<MSFS VINTAGE > Workflow to convert an airport from FS91

[jacklyon]

Hi

I did some testing, last months, to convert some of my sceneries to MSFS.

I not finish yet, developpement are in pause, because i am doing other projects,
but i would like to give some indications, if someone want to convert a vintage FS91 airport/scenery to MSFS


1) Download the ADE MSFS version
2) Open your afcad, or import the bgl, and convert it to MSFS, save the project

3) use MCX to convert all your library models, from FS91 (.mdl) to (.gltf), you must convert the textures to .png)

4) you must create a library for MSFS, (i will put a link with an example)

basically
we put all our model in a .gltf format in a /PackageSources/Mylib directory
we put all our textures in .png format in a /Pagkage/sourceS/Mylib/texture
and we compile it with fspackagetool

Exemple:

fspackagetool "L:\ARA_MSFS\rhone_alpes_landmarks\SceneryProject.xml"
-outputdir "L:\ARA_MSFS\rhone_alpes_landmarks"
-tempdir "L:\ARA_MSFS\rhone_alpes_landmarks"
-rebuild


5) then we start MSFS, we activate "developer mode", we open our project, and we edit the scenery

6) we exclude things, create aprons, create forest around our vintage airport to mask "modern world", etc


Link to MSFS SDK tutorials:

docs.flightsimulator.com/html/Samples_And_Tutorials/Tutorials/Creating_Or_Replacing_An_Airport.htm


Link to youtube channel of Frederico Penotti, a great MSFS freeware content creator,
he is italian, but speak in english in this tutorials

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWJj28-MmDc&list=PLJxUgoFBRXImPokQktx6iBNfCVpvRNeo0


More later...

[Jorge]

Very interesting! If you have a computer that can run these things, it would really be a plus to developers since it's far easier to make things in the new sim.

I like the fact you can do things in the sim itself. It means you can use a geo-referenced map of an old area as a ground poly, which you can then use as an "on the actual ground template" to make the scenery you want to make. That makes things MUCH easier than before.

Basically go to a website and get a map. Then geo-reference using a program. I think there are tutorials on how to geo-reference a map using something called GDAL which is open-source and free. I havne't used it myself, but know it's out there.

You then place the geo-referenced map on the ground where it belongs. Then trace roads, make areas for cities and towns, or even redo a coastline based on the old map DIRECTLY IN THE SIM!

Absolutely amazing!

No more trying to figure out the "How to make an island" tutorial, I guess. (which I did a while ago )

Looking forward to more information. Even if I can't use it, I can probably get ideas for how it can be used.

Regards,

Jorge
Miami, FL

[jacklyon]

Jun 1, 2023 6:06:42 GMT -5 Jorge said:

Very interesting! If you have a computer that can run these things, it would really be a plus to developers since it's far easier to make things in the new sim.

I like the fact you can do things in the sim itself. It means you can use a geo-referenced map of an old area as a ground poly, which you can then use as an "on the actual ground template" to make the scenery you want to make. That makes things MUCH easier than before.

Basically go to a website and get a map. Then geo-reference using a program. I think there are tutorials on how to geo-reference a map using something called GDAL which is open-source and free. I havne't used it myself, but know it's out there.

You then place the geo-referenced map on the ground where it belongs. Then trace roads, make areas for cities and towns, or even redo a coastline based on the old map DIRECTLY IN THE SIM!

Absolutely amazing!

No more trying to figure out the "How to make an island" tutorial, I guess. (which I did a while ago )

Looking forward to more information. Even if I can't use it, I can probably get ideas for how it can be used.

Regards,

Jorge
Miami, FL

For photoreal scenerys, is like that (at last upon someone make FSEarthTiles for MSFS (that work with big photo files, actually a conversion exist, but use little photo files)

github.com/stackTom/FSEarthTiles

but for normal scenerys, you not needed really georeferencing, because you work ON the sim, you can edit in "live", landclasses, excludes, waterclasses, meshes, etcetera

[Jorge]

Yes, photoscenery could be like that.

I was actually referring to a process I did for a few fields where I took the image and made it into a geo-referenced ground poly with ADE. I then used that to place some objects with Instant Scenery 3 in my CalClassic install (LPAZ, specifically). After I was done, I just deleted the ground polygon since I didn't need it anymore.

The same "process" was done with the "reasample" tool from the FS9 SDK for larger areas, though with the expected image quality loss. No issue since the "ground photo" was only there for working with IS3 to drop things in different places. I then got rid of the "photo" terrain since it was only there as a placement tool.

I used that process for a few airports and towns in a "Cuba-58" project I'd started a while back but haven't worked on for ages. I stopped doing scenery with that method since I figured out how to use JOG charts to make landclass in SBuilder9, so I didn't have to "hand-drop" anything for large areas anymore.

Once all the LORAN and HFDF stuff is done, I'm going back to concentrating on the PW project and with any luck I'll be able to have something by the end of the year, but who knows.

Regards,

Jorge
Miami, FL

[Jorge]

Alejandro,

Check your pm's.

Saludos!

Jorge
Miami, FL