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FSX Help...

Share hints and tricks or your own modifications for MAIW Packages in Flight Simulator X and Prepar3D.
jetpilot1980
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FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Can anyone please help me? I'm extremely frustrated at this point.... I have done the following to get MAIW to work in FSX

1. Down loaded AIFP and converted BGLs to FSX... No luck
2. Followed the extensive and exhaustive set of instructions put out by owlsnest... still no joy...
3. Downloaded ADE 9 and started to convert the airfield bgls to FSX in an effort to solve the "parking issue"... still no luck...
4. Purchased the Flightsimtools Addon converter X... still no joy...

I saw that someone posted a youtube but it appears to have been taken down...
I searched for the bglfpfsxconvert but cant seem to locate it and the website appears to be down...

Bottom line when I used the FS9 bgls straight up the default commercial and ga traffic disappeared... but now I have done all these steps and have blank military rams and no MAIW traffic.... Can anyone please help me??? I am at a loss for ideas.... Thanks

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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Firebird »

The fact that the MAIW traffic showed up and your FSX traffic went missing proves that the original setup was OK , as FSX will only load FS9 traffic files if one exists. So you are half there.

It maybe that there is another FS9 traffic file lurking around, maybe included in some addon scenery that is causing your converted MAIW FSX traffic files not to show up. It may be worth checking that until somebody gets back to you with some help.

Which particular MAIW packages are you working with? You never know it may help.
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

So I pretty much installed the entire globe... Mostly to have some variety to go with my VRS and Aerosoft Tacpack stuff... That being stated I now have sparse default AI traffic ie no traffic on ramps but can quickly find some airborne with the radar... But zero MAIW traffic showing.... thanks for the response!
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Well its odd at this point I now have some default ai traffic showing... even with the traffic sliders all the way up when I load a default airport such as Dulles there will be no default aircraft on the ramp but there will be default aircraft in the area airborne.... easily found within 20nm on radar... but when I go to any airport such as Oceana, Beale, Barksdale, Ellsworth, Minot ect ect... The ramps are empty and its a ghost town... Also nothing to be found in the area on radar... So basically I now have some FSX default and no MAIW at this point... As for whats installed I pretty much did the entire globe or downloaded all the packages I could... Wanted a variety to go with my VRS and Aerosoft Tacpack stuff... thanks!
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Firebird »

Well I would suggest using AIFP to check your system for hidden fs9 traffic files. We have them in our scenery folders occasionally.

If you don't know AIFP, check it out.
What you need to do is under the 'Bulk Traffic' menu is sellect 'Find FS9 Traffic files'. When the requestor opens up click on the 'Scenery Library' button and the first time you load it it mat take some time but once it comes back press the 'Select All Active Titles' button. This will ensure that AIFP searches every folder in your scenery.cfg that is active, i.e. seen by FSX. Then hit the 'Use Selected/Checked' button.
The result will be a list of all your FS9 traffic files and where they are. You can then convert those.

My guess is that you have some hidden ones that you didn't realise and that is causing your problem.

Let us know how you get on.
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Will do, Yea I had used AIFP previously in one of the steps... I had head that FS9 traffic bgls will cause FSX default ai to disappear though? Cause when I originally installed all the MAIW packages I had full military ramps but default AI was gone... When I used AIFP to convert the MAIW bgls to FSX my problem became opposite no MAIW traffic / blank mil ramps but default AI re-appeared but much more limited in its appearance... But I will run the search again... and let you know... one error I noticed AIFP produced a lot was a lack of parking spaces wondering if thats go something to do with it? But i thought the owls nest instructions should have fixed that? Also when I used ade to resave the bgls in fsx should have added parking correct?
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Firebird »

AIFP will only convert flightplans. It does not alter afcads nor add parking spots. It will also not amend the size of parking spots.
ADE will not alter the size of parking spots when you convert the afcads to FSX. All parking spot mods have to be done manually.

First things first. Use AIFP to check for previously unrealised FS9 traffic files left on your system and convert them.
Secondly, once that is done some afcads may need altering manually because the size of an aircraft is different in FS9 to FSX. In FS9 the mdl defines the size of the aircraft and therefore the size of parking spot it needs. In FSX this is ignored and instead it uses the wingspan parm from the aircraft.cfg file to determine what size parking spot it needs.

However, don't go down that route yet. As you had the traffic visible in FSX once therefore the parking spots are fine, unless you altered them when you converted the afcads to FS9.

First thing is to ensure your system is clear of FS9 traffic files.
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Victory103 »

jetpilot1980, I have also had issues with converted FSX files in the past. In AIFP, I make sure to "add_FSX to FP txt" is checked so all my traffile bgls have the_FSX extension. If I get a traffic is converted, I stilll check it in AIFP to be sure. Long time user of VRS Super and Tacpack, those programs should have nothing to do with MAIW packages or AI flightplans. Make sure you have zero traffic bgls in other Add-On scenery folders, some developers add civie traffic that way.
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jetpilot1980
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

I will definitely take a look... I actually did do the _fsx file name and removed the old fs9 bgls that way... It was AIFP that told me there were parking space errors in the fs9 bgls...
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Hello all,

So sorry for delayed response... But school family and job occupy my weeks... Anyway after doing some experimenting... I found that I am fs9 bgl free... however still.no luck with the MAIW traffic showing up... I was able to finally see default ai on the ground by turning off the aircraft shadows and putting the aircraft ai sliders to 100%... but still no MAIW traffic... also not sure if it makes a difference or how to fix it if it does...? But when I use the go to airport menu function such as Beale or Oceana the only available parking is usually the fuel box or go to the active runway... Im assuming of the ade2 or adex files were recognized fsx would reflect more available parking options...? Any other ideas for me??? Thanks
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Firebird »

It seems that the FS9 traffic problem has been resolved. Also the aircraft shadow issue has been resolved.

