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Replacement for Default Windsock?

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Is there a replacement for the default windsock, or at least a texture upgrade of some kind? CAN the windsock be upgraded?I don't understand why the ACES team didn't spend a day or two upgrading that old thing... looks like it's from FS98.

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Hello:Paste this text into NotePad, using NO carriage return at the end of the last line (or FSX Deluxe SDK's BGLCompiler will complain). :( Change Lat/Lon coordinates to a desired windsock location, but do NOT change the "heading" (or it won't follow the wind direction properly!).NOTE: This windsock's MDL file is rotated to a heading of "182.994995117188" degrees from the "zero" position in the 3-D world.You can then drop the edited *.XML onto FSX SDK's BGLCompiler (aka "BglComp.exe") to create your windsock placement BGL.When rendered in FSX, you should see a nicely modeled windsock that follows the wind. :( Hope this helps! :( GaryGB

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Hello:Paste this text into NotePad, using NO carriage return at the end of the last line (or FSX Deluxe SDK's BGLCompiler will complain). :( Change Lat/Lon coordinates to a desired windsock location, but do NOT change the "heading" (or it won't follow the wind direction properly!).NOTE: This windsock's MDL file is rotated to a heading of "182.994995117188" degrees from the "zero" position in the 3-D world.You can then drop the edited *.XML onto FSX SDK's BGLCompiler (aka "BglComp.exe") to create your windsock placement BGL.When rendered in FSX, you should see a nicely modeled windsock that follows the wind. :( Hope this helps! :( GaryGB
Hi Gary, Can you clarify what line are we actually supposed to copy and paste into notepad? Thanks

Regards, Kendall

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Guest kwilson
Is there a replacement for the default windsock, or at least a texture upgrade of some kind? CAN the windsock be upgraded?I don't understand why the ACES team didn't spend a day or two upgrading that old thing... looks like it's from FS98.
Not really.Here is the XML code to make a FSX windsock (which, I agree, are hideously ugly). The important bit happens between the two SCeneryObject lines. As you can see you can vary the height,length,whether it is lit at night or not,pole color and sock color so it isn't really a scenery model (the only way you can change colors on a scenery model is by replacing the texture). I don't even think there is a texture associated with the default windsock.<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><!-- Created by Scenery Design Engine (SDE) on 12/10/2008 --><FSData version="9.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd"> <SceneryObject lat="-35.997726" lon="148.792459" alt="0.0M" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="0" imageComplexity="VERY_SPARSE"> <Windsock poleHeight="6.00" sockLength="5.00" lighted="FALSE"> <PoleColor red="57" blue="54" green="58" /> <SockColor red="210" blue="210" green="200" /> </Windsock> </SceneryObject></FSData>Compare this with a usual SceneryObject which places a model. The LibraryObject line calls the model by using a GUID number. The model should already exist in a model library. <SceneryObject lat="-36.2919529527426" lon="148.971072435379" alt="0.0M" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="147.996826171875" imageComplexity="NORMAL"> <LibraryObject name="{a2d391fd-cb2d-444d-88e5-15599a637784}" scale="1.00" /> </SceneryObject>It is possible to make models of windsocks which you can add to FSX but there are a couple of things to remember.1). The model must be a custom made FS9 model. This is because the model needs to be modified so that it uses the wind direction variable. FSX models can no longer access this variable. Even custom FS9 windsocks don't work perfectly as there are a couple of bugs in FS9 and FSX (one is that there need to be two of the models on screen).2). To upgade the windsocks you would have to exclude the default windsock from any airport you wanted to change and then add a new custom model. There are a couple of free libraries available with windsock models so all you would have to do would be make the exclude and place the models.

