How Difficult is it to Create Scenery and Add it to FS2004?

**Devildog73** · December 13th, 2011, 00:22

I am new to scenery creation. I have EZ Scenery trial mode for now, but am considering buying it if I like it and am able to use it properly.

What I would like to do is make State Farm Insurance buildings in Bloomington, IL and ISU/IWU campuses in Normal and Bloomington.
I gather that might be a very ambitious project? I am familiar with making scenery layout files in CFS2 with existing library objects, but am not familiar with making my own and then adding them to existing scenery in FS2004.

Am I delusional?

***Mick*** · December 13th, 2011, 04:03

Not delusional, just ambitious.

You'll have to learn how to exclude stock scenery items, how to flatten the terrain if necessary, how to make sure the ground textures and possibly the landclass are suitable, and how to make each custom building from scratch. In some cases you can use stock buildings or buildings from add-on scenery object libraries, but however you do it, it's a lot of work. But it should be worth it.

I used to think I'd learn all that stuff and make my own scenery after I retired and had more hobby time, but I've found that in retirement I have less time for hobbies, not more. I still haven't figured out how that happened...

**rdaniell** · December 13th, 2011, 05:07

Originally Posted by Mick

Not delusional, just ambitious.

You'll have to learn how to exclude stock scenery items, how to flatten the terrain if necessary, how to make sure the ground textures and possibly the landclass are suitable, and how to make each custom building from scratch. In some cases you can use stock buildings or buildings from add-on scenery object libraries, but however you do it, it's a lot of work. But it should be worth it.

I used to think I'd learn all that stuff and make my own scenery after I retired and had more hobby time, but I've found that in retirement I have less time for hobbies, not more. I still haven't figured out how that happened...

Mick, I seem to have plenty of time now that I've retired. I'm getting fairly good at using ADE. Thankfully, there are several object packages available. Also, when I was looking for a particular hanger, Matt Wynn here at the Outhouse, made it for me. I'm afraid that actually making my own objects is outside my cognitive abilities.

My next challenge is going to be to re-learn traffic tools....Warning to the AI traffic guys here at the Outhouse..

Romeo-Delta

***Willy*** · December 13th, 2011, 06:30

There's a tutorial over at California Classics about how to make custom buildings using Sketchup.

**nigel richards** · December 13th, 2011, 06:48

Originally Posted by Willy

There's a tutorial over at California Classics about how to make custom buildings using Sketchup.

Bullseye Willy! :salute:

Sketchup's like an easy to use scenery Gmax. Very useful for custom buildings etc.

That tutorial by Tom Gibson was a Godsend to me. It will then get you looking for ModelConverterX over at fsdeveloper.com where you will find a host of other scenery goodies and tutorials.

Get any tutorials you can lay your hands on by Scruffyduck. They'll solve many of your questions on how to's. Find them at his website. There's a superb tut re; SBuilder.

Get it! And get SBuilder. It's free and its a great all-rounder for doing practically anything in scenery.

**Devildog73** · December 13th, 2011, 08:13

Thanks Nigel, I will google that stuff.

Thanks to everyone else also. I retire 31 July 2014, so I am looking forward to having a bit more time. Were there not some medical issues keeping us at home right now, we would be off visiting all the sights to see in the land of my vorfahren instead of asking questions of all of you.

**tgibson** · December 13th, 2011, 13:02

Glad you liked the tutorial.

I need to download the latest version of Sketchup and redo the tutorial, since you no longer have to rename texture files.

I would get Instant Scenery rather than EZ-Scenery - it's cheaper and does more. Otherwise it's the same program by the same author.

My take on scenery building:

1. ADE for the airport (runways, taxiways, exclusions, flattens, etc.). Or use AFCAD, FSTFlatten, and ExcBuilder2.
2. Sketchup/ModelConverterX for creating custom objects.
3. Library Builder XML for putting those custom objects into libraries.
4. Instant Scenery for placing library objects (downloaded and custom). ADE is a free solution, but harder to use.
5. SBuilder for creating/excluding terrain features (terrain polygons, roads, coastlines, airport polygons, etc.)

