Military AI Works

Guys I want to add an apron on top of another apron in ADE but the first apron hides it. I know its a layer problem, I want to know how I can change the layer so new apron is above the first apron. Is there a way to move the layers around? This is the latest version of ADE and the manual talks about a right click menu with options to move layers but I'm not seeing this option when click on an apron?

All help gratefully received

Is there a specific reason it has to be an apron on top of an apron, because FS9 hates breaking its display priorities when doing that... that is, if an asphalt apron crosses a concrete apron, the asphalt apron will always want to display as the top layer... etc on down the line, ice over asphalt, coral over ice etc etc. At least I think that's the order, don't quote me on it. The easiest way to bypass that without FS9 freaking out is to either use creative taxiways (with the lines/lights turned off) because taxiways always display above aprons. So, no matter what your taxiway is made of it will display on top of the apron material. The slightly more time consuming way is of course very creative apron cookie cutting so that you have adjoining aprons and don't have overlaps. The second technique of course usually requires one or two taxiways masquerading as aprons to close gaps since it's impossible to make an apron with a hole in the middle. You just make a big C, then close the gap with a disguised taxiway.

So, the recap, if you want to make an concrete apron with asphalt stands on it, no problem, the game allows that. If you want to make an asphalt apron with concrete stands on it, consider using taxiway segments.

So, for example: These concrete hardstands at Meridian Key:



Normally the concrete apron will not display on top of an asphalt one, so I have used short taxiway segments to force the texture to display above the asphalt apron. Of course, that trick only works with shapes that are very rectangular. For other shapes you need to use the cookie cutter approach seen here:



In the back left you can see two concrete apron squares that appear to be surrounded by asphalt. In order to do that the asphalt apron needed to be trimmed around the concrete apron, then a asphalt taxiway was run up the middle to make it look like two concrete pads.

Thanks that is what I'm trying do with concrete parking spots on an asphalt apron.

Cheers for the info

John

There is a tutorial, I think at FSDeveloper.com that describes the drawing order of the surfaces in the simulator. Asphalt is almost on top, save for sand and ice.

What I do is create a patchwork of the asphalt surfaces, a number of them to fit around the concrete stands. The limitation is it must be open on one end. Once this is done I create one large concrete section to cover all the concrete parts. I do this last so that I can still see the image below while I am making the asphalt surfaces.

In the same vain when making two surface runways concrete always displays above asphalt.

John

Great info gents, always have had issues in the past when adding concrete pads like click does at most mil rotary bases (asphalt does not sit well with single wheel heavy helos). The change in ADE9X dealing with layers had me initially lost.