm in no hurry;)

EDIT: In the interest of my own sanity.. I changed the CVX file from the optional 'default' bridge to the ORBX file. No Change other than the obvious. So.. I looked at the bridge in MCX and all the attach points are there for the missing lights.. millions of them!! Re-think... added the red, green and white (not tall) to an old CFS2 Ark Royal conversion I did and blow me down if they didn't display perfectly.. no timing switch added either. I am now at a loss. The attach points for the lights are all showing on the model in MCX and the effects work fine on another model. Why the same effects aren't displaying on the bridge.. I've absolutely no idea!!

ATB
DaveB:)

Dave, just a thought, you don't have the old ORBX day/night lighting switch in operation do you?

[DaveB]

Dave, just a thought, you don't have the old ORBX day/night lighting switch in operation do you?

Hi Roger:wavey:

Outside of the UK.. I only have 3 addon sceneries (believe it or not) Ed's take on Emma, Mark's Solomon's and Dimus' Mesolonghi and bridge. I've no ORBX/FTX/GEX.. nada. Inside the UK, I have Horizon's VFR 1, 2, 3 and 4.. UK2K VFR 1, 2 and 3 and a pile of other stuff.. all UK related. In an attempt to wake the bridge lights up.. I parked the modded WWII Ark Royal up next to the bridge.. red, green and white fx shining brightly but nothing at all from the bridge. There has to be an answer but I can't fathom it mate.

ATB
DaveB:)

[fuzz1]

To fuzz, about the wooden pier. It would be easy to make and it would fit any setup as I would have it attached to the photoscenery coast. Unfortunately there is no such thing there. Personally, I would love it if there was but, believe it or not, in a country with thousands of islands, floatplane facilities are almost non-existent. A what-if version however would not be a bad idea.

A fact I was unaware of Dimus, most unusual considering the vast island hopping locales. I appreciate the realism vs. eye candy argument in this case; personally my vote would be cast for a nice pier, as to my eye that would only add to an already terrific piece of scenery. I just love scaring the ferry captains with my DHC6 water takeoffs/landings near and under the bridge. Would be nice to have a place to tie her down nearby while I stop for an ouzo and octopus snack before the next leg.

[Dimus]

Maybe not so smart to bump one's own thread but I wanted to share with you this fine image of a USAFE F-15E of 492nd TFS, flying over the Rio-Antirio bridge together with HAF F-16C Block52+. The occasion was a joint exercise ''Iniochos 2016'' last week where HAF, IAF and USAFE fighters took part.

Click here for full size image: http://www.militaire.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/pDSC_2020_00011.jpg


http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37203&stc=1

[DaveB]

Nice shot mate:encouragement:

ATB
DaveB:)

[scotth6]

Great pic! And love the scenery too, nice job.

Cheers,

[roger-wilco-66]

ROFL!! I looked at the F-15 photo above and thought "man, that scenery looks darn realistic" !!

Great job! The bridge and the airfield facilities look awesome.

Concerning effects: I stopped using classic day/night lighting effects in my sceneries because of unreliability issues in FSX/P3D. There's another method that always works and has a much better visibility over a larger distance. It employs night maps (LM) and a fully transparent alpha channel that blends out the light texture at day.
I would guess that, expecially in FSX, that method also has almost no impact on the frames.


Cheers,
Mark

[scotth6]

ROFL!! I looked at the F-15 photo above and thought "man, that scenery looks darn realistic" !!

Great job! The bridge and the airfield facilities look awesome.

Concerning effects: I stopped using classic day/night lighting effects in my sceneries because of unreliability issues in FSX/P3D. There's another method that always works and has a much better visibility over a larger distance. It employs night maps (LM) and a fully transparent alpha channel that blends out the light texture at day.
I would guess that, expecially in FSX, that method also has almost no impact on the frames.


Cheers,
Mark

Me too.

It happened to me twice today. I saw another pic of a DC3 full size simulator, and thought it was a VC in FSX or P3D.

In fact it is happening quite a bit these days.

Cheers,

[Dimus]

ROFL!! I looked at the F-15 photo above and thought "man, that scenery looks darn realistic" !!

Great job! The bridge and the airfield facilities look awesome.

Concerning effects: I stopped using classic day/night lighting effects in my sceneries because of unreliability issues in FSX/P3D. There's another method that always works and has a much better visibility over a larger distance. It employs night maps (LM) and a fully transparent alpha channel that blends out the light texture at day.
I would guess that, expecially in FSX, that method also has almost no impact on the frames.


Cheers,
Mark

I would very much like to learn more about that method Mark. I'm already quite familiar with creating LM textures and these seem to work well, but how would the light effects themselves be modeled (e.g. on a light bulb) if FS effects are not used?

[roger-wilco-66]

I'll send you a model of my WW2 style Bartow runway light later. When you open it in ModelconverterX, you can analyze the way the light planes are arranged and how the material configurations are set!
It's actually quite easy once you know (and understand) these settings...

You also can use that method for flood lights, lamps in hangars, etc...

Cheers,
Mark

[Dimus]

Thanks Mark! I'd really appreciate that. I'll PM you my email.

[Dimus]

After installing this scenery in P3D v4 I noticed that the ferrys were acting strangely when 3d waves were enabled. Their bows pointed upwards and After a lot of searching I came up with nothing. So I turned to the AI boat expert, Henrik Nielsen. His tester, Knud was able to find the problem. Funnily, the platforms I had made on their decks just to be able to land helis for fun, caused the issue. I compiled revised models with no platforms and uploaded a fix in the library. This is just for P3D v4 users. FSX and P3D v1 to v3 work fine without it.

https://i.imgur.com/aAoIqR1.jpg