I added some Hangers to a dirt strip....

**Lionheart** · April 8th, 2012, 17:23

Hey all,

I have been flying P3D every evening now. Im officially addicted.

Anyways, I chose San Diego as my default location and have been exploring the city, learning the landmarks for VFR navigation. One of the dirt strips, called 'On The Rocks' has become a fave of mine, learning to fly there from Montgomery via just VFR (not GPS if I can). Its also a tight runway to land in. I dare not take the BD5 there.

Well, after so many flights, and there being nothing there but dirt and trees and a gravel runway, I decided to look around in my old records of files and pull up some scenery and see if I could add FS9 scenery objects into P3D.

I tried it, it worked, and so now I have some cool, rustic, beat up, weathered hangers and buildings that look like left overs from the 1950's (or 40s). I added some cars I had done from other sets, etc. (I used to make alot of scenery back in the FS9 days).

So, now I have a nice little dirt strip, the new Default location for now, in the foothills of Eastern San Diego, the very bottom of California.

Pretty fun. No more studders. Its so nice to look down and watch the cars on the highway moving along, seeing clouds again, no blinky clouds either! Just flying.... Thank you JESUS!

Bill

**Lionheart** · April 8th, 2012, 17:26

A couple of more screenshots.

I only wanted a nice little rustic place to land. Nothing pro like the new modern guys have. Goodness, scenery making could definately be fun...

**ZEUS67** · April 8th, 2012, 21:16

I just wonder how it was possible to land a connie in that dirt strip and keep it in a single piece.

**CG_1976** · April 8th, 2012, 22:38

Lionheart did you place the structures in Prepar3D or FSX using instant scenery or ADE??

**Lionheart** · April 9th, 2012, 00:00

Originally Posted by ZEUS67

I just wonder how it was possible to land a connie in that dirt strip and keep it in a single piece.

LOLOL... Easy. You just slew to that spot in the Maule, then click Aircraft/Select/Connie and BING! No landing necessary.. Taking off might work as there is a cliff on the other end. It might get you up to speed.

Originally Posted by CG_1976

Lionheart did you place the structures in Prepar3D or FSX using instant scenery or ADE??

Hey CG. I exported the objects from Gmax FS2004 SDK as scenery. A MDL and XML file are created. I redo the XML code to what I need, the coordinates, heading, etc. I take the two files and drop them on the BGL compiler and it spits out a Bagel (BGL) file. I aquired the coordinates in P3D via the Maule, slewing to the point I wanted, which was the 'scene center point' in Gmax, undid Slew, turned on Shift-Z and logged the coordinates from there to the Scenery XML file with heading.

I had to adjust it a few times to get the angle (heading) right, moved the buildings around a bit, then created a secondary of cars, exported them separately from the same scene.

So in answer to your question, I used ancient, basic Gmax know how from FS2004 to make them in P3D. I hope to get their own Object Placer program in the near future.

**ZEUS67** · April 9th, 2012, 09:17

Originally Posted by Lionheart

So in answer to your question, I used ancient, basic Gmax know how from FS2004 to make them in P3D. I hope to get their own Object Placer program in the near future.

P3D does have its own model placer for $29.95
"This extremely useful application allows users to place large numbers of Prepar3D® 3D models, such as buildings, trees and 3D natural and man-made features onto the Prepar3D® globe in a highly automated fashion.
This model placement application is a command line tool that will create an xml file which is used as input to bglcomp (part of the free Prepar3D® SDK) to generate a feature placement bgl file. It will read a list of x filenames, a single x filename, and/or all of the x files in a directory.

"

A model converter for $49.95:
"The Prepar3D® ModelConverter is a command line OpenFlight model conversion tool. It is part of a workflow that allows users to convert static OpenFlight models from other simulation systems to the Prepar3D® model format. Static models such as buildings, trees and 3D natural and man-made features can all be converted.
ModelConverter converts Openflight to X, a model exchange format, similar to xml. It’s the same format the ACES 3DSmax Add-In exports to. Another existing tool, XtoMDL then converts to X file to the final runtime format (*.mdl). The tool converts OpenFlight polygons, vertices and texture references.

Can be used with the Model Placer application to greatly enhance scenery production. "

And this: GeoSketch for $199.95
"GeoSketch is a plugin to Google Sketchup that adds functions to import oblique and NADIR images, and quickly construct textured 3D polygonal models from them. The models can then be exported from Sketchup for use in Prepar3D simulations. In addition to tools for lines, rectangles and arcs, GeoSketch adds complex “knowledge-based” primitives such as pitched roof buildings. The tools encapsulate knowledge of pitched roof configurations to minimize the interactions required to construct the geometric model, and apply either GeoSpecific or GeoTypical textures. The primitives are created as manifold groups in the Sketchup model, so the modeler can take advantage of the Solid Tools introduced in Sketchup 8.0."