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Hi Gary, Can you clarify what line are we actually supposed to copy and paste into notepad? Thanks
Hi Kendall:Thanks for your courteous heads up to my oversight in that post! :( Oops... I was working a bit too fast, and missed an edit error while composing my message... my example text got deleted! B) Here is the corrected and complete text intended for the above post: :(
Hello:Here is an example Windsock with a good quality 3-D model and texturing; it's freely downloadable from FSDeveloper.com (see reference below)Paste this text into NotePad, using NO carriage return at the end of the last line (or FSX Deluxe SDK's BGLCompiler will complain). :( <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><!-- Comments go here --><FSData version="9.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd"> <SceneryObject lat="42.7958085760474" lon="-70.8399805426598" alt="0.0M" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="182.994995117188" imageComplexity="VERY_SPARSE"> <LibraryObject name="{886ae146-4737-5bbf-7ad8-468456d88c37}" scale="1.00" /> </SceneryObject></FSData>Change "imageComplexity" to position on the FS Scenery Object Complexity Slider at which the Windsock is to become visible (if needed).Change "scale" to set size at which the Windsock is to be displayed (if a different size is needed); otherwise leave at "1".Change Lat/Lon coordinates to a desired windsock location, but do NOT change the "heading" (or it won't follow the wind direction properly!).NOTE: This EXAMPLE windsock is positioned at a heading of "182.994995117188" degrees in order to respond on-axis to a wind blowing on a heading of 187 degrees.It's MDL file is actually rotated 182.994995117188 degrees too far clockwise from the "zero" position in the 3-D world, so when placing it, use the same heading of 182.994995117188 degrees for a better visual alignment with the wind in FS when displayed.You can then drop the edited *.XML onto FSX SDK's BGLCompiler (aka "BglComp.exe") to create your windsock placement BGL.When rendered in FSX, you should see a nicely modeled windsock that follows the wind. B)
FYI: Scenery Object Credit and Download Source: http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/downloads...23&act=downHope this helps! B) GaryGB

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Hi Kendall: Oops... I was working a bit too fast, and missed an edit error while composing my message... my example text got deleted! :( Hope this helps! B) GaryGB[/color]
Hello Gary, I thought it was me after one of those lonnng days and it doesn't take much to go over this head anyway..... :( but hey, you did get me to read your post like 6 times :( Thanks for posting back, I'm eager to try this out for an airport I've been working on. Cheers.

Regards, Kendall

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Hi, just dropped by to say thanks for the replacement, and also what do I have to do to activate these files? (move it to FSX texture and scenery folders?)

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Hi, just dropped by to say thanks for the replacement, and also what do I have to do to activate these files? (move it to FSX texture and scenery folders?)
Hello:My example above calls the Windsock by its GUID from a FS scenery object library included as a part of Bill Womack's Plum Island add-on scenery package available from FSAddon. B) < Off-Topic FYI > :http://fsaddon.eu/wpfsaddon/tag/plum-island/BTW: The "preview" video is great fun too! http://forums.fsaddon.eu/viewtopic.php?t=1224Oh, and you won't believe this next one is actually a video made in FSX !:http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/show...ght=Plum+Island< Back on topic > :I would have to check and see how best to do this from the MDL files provided in the above FSDeveloper download using RWY12, Arno's ObPlacerXML, ADE, and SBuilder... all which could call and place the windsock from its MDL; I'd also have to determine the manually coded XML method to call and place the windsock from its MDL. :( But by far the easiest procedure would be to make one's own FS scenery object library using Arno's freeware "Library Creator XML 2.0.2" at: :( http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/downloads...=8&act=downThe resulting FS Windsock FS scenery object library can then more easily be used with Instant Scenery and other object placer utilities. :( I'll try to follow up back here on the "MDL placement methods" as time permits. B) GaryGB

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NOTE: This windsock's MDL file is rotated to a heading of "182.994995117188" degrees from the "zero" position in the 3-D world.GaryGB
Oops... Once again I was working a bit too fast, and had made a grievous error while composing my message... ! :( Being a novice flight simulator aviator, I mixed up the concepts of Wind Direction and Wind "Heading" in my earlier post. :( When placing this Windsock scenery library object, the XML coding for "Heading" should be at 0 (zero) degrees to ensure that the Windsock points correctly in FS to... follow the wind direction (whether assigned in World > Weather > User-defined Weather > Customize, or if using real-world weather !And of course, it is correctly placed to follow the wind in the Plum Island scenery package from FSAddon; my apologies for any confusion/consternation this may have caused anyone ! :( GaryGB

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