Hope this helps,

**rdaniell** · December 13th, 2011, 13:34

I have several objects from the Viet-Nam era that I used in my CampX scenery. Problem is they are all in API format. Is there a S I M P L E program that will convert them to BGL format? I have spent the better part of today downloading programs, etc., put do not understand a single one of them. All I really want to do is be able to use them in either Runway12 or ADE. (Preferably ADE as I can at least do some basic stock airport customizing with it.

Any suggestions.

Romeo-Delta

**Matt Wynn** · December 13th, 2011, 13:50

modelconverterX should be able to convert them to .bgl format.....

not sure if it reads macros though....

***Dangerousdave26*** · December 13th, 2011, 16:33

Originally Posted by Matt Wynn

modelconverterX should be able to convert them to .bgl format.....

not sure if it reads macros though....

ModelconverterX can read the API Macros

Converting them should be as easy as opening the file and exporting it to a FS2004 Scenery bgl file.

rdaniell if you want some help with it some evening just pop on SOH's TeamSpeak 3 server and I can give you a hand.

http://www.sim-outhouse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=40

**rdaniell** · December 13th, 2011, 17:20

Originally Posted by Dangerousdave26

ModelconverterX can read the API Macros

Converting them should be as easy as opening the file and exporting it to a FS2004 Scenery bgl file.

rdaniell if you want some help with it some evening just pop on SOH's TeamSpeak 3 server and I can give you a hand.

http://www.sim-outhouse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=40

Ah Ha! Exporting it to FS2004 Scenery bgl file. Maybe that's what I've been doing wrong. Off to give it a shot...

Romeo-Delta

Edit: Still NO JOY. It opens just fine but when not matter where I attempt to export it, it just disappears.

**tgibson** · December 14th, 2011, 10:34

There is an error log page in MCX. What does it say after export?

**rdaniell** · December 14th, 2011, 10:45

Originally Posted by tgibson

There is an error log page in MCX. What does it say after export?

My poor ole 66 year ole brain is hurting...Took me three tries just to get the error message...

"2:42 PM MDL9Writer Error Failed to locate MakeMDL, please update the path in the options"

Dangerous Dave is also working on this for me. He just sent me a P.M.

I already had great admiration for you guys that know how to do this. Well, that admiration is just growing and growing...

BTW...tgibson, I have just installed a couple of CalClassics scenery. Love them.

Romeo-Delta

***ian elliot*** · December 14th, 2011, 12:20

I use some api in my scenery, converting api's can be abit hit or miss, regardless of how good the conversion program says it is, not all api's can be converted, insted of trying to convert them, i just use a scenery program that handles api's, most of my scenery is EZ-Scenery placed objects but with a ScenegenX (by Tom Hiscox) generated bgl placed along side in the same scenery folder.
cheers ian

**rdaniell** · December 14th, 2011, 13:12

Originally Posted by ian elliot

I use some api in my scenery, converting api's can be abit hit or miss, regardless of how good the conversion program says it is, not all api's can be converted, insted of trying to convert them, i just use a scenery program that handles api's, most of my scenery is EZ-Scenery placed objects but with a ScenegenX (by Tom Hiscox) generated bgl placed along side in the same scenery folder.
cheers ian

Ian, several years ago, now, I learned how to use Flight Sim Scenery Creator. IIRC it relies entirely upon API's. Over the past few days, I've found most of the objects that I used to use. One of the only sceneries that I managed to save from my computer crash was a small ficticious strip I made to place in VietNam. I had a few UH-1s and Birddogs flying our of it. In order to get it back like before, I now have to make a couple AI aircraft, AFCAD, and AI flight plan.

Another conclusion that I have reached is that there is NO ONE scenery program that will do EVERYTHING....

But hey! Time doesn't mean anything to a hog on its way to Chicago....

Romeo-Delta

***Dangerousdave26*** · December 14th, 2011, 14:36

I got permission from Al Simms the creator of the package to convert the API Macro's to Library Objects.

Most of them will be OK but a few will not be desirable to use but all of them will be in the final package.

I need to test a few of them then I will put the final package together and upload them. They should be ready tomorrow.