The only question that I can think of is have you manually activated the MAIW scenery in the scenery.cfg? It doesn't sound like it.

Other than this I think here I will have to let an FSX user take over.
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John Young
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by John Young »

I'm not sure I can help over and above what has already been said, but in my experience of working with FSX for a good many years, the most common reason for FSX AI traffic not showing is the presence of FS9 traffic files. I'd say in 99% of the cases flagged to me, that's been the reason. In 0.99% of cases, it's been too smaller parking spots in the AFCADs. The remaining 0.01% (only one instance I think) was the problem never solved. I'm not doubting that the rogue FS9 files have been searched for, but it's probably worth doing it again, remembering to search local scenery folders because some authors place traffic files in there.

Depending on how many scenery areas you have, it might be practicable to switch them all off apart from the one you are having trouble with and seeing if the traffic is there. You could also temporarily remove all traffic files from scenery\world\scenery folder apart from the one you are testing.

John
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

When you say activated in the scenery cfg? What I did was I put the files including the traffic files under the addon scenery folder... I the went into the scenery library and unchecked addon scenery the fsx did its thing of building data bases... slider went up to 100% after that I rechecked it to reactivate it... is there something else I should have done?

John,

Thanks for jumping, my fsx traffic is now back but the addon traffic is gone... also as i stated above many of the airports do not show any parking in the go to airport menu... does that mean perhaps there's an issue with the afcads?
Last edited by jetpilot1980 on 10 Oct 2015, 14:44, edited 1 time in total.
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John Young
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by John Young »

It depends on how your addon scenery is set up. If all you have is a scenery and texture folder, that should have a scenery library area present for that area by default. If there are traffic files in the scenery folder, they will be switched off when you uncheck the box. However, many third party sceneries install to FSX\addon scenery as separate areas with their own scenery and texture folders. These areas will be added separately by the user to the library. They may also contain traffic files.

You need to switch off all the scenery areas in the library, apart from the one you are testing to be on the safe side. I would also let AI Flight Planner check the whole of your FSX installation by checking the root folder for the search. If you install scenery outside of FSX as I do, then scan those folders too.

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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Firebird »

Leading on from what John said. Lets take the simple case of Nellis.
In the package our scenery is in a folder 'MAIW Nellis AFB (KLSV)' under 'Addon Scenery'. You will have copied the scenery folder somewhere, probably under your Addon Scenery folder. What you have to do is manually add that location to your scenery.cfg file and activate it.

I would say that unless you know what you are doing never deactivate your 'Addon Scenery' folder. Also If you put your Nellis folder under the Addon scenery folder that does NOT mean that it gets seen. Config file is not recursive. You need to add each individual folder. If you do not then any afcads in the scenery folder do not get seen and then you only get the default afcad which will have no parking spots so no traffic shows up.

It sounds like that is what is happening here.

May advice pick one package to start with. Install as per conversion guide and then add the scenery folder. Then check for MAIW traffic. If not successful then report back here so that somebody can help with a specific package.

Let us know how you get on.
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Ok now I am seeing a point of interest... so in accordance with the owls nest instructions i made several folders each with a sub scenery and texture folder... and moved them into my addon scenery folder.... how do I activate those then? Ie what would be a line of sample code to put into my scenery cfg to do so????
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Also will the ade9 and i think af2 files work or do they have to be converted to adex??? But I think that may explain a lot as one of the errors aifp keeps giving me is no parking available...
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by John Young »

You may be making life more difficult than it needs to be. You can certainly add the code to your scenery.cfg file manually if you know how, or you could do what 99% of users I would think do and add the areas you have placed in your addon scenery folder via the scenery library screen in FSX itself. Just remember that for Windows 7 and onwards, you have to right click the white background of the window after you have navigated to the folder you want to add in order to add the entry.

The FS9 ADE and AF2 (AFCAD) files should work in FSX. There might possibly be a problem with parking spot sizes, in which case, try increasing the size at the airfield that isn't showing the AI and see if that makes them visible.

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Re: FSX Help...

Post by Firebird »

John is correct when he talks about adding things by hand. I was referring to the FSX way of adding them, however there are other tools that will do this outside of FS9/FSX.

The one I use, because its simple and intuitive, is SceneryConfigEditor. It can be obtained from here http://sourceforge.net/projects/fs-sceditor/ the current version is 1.16.

The only thing to note is that it loads the scenery from the bottom up. The highest priority is the last to load, so you want any addon sceneries above the default sceneries in the list.
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Re: FSX Help...

Post by jetpilot1980 »

Hey Guys,

So that's again for all the help!! So some good news I downloaded that fs-sceditor utility and it helped a lot! I now have a ton of parking showing up at those airports that previously showed no parking.... or just one or two spots...However, still no aircraft at the airports... I attempted to re-validate and re compile my traffic bgls... as you can see the files do say _fsx... I am attaching my validation report any other ideas? Or do I may need to start examining the aircraft cfg files or something?
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