Pax animations no longer show when (SODE) jetway used (FSLabs and PMDG)

[jgoggi]

Hi,
Suddenly, after the latest few updates, I don't see the pax boarding when a jetway is used (A320 FSLabs and 744 PMDG). The number of pax in the FMS (OPTIONS page of the A320) increases regularly and I can also hear them walking, but can't see them at all. If I use an open parking with stairs and buses, everything is ok. The jetways are SODE jetways (not GSX2 made, though, but SODE) and the pax were visible on them regularly until more or less before Christmas.
I also run the FSDT live update many times and reinstalled GSX2, but no results. Has anything been changed to this regard, recently?
Thank you.

[Beat578]

As far as I know you won't see them in "normal" SODE Jetways. GSX needs a hidden Floor to place the people on. That floor is only included in the GSX jetways. You can Dock SODE Jetways without having to replace them, but if you want to see the passengers, you have to create an exclude file and replace the Scenery SODE Jetways with the GSX 2 ones.

[jgoggi]

Hi, thank you for your reply.
Until around one month ago, I could see the pax in "normal" SODE jetways without any issue and ever since, I have only run FSDT Live Update when I was advised that an update was available, nothing else. So there must be something in the latest updates. Further, I have read many messages from Umberto, where he states that the jetways need to be SODE, that's the important thing, doesn't matter if "normal" or GSX2 ones and indeed the fact that they worked well confirms this.

[virtuali]

I can only confirm GSX passengers will work in any kind of SODE jetway, regardless if it's made with GSX or not.

The ones made with GSX has the advantage that has two separate floor height, one which is the normal used by SODE, and an additional one that is the "walkable" floor, used only by GSX passenger, so we can specify the floor thickness, which in regular SODE jetways is specified using a generic value, because the jetway itself doesn't specify it.

So, they should both work, and we haven't made any changes to them in the last updates.

As usual, when doing a report, always specify the airport and the gate used and, always specify if the behavior is specific to a certain airplane or not, which means ( usually ), always try with a default airplane too.

[jgoggi]

Hi Umberto,
Thanks for your reply.
I tried at Rome Fiumicino by MK, where I always use gate 410 with my FSlabs Alitalia A320 and it has always worked till around one month ago. I also tried the 70X gates at the satellite with the PMDG 747 and I can't see the pax there, as well.
I also tried Aerosoft Geneva LSGG and T2G Munich EDDM, same result. I can hear the pax walking and, when I do the boarding through the A320 ATSU, the pax number correctly increases, but can't see them either inside the jetway or inside the airplane or in any other place around. Everything else (pax boarding with bus/stair, ground handling, refuelling, etc.) works correctly. 

[virtuali]

I tried at Rome Fiumicino by MK, where I always use gate 410 with my FSlabs Alitalia A320 and it has always worked till around one month ago.

Have you seen the GSX menu asking to dock the jetway ? Can the jetway dock using the SODE own TAB-S command ?

I tried it now with that scenery and, on Gate 410, using the default A321 in FSX, the jetway docks, and I can see passengers just fine. Well, not really "fine" because, as far as I can see, that jetway is solid with no glass, so it's no very easy to see passengers, but they are there.

[jgoggi]

Have you seen the GSX menu asking to dock the jetway ? Can the jetway dock using the SODE own TAB-S command ?

Yes, it works perfectly when I recall the SODE menu and choose the docking option. The only thing I changed is the key used to call the SODE menu, but then it works perfectly and the jetway docks properly.

I tried it now with that scenery and, on Gate 410, using the default A321 in FSX, the jetway docks, and I can see passengers just fine. Well, not really "fine" because, as far as I can see, that jetway is solid with no glass, so it's no very easy to see passengers, but they are there.

I use the EZDOK cameras to move inside and around the airplane and inside the jetway, but not the minimum sign of passengers. Couldn't it be that for unknown reasons there has been a displacement  of the floor height and the passengers walk underground or something? By the way. is the walking sound tied to the animations or can it be there without the animations as well?   

[virtuali]

I use the EZDOK cameras to move inside and around the airplane and inside the jetway, but not the minimum sign of passengers

I can only confirm they can be seen, although barely, even from the outside view.

Couldn't it be that for unknown reasons there has been a displacement  of the floor height and the passengers walk underground or something?

That could only have happened in the scenery own SODE jetway.cfg file, totally outside our control, since GSX doesn't try to read it, it just ASK SODE about the jetway data. You haven't replied to one of my questions: have you tried with a default airplane ?

[jgoggi]

You haven't replied to one of my questions: have you tried with a default airplane ?

No, I will try in a few hours at home, but among the default planes there are not pax liners. Anyway I may try with the Lockheed Constellation, I will report, thanks.

[virtuali]

No, I will try in a few hours at home, but among the default planes there are not pax liners. Anyway I may try with the Lockheed Constellation, I will report, thanks.

If you still have FSX installed, you might try copying the default A321 from the Simobjects\Airplanes\Airbus_A321 folder ( copy the whole folder ), and Paste it in the P3D4\Simobjects\Airplanes folder. It might be a better fit for the jetway, so it works as a good testing airplane.

[jgoggi]

Found the problem…. If I use the SODE menu (TAB+S) to dock the jetway, I will not see the passengers. while if I use the GSX menu (CTRL+F12 ->"Operate jetways")  they magically appear!

[virtuali]

If I use the SODE menu (TAB+S) to dock the jetway, I will not see the passengers. while if I use the GSX menu (CTRL+F12 ->"Operate jetways")  they magically appear!

That's not "magic", it's NORMAL this would be happening!!! If you want to see GSX passengers, you MUST use the GSX menu to operate jetways, because passengers are part of the GSX boarding/deboarding procedure, so you cannot use SODE independently and expect the passengers would "fit" into a separate SODE procedure.

Using the GSX menu compared to the SODE menu has the following advantadges:

- If you are going to use the same gate in GSX, you select it only once, because once it's active in GSX, it will work with SODE to, activating any SODE jetways that might be present, or even a SODE VGDS. This will save you from selecting the same gate twice, once in GSX to activate GSX services, and another time in SODE to move the jetway.

- If you activate SODE jetways from the GSX menu, GSX will communicate to SODE data about your airplane doors, so the precise exact airplane configuration that is used by GSX ( which you can edit ), will be used by the SODE jetway as well. Instead, if you just use the SODE menu, the internal airplane database that comes with SODE will be used, which might not as easy to edit, and if you change something in GSX airplane configuration, it won't be used by SODE, it the SODE menu is used.

Since the GSX menu can call both GSX/SODE jetways and normal SODE jetways, you can just always use the GSX menu, for more consistency and less key strokes.

[jgoggi]

Thank you, I did not focus my attention on always using the GSX menu, I thought that using either one was equivalent, but now it's clear. Only one doubt (not at my computer at the moment): does the GSX menu work also for the Drzewiecki Design SODE jetways, that have a different way of recalling the SODE menu?

[virtuali]

does the GSX menu work also for the Drzewiecki Design SODE jetways, that have a different way of recalling the SODE menu?

Yes, it works with any SODE jetway.