SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

harkonnen · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:42 am Post subject: XML is pretty cool.

Wow, I used to be afraid of .XML coding...didn't even want to open up the files, it looked complicated and not fun. Then I found a tutorial on making an elevated landing pad using .XML and worked through it last weekend and have been mired in experiments ever since. I've wanted to figure out elevated landing surfaces for years and have only just done research in all this time...never really dove into trying it out. Finally tried to make a hardened surface in gmax but didn't get it right after 3 or 4 tries (now I think I know what I did wrong :roll: ) and abandoned that method for the time being. With .XML you can make the elevated landing surfaces, with or without the surface textures (Helipad 'H' with border, or runway graphics on your runway.) AND, with .XML you get to make up an airport I.D.,etc so you can spawn on your new surface from 'create a flight', or 'Go to airport'. Way cool.
Now I'm realizing the potential of .XML for creating scenery files....from the BGLCOMP SDK's it looks like you can place a whack of default library objects with .XML.
You can make a scenery file however you want, and place all kinds of stuff with just .XML coding and BGLCOMP...no need for any other applications.
You can have a main .BGL (or many) and a bunch of '.BGL from .XML' files in your scenery folder, there doesn't seem to be limits on how much junk you can pack in there.

http://www.aussim.com.au/tutorials/helipad/HeliPads.htm

There is a companion tute to this one that tells you how to remove any surface graphics from your helipad, don't have the link just now, will put it up if needed.

Now, I would like to figure out elevated runways with .XML...and need to go back into gmax and try running the 'Attachtool' script for hardened surfaces properly as an alternative to the .XML method.

Sounds sort of boring but it gives you the ability to have landable surfaces anywhere...high buildings, floating, futuristic airports and carriers, etc.

The .XML method involves a lot of editing...you have to match the landable surface up with your visual model's surface, both lat and lon-wise and height-wise, but it's pretty neat to take off from an air carrier at 13,000' so it's worth it. :wink:

rd · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:37 am Post subject:

Welcome to just the smallest of things you can do with .XML.

The better panels are done in XML, effects too. There is nothing that can't be done, or modified, that is better done with it. And doing it through XML, is faster, and uses less resources, so you don't have a huge hit, on your system.

I'm just on the cutting edge of using it, for the Maddie Flights. I am working on a IFE, that when you hit a certian speed, altitude, time into the flight, certian key buttons hit, that, a certian thing will happen.

Say you it 15,000 ft, and your slower than 130 knots, that engine 1 cuts out on you. Now you have to fly the rest of the distance, with one engine. (cough-cough) Just an example, that's all.

But there are more than one's mind can understand, to make XML, do things that couldn't be done before.

Kudo's to you Hark. Good luck.

RD

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject:

hark, rd, someone at my VA gave me this site, and i thought i would share it with you. It is a personal based learning website dealing with all sorts of "website" building FROM SCRATCH!! I dont know how much of use you two can make of it, but it might be worth a look into if you are wanting to learn something new..

http://www.w3schools.com/

hope you enjoy.. happy learning!!

harkonnen · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:02 am Post subject:

Thanks for the link Capt., I do have enough on my plate right now but in the future I would like to have a site up when I have enough add-ons and textures etc., to offer for download.

capt.PropwashKCHS · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:38 am Post subject:

well, if nothing else, there is a section in there about XML. it talkes about the differences of XML versus HTML. (its more for websites) but i am sure that XML being a "data carrier" is nothing more than that ... a data carrier. HTML just displayes the XML data. so that page might be worth something in building XML files. who knows. just thought it might help

harkonnen · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:14 am Post subject:

I've just realized lately how widespread .XML is. I thought it was just some Microsoft FS-exclusive code, but it's pretty prolific, eh?

I love playing with this stuff once I understand what's going on....one more great tool for fooling with flightsim stuff for me.

harkonnen · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject:

I need to have a look at how .XML is used for all kinds of custom animations, effects, and 'conditional appearance' stuff in the aircraft compile itself. I don't understand how it works because I haven't studied it yet, but you can do the neatest stuff for aircraft with .XML coding...like having a pilot look around in a certain way when the plane is on the ground, and he looks around in a different manner once airborne...or maybe he puts a pair of binoculars up to his eyes, or pulls the canopy closed, etc, etc. It would be pretty sweet to figure that stuff out.

Haun · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 11:39 pm Post subject:

You do scenery right? Most of the time regular airports are made by hand in code. I use a mix of AFCAD and Object Placer to begin my XML work.

harkonnen · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 1:09 am Post subject:

Yup, I do scenery, but the .XML stuff I've played with so far is pretty simple - don't bugger up the syntax and enter your parameters; latitude and longitude, height, stuff like that. I played with a helipad file, but once again, it was pretty basic stuff.
The guys over at Freeflight Design Shop do all kinds of cool, original stuff with .XML for their aircrafts....I'm becoming more and more interested in the possibilities. I guess I should be reading their forums more, and the SDK's.

Haun · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 4:05 am Post subject:

sounds like a plan! We're all rootin' for ya!

rd · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 6:23 am Post subject:

Sheesh, I told you that about 10 posts ago. That you can do alot of things concerning the aircraft, and what it does, or what you want it to do.

IE: Afterburners... I have them turn on at 70% throttle or higher, and turn off at 69% or lower.

As to the IFE/EFE (Instrument Failure Error/Exterior Failure Error), I am working on alot of variables that are 100% XML. With out it (XML), it couldn't be done.

RD

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 581 Location: Denmark

harkonnen wrote: I've just realized lately how widespread .XML is. I thought it was just some Microsoft FS-exclusive code, but it's pretty prolific, eh?

XML is a very wide-spread method. Actually you can use it as a database, or for a billion more things. I, for instance, use it to store files which are radomly rendered into my banner on my website. Just thought I'd tell, hehe.

But good catch, Hark - looking forward to see what you come up with !