**Matt Wynn** · December 14th, 2011, 14:48

Thanks DD, nice work! :salute:

out of curiosity, what's in there?

**rdaniell** · December 14th, 2011, 14:49

Originally Posted by Dangerousdave26

I got permission from Al Simms the creator of the package to convert the API Macro's to Library Objects.

Most of them will be OK but a few will not be desirable to use but all of them will be in the final package.

I need to test a few of them then I will put the final package together and upload them. They should be ready tomorrow.

Now that's what I'm talking about....

Maybe FSSC can be retired just like me

Romeo-Delta

***Dangerousdave26*** · December 14th, 2011, 18:30

Originally Posted by Matt Wynn

Thanks DD, nice work! :salute:

out of curiosity, what's in there?

I downloaded all of Al's API Macro files and placed all of the objects in one Library bgl file.

Its 232 objects.

Vehicles, buildings, airplanes, helicopters, hangers, weapons you name it.

It is pretty low poly scenery objects. At a 1,000' flying by they should look pretty good.

**rdaniell** · December 14th, 2011, 18:59

Originally Posted by Dangerousdave26

I downloaded all of Al's API Macro files and placed all of the objects in one Library bgl file.

Its 232 objects.

Vehicles, buildings, airplanes, helicopters, hangers, weapons you name it.

It is pretty low poly scenery objects. At a 1,000' flying by they should look pretty good.

Thanks DeltaDelta! One can do a really good customization of the stock VietNam airports. Or just make one from scratch. I think everything in my CampX is AI Sims.

Romeo-Delta

**Devildog73** · December 14th, 2011, 23:49

But hey! Time doesn't mean anything to a hog on its way to Chicago....

Lost me! But that is not difficult these days!

I have seen some sceneries that authors say were created from images from Google Earth and such.

Do they really mean that they looked, saved an image and then created the scenery by modeling the image, OR, is there a program that converts images into bgl files?

**nigel richards** · December 15th, 2011, 00:54

Originally Posted by Devildog73

Lost me! But that is not difficult these days!

I have seen some sceneries that authors say were created from images from Google Earth and such.

Do they really mean that they looked, saved an image and then created the scenery by modeling the image, OR, is there a program that converts images into bgl files?

They probably mean both Sir. :salute:

It's very, very easy to download photoreal tiles directly from Google earth for fs9 and X and have them automatically installed in one go.

'FSEarthTiles' is the excellent freeware tool you'll need to download. Set it up, choose any area of the globe and how much of it that you wan't and press the button. Resolution ranges from mind boggling to ..____, depending on the material they supply for the particular location. You get a preview so you'll know beforehand.

I've often used textures directly from the snapshot capability within Google earth, then used them, after retouching, to replace fs textures I wasn't happy with. Particularly for jungle, forested, and tropical crop textures. The difference in fs can be stunning.

The same 'snapshot' method can bring life to airport textures - parking areas, grass, even runway texes.

Warning: There is a catch! You can legally download and use as much of this stuff your pc, freetime and patience can take, BUT; You may NOT legally share with others, publically at least.
Failure to heed this is at your own risk...folk do it all the time.

Personally, I'd hate to be googled for breakfast!

**Matt Wynn** · December 15th, 2011, 01:04

another medthod that can be employed is to make a poly in GMAX or 3DS max and texture it using Google Earth images, give the areas you don't want a black alpha and those testure pieces wil be omitted out, but as Nigel says if you want super crisp you end up with a lot of polies to cover an area, same method can be used for HD aprons, say.... concrete, do it right and you can tile photoreal textures onto that area.... one day i'll do a tutorial.... pretty simple to get to grips with, placing is rarely a headache.... creating can be a nightmare, i'm currently working on a representation of an RAF C-type (1934) 45m 'square' Hangar, still gotta add the doors but this has been a thorn in my backside a few times.... still working on the textures as you'll see....

**rdaniell** · December 15th, 2011, 02:10

DangerousDave, Here's a screen shot of a Lima Strip I placed somewhere in Laos. As you can see the "Green Hootch" is right there. I did this with RW12.
Thanks for taking on the project. I'm sure there will be a lot of Outhousers who will benefit from your labor.

Romeo-Delta