how to flatten?

[5thranger]

hello all,

im modyfying one of the default airports in FS9.

I'm using AFCAD to finish the airport and I have to say it looks great when I installed it and flew it.
Problem is, as im sure you guys all know, some of the default scenery and autogen elements are poking through the tarmac, trees in the runway, etc.

I've also tried every available flattening tool available for download, read every tutorial, etc.

I've also tried exclusions.

All to no avail, no matter what I do, the autogen and default scenery continues to poke through.

Sometimes, I manage to flatten the area...but my new airport scenery dissapears....

anybody has a good and solid tutorial or way to explain what the problem might be?

Maybe if I tweak the layers in the scenery.cfg file?

I'm confused to the max.

Thanks in advance.

[wji]

I only use the exclude switch on sceneries I create; i.e., after flattenig with FSTFlatten (which creates a *.bgl file) I place this into an Addon Scenery/Scenery folder with an empty /Texture folder.

Once this new scenery is Added from the opening screen in FS9, I then use FlattEx to create an Exclude file (there's no particular reason to use two programs; I just like doing it this way)

I then open the FS9/Scenery.cfg file and edit the Exclude= part until it looks the way I want it to in FS9.


There is also a hierarchy issues with FS9 sceneries which (may) require the flatten and/or exclude switches to be below the scenery items one wants to exclude.

It took me a long time to figure it out. Good Luck.

P.S. SAMPLE Scenery I created:
[Area.194]
Title=flatten-tahsis
Local=Addon Scenery\flatten-tahsis
Remote=
Active=TRUE
Required=FALSE
Layer=194
Exclude=N49 56.72,W126 39.27,N49 56.30,W126 39.18,all
// Exclude=N49 50.34,W126 39.43,N49 55.94,W126 39.32,all

[bm]

Hi 5thranger, I should have a tutorial on how to lay a vtp poly & LWM flatten with sbuilder finished by the end of the week if that is any use to you. The vtp will exclude autogen (just as the grass underlay at default airports), but the default airport elements (towers&hangars) would require exclusion for example with excludebuilder2.

Birdy

[MIKE JG]

I would love to see a tutorial like that !!

[bm]

Hi BNL -
http://ukscenerydesign.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=303

Hope it helps!  ;)
Birdy

[microlight]

Sounds like you need an exclude program rather than a flatten program if you still have autogen scenery poking through. I use ExcludeBuilder 2 and it works a treat for removing trees from runways and suchlike.

[curlyo]

I downloaded Flatten Ex from simvia and have never looked back. Go top down veiw with slew on. with the stick move the aircraft to the requierd locations, and add the lat/ long/elev too the program and click each time  the lat/long are displayed then drag this imfo from the bottom of the page across into the flatten mirrow, and save/  do the same with Exclude. It worked right from the start and i've never had any probs with it. Its simple, and very easy softwhare too use.  

[bm]

Hi Microlight, VTP poly's work as excludes to autogen, unless you use an autogen-enabled texture. The major advantage in my view of using a vtp&lwm is that you are not restricted to a rectangle.

If you need to remove library objects (as opposed to AGN) then you will need to use a normal exclude.

Birdy

[wji]

That's quite a tutorial you published, Birdy. I'm d/l SBuilder as we speak. Thnx for the headsup.  :D

[brittair]

I agree it is great and I now use Sbuilder, cheers Bird
Britt