Busy...

[Christian Page, RAI]

Here's a shot of the Allegheny ramp at KPIT around 8:00am, local. I still have yet to add the Pennsylvania Airlines flights, and already the Allegheny Commuters are all over (two are headed for 28R out of the shot). You can sort of see the 'green cast" I mentioned earlier on the Beech 99s and Twotters. And, yes, this is using a forthcoming scenery. I am lucky enough to have a entire set of Jeppesens for KPIT dated 1975 and have reconstructed the AFCAD to those specifications. Nick Botamer did the terminal, and he also did earlier and later versions of the terminal that will eventually come out. Once I get all the Commuter parking sorted out amd add the GA and Pennsylvania ANG hangars, I will release this. Atlanta, 1979 is also coming - I made a few changes and am in the process of finishing it up.

[Christian Page, RAI]

jasfromoz said:

Awesome! Love those 'rockets'. I've never seen the green like that. Odd.

I'm not sure if it's a video card issue or not - both my desktops have nVidia cards, so I'm wondering if that's it since both have the same issue. When I get some time to spend the better part of a day downloading my FS setup to my laptop, I'll test it there, as it has an ATI card.

[Christian Page, RAI]

jasfromoz said:

I've got an Nvidia card, also. Still, never seen anything like that.

What model? I have a 256mb GeForce 7300 LE in my Dell XPS 400 and a 256mb GeForce 6800 in my homebuilt.

[chrisP]

Is it the same if you get real close to the Beeches?

[Christian Page, RAI]

chrisp said:

Is it the same if you get real close to the Beeches?

Yes and no - it depends on the angle. If you are at ground level in a Cessna, you don't see it. When you're above the planes, that's when it shows up.

[chrisP]

Some LOD models overstep the LOD1 bounds: If you look at the pic, the LOD3 (red) wireframe is sometimes outside the LOD1 (black) wireframe.
Since the actual texture use is a couple of pixels outside the wireframe, you get "green stuff".

The solution is to think of the model as slightly bigger and paint accordingly.



(click to enlarge)

[jetstar]

Hi Kris.

Send one of the "son of a Beech" my way and I'll try it on my system which has a 7950 GX2 1 GIg card.
The only problem I have had with NV cards is those darm Mip Maps causing the blurries
I remove them all now.

Don't think its a video card issue as it would have been all for one and one for all, but its only HT and DW models.... I guess HT would have done the paint kits..................... send over a PSD as well and I'll have a look at it to see if anything is a bit off.

Paul

[Christian Page, RAI]

chrisp said:

Some LOD models overstep the LOD1 bounds: If you look at the pic, the LOD3 (red) wireframe is sometimes outside the LOD1 (black) wireframe.
Since the actual texture use is a couple of pixels outside the wireframe, you get "green stuff".

The solution is to think of the model as slightly bigger and paint accordingly.



(click to enlarge)

Which is solved easily enough by just painting the whole green background the fuselage color. I believe that's how I cured a similar problem with the Electra and Metro.

[Dee Waldron - HJG]

Its called "edge bleed", and yes, some VCs are worse than others (depending on many variable factors). As mentioned, the best way to deal with it is to paint a few pixels (or more) beyond the defined edges of the bitmaps.

Dee

[brentblackburn]

Kris, count me as a vote for release of KPIT '75. Looks fabulous. The more retro sceneries, the better.

[Christian Page, RAI]

brentblackburn said:

Kris, count me as a vote for release of KPIT '75. Looks fabulous. The more retro sceneries, the better.

Well, you're in luck - Nick and I also collaborated on St. Louis, 1975. Nick did the terminal as it was then and I did the AFCAD. I also have DFW, 1975, which uses some of the default buildings but removes the photoreal shot underneath and all construction outside the terminals after '75 - it also has Amon Carter/Greater Southwest (closed) on the approach path from the south. I also recently released an AFCAD and scenery done by Sheppard Avery of Austin-Mueller. I'm also back-dating a lot of airports - Baltimore, Dulles, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kansas City. They all use the default structures, but post-1975 construction is removed. We got lucky in that FS2004 used an old terminal layout for Oklahoma City - it's literally the 1966 setup, it lacks the expansions done in the 1980's. Today, the 1966 terminal is mostly gone - the central structure was retained but overhauled to a point that it's unrecognizable. The two concourses were demolished (including the observation tower on B) and a new west terminal built that houses most of the airlines. Southwest uses new gates in the expanded central terminal and the east terminal is on hold - it was originally planned as a hub for Great Plains, but their demise killed it for now - but there is some talk of U.S. Airways locating a central U.S. hub here because while DFW has the abandoned Delta hub, the operating costs are much higher there. Wichita will bite the dust soon - the original 1954 terminal (albeit heavily renovated) is due to be replaced in the next few years. My passion really is retro airports, but it's hard to complete one accurately. I am lucky in that I have 1975-era charts for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dulles, Baltimore, and the New York airports. In fact, I have all of New England and Mid-Atlantic states as far south as Virginia - so there will be a lot coming from that.

[Christian Page, RAI]

I repainted the background of the 99 the fuselage color - problem solved.

[brentblackburn]

admin said:

Well, you're in luck - Nick and I also collaborated on St. Louis, 1975. Nick did the terminal as it was then and I did the AFCAD. I also have DFW, 1975, which uses some of the default buildings but removes the photoreal shot underneath and all construction outside the terminals after '75 - it also has Amon Carter/Greater Southwest (closed) on the approach path from the south. I also recently released an AFCAD and scenery done by Sheppard Avery of Austin-Mueller. I'm also back-dating a lot of airports - Baltimore, Dulles, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Kansas City. They all use the default structures, but post-1975 construction is removed. We got lucky in that FS2004 used an old terminal layout for Oklahoma City - it's literally the 1966 setup, it lacks the expansions done in the 1980's. Today, the 1966 terminal is mostly gone - the central structure was retained but overhauled to a point that it's unrecognizable. The two concourses were demolished (including the observation tower on B) and a new west terminal built that houses most of the airlines. Southwest uses new gates in the expanded central terminal and the east terminal is on hold - it was originally planned as a hub for Great Plains, but their demise killed it for now - but there is some talk of U.S. Airways locating a central U.S. hub here because while DFW has the abandoned Delta hub, the operating costs are much higher there. Wichita will bite the dust soon - the original 1954 terminal (albeit heavily renovated) is due to be replaced in the next few years. My passion really is retro airports, but it's hard to complete one accurately. I am lucky in that I have 1975-era charts for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dulles, Baltimore, and the New York airports. In fact, I have all of New England and Mid-Atlantic states as far south as Virginia - so there will be a lot coming from that.

KC Wheeler Downtown would be a good one to fit into that group.

KSTL and KPIT would be fantastic, since there are loads of period AI A/C to make those airports come alive. I hope you'll be able to share those in due course.

[Christian Page, RAI]

brentblackburn said:

KC Wheeler Downtown would be a good one to fit into that group.

KSTL and KPIT would be fantastic, since there are loads of period AI A/C to make those airports come alive. I hope you'll be able to share those in due course.

KC Wheeler Downtown is not on my list - Randy Whistler mentioned he is working on a 1960's-era KS/MO project that will probably include KMKC, a redone KMCI from when it was just TWA's base, and I've offered my AFCAD for Kansas City Fairfax to the project. My backdating of KMCI pretty much just removes 1L/19R and adds proper gate positions for the airlines and at the TWA base on the east side. Wichita has the main runway shortened to its length in the late 1970's and KOKC has all the east taxiways and hangars on the west side of 17L/35R removed, as that's all construction form the mid 1980's through today - ARINC just built a massive modification center on the east side of the field, that's not even in the default, it was just built this year. There's also a new hangar being built north of the JPATS base - that isn't there, and neither will be JPATS or the newer cargo terminal. Also eliminated is the JPATS terminal on the west side - basically a five-story prison with jetways, and people wonder why we call JPATS (callsign "Justice") "Con Air" or "The airline nobody wants to fly." Sad thing is, I know the physician who certifies the prisoners to fly (who is also a pilot, he has a sweet A36TC Bonanza that I've had the luck to occupy the right seat in several times) and he was telling me the in-flight service is probably better than that on any regular carrier here - the prisoners at least get a free meal. That's kind of telling about how the airlines have declined - pa $500 for a ticket, get nothing but a half can of soda and a bag of nuts or pretzels. Commit a Federal crime, get a whole meal in-flight.

But, I digress... Most of my other work largely consists of modifying AFCADs to remove and/or shorten runways and assign correct gate positions. I recently sent Tom Gibson my source files for Amon Carter - he and Mike Pattison are going to finish it off as part of a retro scenery project. The first version of Amon Carter was my first contribution to FS, released back in the summer of 1998. Geez, it doesn't seem like I've been doing this for nine years, but what the hell - it keeps me out of trouble ;D Nick did a great job on the terminals at KPIT and KSTL (yes, the big green "beetle backs" are there at Lambert) - they look great and very easy on framerates. I still have some AFCAD work to do on KSTL - Ozark and TWA are set up according to a 1975 terminal map, as is KPIT. I just have to work out the rest of the airlines at KSTL and it will be ready to go - probably a month or so before I put the initial releases out. I'm trying to work some bugs out as well as finishing up the AFCADs.